BE CAREFUL WHO you summon: a nightmare beyond compare can consume your very soul. It’s evening, fifty minutes past eight o’clock to be exact, the hour when the night X creatures emerge from their hiding places and darkness descends on a stifling, yet cool Wednesday evenfall in June. The summoned figure devoid of facial features has arrived in the midst of RACKET NYC — a chaotic labyrinth madhouse of people located in the heart of Chelsea, Manhattan’s art district. As fate would have it, apropos to the sold out show in review, ‘The Girl With No Face’ tour, the haunting melody of The Doors echoed down the street from a beat-up convertible, tooling down the road past nearby passerby’s with the lyrics “People are strange when you’re a stranger/Faces look ugly when you’re alone” seeps into the consciousness of the city that never sleeps like a drug-induced hallucination. The words of Jim Morrison fully voiced, a reminder that in this twisted world, even the most familiar faces can appear alien and grotesque.
As the night X creatures, portraying the marginalized identities within the LGBTQ commmunity, gathered in hushed, socializing anticipation; a swirling kaleidoscope of bodies pressed together in drunkenness. Men kissed men passionately, their hands tangled in each other’s hair as they lost themselves in the music. Women embraced women, their lips meeting in tender caresses. The features of their faces were obscured by the shrouding of a purple glow, casting eerie shadows across the audience’s faces. In the center of the crowd, the floor was bathed in a single red light, bleeding through the darkness like a beacon of a brooding blood bath. It pulsed and throbbed with an otherworldly energy, drawing all eyes towards it like moths to a flame. The stage was beautifully arranged with three sets of black lights and black stands adorned with red rope, perfectly reflecting the color scheme of Allie X’s fourth studio album, the Girl With No Face album cover.
Reminiscent of Scottish folklore, will-o’-the-wisp, a fleeting, mischievous wisp of light. Analogous to a blackout, creating a Kafkaesque sense of disorientation and confusion, enveloping the mind in a surreal and perplexed haze. The live venue of RACKET NYC fell into darkness as the lights flickered and faded, casting eerie shadows across the cheering crowd. The atmosphere was electrifying, broken only by the instrumental to Allie X’s song ‘Hardware Software’. A computer generated voice softly spoke saying, “Welcome to the show, let’s destroy the system. Let’s have fun.” Suddenly, a dim spotlight illuminated the stage, revealing the identity of the show’s headliner, ominous, dark synth pop songstress Allie X, emerging from the darkness as she summoned the Girl With No Face tour, reprogramming herself for a new era.
Allie X embodies a sense of theatricality, a satirical chart with limbs, captivating all who have the privilege of watching her metamorphosis in performance. Tightly bound and laced up to the extremes, both in her musical talent and her physical allure. A billowy black dress complimented by ankle-breaking white heels, outfitted with white billows, pillowed around her arms like a cloud. She effortlessly blends fetishcore influences into her look. A lace bustier, corset black top, bearing a silver, twisted allegory necklace. X moved with a slow, deliberate grace, her movements, a purification through fire, ensuring that Evil may have its moments of triumph, but in the end, it will always be consumed by the-all-consuming power of Good. Allie X’s makeup was a grotesque masterpiece, a twisted angelic kaleidoscope of black and white. Her eyes were rimmed in bringing forth a sense of unease and dread; thick white eyeliner with circular black that seemed to have bled on forever, creating a hauntingly sunken look. Her lips were painted a deep shade of black, a stark contrast to the pallor of her skin; hence, accentuating the sharp angles of her bone structure and giving her an otherworldly appearance. All inhabitants in the audience were shed as they danced and screamed their ass off in a trance-like state, completely consumed by the euphoria of the night.
God is a woman, and her name is Allie X; the goth-pop princess of our hearts. In the enigmatic realm, she is of an old soul. Her vocal prowess is just as impressive, an unhinged harmonious blend of classical synth elegance and boundary-pushing versatility, akin to Madonna, X iterates an aha moment of the Material Girl’s signature playful and flirtatious scream that perfectly captures the essence of the ‘80s heart explosion. It’s a high-pitched, almost squeal-like sound, adding an extra layer of excitement and energy to the room; like a fetishcore Betty Boop music box doll, resonating with evocative beauty. This scream is mid-1980’s type iconic and instantly recognizable, showcasing Allie X’s unique vocal style and ability to convey emotion throughout her music. Her voice gives voice to the voiceless of our generation, as the pop musical savior. Can you confirm if you are lost? Because you seem to be loathing in the shadows of New York City’s gritty, ill-lit, labyrinthine-like streets. Allie X, the holy pop pantheon; the mother, the daughter, and the divine savior of creativity. It’s time to wake up in prayer and pay attention to her alluring, mysterious presence.
The pulsating vintage synth chords of a dark and eerie twisted fantasy, ‘Bitch’ reverberated through the air, crooning in a soft, low voice, “Gonna bake and make your dinner/I’ll be your cook. You can bring me bacon/And chop the wood.” As Allie X strutted in the same manner of an apparition across the stage baptized in adoration and worship towards her microphone, the thunderous applause of the audience signaled the beginning of a wild and electrifying concert. “Steal my blood and steal my heart, Whatever it takes to get you off/ I’m your bitch, you’re my bitch (boom, boom).” She continues to sing the chaotic chorus with a fierce aggression, “In my bones and in my soul, always be in your control/I’m your bitch, you’re my bitch (boom, boom).” With a devil-may-care attitude, Allie X crashed head first into her performance, belting out hits from her album The Girl With No Face after the metamorphosis of a mad woman possessed. Tracks like the creepy, slick ‘80s-tastic ‘Black Eye’, the gleeful rebellion of ‘Weird World’, and the ethereal title track ‘Girl With No Face’ echoed through the venue, captivating the X creatures of the night and leaving them in a trance. It was a spectacle unlike any other, a journey of hysterica into the mind of a musical genius.
Halting her performance, Allie X elaborated to the crowd, “I need to say, but I think you guys were the better audience. It was a bit of an industry vibe last night, it was a bit of a New York industry vibe, but I want the opposite of that tonight. I want you to go off.” Before diving into her performance, she announced, “Tonight I am celebrating my record that I released a couple months ago. And this is the title track.” Demon-strating a bold, singular visual as the sole songwriter, and creative voice, seemingly light years ahead of the competition. Girl With No Face, the mesmerizing song invites listeners into Allie’s complex and unsettling thoughts, blending her unique style of self-deprecating yet catchy lyrics; a maniacal journey to take back control of her life and identity. Standing poised at her keyboard, her fingers hovered over the keys as she delved into a hauntingly badass and beautiful rendition of her collaboration with Mitski from the 2020 sophomore album ‘Cape God’, the melancholic melody of ‘Susie Save Your Love’ filling the room with a sense of longing and reflection.
All around the day, as evening falls into the night. Allie X treated fans to a retro-glam bomb selection of performances from her albums Girl With No Face and Super Sunset, such as ‘John And Johnathan’, ‘You Slept On Me’, and ‘Science.’ Showcasing Pride Month, X brought out two same-sex couples who expressed their love for each other openly. They danced together, hugged warmly, and kissed passionately before sharing spit to the song, John And Johnathan. It was evident that she wasn’t afraid to experiment with different vocal techniques, showcasing everything from strong belting to playful vocal embellishments that sent chills down our spines and enhanced the overall vibe of each performance. Before stripping down completely, a man in the front row even went so far as to sacrifice his own shirt as a special offering to Allie X.
Her performance was a feast for the eyes as the crowd marveled at the artist’s skillful use of contrasting colors in each song, noting how they danced off her flawlessly pristine white ensemble, creating a striking visual spectacle. Every now and then, Allie X would live up to the excitement, picking up a tambourine, causing the crowd to cheer and become more enthusiastic. While showcasing her lively, satirical pop dance moves, she seamlessly managed to showcase her impressive piano and synth abilities into almost every song. With a more relaxed, coded Madonna ‘80s approach, the Girl With No Face, amassed in a cult following of her glassine goth-pop style, X sang “Galina, wake up/I’m running out of luck and I get so ugly without you (oh, oh, oh)/ Now open your eyes/Help me make it through the night/ Galina, wake up/Galina, wake up.” ‘Galina’, which unexpectedly became a fan favorite. Allie X was taken aback by its popularity. Moving gracefully around the stage, nearly incantation even, Allie X interacted with fans on all sides of the RACKET NYC theater while delivering an omnibus high-energy frenzy of fan-favorite hits like ‘Super Duper Party People’ and ‘Staying Power’, along with a sneak peek of her latest work-in-progress track, ‘Bon Voyage’.
Ending her set with a bang, the energy in the room reached a sexually, climatic fever pitch as Allie X teased she audience with news that she would be performing her most provocative and neon-soaked track yet, ‘Off With Her Tits,’ sending the most lustful attendees for a sensual exchange of kisses and romantic twirls on the dance floor. Following her performance, she took a moment to express her appreciation to the crowd before briefly disappearing backstage, but the rebellious audience wasn’t having any of it and began to protest “Allie X” chants. She then returned to deliver an encore featuring tracks such as ‘Girl Of The Year’ from the disobedient Super Sunset EP, as well as ‘Paper Love’ and ‘Casanova’ from her debut studio album Collxtion II. It was a night that felt like a turning point for all those who were there, leaving a lasting impact on each individual night X creature.
People may dress and look goddamn weird to an outside world falling apart in real-time, but even in death, they will not be defined. Instead, they’ll force themselves to stare into their reflection and lean into the discomfort as opposed to looking away. By confessing Allie X’s bold choice to embrace all facets of her inner scream — the good, the bad, and the ugly — as her devout fans summon the devoid, rebellious spirit, with no facial features through her music. Keep your wits and don’t miss out on seeing the Girl With No Face live in a city near you, because the darkness is always lurking, ready to swallow you whole.