Concert Review: girli presents The Matriarchy Tour with Opener tiLLie
On a chilly Thursday afternoon, I arrived at the Bowery Ballroom to encounter a line wrapped around the block of spunky-dressed fans oozing with excitement. We braved the chilly New York winter to see English Alt-Punk phenom girli. The artist, whose full name is Amelia Toomey, adopted her moniker to "embody the female popstar”, an homage that she fully lives up to. girli has been making waves in the last few years with the release of her impactful EP, "why am i like this??”, and a handful of singles including the wildly successful “More Than a Friend”, which detailed her yearning for a more intimate relationship with a female friend.
Photographed by Natalie colon for Melodía Magazine
The singer embarked on the Matriarchy tour on February 22nd, 2024, first stopping at the iconic Troubadour in LA. The Bowery Ballroom, an equally iconic venue, was a prime location for her intimate and interactive performance. The night was kicked off with synth-rock artist tiLLie. Off the bat, she began interacting with the crowd, talking to audience members, and sharing the deeply personal experiences that have influenced her music. tiLLie’s raspy yet strong vocals on “KooL aiD mAn” and “bLeSs uR hEaRt” were reminiscent of early 2000’s emo-rock royalty like Hayley Williams, and Lacey Sturm. She has found a unique niche in the reemerging alt-rock space that could soon catapult her career into the mainstream. This was the multi-hyphenate singer-musician’s last stop as a part of the Matriarchy tour, and she left an astounding impact on the audience. There are few concerts I recall covering in the past year, where I can say the crowd was equally as excited and impressed by the opener as the main act, and this was one of them. tiLLie left the crowd thrumming with energy and excitement, a perfect Segway to the main act of the night, girli.
Photographed by Natalie colon for Melodía Magazine
girli graced the stage with thunderous applause from the audience. She opened the show with the recent release “Nothing Hurts Like a Girl”. The song has an upbeat, bouncy melody that carried the crowd off the floor as they jumped in time to the rythm. girli has found a home in dichotomy by pairing instrumentals with headbanging grooves and emotionally charged lyrics. A prime example was the second song of the night “I Don’t Like Myself”. Life, especially with the ever-present effect of social media, can feel like one big comparison game. This punk tune strings a danceable beat with a self-examination of her flaws. Here are some of the most poignant lyrics:
I've been giving myself bad reviews for a couple decades
Analyzing random shit about my body, feet, right up to my face
Someone else is always better, hotter, ready to take your place
24/7 phone is open and you know she never shuts up (She never shuts up)
Shuts up on TikTok
Looking at the famous girls with their followers
Ugly crying in my bed, like what the fuck?
Why do I rate myself a two when I'm five star?
Photographed by Natalie colon for Melodía Magazine
