LIVE FROM THE PIT: Lambrini Girls and Shelf Lives

From the moment 2025 kicked up a fuss, making its rowdy and rambunctious entrance, so too did Brighton bruiserweights LAMBRINI GIRLS. With only ten days into January, we were blessed with the unapologetic debut Who Let The Dogs Out, a triumphant wrecking ball of a record sent straight into the fractured foundations of British society. It was here that the age-old, authentic fundamentals of punk snagged themselves around vocalist Pheobe Lunny’s tongue, as the band seethed about toxic workplace practices, the rising constrictions on queer rights globally, and the damaging nature of gentrification that was causing havoc far too close to home.

With their long summer firmly underway, it seemed like there was nothing that Lunny and bassist Lilly Macieira-Boşgelmez could take on. Rabble-rousing at Glastonbury? Telling it how it is at Reading and Leeds? World domination from the sun-baked festival stages of Australia, South Korea and Italy? You bet - they do it all and more! 

This entire year has belonged to the Girls - and by extension the gays and the theys - with a second UK tour this winter becoming the much-anticipated victory lap. In Manchester, we take a course in Cuntology 101, schooling the stratospheric rise of a band on course to make the 2026 bills of Coachella, Primavera and  2000 Trees.

Adding to the impressive rotating supporting roster, including CLT DROP, ENOLA GAY and M(H)AOL, was British Canadian post-punk duo SHELF LIVES. In anticipation of their debut album, Hypernormal, the eclectic thrill of the band’s electronic indie leanings resulted in a slow-burning release of queer infused anthems. Whilst starting timid and tender, with fizzy lyrics that seared with hot takes and Gen Z garble, the tone would seismically shift into daring dance tracks that noticably bounced the floor of Manchester’s beloved Ritz. Anticipating the headliner's high-strung ferocity, SHELF LIVES adopted art-pop branding and came off even sweeter with a punk-centred core. Descending into the crowd during their final track, this shindig proceeded to kick off with considerable candour from front to back. 

As the bright stage lights ascend, Maciera and touring drummer Misha Phillips start the unmistakable call to arms of opener Bad Apple. Arriving later than her bandmates, Lunny circles the stage, eyes wide, arms flailing in a David Byrne-esque way; the suit she wore was just a coincidence. Shouting garishly “MAN-CHES-TER”, the three strained syllables that were just as gritty as the feeling that they were made for the vocalist. Here, we see LAMBRINI GIRLS at their best. Hungry and unapologetic, scathing and glitzy, with terrorising those who put the band into boxes firmly in mind. With the triumphant " Officer, what seems to be the problem?" came a manifesto of carnage, an artillery of words that allowed the venue to be torn apart.

Whilst Company Culture is dynamite, erupting into a frantic high-energy wall of death, Help Me I’m Gay turns the serious punch of the previous tracks into euphoria. Giving the band a chance to acquaint themselves with the “queer legends” in the crowd, as Lunny preaches a safe space for LGBTQIA+ people from the pit. With soft colourful lighting, Maciera pushes the rowdy rock riffs (made possible by Lunny adorning a guitar for the moments that matter), gets the entire room revelling, including the poor souls left in the Ritz rafters. Unfortunately for them, right in the centre is where the party is happening, and they can watch it all unfold as the pit all know how to have a good time. 

As tracks gleam with the promise of a young band that’s on its way to stardom, there is a constellation of provocative messages that shine throughout the set. In some ways, they speak on behalf of their crowd, unified on the importance of speaking up for victims of sexual harassment during Boys In the Band, the ongoing support of the Palestinian people, and later, as Phillips takes centre stage as to express the impact of politics on trans lives, the impact is refreshing and cool against the radio-friendly front of today's society. 

From their new album, Who Let The Dogs Out, Lunny and Maciera are the band at their most fully realised yet, cutting deep to the bone with tracks like Love and No Homo give clarity on individual queer experience. Cuntology 101, the self-serving confident anthem, is played with great enthusiasm, as the band puts down their instruments and makes the most of the moment. Encoring with Big Dick Energy, sending the night off with transparency and visibility, before punching the final optimistic notes and dispersing into the cold night.   

It is clear that LAMBRINI GIRLS are authentic, embody the true essence of punk and redefine its meaning for an entire new generation. Selling out the Ritz with only one album to hand is in itself a demonstration of the band’s unparalleled power.

But here's the real message of the evening: If you - too - think you have Big Dick Energy, you should probably go and get that checked out.

Words: Amber Brooks

Photos: James Smith