SCREAM THERAPY

Wednesday 25th February 2026

Written by Tom Wilson
Photographed by: Rashid AlKamraikhi

I’ve just rocked up to a femme punk gig and been branded a “Princess”.

The irony of a hardcore feminist group playing a venue called the “Princess Theatre” wasn’t lost on me when this tour was first announced, and so the door stamp I receive on the way in is *chef’s kiss*. There are no princesses in attendance tonight, just a bunch of different people from different backgrounds all united by a shared passion for punk rock and social issues. Tonight is for “the other” – the queer kids, the disabled kids, the people who’ve never quite fit in – and the room is buzzing with anticipation as BIG WETT slinks onstage in a fluffy pink coat so bright it could be used to signal aircraft (has she been stealing clothes from SCENE QUEEN?), and kicks off SHE GOT THAT THING. A mix of 90s electro-pop and sexually charged lyricism, the phrase “I make songs for $lutz” on her Instagram does a good job of setting the mood for her performance, and she appears to have the crowd onside immediately, who cheer for every gyration and booty-drop. When she kicks off EAT MY ASS, it occurs to me that this is the second song about rimming I’ve seen performed at his venue, the other being REGURGITATOR performing I Will Lick Your Arsehole, which is fine, but a strange thing to have happen twice! Needless to say, the mood in the room is pretty liberated, but there are still some amongst us who were not prepared for her to walk offstage and reemerge with a giant pink strap on and perform a song while waving it around. Later in the set, she comes out with another pink toy, grips one end between her teeth, and manages to windmill a double-ended dildo. The crowd goes absolutely wild – as do LAMBRINI GIRLS watching from side-stage – and the vibe is well and truly set. BIG WETT would later post on her Instagram that someone in the front row was unable to look at her during the performance, and seemed pretty happy about it.

When I did my end of year wrap up for 2025, both best song and best album were taken out by furious Brighton femme punks LAMBRINI GIRLS and their amazing debut album Who Let the Dogs Out? I snapped up a ticket as soon as they went on sale because I didn’t want to miss it, and I’m thrilled that we managed to get media access so I can bring you this review and rave about how great they are. When they kick off their set with ACAB anthem Bad Apple, they go to work on the crowd almost immediately, singer/guitarist Phoebe Lunny splitting them down the middle and sending them crashing against one another.

When they kick off Help Me I’m Gay, she asks who in the Princess Theatre identifies as queer, and Sense joins about 80% of the venue in raising their hand. I’m 40, and I grew up in an overgrown country town called Launceston in Tasmania during the 90s, were the locals sports seemed to be AFL, cricket and poofter bashing, so I can’t help but get a bit emotional seeing a whole pit full of queer kids feeling safe, happy and accepted, playing for a band who loves them for who they are. Phoebe has jumped into the crowd and is walking around, picking audience members at random and referring to them as “queer legends” to enormous cheers as drummer Sam hammers her kit like it owes her money.

In introducing God’s Country, Phoebe doesn’t hold back. “We are from the U.K., which is unfortunately an imperialist, colonialist, shit clump of land, and we wrote this song about the British government, that we are very unhappy with. I want to ask you guys here, in Brisbane, in Meanjin … are you happy with your government?” The boos are deafening. “Albanese? Do you like him? DO YOU FUCKING HATE HIM?” The boos become roars as they talk about advocating for Palestine. Like seeing BOB VYLAN’s first tour of Australia last year, they take care to address not just the issues of their homeland, but also what we deal with here, leading the crowd in a chant of “Always was, always will be, aboriginal land.”

Mr. Lovebomb turns the pit into a happy little warzone, and someone tries to get Phoebe to do a shoey but it’s lost in translation (she gives it a kiss instead), before it’s time for anti-gentrification anthem You’re Not From Around Here.

“Alright. If anyone from this crowd doesn’t make you feel safe, you can tell security, and if you don’t feel safe to tell security, you can tell us … and we’ll punch them in the dick.” The crowd roars, and the volcanic riff of Lads Lads Lads turns the Princess Theatre into absolute bedlam. “Brisbane, can you see my finger? I’d like you to follow it around, like this.” She does the whirlpool motion, whipping up a circle pit, before bringing the last chorus crashing down on our heads. Holy shit it’s wild, and I watch the chaos with a massive smile on my face. They bring out a trolley of snacks and drinks that looks like it’s from their backstage rider, and huck bits of fruit into the crowd before letting some punters have a nip from a bottle of tequila.

My favourite track from last year, Love is an ode to toxic relationships, and as the furious punk segues into the heartrending bridge, the line “I’m so sorry for letting you down” is absolutely devastating. It’s through tracks like this that I can best express what makes LAMBRINI GIRLS so unique. This is politically charged music made by very, very pissed off people, but you can only get so far on rage alone. It’s their ability to craft each furious diatribe into a memorable earworm that makes them so vital in 2026. There’s a lot to be mad about these days, so they won’t have any shortage of inspiration when they get around to crafting a sophomore release (or just crafting bangers like No Homo, about the perils of hitting on someone of the same sex for the first time). Speaking of earworms, when they reemerge for the encore, they sign off with one of their best – the high-velocity punk of Big Dick Energy – and the entire Princess Theatre shouts “it’s not that big” as one.

LAMBRINI GIRLS, please come back soon. We love you (full homo!)

Photos by: Rashid AlKamraikhi

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SCREAM THERAPY

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