Last night I watched Lambrini Girls kick off their UK tour with a sold-out show at Kentish Town Forum – and honestly, reader, it was a bit emotional. A full-circle moment for me and my plus-one, my I, Doris bandmate Lucy. We’ve known Phoebe and Selin for years, long before the hype, long before the magazine covers, long before last night’s 2,300 people lost their collective minds for them.
From the lofty safety of the top bar (we Dorisses are far too fragile these days to risk a Lambrini Girls pit – the NHS is under enough pressure), Lucy reminded me of LOUD WOMEN Fest 2021, where the band tore the roof off a 300-cap room to a depleted post-COVID audience. Fast-forward: same ferocity, bigger room, bigger roar, bigger everything.
They strode onstage like a band entirely aware they’re at the top of their game – tight as anything, sharp, funny, furious. Drummer Misha Phillips is an absolute cyclone behind the kit. Lucy and I spent a good few minutes whisper-scheming about how we might tempt her into moonlighting for the ever-growing I, Doris drummer roster. Misha, darling, if you’re free Friday…
Phoebe had the room wrapped around her little finger. Every time she commanded the crowd to part like the punk rock Red Sea, they did. Every time she signalled for moshing, they obliged, immediately and enthusiastically. There were circle pits. There were lovingly barked reminders about pit etiquette. There were chants of “Free Palestine” between songs, offered with conviction and solidarity.
And then – the cherry on an already riotous cake – Peaches walked onstage for a souped-up ‘Cuntology’. Admittedly, we’d had a sneaking suspicion: our eagle-eyed photographer Keira Anee clocked her arriving earlier, and Keira is never wrong. Still, the eruption in the room when she appeared? Pure chaos, pure joy.
It was also great to see Selin back onstage and absolutely smashing it. And Phoebe, in her long coat over a very “fresh-from-the-office” shirt and tie, cut a striking figure. Possibly – whisper it – the first time I’ve seen her not end up stripped to her smalls and climbing the venue infrastructure. Though she still loves an adventure: at one point she made her way right up to the balcony. Lucy and I held our breath, certain she was about to hurl herself over the railings. Mercifully, she took the stairs back down. Is this what mellowing in your mid-twenties looks like? Punk adulthood is wild.
The atmosphere all night was unmistakably feminist, socialist, and defiantly community-driven – even though, to our surprise, the downstairs mosh seemed largely male. But ethos trumps demographics, and Lambrini Girls’ ethos remains rock-solid. At one point Misha took the mic to speak about trans solidarity, particularly powerful on the eve of Trans Day of Remembrance. The band’s partnership with Stand Up to Racism for this tour’s UK leg added muscle to the message; their merch table looked like a mini activist fair.
Opening the night were long-time favourites Clt Drp, another band we’ve loved for years and who continue to evolve into an absolutely unstoppable force. Vocalist Annie Dorrett was her usual hurricane self – precision, power, personality. Given the shared Brighton DNA between the two bands, the whole evening felt like a triumphant love letter to their hometown scene.
Rage, passion, humour, politics, and a community that actually feels like community – this was Lambrini Girls levelling up before our eyes. And from the safety of the balcony (preserving our Doris bones), Lucy and I couldn’t have been prouder.