If you were fortunate enough to catch Lambrini Girls’ set at Punk Rock Bowling this past Memorial Day Weekend in Las Vegas, you knew you had just witnessed something special. Volatile, engaging, brash, and the intensity of a Molotov cocktail hurled in opposition – they played fast and loud, and I swear Selin Macieira-Boşgelmez’s bass must be turned up to 15, dripping with reverb and fuzz.
Though touring with a rotating drummer the band really just consists of Macieira-Boşgelmez and lead vocalist-guitarist, Phoebe Lunny. Formed just before COVID in Brighton, East Sussex, England, the band’s lyrics are often political, sarcastic, and filled with angst as Lunny unleashes with each word sounding like a weapon.
Being in the crowd at one of the shows feels almost like a protest rally, with the kind of unease and tension that is in some ways a reflection of the society it mirrors. I believe Lambrini Girls’ performance and music has the power to bring people together as fans and as a movement. Could it be possible that music could unite and bring about change as The Clash frontman Joe Strummer once envisioned? “People can change anything they want to, and that means everything in the world,” Strummer was once quoted.
As staunch supporters of LGBTQIA+ and transgender rights, songs such as “Help Me I’m Gay” and “No Homo” take aim as homophobia and transphobia by spitting directly in their faces, standing up for those who cannot, and standing bravely alongside those who do. “Bad Apple” condemns corrupt cops, while “Big Dick Energy” is a scathing satire of toxic masculinity. “God’s Country” catches British politics in its crosshairs at lightning speed. “Cuntology,” this song is about what you think it’s about.
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Intent on of all these songs is getting their message across no matter who it pisses off, gaining fans with every performance.
Lambrini Girls defies today’s marketing mentality and stand up for those not represented in today’s political landscape through their music. With a catchy hook and a definite punk attitude and angst, the band holds nothing back with “Boys In The Band.”
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They certainly left an impression on me that weekend at PRB, and apparently I’m not alone as the band prepares to play one of their biggest gigs in America to date: Eddie Vedder’s Ohana Festival in September.
The band is set to play alongside Australian punks The Chats, England indie rock band, Wet Leg, ‘90s alt radio gods James, the always-energetic Cage the Elephant, oh yeah, and a little band from Berkeley… Green Day.
The Girls are touring Europe now and after their Ohana stint, they will visit a few major cities in the US, including spending October 1st at The Regent Theater in Los Angeles.
They will then spend the rest of 2025 covering Europe. Catch them where you can, they are definitely the next evolution of punk rock.
