Machine Girl blasted their way into San Diego with their headlining tour “Hellscape”. The electric duo made their presence known with how rowdy the crowd was. The supporting acts Lustsickpuppy and Show Me The Body were a delightful treat for fans.
Lustsickpuppy got the show going as the first opener of the night. With the combined elements of hip-hop, punk and digital hardcore, she fit right in with this crowd. Coming out on stage with a very large cheetah print hat, ripped leggings, and a starry bra. The crowd instantly started to shake the venue up. Even going as far as squirting the crowd with a large water gun for her final song “HORNIEST SONG EVER”.
By the time Show Me The Body graced the stage, this crowd was ready. I, on the other hand was not. The crowd started shaking the barricade, it was so intense that the barricade started to move. These fans loved what they were hearing. The mosh pit was going wild, even a crowd surfer almost knocked my camera out my hands. With the stylings of a more post-hardcore music genre, you could see why this crowd was hyped. It definitely brought out the wild side of lead singer Julian Pratt. He was feeling the music so much, he went crowd surfing himself. Security had a run for their money there, as they did not expect that. Once their set ended, the fans flocked to the bathrooms and I could see shirts were ripped, drinks were spilled, but these kids were having a blast moshing.
The stage was set for the big moment of Machine Girl. Once those lights dimmed, it felt like a mini earthquake with how loud it got. The crowd was rocking the place, I couldn’t even hear myself think.
Machine Girl was formed in 2012 by Matt Stephenson in Long Island NY. Initially starting off as a solo artist, in 2015, Matt recruited Sean Kelly to play the drums for him during live shows. By 2024, new member Lucy Caputi joined to play guitar. Their sound is heavily influenced by internet culture, cyberpunk aesthetics and hardcore electronic punk.
Once, Machine Girl took the stage, the crowd somehow got louder. Starting off with “We Don’t Give A F*ck”, the strobe lights only fueled the fire for the fans. They were locked in and dancing their hearts out. Although after the second song of the night, “Come On Baby, Scrape My Data”,there was a technical issue. But lead singer Matt assured the fans that the show would be up and running shortly. And it was short, within a few minutes they restarted their set. It was as if the hiccup never happened. The fans were just eating up every note being played.
These type of shows are not for the faint of heart. The moshing and crowd surfing can get very intense, which this show was. The fans were letting loose, and it’s not something you see very often. If you aren’t a “mosher”, I’d recommend standing in the back, so you can still enjoy the show without worrying if you’ll get pushed around.
This show was very high energy and very intense, probably one of the most intense shows I have ever been to. But it was very fun, I can see why people enjoy this genre of music.
Machine Girl will be on tour in North America until April 8th. If you want to catch them, you’d better do it soon before you miss this great show.
Full Gallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCNvE6
