GIRLI brings riotous Damsel in Distress tour to The Cluny

The last time GIRLI was due to stop off in Newcastle, it was to fill a student's living room with fans on the unprecedented Sofa Tour.

The pandemic inevitably snagged those pioneering plans, but the London-based singer's love for innovation is ever-present.

That's at the forefront as she swings by Ouesburn's The Cluny on Thursday night for an evening of feisty pop-punk alongside Kelsy Karter and July Jones.

Halfway through her headline set, GIRLI takes a moment to break it down to the crowd just how much pushing it took to make this tour happen.

Not only is it her first since the pandemic, but it's the star's first completely independent tour, with everything from venue bookings to stage design and merchandise coming from her and those closest to her.

The 23-year-old is outspoken about being dropped from a major record label in 2019, a tale she reminds fans of at The Cluny.

The leftover angst from that experience, muddled with a few heartbreaks over the way, punctuates her riotous pop flicks that bounce of the venue's walls.

New hits from the Damsel in Distress EP such as 'Ruthless' and 'Dysmorphia' find themselves at home with the raucous Geordie crowd.

Many of those attending on Thursday night have been following the singer since her breakthrough as a 17-year-old on 'So You Think You Can F**k With Me Do Ya?' in 2015, as proved by a snap poll the star runs during the evening.

That means older tracks in 'Girl I Met on the Internet' and 'Not That Girl', the latter finding viral success over TikTok during lockdowns, are some of the night's best moments.

Despite all that has been thrown GIRLI's way, the most exciting thing about the artist is it just seems to keep getting better.

2021 single 'More Than A Friend' closes the evening, and could well be the star's best work to date, the climbing chorus still on the tips of fans' tongues as they leave into the Newcastle night.