It may have been a Sunday night but Girli had the old Saint Luke’s church around the corner from the Barrowland Ballroom bouncing like it was still Saturday. Back when this special building opened its doors in 1836 it would have been unimaginable that one day it would be used for gigs … and yes even on the sabbath! Girli released her second album Matriarchy on 17th May and has been busy touring record stores around the country before opening the tour in Dublin on 31st May, this being the first of the UK dates on the tour. The Matriarchy tour had actually began in the USA at The Troubadour in Los Angeles way back on 22nd February and that leg of the tour was a great success. Immediately as we walked in the door it was a sea of pink with the fans coming dressed for the occasion, you could feel the excitement in the air as the fans waited in anticipation to see their hero.
Having done a bit of research we discovered that tonight’s support would be tiLLie, raised in Atlanta, Georgia and making music since the release of EP Lost Boy in 2015, the alt-pop star describes her music as ‘uplifting with a massive middle finger raised’. tiLLie and drummer took to the stage at 8pm, the venue was packed out downstairs but the nice security man allowed us to access the balcony which we had to ourselves alongside a few photographers as tiLLie began the half hour set with 2023 releases mOmS bAsEmeNt and jellyfish aPocaLypsE, two tracks that were appreciated by the crowd. tiLLie is also a great storyteller and was very relaxed during the performance, her second time playing in Glasgow. kooL aiD mAn tackled the subject of domestic abuse as she told a story about a family member caught up in this situation, the multi-talented musician moved easily between vocals, storytelling and playing bass. During the last song of the eight track set, reaLitie biTes, tiLLie told the tragic story of how she was sexually abused in Atlanta as a 14 year old when part of a church community, prompting the singer to say “I can’t believe that I am playing in a fucking church!” which was a very hard hitting moment indeed. This was a fantastic set from a very talented musician, we would jump at the chance to see tiLLie come back for a headline tour. 9/10
As Girli’s drummer and backing singer took to the stage to a massive roar from the 400 or so crammed downstairs the fans knew they were in for a great night of music as the set began with Nothing Hurts Like A Girl, the high energy start that everyone was looking for. It really is hard to define the music of Girli, some of their tracks are pop and others are a bit heavier almost verging on punk but the lyrics are always meaningful and this artist has managed to build a community of fans that can let go in a safe space, Girli support the LGBTQ+ community wherever she plays. We head back to 2021 to the Damsel In Distress EP next, I Don’t Like Myself being the track, a very self reflective song where Girli shows her vulnerabilities during this track with lyrics such as “Hate myself, it’s a full time job, I want some time off”. In all we got to hear six tracks from the Matriarchy album, Crush Me Up was played early in the set and provoked a great energetic reaction from the crowd. The highlight for us, and a lot of the fans it seemed, was I Really Fucked It Up This Time, the only song from the 2023 EP Why Am I Like This?? that was played tonight. The crowd were singing every word of this one back to the stage as the glitter ball was turned on helping to create a special memorable moment.
Girli has a very noticeable connection with her audiences wherever she playd and this will only get stronger as she surely move on to play bigger venues on the next tour. The main set ended with Letter To My Ex but the fans knew Girli would be back to play an encore which of course she did, starting off with More Than A Friend, by far the most streamed song with over 62 millions streams on Spotify alone. The atmosphere was electrifying now as we moved into the title track from the latest album Matriarchy. The track itself seem to be a dig at how people expect you to behave, which doesn’t bother Girli as the show ends on a high with the lyrics “Ooh, while we touch, we fuck to fuck the patriarchy”. We enjoyed every minute of both artists sets tonight. The UK tour continues in Leeds and Brighton before moving on to Europe for a few dates and returning later in the month to Manchester and London. 9/10
Written by: Alan Brown
