REVIEW: Scene Queen - O2 Forum Kentish Town - 6th September 2025

If you walked past the queue outside the O2 Forum Kentish Town around 6:30pm on Saturday, you might have assumed from the sea of rhinestones, glitter, and pink cowboy hats that some kind of bubblegum pop star was in town. In reality, those accessories were battle armour. The fans gathered were there for something far louder, cheekier, and more confrontational. Tonight, Scene Queen was headlining her biggest show yet, the London stop of her 'Hot Singles in Your Area' tour.

Inside, the tone was set early by Brighton duo Lake Malice. Their blend of metalcore riffs and electronic flourishes immediately ignited the pit, their futuristic edge making them stand out in a way that felt perfectly suited to open this line-up. Frontwoman Alice Guala proved a force of nature, snarling and commanding the crowd while somehow sneaking in an impromptu Italian lesson, encouraging the audience to scream 'Porco Dio' as a pointed message to the far right. Heavy, filthy breakdowns collided with a playfulness that hinted at the chaos still to come.

Next came a tonal shift with Girli, who bounded on stage in technicolour style and brought with her an entirely different energy. Her set radiated queerness, sweetness, and DIY bedroom-pop vibes, offering a welcome contrast to the earlier carnage. The crowd, many of whom clearly knew every word, swayed and sang along, filling the room with warmth. The progression made sense: destruction first, euphoria second, then Scene Queen’s carefully orchestrated brand of mayhem to tie it all together.

The anticipation for the headliner was palpable, and the room erupted during a communal singalong to 'Pink Pony Club' just before Scene Queen’s entrance. Then, in a blaze of pink tassels, go-go boots, and unapologetic camp, she stormed the stage with her Bimbros and launched straight into 'BDSM'. The acronym, repurposed into a feminist rallying cry, became a chant shouted by every voice in the room.

What followed was less a concert and more a world of her own making. 'Pink Push-Up Bra' shook the floor, 'Finger' became a cheeky anthem of defiance, and 'Platform Shoes' doubled as both a banger and a not-so-subtle commentary on the state of US politics. When 'Pink G-String' rolled around, the pit opened not for a circle, but for something entirely different: Scene Queen’s now-infamous Twerkle Pits.

She blurred the line between performance and theatre with a staged 'Bimbo Beta Pi' sorority initiation, inviting fans on stage to pledge allegiance. “See how easy it is to join a cult?” she laughed, while slyly nudging the audience to reflect on whether or not they may have accidentally joined any other cults. Later, guitarist and certified Bimbro Daniel stepped up to deliver 'Barbie & Ken', earning one of the biggest crowd reactions of the night.

The finale, '18+', struck harder than expected, furious, cathartic, and screamed back by the entire room like a collective exorcism aimed at industry predators. By the end, the Forum felt transformed.

Scene Queen doesn’t just perform songs; she builds a universe. It’s camp, it’s chaotic, it’s feminist, and it’s utterly joyous. By the time the lights went up, the audience spilled out into the night glitter-streaked, sweat-drenched, and empowered, having been part of something that was as much a movement as a gig.

See full gallery here (Coming Soon)