POISON GIRL FRIEND @ BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL 11/2

Photography and review by Liana Snow

The crowd seemingly held their breath as a loop of lush beats and synths reverberated through Brighton Music Hall on Saturday, November 2. After much anticipation, a dainty Japanese woman adorned with a black fuzzy hat with animal-shaped pom poms, a ‘60s-style mod dress, and blue eyeliner nonchalantly tip-toed across the stage and approached the microphone. Needing no introduction, she silently commanded the room with her mere presence. Displayed behind her on a glowing screen was her moniker, which perfectly encapsulates her whimsical, gothic, and perfectly peculiar nature: POiSON GiRL FRiEND.

POiSON GiRL FRiEND is the solo project of nOrikO, also known as Noriko Sekiguchi. She is a multifaceted singer, songwriter, composer, producer, and DJ. Established in 1991, POiSON GiRL FRiEND has crafted a unique sound by melting together Japanese techno, Brazilian dance music, French pop music, classical music, and British new wave, rock, and house from the early 90s. The result is a beautifully idiosyncratic, groovy, and emotionally moving blend – a truly honest form of self-expression that translated into an ethereal live experience. 

The small space bathed in pools of red, orange, yellow, and purple, combined with POiSON GiRL FRiEND’s whispery, soft vocals, created a warm, inviting, and intimate atmosphere, which was a comforting contrast to the chilly November night. The crowd swayed along as POiSON GiRL FRiEND enchanted the room with her delicate sound, illuminated by a screen with cinematic 90s-style grayscale visuals of Japan and POiSON GiRL FRiEND herself. Supported by guitar, keyboard, and other various instrumentals, she lightly pranced and slowly danced around the stage, occasionally pausing to fidget with electronic beats on an iPad. 

The short yet sweet setlist was comprised of songs from her EPS “MELTING MOMENT” and “Mr. Polyglot Remix,” and her albums “Shyness,” “Love Me,” and “rondoElectro.” This included her most popular track, “HARDLY EVER SMILE(without you),” from “MELTING MOMENT,” which has garnered over six million Spotify streams. It was difficult to imagine the song feeling even more intensely profound than it did through my headphones – but it certainly did. I was moved to tears as the song’s shimmering strings stirred through my soul and struck my heart. The emotional movement remained constant throughout the entire show as POiSON GiRL FRiEND injected raw passion, love, heartbreak, and melancholy into her performance.

Although it was November, POiSON GiRL FRiEND did not shy away from playing her new single, “The October Country,” released on October 3, 2024. In the middle of her song performance, she held up and “read” a book by Ray Bradbury of the same title, which was the inspiration for the song. Acknowledging her young audience, she lightheartedly joked that they probably were not old enough to have read the book, but their parents probably had. The display of literature was appropriately fitting for POiSON GiRL FRiEND, whose discography is largely characterized by chansons and poetic lyrics. 

The show ended somberly with “Nobody” from the album “Shyness,” leaving the crowd touched. Enthusiastic cheers of deep appreciation filled the venue and continued after POiSON GiRL FRiEND said her thanks and exited the stage. Summoned by the encore, POiSON GiRL FRiEND graciously returned to the stage to grant the audience one more song. Instead of playing one of her own songs, she surprised the audience by covering “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. To perform a classic song and do it as well as the original is no easy feat, but POiSON GiRL FRiEND achieved the task with ease. Her hushed, smooth voice captured the emotional essence of the song and once more moved me. I fell in love with the cover, even preferring it to the original Elvis version, and I hope she releases it on streaming platforms for everyone to hear. 

To officially conclude the show, POiSON GiRL FRiEND once more thanked the audience and requested to take a group photo as a token of gratitude, which was later posted to her Instagram account (@poison_girl_friend_official). The soft glow of the neon lights transitioned to bright white light, pulling me out of the entrancing melancholic dream world. POiSON GiRL FRiEND and her band broke out into smiles, waved, and held up hearts with their hands. A wave of love, comfort, and deep appreciation for music washed over me as I processed the dreamy experience. Out of the nearly 30 concerts I have attended, this was certainly one of the most memorable. I look forward to POiSON GiRL FRiEND’s future releases and am excited for what her genius will come up with next. In the meantime, I’ll be listening to her discography on repeat.