Brighton’s Lambrini Girls bulldozed into Los Angeles with fists swinging and middle fingers raised, selling out the Lodge Room for their first-ever US headlining tour.
Along with their show opener, local punk rockers Death Lens, they proved that the city’s scene isn’t just thriving, it’s thrashing.
With a set packed full of relentless energy and zero pretension, Death Lens tore through tracks like “Turn Out,” “Daemon,” and “Bombshell” with a ferocity that made it clear: LA punk is still very much alive.
Frontman Bryan Torres led the charge, snarling into the mic with conviction while slipping and sliding across the stage – literally. A spilled drink turned the floor into a hazard zone, but instead of letting it slow him down, Torres leaned into the chaos.
With the stage a mess, he launched himself into the crowd and spent a good chunk of the set singing from within the circle pit, turning the audience into an extension of the band’s wild energy.
After a while in the pit, Torres made his way back to the stage only to collapse theatrically onto his back and lay there for a minute, possibly part exhaustion, most likely part punctuation mark. It was a brief, well-earned breath after the fury of being in the crowd.
Despite some minor mic issues mid-set, Death Lens didn’t flinch. When tech failed, Torres adapted. Grabbing the mic from his guitarist and retreating to the back of the stage where it was drier, proving that a little adversity only fuels the fire for seasoned punks.
Death Lens didn’t just warm up the crowd, they scorched the room and reminded everyone exactly where punk lives. In the sweat, the spills, and the spirit of not giving a damn.
Dressed in pink dresses and combat boots, Lambrini Girls wasted no time setting the tone. Phoebe Lunny, the band’s ferocious frontwoman, strutted onstage and barked into the mic, “Who wants to fuck?” several times before ripping into their opening track, “Big Dick Energy.”
If anyone was unsure of what they were in for, that question, and the explosion of sound that followed, made it abundantly clear. This was punk with teeth, spit, and a purpose.
The trio delivered a relentless set dripping in satire and rage, churning through shout-along anthems like “Help Me I’m Gay” and “Company Culture” with the kind of manic energy that felt both chaotic and impossibly composed.
Before “Bad Apple,” Lunny led a chant of “ACAB” and then split the room into two halves. Lunny instructed each side to pretend the others were the most awful cops they’ve seen, and cueing a mosh pit crash of bodies as the anti-police anthem roared through the venue.
Between songs, the band paused the chaos to spotlight issues that matter just as much as their music. The Girls spoke openly about trans rights, police brutality, and sexual assault, unapologetically calling out the systems (and sometimes the crowd itself) for not paying attention.
When chatter interrupted her discussion on sexual assault, she cut through the noise – both literally and figuratively – to demand the seriousness the topic deserved. Even when a minor beer spill caused a stir in the back, Lunny held the space, determined not to let anything dilute the message.
And then came the moment everyone will remember, even if they weren’t filming it. As she climbed onto the hands of the crowd, rising high above the pit, Lunny shouted, “Put your phones down and keep your hands up, because no one from IG will care about your video if I fucking die!” With zero hesitation, she leapt into the crowd and surfed her way back to the stage.
The setlist was high-octane fun through the whole night, from the satirical venom of “Filthy Rich Nepo Baby” which drew chants of “Fuck Trump” and “Fuck Tesla,” to the blistering “God’s Country,” each song provided moments of pointed introspection beneath their aggressive exteriors, but even the tenderest moments came laced with barbed wire.
By the time they closed with the glorious “Cuntology 101,” Lambrini Girls had cemented themselves as more than just a punk band. They’re a battering ram of queer rage, social commentary, and in-your-face empowerment, and Los Angeles couldn’t get enough.
If you missed your chance to see either band, fret not. Lambrini Girls have several scheduled festival gigs, such as Ohana Fest in Dana Point on September 26th, as well as another US tour later this year which includes a stop October 1st at the Regent in LA.
