Delilah Bon brought her sold-out Evil, Hate-Filled Female tour to Manchester’s Deaf Institute, accompanied by US “nightmare pop” artist tiLLie.
The room is already filling up as tiLLie, accompanied by her drummer, take to the stage, ready to introduce us to the “tiLLieverse” (also the name of her most recent EP, which you need to check out, if you haven’t already!). Kicking off her set with mOms bAsEmeNt and jeLLiefish aPocaLypsE, it feels like the whole room is bouncing. Between songs, tiLLie shares the stories behind the characters she creates, and the things she has experienced in her life that led to her writing particular songs. Her warmth and openness create a shared sense of intimacy; especially as we all rejoice in the true story of how her abuser was decepitated. Rest assured, there are plenty of laughs and smiles, despite the seriousness – at one point, tiLLie dedicates a song to “the craziest bitch I’ve ever known… My Dad.”
Delilah has built-up a strong and supportive community of fans, and it was great to see so many people showing up early to support tiLLie – I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a more fitting person to open for her on this tour. They both have their own distinctive sounds, but are united in their political and feminist lyrical themes, and don’t shy away from talking about important, and potentially uncomfortable, topics.
TiLLie is a captivating performer, and is more than capable of playing some headline shows of her own… she did mention her not-yet-announced UK tour, though I’m not sure what I’m allowed to say yet. Let’s just say, unrelated, keep your eyes peeled around March!
Delilah’s up next, an audio skit of her satirical character creation, Harry Dick, plays over the speakers before Delilah and her band walk on stage, going straight into Brat. From the first line of the song, the crowd are right there with her, screaming along with every word – in fact, they only get louder as the night goes on!
If you’re at all familiar with Delilah, you probably know she’s not someone who’s just going to walk on stage, go through the motions, and leave – Delilah is here to perform, and she puts a lot of work into making her shows memorable and impactful (and, often, hilarious!). Freak Alert, for example, sees her bassist Ruena and backing vocalist/hypegirl Hela briefly leave the stage, before returning dressed as police officers hiding dildos underneath their coats.
Before playing I Wish A Bitch Would, Delilah talks about how wildly the crowd responded to the song when they played in Paris. I think the crowd took that as a challenge, as they headbanged and bounced along. This was followed by Dead Men Don’t Rape – always a special moment in Delilah’s set, and tonight was no different. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the crowd shouting along as loudly as they did tonight though!
The last song of the night is Maverick, and I can’t think of a better way for things to end than by having a whole room of people shouting “I WILL NOT BE TREATED LIKE SHIT!”.
I also want to give a mention to Safe Gigs For Women who were present at tonights show, as part of Delilah’s efforts to make sure her gigs provide a safe, and welcoming, space for her fans. The effort Delilah puts into every aspect of her music – from the immersive elements of her shows, to the merch she designs – are clear to see, and it’s amazing to see her grow in popularity, drawing a bigger crowd everytime I see her. I’m already looking forward to the next tour, whenever that may be!
Follow Delilah Bon on her website | Instagram | Facebook
Follow tiLLie on Instagram | her website | YouTube