Live Review: Ashnikko - Manchester Academy 14/02/2026
It's Valentine's Day, and love has flooded Manchester worse than the never-ending downpour. As the night grew dark and the air grew cold, the most eccentrically fashionable of the city have crowded in the city's famous Academy hall for a night of not just love and passion, but drama, humour, sexuality and a unique take on sci-fi fantasy themes. This holiday night sees the return of Ashnikko for her second show in the venue for her latest tour, and the vibes are good but the music is even better.
Opening for the night is Amelia Moore, a rising star in the alt-pop-sphere, and the welcome is warm and friendly. As a support act, especially someone who is still new to playing their music outside of their home country, it can be daunting; but Manchester never fails to make a stranger feel right at home. Promoting her recent dual EPs he's just not that into you! and he's still just not that into you!, Moore made it known that she is where she belongs: on the stage, in front of the mic, standing before hundreds and thousands of adoring music lovers-turned-dedicated fans. Moore herself was overcome with emotion by the crowd's cheers and yells, and as she thanks everyone and brings her set to an end, it's a guarantee that she has a bright future ahead of her both in music and definitely in Manchester.
It comes to the masterpiece of the night now, as the stage is set up for a world different to one's own. Ashnikko introduces the show with a point-of-view voiceover as she searches her purse for all of her going-out necessities, only to find a door that leads to a secret new universe. One that is bright and pink and beyond all imagination. As the show begins, Ashnikko and the audience find themselves transported to Smoochie World.
Ashnikko has never shied away from theatricalities in her live shows, but this running narrative is a new and welcome aspect. Promoting her new era in music with her recent record Smoochies, she combines her on-stage storytelling with her musical performances. Full of energy and a mix of pure and impure joy, she brought a mix of her new and her old releases; making all fans from all moments of her career welcome. With new tracks such as 'Sticky Fingers', 'Microplastics' and 'Itty Bitty' combining with classics such as 'Working Bitch' and 'WEEDKILLER', she is bringing reality into her creepy-cute fantasy world. Finding herself transformed by Smoochie World slowly, bit by bit, song by song, the show becomes less thought through and planned out. Erratic, crazy, unhinged, and so much more entertaining as it moves along.
The blue-haired beauty takes a moment to touch upon her breakup with her last partner in the show, surrounding the track 'Skin Cleared'. She commented on how it was a painful and traumatic moment for her, but she was thankful to herself that she was able to become more herself as she healed and she was ready to bring back her overly sexualised and never so serious persona back for her music and her fans. And judging by how she is presenting her older hits with her Smoochies repertoire, it seems her healing has completed. Ashnikko is back, and she's just as good and bad as ever.
Ashnikko brought the party as the night came to a close, and the storybook was on its final chapter, ending with arguably her biggest hits to date: 'Slumber Party' and 'Daisy'. Dating back to her DEMIDEVIL days, these are the tracks that brought nearly everyone in that room together. Every rainbow-haired wonder, every pompom-donning fashionista, every glitter-bathed girl, they were brought together by the music that is quintessentially Ashnikko from start to finish, inside and out. In a way, discovering Ashnikko through these songs was everyone's admission into Smoochie World.
As the neons shut down and the house lights come on, everyone is transported back to reality. The cold, wet, frosty reality of Manchester in February. However, everyone in the room learned what it meant to be a little weird, a little wild, and very loving and passionate. Every fan of Ashnikko is family, and the bond is unbreakable. As the residents of sorts fled the venue, there was one feeling left in the air: Long Live Smoochie World.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
Photography by Katie Probert
