LIVE FROM THE PIT: Scene Queen, Girli and Lake Malice

SCENE QUEEN returned to London with their biggest headliner show yet. Taking over the iconic O2 Forum Kentish Town with a femme dominated night, the set was more vibrant, more pink and more queer than ever, and the audience matched the vibes flawlessly. Supported by the British band’s GIRLI and LAKE MALICE, the night was set off with good atmosphere from the beginning.

Before the doors opened, many fans were already waiting outside, and apart from the extensive general admission queue, the accessibility queue was the second biggest one, which only confirms the inclusivity of all three performers. The security at the venue was also very helpful and accommodated fans, who were in need of seats in a quick manner, ensuring they felt comfortable and safe.

LAKE MALICE opened the night with their energetic set full of ALICE GUALA’s raw vocals and BLAKE CORNWALL’s riffs and they absolutely nailed it. Being accompanied by EMILY AINGER on drums, the songs were energetic, aggressive and emotional, with many bearing personal significance to ALICE. Inspired by anime music, the songs often featured electronic elements, that only elevated the listening experience. Crowd knew the songs from the start, and it was no surprise they sang every word with no issue and even started moshpits during their set. While the staging was simple, ALICE’s big presence and BLAKEs high jumps took over, making it feel like more than just lights.

The main support of the night was the London-based GIRLI. Bringing in her bubblegum pop-punk rap with electronic components, the set was centred around LGBTQ+ support, with a big slander of a certain transphobic writer, femme empowerment, mental health, and the vocalist’s vibrator earrings, that actually worked, as she demonstrated with her microphone. AMELIA TOOMEY the vocalist and founder, was accompanied on drums by LUCY YATES, who has been performing with her live multiple times before. As this was GIRLI’s last evening of the tour, the band performed with passion and fierce and it was obvious they were grateful for the fans’ support, as they once again proved themselves by knowing all the songs word to word. The set brought in a unique energy, as the band’s genre was different from the other two, but it fit in like a glove.

After two powerful supports, SCENE QUEEN took over the stage with a big banner and inflatable decorations, and it was finally time for the bimbocore royalty to shine. The vocalist and founder HANNAH ROSE COLLINS was accompanied by her two “bimbros”, a guitarist DANIEL RUDD, also known as BOY HERO, and a drummer JONATHAN SCHWARTZ, and all three put on an unforgettable performance packed with queer and femme support, mutual hate for the U. S. Government and the whole venue’s indoctrination to SCENE QUEEN’s own fake sorority “Bimbo Beta Pie”, for which she chose three different fans from the crowd to join her on stage for the oath. The set had very emotional, as well as chaotic moments, and had everything from moshpits, to crowd-surfers, to HANNAH and DANIEL rapping the iconic Barbie & Ken, that is originally the artist’s feature with SET IT OFF. As this was also the last concert of the HOT SHOWS IN YOUR AREA tour taking place in the UK, HANNAH expressed her gratitude to the crowd multiple times for loving her music and making her feel “like home” every time she is back.

The night was filled with love, empathy and gratitude, and all SCENE QUEEN, GIRLI and LAKE MALICE gave their fans all they had and more. Once again proving that their sets are a welcoming safe-space, that does not play around when it comes to equality and fairness, the bands, and especially SCENE QUEEN, proved they do deserve the recognition they are getting and more importantly the voice they are gaining with each new fan, that joins their ranks.

Words and Photos: Katerina Stepanikova