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LIVE REVIEW: Lambrini Girls @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

What a rise it’s been for LAMBRINI GIRLS. The feminist punk duo have seen their profile explode over the past few months, both in the build up to and since the release of debut album Who Let The Dogs Out in January – as a point of argument, their show tonight at Nottingham’s Rescue Rooms was initially scheduled for the much smaller Bodega, was upgraded due to a fast sell out, then sold out again. In the autumn, they’ll headline the Kentish Town Forum, a stunning achievement for a band with just eighteen songs available on Spotify as it stands right now. There’s no question – for all that’s going on in the East Midlands tonight, this is easily the hottest ticket in town.

Loose Articles live @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. Photo Credit: Izzy Sheldon
Loose Articles live @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. Photo Credit: Izzy Sheldon

Those who wished to catch opening band LOOSE ARTICLES, but took the stage times from the venue’s social media pages, will have reason to be aggrieved; the Manchester quartet start half an hour earlier than advertised. They then immediately run into technical issues as bassist Natalie Wardle has a couple of gremlins within her setup, but recovers quickly enough for them to resume normal service. Despite a bit of movement during the second song, there’s a distinct lack of energy onstage, with their grunge-tinged, sampled-smattered punk is one-dimensional and played at a turgid pace. Perhaps it’s just an off day, but there isn’t a hint during their half hour on stage where they show why they were handpicked to open for the mighty FOO FIGHTERS last summer at Old Trafford. Perhaps what sums up their set most is when they ask if there are any welders in the room; it’s an interesting line of stage banter, and goes down as well as you might expect – the silence is both deafening and awkward.

Rating: 5/10

Lambrini Girls live @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. Photo Credit: Izzy Sheldon
Lambrini Girls live @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. Photo Credit: Izzy Sheldon

Right now, more than ever, punk music seems vital, perhaps even more so than nearly fifty years ago when THE RAMONES and the SEX PISTOLS were ushering in a fledgling genre that captivated a frustrated youth and rallied against the establishment. It’s never gone away, of course, but in this day and age, where the world seems to be going as backwards as it is forwards, when the threat of the far-right looms large, where misogyny, racism and homophobia are given free reign to escape punishment. And not to mention even the original frontman of the band who swore on live TV and sang ‘God Save the Queen/It’s a fascist regime’ is openly supporting the area of politics he once lambasted. To be inclusive, accepting of everyone and, you know, not a dick, is arguably one of the most punk things you can do, even though, at its very core that’s what the movement was always about. This is indeed a strange world that we inhabit.

Tonight, LAMBRINI GIRLS show why they are THE punk band to follow. Confrontational, abrasive and unashamedly themselves, this is part gig, part rally where members of the LGBTQIA+ community are announced as “queer legends” before Help Me I’m GayGod’s Country is preceded by chants of “Free Palestine” and Bad Apple receives an ACAB call and response. Phoebe Lunny spends just as much time in the audience as she does onstage, leading raucous renditions of Big Dick Energy and Filthy Rich Nepo Baby along with an audience who are eating out of the palm of her hand all night. The absolute highlight of the set is an explosive Company Culture which, by a mile and a half, has mosh call of the year sewn up with “Michael, I don’t want to suck you off on my lunch break!”

Lambrini Girls live @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. Photo Credit: Izzy Sheldon
Lambrini Girls live @ Rescue Rooms, Nottingham. Photo Credit: Izzy Sheldon

But more than the music, this is what all gigs should be – a haven away from the trials and tribulations of the outside world, where people can leave their troubles at the venue door, mix with like-minded individuals and, even for the smallest amount of time, feel what everyone aspires to experience: complete liberation. LAMBRINI GIRLS play for less than an hour and yet they produce a euphoria that will be cherished for months, maybe even years to come. This is a band destined for superstardom, and there’s very little that will stop them achieving that.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Nottingham from Izzy Sheldon here: 

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