On Wednesday night indie DIY band Girlpool kicked off their tour at the Wonder Ballroom in northeast Portland. A few weeks before the tour Girlpool announced, in an interview with Pitchfork, that this will be their Farewell Tour saying, “this upcoming tour will be our last one—it will be an ode to the past, a celebration for the future, and something we will pour both of our hearts into completely.” You could feel all the emotions flowing through the music and the crowd was loving it!
The Wonder Ballroom was the perfect location for this experience. Attendees came dressed for the perfect Portland summer night and everyone was there for a good time. Every concert KPSU has experienced in this venue is so intimate. You really get to know the performers and share in a memorable experience with them. We became Girlpool’s closest friends for the night… learned about Avery Tucker’s tooth brushing habits and shared some existential thoughts. One thing constantly being yelled out was song requests! Fans begged for ‘Slut Mouth’ and ‘Cut Your Bangs’. It was such a fun experience!!
Girlpool’s top song is ‘Cut Your Bangs’. They had been covering the Radiator Hospitals song since 2014 and decided to release their own version with their single “Chinatown” in 2015. Their most popular deepcut ‘Slut Mouth’ is from 2014’s self-titled “Girlpool” which was originally self-released on Bandcamp before signing to Wichita Recordings and re-releasing later that year. After signing to Anti- in 2017 Girlpool released their second studio album, Powerplant. At the beginning of 2022 they announced their fourth studio album Forgiveness (released April 2022). Forgiveness included fan favorite ‘Faultline’ and a self-directed video for it. During the 9/8 show fans could be seen crying in the crowd. Girlpool has a way of expressing all of your feelings in a way that allows you to process without feeling judgment. For a good cry or a nice reality check give Girlpool a listen!!
