Sweat. Demonia Boots. Axe Body Spray? I mean that’s honestly the only way I could comprehensively describe Machine Girl at The New Parish. And if I’m going to be honest: it’s a pretty good description of a typical Machine Girl show.
On Friday, January 28th, Machine Girl took the stage at The New Parish in Downtown Oakland to one of the most eclectic crowds I have ever seen. Cat Ears, Maison Mihara Yasuhiro Shoes, and Discord Moderators. If there was one thing I learned, Machine Girl is for everyone.
Before stopping in Oakland, Machine Girl’s been touring throughout the United States as a part of what they describe as their USA Hellscape Tour. With one month left, the crew’s West Coast run has been legendary, bringing along openers like Johnnascus and Evicshen for nights full of noise and pounding bass. At Friday’s show, the audience was treated to both openers, and I have never experienced a set like that, ever.
Evicshen at The New Parish, by Antonio Prajin
Evicshen, known as Victoria Shen, took the stage at 9 PM, casually waltzing to a table full of sound equipment and a vinyl spinning needle set up. Any casual person would expect a DJ set, but they would be dead wrong. For 35 minutes, Evicshen scratched, threw, and whipped a collection of songs using soundboards, electrical wires, and, yes, a literal whip. At the end of her set, Victoria whipped the air above the crowd before flipping her table full of equipment onto the end of the stage, walking off, and then proceeding to clean up the mess afterwards. It was legitimately amazing.
Johnnascus at The New Parish, by Antonio Prajin
Next came Johnnascus, who played a 45 minute set wearing a schoolgirl costume, rapping and screaming about a wide array of controversial topics, accompanied by their drummer and merch stand runner. Johnnascus’ set was a taste of what was to come. The first song hadn’t even ended and the pit had opened up, setting up a 45 minute moshing sequence that never seemed to end until the very last song. Thrashing bass, ear-piercing synths, an insane drumming sequence, and Johnnascus’ incredible screaming didn’t seem to waver for the whole set, bouncing from one song to the next.
Machine Girl arrived around 10 PM and the crowd was hungry. As the lights went down, I could already feel myself being pushed into the barricade, while my friend Antonio seemed to give me a visual cue that it was time for him to get to the top floor. The speaker gave an eerie warning about “the storm” that was “arriving” and, before you knew it, Matt Stephenson took the stage. One moment, lead vocalist Matt Stephenson bent down to tie their shoes and, in the span of 15 seconds, percussionist Sean Kelly began to bang the drums and I was pinned against the barricade; I couldn’t even move my legs. Running through tracks from their albums U-Void Synthesizer and …Because I’m Young Arrogant and Hate Everything You Stand For, the next hour was one to remember. As Matt jumped on speakers, tried balancing on the hands of the crowd in front of him, and even performed on the merchandise stand, the crowd matched the energy for 1 hour. I was kicked in the head by a girl who jumped off stage on top of me, Sean threw his broken drumstick (which hit me but made for a great souvenir), and at the end of the show, during the title track of …Because I’m Young Arrogant and Hate Everything You Stand For, Matt used my hands and the hands of those around me to jump onto the second story of the venue. In every way, the show was visceral, wet, and raw.
Now, if you are ever interested in going to a Machine Girl show, please take this warning with all consideration: it is incredibly physical. As I’m writing this piece, I legitimately cannot bend down for prolonged periods of time because my knees have been destroyed and my right calf hurts whenever I flex it. It is ultimately a punk show in its totality from beginning to end so, if you’re not down to get pinned against the stage or manhandled by bearded 6’3 dudes in studded vests, then by all means avoid it. I highly recommend it though, even if you can’t hear for 12 hours after.
Article by Joshua Jiwanmall
Photos by Antonio Prajin