London-based US rapper Ashnikko brought her WEEDKILLER tour to Leeds, and left an indelible impression on those in attendance.
Well known for high intensity, energetic shows, Ashnikko’s fans – Demidevils – were hyped from the moment they walked into the building. A sea of black – mesh, lace, net, with the occasional blue-haired tribute here or there – this was a crowd that had come kitted out and ready to be consumed by the 75 minute pop-punk onslaught.
A smoke filled, dramatic entrance accompanied the opening strains of You Make Me Sick! with Ashnikko bursting forward between her two excellent dancers – Patience and Lexee – into an emphatic opening number, the first of 9 from the Weedkiller record. Slumber Party, going back to 2021, gets a huge response, throwing the room into chaos as the meticulously choreographed routines lit up the stage.
Ashnikko points out that they are only 2 shows away from the end of the tour, so “it’s well rehearsed!” and it shows – these performances, routines are super tight, looking and sounding completely on point.
There’s a lovely moment when the Leeds crowd break into a traditional chant of “Yorkshire! Yorkshire!” This has been lost in transatlantic translation in the past and Ashnikko is visibly puzzled. She asks the crowd, to their delight, why they’re chanting “Goldfish” and they respond by switching to her version.
Things settle down briefly, as Dying Star, the beautiful collaboration on the album with the brilliant Ethel Cain, captivates the audience and gives everyone the chance to breathe. It shows a different side to Ashnikko – more known for the meaningful aggression and delivery of her lyrics – but this is a bona fide love song and one that the audience are here for.
It doesn’t take long to kick things back to life though. Worms kicks us back into top gear, dancers returning for Tantrum and Cheerleader to a cheer squad of pompoms in the front rows. People had come prepared! The Halloweenie medley is prefaced with a ghost story, of dark woodland and the wind whispering your name before drumbeats like gunshots ring through the O2 and grotesquely masked dancers bounce back on to the stage.
It’s unrelenting to the end – Weedkiller brings the dancers back with cartoonish spiked clubs, swung at one another while dancing evasively like a stone-age capoeira. But there is still time for Ashnikko to show her appreciation for the fact that she is doing what she’s doing. Behind the blistering performance, there’s an artist here who is still grateful to be able to do what she loves. “It never gets less special” she says before thanking the audience for loving her “Weedkiller baby”.
It’s that gratitude, that reality and authenticity that packed out the O2 Academy tonight. It allows for the most inclusive atmosphere – for Demidevils to turn up just as they want to be. No judgement, no questions – just a riotous hour and a bit of music that sends the Leeds crowd bouncing off into the night.
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