LIVE FROM THE PIT: Girli and Gen And The Degenerates

Since the release of her new album it's just my opinion, GIRLI  has been touring Europe including the UK, spreading the joys and struggles of female rage, being queer and the ups and downs of being in love. Out of Rage joined GIRLI and GEN AND THE DEGENERATES at Manchester's Band on the Wall for one of the final shows of the tour, this was particularly special as because it was three shows from the end, GIRLI let us know that she would not be holding back, she “doesn't care if she loses her voice, we're gonna have a good time.”

Opening the evening was Liverpool based GEN AND THE DEGENERATES with their self described “punk inspired trash pop”. Despite some technical difficulties, Gen didn't let anything stop her from bringing a truly fun and feral energy to the stage, dancing along to songs such as Hotter On The Internet, Sex Symbol and Girl God Gun. GEN AND THE DEGENERATES has found a modern alt-pop sound with the core of queer positive, anti-diet culture, anti-establishment, proper british punk attitude which is fully encapsulated in the lyrics of Anti-Fun Propaganda but is prevalent throughout their entire discography. We'll definitely be looking forward to their upcoming album in the new year!

Starting the setlist we were immediately introduced to the new album and to quintessential GIRLI  themes of self image and queer love through the rose tinted lens of alt-pop with Blue Sky and Squirm, followed by an evident crowd favourite I Really Fucked It Up which any GIRLI fan new or old hold close. She then dove back into the new album with stories of first queer crushes, unrequited love and the pain of heartbreak, all while keeping the crowd upbeat with Romantic Sadness, Lifestyle and Don't Make Me Cry.

We were then transported back to 2019, without breaking the theme of fun love and upbeat heartbreak with Friday Night Big Screen from her first album Odd One Out, giving OG fans and any fan of a good rom-com a healing bout of nostalgia and Nothing Hurts Like a Girl. We were then immersed into the show as the crowd was asked if they had any opinions to share with the room, in theme of the album title It's just my opinion, giving the crowd the opportunity to be vulnerable and connect to each other and to GIRLI herself as she followed this with an “opinion she has, but wishes she didn't” leading us into I Don't Like Myself from her 2021 EP Damsel in Distress.

There had also been a challenge to the audience set for this tour, to find the best Slogan tee. GIRLI had worn a slogan tee for each show (for this show the tee read “I Think She's Gay with a self facing arrow) and gave a showcase of audience tees in the show, supporting trans rights, how great queerness is and how great women are. After seeing how we were dressed, we got transported back to the album for Better Undressed and The Answer. After the apparent disappointment of the US tour not including this song, we were promised that mistake would not be made again as she then played an acoustic rendition of Bones which hit the crowd in a whole new beautiful way. The set was ended with more new and old fan favourites with Pedestal, More Than a Friend and the true WLW anthem, Matriarchy.

No brilliant show however is ever really over without an encore of the hardest hitting songs and that is exactly what we were given. Starting with Letter To My Ex, an all too relatable song that we all wish we could have written about how you can love and hate someone all at the same time because of all the things that you went through during that relationship. And lastly, the song we had all been waiting for from the album, Slap On The Wrist, this song is a personal story that hits home with too many female, and male, survivors of sexual assault. “This song I play last because it it so full of rage, and rage inspires action”, these words have stuck with us since they were spoken and will for a long time for a lot of people in the crowd that night.

This show was full of community, acceptance and catharsis to a high energy soundtrack. GIRLI has created a fanbase that is unafraid to feel their feelings, good or bad, and speak out about worldly injustices whether that's through singing along or voicing their opinion through a microphone or on a t-shirt and it was a privilege to be a part of that for the night. Words: Alexandra Winterbottom Photos: Emily Champion