Some gigs you go to and have a great time; others completely knock the wind out of you, leaving you exhilarated, a little bruised, and grinning ear to ear. The O2 Forum Kentish Town on Saturday night was absolutely the latter. With Lake Malice, GIRLI, and Scene Queen sharing a stage, it was always destined to be a night of chaos, glitter, riffs, and rebellion.
Lake Malice kicked things off in spectacular fashion, crashing into “Blossom” and “Scatterbrain” with a ferocity that rattled the floorboards. Alice Guala commanded the stage with a magnetic presence, her voice gliding from sweet, airy highs into vicious growls in the blink of an eye, while Blake Cornwall shredded his way through riffs sharp enough to cut glass. The pulsating menace of “Creepers” got the pit moving early, and by the time “Stop the Party” spiralled into its frenetic finale, the crowd was already whipped into a frenzy. Closing with the brutal “Bloodbath”, Lake Malice left no doubt they’re one of the most exciting heavy acts in the UK right now.
The energy shifted but didn’t dip as GIRLI burst onstage with “Nothing Hurts Like a Girl”, her pink-punk manifesto instantly igniting screams from the front row. She strutted across the stage with a mix of cheeky charm and raw honesty, leading the crowd through the pounding “Crush Me Up” and the chaos of “Hot Mess.” The playful storytelling of “Friday Night Big Screen” had arms swaying, while “I Really Fucked It Up” leaned into vulnerability, delivered with the kind of confessional grit that had fans singing every word back at her whilst she dedicated the song to everything currently wrong int he world. The emotional punch of “Letter to My Ex” was offset perfectly by the sweetness of “More Than a Friend,” before GIRLI closed with “Matriarchy,” a rallying cry that turned the Forum into her own royal court. It wasn’t just a performance; it was a full-on pink-soaked party. Special mention goes out to GIRLI’s iconic vibrator earrings which she showcased in lieu of her English accent having less charm in the UK than it does in America – mission accomplished, need earrings. Share your source, girl-i.
Then it was time for the queen herself to take her rightful place as the main act of the evening. Scene Queen didn’t just walk onto the stage – she exploded onto it with “BDSM,” kicking things off with a tongue-in-cheek smirk and a gut-punch breakdown that sent the crowd into overdrive. “Pink Push-Up Bra” kept the tempo high, a satirical yet empowering anthem that had the room belting back the chorus. “Finger” dripped with sass and menace (excuse the pun), while “Pink Panther” strutted across the stage with cartoonish swagger, its snarling riffs impossible not to headbang to.
From there, it was a rollercoaster of pink-coated chaos: “Platform Shoes” stomped with pop-metal attitude, and “Pink G-String” took the tongue-in-cheek humour up another notch. When she launched into “MILF”, the room went wild – equal parts hilarious and hard-hitting, it had fans chanting with glee. “Hot Singles in Your Area” turned the Forum into a neon rave, while the glossy hooks of “Pink Hotel” offered a sugary breather before the drunken singalong energy of “Pink Whitney” had pints raised and voices hoarse.
The night only got bigger from there. “Mutual Masturbation” was a chaotic highlight, delivered with unashamed theatricality, before the whole room erupted into a euphoric scream-along for “Barbie & Ken.” When “Pink Rover” hit, the pit surged one last time, bodies flying and fists pumping, before Scene Queen closed with “18+,” a final feminist mic drop that blended humour, rage, and catharsis into one unforgettable closer.
Taken as a whole, the night was a kaleidoscope of sound, colour, and connection. Lake Malice tore through the Forum with genre-smashing intensity, GIRLI brought sass, heart, and rebellion in equal measure, and Scene Queen reigned supreme, her set less a concert and more a coronation of the bimbocore revolution. It was brash, it was glitter-drenched, it was empowering – and for everyone lucky enough to be in Kentish Town that night, it was absolutely unforgettable.
High Fives & Stage Dives 