INTO THE MOSH 085: GIRLI AND JUNO | OXFORD ART FACTORY | SYDNEY | REVIEW

Words by Olivia Langton.

She was iconic. There's no other way to describe girli, otherwise known as Amelia Toomey, the  London-based alt-pop provocateur. A walking juxtaposition, girli commanded the crowd at the  Oxford Art Factory in Sydney this past week, as apart of the Australian leg of her Matriarchy  Tour.  

With her first studio album in 2019, Odd One Out, girli cemented herself in the music scene as  one who cannot be defined, not by pronouns, stereotypes, or genres. girli forces listeners to  question why they should have to be any one thing. Pushing the boundaries between indierock, rap,  and bubblegum pop, girli stays true to her character, raising topics such as feminism, queer culture,  and mental health in tracks that tread the line between catchy and purposefully discomforting.  

JUNO, the Brisbane-born duo comprised of Kahlia Ferguson and Sam Woods, opened this evening.  Vaguely reminiscent of Benee and Cosmo’s Midnight, JUNO is wholly their own, with deep  electro-pop and lyrics that are all too fitting in the modern age. Self-described as feeling like bright colours and energy drinks, this was the exact vibe they portrayed. It was their synth-sunshine attitude and willingness to be honest about being a 20-something today which kept the crown enraptured and showed why they were exactly who should open for the iconoclast, girli. 

This tour represented a new era for girli, as her music shows a reckoning of her feminine rage and  her vulnerability. It is from this place that intoxicating songs such as Nothing Hurts Like A Girl, from her upcoming album are born. Not shrinking away from being known by her fans, but baring her soul and demanding respect. It is this vulnerability which is her power.  

Pausing between songs to engage with the crowd and discuss her music, as well as personal struggles with mental health, girli forges the bond between themselves and the crowd. An eclectic mix from the breadth of the music-going scene, the crowd, though this word seems too weak for the kind of comradery found in girli’s description of our collective angst, hung on girli’s every note. From the leather-bound to those still in workwear, each found themselves enraptured in Girli’s dismissal of stigma and stereotypes. Sweeping relief was found not only on my face, but on all in the  room as girli’s authenticity shone through every note. There are few artists who are able to simultaneously be so relatable, and yet so authentic. Embracing the joy of this, girli did not feel heavy but instead presented narratives with charming familiarity wrapped up in a pink, studded bow. She has clearly found her niche in dichotomy, pairing sweeping instrumentals with grooves that  carry the crowd off the floor, mingling with emotionally poignant lyrics. 

Embracing the curated chaos of her sound, the crowd cried out each word of hits such as More  Than A Friend and Crush Me Up, showing that as girli has evolved, so has her audience. While girli’s breakout was characterised by electro-gems relishing in a devil-may-care attitude, this show  felt like a matured girli. Not ignoring her roots, but instead using her punk lyricism to process the realities of life as a queer woman and reclaim her femininity, hot-pink hair and all. With songwriting as her therapy, girli drew us into a world where we were enough, exactly as we were. Down to the stage design, full of florals and photos and stories, girli pushes us to curate our own image, calling on Joan of Arc and Boudica to guide us towards self-empowerment in the face of a stifling world.

So with that, I must thank girli for this transcendent experience. With soaring anthems, bitter honesty, and violently pink hair, girli reminded me that life isn’t meant to be perfect; it is meant to be lived, kicking and screaming where required. 

Stream Matriarchy on all platforms from May 17.