They’ve done it, the Lambrini Girls have headlined and sold out Scala in North London’s King’s Cross. The Brighton punk two-piece Rockshot Magazine covered last July at Dog Day Afternoon have become a crowd favourite and been broadcasted far and wide on outlets like BBC Radio 1, Kerrang! (alongside Sleater-Kinney) and were even featured in Rolling Stone magazine, who called their outstanding live performances: “one of the day’s stand out sets”. Recently releasing singles God’s Country and Body Of Mine, both of which were BBC6 Music Playlisted, and announced to play multiple stages at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, as well as supporting Amyl And The Sniffers on their US debut and IDLES at Alexandra Palace, 2024 is the year of Lambrini Girls and we are here for it!
Sulk @ Scala, London 2024-06-13
The show begins with Sulk, a shoegaze / grunge four-piece from East London (obviously where all the cool people are these days – as I write this review and edit those images from my hip E17 flat), easing us into the night with their psychedelic atmosphere and dark, dreamy songs. We’ll definitely be back for more! The second band of the night is Brighton-based group CLT DRP (it’s pronounced “clit drip”, you’ll be ok!), hitting us with a unique mix of electronica, punk and drum & bass. Canadian front woman Annie Dorrett struts on stage, owning the crowd and bringing the energy all the way up. She is briefly joined on stage by Lily Macieira, the bassist of Lambrini Girls. The crowd is now pumping and has never been so ready for Lambrini Girls! Watch out for CLT DRP, these folks are on a mission.
CLT DRP @ Scala, London 2024-06-13
The tension is at its maximum when Lambrini Girls jump on stage to the tune of Benny Hill, throwing beer, fizzy wine and bread all over the stage and into the audience, as a way to celebrate their recent success with 800 friends down below. Lead singer and guitarist Phoebe Lunny welcomes us with a loud “welcome to the d*ck sucking factory”, grinning in anticipation. Brandishing some gorgeous shiny Fenders, they gift us with brand new songs right off the bat, before heading back to the now-classic Terf Wars, with drummer Misha reminding us about how difficult life is for trans folks in this country. Whoever isn’t happy and can’t respect people’s preferred pronouns can go back home to read a certain book about a certain delusional boy who thinks he is a wizard or something weird like that… No terfs on our turf!
Lambrini Girls @ Scala, London 2024-06-13
It takes them roughly half a song before they take it to the crowd, driving security insane. We love Phoebe’s stories and anecdotes on each song that’s delivered, all of which are a cruel reminder of the current climate, the gender inequality, the misogyny, the patriarchy, the homophobia, the transphobia, the genocide in Palestine and how toxic the music industry is nowadays. All of these subjects are covered with Big Dick Energy and Help Me I’m Gay (when Phoebe goes back into the crowd and checks who in here is a bi, gay or trans legend, connecting with their fans and taking time to appreciate their presence).
Boys In The Band requests for us to check in with our sexist friends and dismantle rape culture, specifically in the music industry. Lily pauses and gives us harrowing statistics: less than 10% of all sexual assault crimes end up being convicted. It’s crucial to believe victims, believe our friends, but most of all to hold each other accountable and stop burying our heads in the sand and pretending it’s not happening. It is.
Lambrini Girls @ Scala, London 2024-06-13
This is quickly followed by Bad Apple, about the police and justice system. That’s also when Phoebe decides to walk through the crowd, come all the way to the back of the room and climb on the balcony. Obviously, jumping off for the biggest stage dive we’ve ever seen seems like the best thing to do to get back to the stage, but she is quickly ushered off and removed by security due to “health and safety concerns”. Pfft… Safely back on stage. The last song of the night is Craig David, the crowd chanting “Prince Andrew is a sweaty n*nce” in fine form.
The night ends with a bewildered and refreshed crowd, having witnessed one of the best performances of the year, from three very exciting bands who are definitely here to stay and change the world. Because guess what? That’s what punk is all about. Lambrini Girls end the night with a collective stage dive, while we all chant: “Free Palestine, trans lives matter and f*ck the police”. All in all, an outstanding evening and show that has definitely left us begging for more! They have, once again, re-defined punk.
Wanna help changing the world? Make sure to register to vote and get down your local polling station on July 4th!
Live review and photography of Lambrini Girls at Scala, London on 13th June 2024 by Pauline Di Silvestro
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