On Friday, December 13th, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the second night of Machine Girl’s two sold-out shows at the House of Blues Chicago, in support of their recently released album titled MG Ultra. As a casual listener of Machine Girl who has recently started to dive deeper into their music, I was thrilled to be able to cover this show. Hearing my favorite Machine Girl songs, both old and new, made for an incredible experience and an amazing live performance.
One thing that I especially love about Machine Girl’s live performances is the live instrumentation used on what sounds seemingly like pure electronics. I first saw them open for 100 gecs on their 10000 gecs tour at the Aragon Ballroom in April of 2023 and loved their stage presence and energy, and this show took it to a completely different level. Seeing them up close with live electronics, guitars, drumming, and a keyboard made the show even more impressive.
The venue was sold out with little space to move, but there was still a pit full of energy, which made the show even more fun. The moment the show began, Machine Girl launched into several familiar songs, including “Nu Nu Meta Phenomena,” my favorite track from their newest album. They played almost their entire new album, MG Ultra, an impressive feat, as most artists tend to play only a few songs from their latest albums, usually focusing on the more popular tracks. I really appreciated that they played so many new songs, as it helped me get the chance to discover some of their new songs I have yet to listen to previously.
I found Machine Girl’s live performance incredible, and was thrilled to have had the opportunity to cover their show. From the energy, the music, the live instruments, and everything in between, the entire night was amazing. I highly recommend seeing Machine Girl live, and I highly recommend catching them on one of their stops on their ongoing tour in support of their new album MG Ultra.