Girl at the Rock Shows

I remember checking my socials last July and seeing all of these super cool photos of some band at The Turf Club. The pictures came from one of my favorite local photographers (shout-out to Chris Goyette). He just has such a way of catching grit, and the grit he had in these photos was insane. The photos were of Lambrini Girls, and although that show had been on my radar, I opted for a different one that night. I couldn’t tell you why, but I can tell you I will forever regret that decision. I’ve been impatiently waiting for my chance to see this group live, which finally came on Saturday night.

Although I was stoked to finally cross Lambrini Girls off of my bucket list, I was even more stoked to see Surly Grrly have a chance to grace the legendary First Avenue mainstage. I’ve written about Surly Grrly many times, but that’s not just because I keep stumbling into their show, which is true for some local bands. It’s because I legitimately love this band. Their brash attitude, unapologetic sound, and angst-charged shows have made this band a staple of my life, and it was a proud momma moment to see them on the large First Avenue stage. When I’ve seen other locals opening up for nationals on this stage, they can sometimes get eaten up by the sheer size of the venue, but not Surly Grrly. They powered through their set like they were made for this stage. Their set still had a signature tone of grit and grime behind it as the band got political and called out sexist buttheads (yeah, I would have preferred to use other wording there but let’s keep it PG for now– at least).

The political aspect of this band, plus their unwavering energy that radiated from the stage, was on point and definitely thrilled me, but what really made my heart skip a beat was watching the audience. I’ve seen Surly Grrly on some of the smallest stages in town and, although they always have fans singing and moshing their way through their sets, there was something truly spectacular about seeing hundreds of people who had probably never heard of this band before, shouting along to the songs with their fists in the air. Surly Grrly may have been the first act of a three-band line-up where the energy stayed high, leaving everyone exhausted by the end of it, but that didn’t stop everyone from turning into a sweaty mess before this opening set was done. There’s so much more that I could say about Surly Grrly’s performance on Saturday night and then in general but, at the end of the day, all I really want to say is– holy shit. I truly think that Saturday night’s show is just the beginning of some fantastic things to come for one of the most deserving local bands out there.

I knew all about Surly Grrly before this show and had heard of the legend that is Lambrini Girls, but I was completely uneducated when it came to the second act of the night– Party Dozen. You know me, I hate to look bands up before I see them, and I would rather just be surprised. To say I was surprised when Party Dozen took the stage would be an understatement. First, I saw a drummer, then a saxophonist, and then I waited, and waited, and waited, but no other instruments or players joined in. That’s right, Party Dozen is a duo of Kristy Tickle on saxophone and Jonathan Boulet on drums, percussion, and sampler. I was intrigued and heard a sound that I had never heard before. Stylistically, I couldn’t even start to describe this band to you. There were definitely some rock elements, but also electronic and even some jazz-infused improvisation that flowed off the stage so perfectly. It was, quite honestly, bizarre, and I truthfully don’t know if I loved it or hated it, but I know that this band gets ten out of ten for creativity and originality from me.

Although I may not have quite understood what was going on and maybe the music didn’t hit me in the right way, the audience was eating it up. When my eyes weren’t glued to the stage watching Kristy traditionally play the saxophone, but also screaming into the horn’s bell, I was watching the audience. Much like they had during Surly Grrly’s set, the packed crowd had worked themselves into a sweaty mess of limbs and fists. I could feel the energy they were feeding off of because it was pure electricity running throughout the room, but I think I was surprised to see so many people getting so into it. Who am I to judge? Like my dad always says, [Party Dozen] is great at what they do, it’s just that I don’t quite like what it is that they’re doing. Again, this is no bash on this duo. Their creativity was more than enough to have me sold on them, and, like them musically or not, I would never miss a chance to see them live again.

Lambrini Girls are having a moment right now. Although they only have one full-length album out (and it just came out earlier this year), these punks are taking the world by storm and selling out show after show. I’ve heard their music before, and some of their songs have become a staple of my daily playlist that helps me get through stressful days, but I was in attendance on Saturday to see their legendary live show. I’ll never forgive myself for missing their set last July at The Turf Club. The photos I saw from other local photographers told the story of pure grit and chaos, and I so badly wanted to experience that. I feared that, since First Avenue was so much larger than The Turf Club, I wouldn’t feel the magic that I saw in those photos, but thankfully, Lambrini Girls weren’t about to let me miss out on that level of intimate chaos.
Within the second song of their set, vocalist Phoebe Lunny gave up the stage and opted for the general admission floor of the venue. She split the crowd with ease and, after making everyone stay split for a few minutes so she could get back on stage safely, she let them do a makeshift wall of death type thing. This would happen a few more times throughout the night, proving that, although on a bigger stage, you can’t change this band. They are one for and with the people, and they aren’t afraid to make sure you know that and see it all simultaneously.

Lambrini Girls’ brash and often political songs soared through the air, creating this almost protest type energy, but there was no protesting needed as everyone in the room seemed to be on the same page. Although clearly having fun (and maybe having one too many drinks prior to the show, as Phoebe mentioned towards the beginning of the set), I loved how Lambrini Girls took time out of their set to explain some glaring issues happening in the world. Between Phoebe and bassist Lilly Macieira, this group had plenty to say, and they said it so eloquently but also in a passionate way– like how you may talk about things with your friends. Lambrini Girls’ sound and overall performance is truly larger than life, but there was something about the way they interacted with the crowd that made them feel just a bit more approachable and accessible than I thought was possible.

Saturday was amazing, and Lambrini Girls definitely gave their all, but it wasn’t enough for me. I was more than satisfied but still hungry for more of their brand of energy and angst. Luckily, I will be seeing them again in two weeks at Punk Rock Bowling in Las Vegas, and I am already counting down the minutes.

Line Up:

Surly Grrly

Party Dozen

Lambrini Girls

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 26

Crowd Surfers- 1 Spotted

Stage Divers- 0

Mosh-ability- 9 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $0

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- 1 Body/ 1 Shoe

Fights- None Witnessed

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 0

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Surly Grrly – 6

Dozen Party – 0

Lambrini Girls – 0

Celebrity Sightings – None

Overall Score – 9.8 out of 10

Show on Deck — bôa / Dream, Ivory // Genevieve Hayward and Bloodline / Ava Levy / Bryn Battani

Shameless Self Promotion:

Join My Patreon Here!

Buy Me a Coffee (Seriously!)

Check out my playlist HERE!