“just pure energy, cigarettes, handshakes, hugs, and smiles”; a look into the world of machine girl

oversized loose fittings band tees, skeleton painted faces, strip-cropped tank tops, knee high fishnets, Hawaiian button ups;

the mirage of guests for you walking into Jannus Live. the anticipated folks running past me to grab what is offered as merchandise, first come first serve. “ill grab the black in a medium” as i double tap the lock button on my phone to pay for the $45 band tee. a small price to pay to keep independent bands like these alive and well. some fellow art school fans i spoke with clamoring over the nights events hadn’t seen machine girl live either, “i’ve been listening to them for so long and haven’t seen them live, this is gonna be epic” another dropping “we drove an hour to see this, it’ll be so worth it”.

going over each opener would do them full justice in a short article but i’ll tell it to you like this: unexpected yet frivolously exciting and energetic. lustsickpuppy reminded me so much of rico nasty, it riled me up. all this gay energy had the sea of 500 people going berserk. on the other hand show me the body had a fuckin banjo and a synth sampler on stage for shits sake. the only song i knew was “metallic taste” which couldn't have been played in better fashion. the lead singer has a cool mc ride thing goin that he pulls off pretty well.before the machine girl set began i drew back into conversation with these art kids who’d been drawing in between sets. “i'm pretty bored so i oughta sketch” using a pencil to doodle her friend sitting on the ground. to my right someone asks about a tattoo on my neck “what does the target mean?”, “its a crosshair, i'm the target” i reply. she questions “does it have anything to do with charlie kirk?” — puzzled i look at her and can’t help but belt out laughter “no, i got this years ago. he stole my swag”. what kind of hooligan would get a tattoo in remembrance of charlie kirk and also attend a machine girl concert; the dichotomy baffled me.

within seconds of the lead singer meandering onto the stage the crowd is hitting no less than 100 dB. i’d become a techno wavelength after just a strum of the sampler being fiddled. with the flip of a switch notice the crowd had made an opening for the pit, as i enter, a fleeting moment of the stage and the huge oak tree gawking over the crowd are blips in my memory. i was slammed, propelled towards the barricade along a lineup of women no taller than 5’1, a smart move only few will ever achieve. in between the rampant, saw cutting riffs and lightning-like drum machine i found solace in the sweaty folks around me. not a word coming out of anyone. not a fucking word. just pure energy and cigarettes. handshakes. hugs. smiles.
this was the culture.

as i enjoyed the rest of the show from a far, i had the opportunity to bum some cigarettes and find myself a bag of chips. my time saddled to machine girl's performance was none other than an enamored restless visit from aliens. through and through i found myself losing track of where i was, captivated by this electronic hardcore enigma. i implore you to find out for yourself as they continue their journey along their psychowarrior tour.

written & photographed by collin mcminn. march 15th 2026.