The scene: A small, sweaty, dark subterranean Duke Street, Liverpool bunker. A message over the loudspeaker: Pro-Brexit voters are encouraged to leave the venue. Those remaining invited to use the gender neutral toilets. And off it kicks. Pop, politics, poetry and pazzazz. Enter the utterly likeable dynamic duo, Girli and DJ Kitty. Bree Hart prowls and captures on film every second of this heavenly insanity, cooked up by the high priestess of pink punk.

But first let me take you back…just a little bit anyway.  LION @iamlionofficial is a really good opening act. Armed with guitar and an array of thoughtful lyrics, she sings punchy rock songs with her brother on drums and bass, a bit like White Stripes in reverse. The audience, hyped up to see Girli, took to LION nevertheless, and really immersed themselves in new single Self Control and the thought-provoking Beautiful. The banter between songs revealed an assured and confident performer, not concerned about pausing to drink an un-rock n roll cup of tea, to plug her single or to tell you that she would pester you till you die if you signed up to her mailing list. Support acts are great. They set the scene for the main act: she did this several times telling us that we should be looking forward to someone as badass as Girli. In addition, support acts are the next wave. I’ve seen Haarm support Dream Wife, who supported Black Honey, who supported Catfish and so on, right back to when the pterodactyls supported T Rex.  So go and see LION on her future headline tour, supported by…

Anyway, back to that sweaty, anti-Brexit bunker. Who is Girli? What is Girli? She is badass. LION was right. The very first song, the anti two-timer Fuck Right Back to LA had everyone chanting “Fuck you you you you” New song Pink deals with getting revenge on the players by playing them back. But you know what? Yes, she is badass: She says things as they are and how they should be, but the strength also comes from being open about weaknesses too. And she’s not badass towards the fans: she gets off the stage and amongst them, gives away a different item of her clothing at each show (a young girl at the Liverpool show went away with a glittery skirt, colour…pink of course!) and does free meet n greets and group hugs. The constant social media updates, insta stories and live feeds give fans an insight into what real life on tour is like, fun, warts and all. Not all pop stars care.

You could use cliches by talking of girl power but that is only one part of the story. It’s all about empowerment per se, power to women yes, but LGBTQ power too, and power to every person who has been, or is going, through something, or experienced something as a human being. You sense that Girli has been on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s most likely the same one that you have been on too: liking someone who doesn’t like you back, being played, feeling high as a soaring hot air balloon in the summer skies one euphoric moment only to plummet to earth the next as your gas runs out. There is a burgeoning openness to talk about mental health issues generally in the UK and Greg James’ recent three peaks challenge really helped move the debate forward. Girli plus lyrics are another spokesperson, a punk agony aunt (is that politically correct?) in today’s uncertain times. New songs are often received with muted applause by audiences who have come to hear “classics” but the two new songs, Pink and Up and Down, were excitedly lapped up by the thirsty, excitable pink teenage puppies. Why? Let me quote Girli as she introduced the latter. “Liverpool can I play you a new song. I get really ok then really shit. Sometimes at the same time. You can love and hate yourself at same time in this amazing brain space.” Now I reckon there are not many people who can’t identify with that. I certainly can.

Girli played eleven songs at first  (Fuck Right Back Off to LA, Can I Say Baby, Too Much Fun, Neck Contour, Not That Girl, Up and Down, Girl I Met On The Internet, Mr 10PM Bedtime, Pink, Play it Cool and So You Think You Can Fuck With Me Do Ya?) before coming back on to a community singing of “One Jeremy Corbyn” and doing two more, Day,Month,Second and the song which got the biggest cheer of the evening, the ever popular Hot Mess. It’s not possible to put her songs into a musical box. At different points I think of Gaga, Madness, Lily Allen, the early 60’s chord sequences of Goffin, King and Sedaka, even a bit of K-pop, bubblegum punk and a whole array of other stuff. The overriding sense, though, is that you can’t pinpoint a particular genre. It is one kickass melee of pink, punk, rap-hop pop sass that leaves you smiling, vindicated and counselled. And the exuberance. When two people have been cooped up in a van for hours between Bristol and Liverpool there is a need to let off steam and Girli and DJ Kitty release energy in abundance. The crowd absorbs it and jumps and bounces and waves arms with glee.

I can only see her going from strength to strength. I quote: “the modern day Debbie fucking Harry”  “the chick who doesn’t care” “I say what I like and what I hate.” The Stone Age, intolerant, prejudiced, Trumpesque sections of our dear British public need to hear, embrace, and be changed by Girli’s message.

©cre8ivation

Instagram:   Girli @girlimusic  performs with DJ Kitty @rosaliesylvia and is photographed by @breehart