American-born, London-based musical allrounder Ashley Nicole Casey, better known as Ashnikko, has been described as a newcomer to watch. Her talent of seamlessly blending pop-punk, rap and hip-hop has catapulted her onto everyone’s radars, seemingly overnight.
Bringing her Weedkiller tour to the UK, the venue feels like we are all in the middle of a weird and wonderful dystopian universe. I went into the show at Alexandra Palace as a casual listener and let me tell you, I’ve left a full convert to the blue-haired, bisexual, psychedelic way of life. Ashnikko is openly and proudly bisexual, and the lights for her show unmistakably make up the colours of the bisexual flag (pink, purple and blue). I’m surrounded by a plethora of same sex couples and women in general and it already feels like a night of inclusivity, unashamed sexuality, and a celebration of Queerness.
The stage hosts two pieces of floor-to-ceiling inflatable coral and a big projection screen, spanning over the whole stage, is humming with a pink hue as everyone waits for the hyperpop icon to take the stage. Starting with ‘You Make Me Sick’, her energy is immediately infectious. Wearing a tiny top with under boob cut outs and an even smaller mini skirt, yet somehow still high-kicking and throwing herself on the floor, she has perfectly mastered the art of an energetic performance and impressive vocals. Distorted memes playing on the projector screen support her storytelling throughout the show, showing visuals of a porcelain doll version of herself being eaten alive by cockroaches, of Italian-neo-noir-horror-esque sequences of her removing her own porcelain face, of falling stars and rain. This is Ashnikko’s way of showing us a glimpse of the inside of her mind.
Ashnikko loves to talk to her audience, and we are hanging onto every word, every syllable. In one of her speeches, she jokingly reminds us to eat a balanced diet. “I’ve eaten so many mushrooms the last few years”. The crowd loves her and laughs at every joke. Unfazed, confident, and radiant are the best adjectives to describe her stage presence. The coral on either side of the stage starts to inflate and deflate and together with the intense light show, she transports all of us into a pseudo-psychedelic trance.
“Is anyone having a slumber party tonight?” She asks, innocently. A crowd of cheers sounds through the venue. A song so unashamedly about female pleasure, queer female pleasure, as ‘Slumber Party’, hits everyone with its cleverness and the subversion of expectations. This is exactly where Ashnikko’s genius lies and what sets her apart from other artists. Potentially her biggest hit, everyone in that room knows every word. Originally a collaboration with Princess Nokia, rather than cutting the verse out of her song, Ashnikko completely embraces the in-your-face sexuality of the track and drops down to the floor, seductively dancing until it’s her time to sing again and she jumps to her feet and is back to that same semi-manic, captivating stage performing.
Before the performance of her song ‘Maggots’ starts, she lets out an almost creepy laugh and gets everyone to scream, as loud and as angrily as we can. This track has a punkier sound than many of her other songs and it’s great to see her mixing her camp and extravagant exterior with a tougher, don’t-play-me attitude. She is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
The room is lit up with flashing blue lights and the projection screen looks like it’s covered in eyes, making ‘CRY’ without a doubt the visual highlight of the night. Her live vocals live outdo those on the recording, she is jumping around, dancing in the red strobe light, and screaming: “Bitch! / Are you trying to make me cry? / Are you trying to make me lose it? / You win some and lose some / This could get gruesome.” Not a single person in the room is keeping silent. Even those who went in only knowing some of the lyrics, suddenly knew every word. This cathartic experience alone could fuel us all for the rest of our time.
As we break from the track, she takes us down memory lane: “One day, like two years ago, I was walking through the woods tripping balls. I wasn’t wearing shoes and I felt my feet becoming the moss, and I fell asleep at the base of this tree. At the top were two beautiful, winged creatures and they said ‘bitch, what the fuck are you doing?’ and I said, ‘I’m decomposing, let me decompose!’ and then they said, ‘ok but kiss me on the lips first’. And so, I did. Then these tendrils of moss came out of them, and I said ‘oh! I have a gay little album to write. And so, I did. And it comes out on Tuesday! After my experience with the moss-feet, I realised, nothing matters. The world is burning, and I have worms in my brains.” And then she launches immediately into her song ‘Worms’. Laughter fills the air mixed with half sung lyrics – the bond between Ashnikko and her demi devils is undeniable.
As the show nears its climax, the atmosphere takes a seasonal turn with the Christmas-themed ‘Manners’, followed by a haunting medley of Ashnikko’s Halloween songs. Surprisingly, Ashnikko chose to perform the entirety of ‘Halloweenie: IV’, differing from the expected showcase of her latest Halloween release.
Finishing with ‘Daisy’, her viral TikTok sensation, the crowd goes wild one more time and echoes every single word back to her. The energy throughout the show was electric, fueled by an ecstatic audience. Ashnikko’s live show is an energetic delight that can only be wholeheartedly recommended to music enthusiasts.
Perhaps, though, what seems super radical here is maybe not just the provocative and assertive music presented on stage, but the revolutionary idea to take our energy inward to improve ourselves, as individuals and a collective. Of course this show is a feast for eyes and ears, but Ashnikko deserves to be analysed on a deeper level. She’s leading her audience away from the pressure of fitting the norms and repressive ideas. She’s speaking out about going to therapy, doing yoga, and finding herself. At one point, after being especially open about her own feelings, she even admitted to tearing up herself.
Stimulating, refreshingly direct, and cheeky: In a way, her shows feel like self care. Go and treat yourself if you can!
Written by: Laura Finkler
Photographed by: Naimh Louise
Edited by: Molly day
