Photo Credit: Maryleen Guevara (1st December – O2 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester)
For those in the crowd tonight lucky enough to have caught Ashnikko’s at TRNSMT 2023 they knew they were in for a treat as the North Carolina rapper led her WEEDKILLER tour to the O2 Academy. Ashnikko has a reputation for putting on an intense, energetic show and they would not let the Demidevils (fans) down tonight. The WEEDKILLER tour was a chance for the fans to get to hear tracks from her latest record Weedkiller which was released in August and after months of eager anticipation the day had finally arrived.
The venue was getting busy as the support act hemlocke springs took to the stage to provide some warm up entertainment, and that they did as the crowd had a positive impact on the performance cheering and clapping at every opportunity, helping the band through her eight song set. hemlocke springs like Ashnikko hail from North Carolina and singer Isimeme “Naomi” Udu gained a lot of followers when Girlfriends achieved viral popularity on TikTok in 2022 and the track now has over 34 million streams. The duo, Udu and a drummer, worked through tracks from September EP release going…going…GONE! and highlights of the set were opening track Heavun and Girlfriend with its hypnotic electro-beat backdrop and Udu’s phenomenal voice getting a rapturous applause from the crowd. Hemlocke springs are touring in Australia in February appearing at various festivals alongside artists including Steve Lacy and Stormzy. 8/10
The sell out crowd were ready for Ashnikko as we made our way to the balcony seating to get the best view of the show. At the back of the stage was what at first looked like and inflatable dolphin/shark but it also resembled the broken egg from the Weedkiller album cover and there was much debate as to what it was. Ashnikko took to the stage with her two dancers, adding an extra dimension to the show, as they moved around the stage with impressive choreography and the energy levels were extraordinary as they kicked off the set with You Make Me Sick! from WEEDKILLER amid great enthusiasm from the crowd. They had the crowd onside immediately as the set continued with songs old and new, which were performed seamlessly by the talented trio on stage. Working Bitch and Slumber Party allowed them to explore female empowerment in a style unique to Ashnikko during the eighteen song set, nine of the tracks being from the WEEDKILLER album but there was still space in the set for a few tracks from DEMIDEVIL and Hi, It’s Me.
As we approached the end of the show there was a festive theme when Manners was played, a track with Christmas themes and not forgetting Halloweenie 1-4 where the dancers came back out on to the stage with masks on, adding to the excitement among the crowd. It was a great choice of songs to play the night out as WEEDKILLER and Daisy were sang back to Ashnikko by the enthusiastic crowd ending the night on a high. This was an absolutely incredible performance all round with a very unique artist and we hope to see Ashnikko back in Glasgow soon. 10/10
Written By: Alan Brown
