Live Review: Girli - The Dome, London 17/11/2021
After a while of being deprived of Girli’s incredible bad-ass-boss energy, she returns to the stage for her first self-funded all women & non binary crew tour, to empower fans and remind us all why we want to be more than a friend…
Microphone in hand, power suit on, neon-pink mullet ready to go… that’s how London’s futuristic-punk independent icon Grili walks on stage after years of forced hiatus. Ready to give fans a run for their money, she struts in with a presence that only pop royalty can channel, making everyone aware the stage is hers and so are we all. As MC Rene Jean-Marie queues up the bass and synths for fan favourite ‘Day Month Second’, the crowd can’t stop cheering, almost as if they knew this was going to be a collective cathartic hour(+)-long session.
Prior to such electrifying entrance, fans were certainly well taken care of by two (or actually 3 ish) vibrant performances by thrilling opening acts Sizzy Rocket, July Jones, and Rizha. Immaculate queer vibes were set straight off the bat by LA-based Sabrina Louise Bernstein, better known as Sizzy Rocket. The thrilling display of her unapologetically freeing energy swept the audience off their feet. One could barely tell it was Sizzy’s first show post-pandemonium. The effortless performance included jumping around, hair flicking, and even a big ‘free the tits’ moment. Similarly, British-Slovene alt-pop rising star July Jones commanded the stage of London’s The Dome like it was her b*tch. Serving leather + chains realness, Jones was welcomed on stage by an audience that couldn’t help but to collectively scream “I am so gay right now”. Even after a tech malfunction she took charge and worked every inch of that stage like there was no tomorrow. July also took us by surprised as she invited Madrid-based hype pop prodigy Rizha for their song ‘Aladdin 2.0’. Needless to say Rizha had us in the palm of her hand as soon as she set foot on stage – imagine people’s reaction the second she started spitting lines in Spanish – *insert collective gasping* - just brilliant!
By the time 9.30pm hit, every single human in the venue was hyped and ready to keep the party going with Girli’s well know non-stop bangers set. And, in more or less words, that’s exactly what happened. From the very first moment she started singing, the crowd went insane – mostly because her lyrics are so relatable and liberating but also thanks to the fact that the bass was so intense you literally felt like you were ‘inside of a vibrator’ (in the wise words of Lady Gaga).
It wasn’t too long before the powersuit came off and a beautifully bedazzled vest became the centre of attention. As both Milly Toomey, aka Girli and her impressive backup vocals singer Faber screamed their lungs out to anthemic ‘Deal With It’, it was clear a slight wardrobe issue was taking place. Girli smoothly charmed her way through it and flirted with the crowd as she played with the idea of her boobs coming out to which one of her fans responded “we love your tits” – again, needless to say Girli had control of every single human in that venue at this point.
All flirting aside, Girli got very personal on several occasions. She pointed out the fact that she had grown up 10 mins away from the very venue we were in, a place where she used to queue up to watch her favourite acts - that certainly had to be a full circle moment. At the same time, she shared a bit of the story behind being dropped by a label. Without any remorse in her voice, and actually with pride (as she should), she explained how this tour was 100% self-funded which is no small thing for an artist her size – this only reaffirms what we already knew about Girli, she is indeed a force to be reckoned with and she’ll successfully put money where her mouth is, too bad for the label who decided to stop working with her, they’re missing out but she isn’t looking back.
23-year-old Girli has managed to bridge generational and gender gaps to the extent that she can bring multiple demographics together in a surprisingly harmonious way. She was actually the very first one to acknowledge the tour itself is a ‘all women & non binary tour’, assuring once more that everyone is welcomed as long as they respect the boundaries of a safe space – as a testament to this, and the overall vibe of the audience, are the inclusive over-imposed bathroom signs (which believe it or not are not as common as one would hope in music venues). This also certainly explains the reaction of the crowd as she sang the words “cuz they never told us, no they never told us, how much it hurts to be young”, a clear gateway for releasing all the frustrations of the young generations and the general nostalgic feeling of the older ones.
The air is charged with angst and heartbreak as Girli performs her last song, arguably one of her biggest tunes ever, ‘More Than A Friend’. As every single person sang along to “so we kept in touch cuz I wanted to touch her […] this girl has got me all messed up […] I wanna be more than a friend more than a firend”, the collective feeling of accomplishment is surreal/ The post-gig-high starts to creep in and slowly but surely, our bodies start realising we craved Girli’s shows more than we care to admit. Having just witnessed one of her brightest performances we can only hope more shows and music are around the corner because she (alongside artists like Yungblud) are exactly what the world needs in this very moment.
Words by Nicole Otero
Photography provided by Halestorm PR / Credit: Monika Wilczynska
