A year after igniting San Francisco with her Flee from the Sanctuary tour, HARU NEMURI returned on September 14th. This time, she stood onstage as a fully independent musician, touring behind ‘ekkolaptómenos’—her entirely self-produced album. The performance at DNA Lounge carried the weight of her new music. With her visa nearing expiration and her outspoken politics, the night held a sense of urgency.
The evening opened with local act Orchkeystra. He blended live keys, pad controllers, and anime soundtracks into a playful mix of DJ-ing and 8-bit pop. “I’m honored to be opening for Haru”, he said. Songs like LiSA’s ‘Gurenge’ and Utada Hikaru’s ‘Simple and Clean’ drew cheers, paired with his own live beats. Nostalgia and charm carried his set to its end. He thanked the crowd and closed simply: “Make some noise for Haru”.
Haru descended the stairs from the green room, swinging a black and white keffiyeh. She launched into ‘Anointment’ the first single from ‘ekkolaptómenos’. The song, a meditation on renewal and self-empowerment, set a personal and raw tone. She followed with ‘Kick in the World’, bridging past work with her present. Pausing for breath, she thanked the crowd for braving the last-minute venue switch. “Keep dancing and screaming; be yourself, as long as you don’t bother someone”. Wild abandon paired with responsibility, it’s a balance that has always defined her.
Before ‘Panopticon’, a track on surveillance and dehumanization, Haru spoke about xenophobia in Japan. “I’m very angry with it. I wrote this song during that time. I wanted to perform it on this tour”. She didn’t hold back elsewhere either. At one point, she raised her voice (along with her keffiyeh) with a blunt declaration: “As a punk rocker, I should say this. Free Palestine. Fuck Israel”.
Her fury gave way to vulnerability between songs. “Are you enjoying? Is it ok to ask that?” she laughed. The crowd cheered, and she softened: “Thank you, you all are my teachers”.
Later, she recalled being called “crazy” online after performing at a demonstration. She brushed off the insult with a retort that could’ve been printed on a placard: “If you see someone dancing and singing and feel disgusted, maybe you’re the problem”. That spirit inspired her current tour merch, a shirt reading Baku odori (Japanese for “dance like crazy”). During ‘Symposium’, she did just that, joining the crowd and dancing with them. She moved as though the barrier between performer and audience didn’t exist.
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Some moments echoed last year’s show. She taught the audience the “ah ah ah” refrain during ‘Sekai wo Torikaeshite Okure’, pointed the mic into the crowd, and climbed onto a barstool to lead call-and-response. But other moments cut deeper. After ‘Ikiru’, she admitted the song’s weight makes it hard not to cry. “I succeeded”, she laughed. She ended the main set with ‘Terrain Vague’ after explaining its theme: “Sometimes you get put into a shape. But you are very free. I want you to remember it”.
After a short exit, Haru returned for an encore. It stretched from two songs into three, ending with the fan favourite ‘MAKE MORE NOISE OF YOU’. She and her DJ bowed deeply before leaving the stage for the last time.
If last year’s Flee from the Sanctuary tour was about introduction and energy, this one was about declaration. Haru has shed the safety net of labels and produced an album on her own terms. Onstage, she doubled down on speaking truths—even when they make people uncomfortable. Rage and urgency mixed with humour, gratitude, and connection, she makes her audience part of the act.
At DNA Lounge, Haru Nemuri reminded San Francisco that music can be resistance, catharsis, and communion at once. Her return is uncertain, but her message lingers: you are free, life is complex, and yes, life can still be beautiful.
Photos by Ammar Chishty
HARU NEMURI
ekkolaptómenos
Release Date: 01/08/2025
Label: Independent
Stream: Spotify | Apple Music
