The Norwegian indie-pop sensation, Girl In Red, finally made her way to Milwaukee for her 2022 “If I Could Make It Go Quiet” tour, and she certainly did not disappoint.
The 23-year-old Marie Ulven, who was cited as a Queer icon by Paper magazine, jumped on stage and started out with a bang playing “You Stupid Bitch,” off her 2021 album. She was wearing a classic tan pocket t-shirt with cargos, flaunting her natural beauty. The crowd matched her energy and screamed for her as she bounced from each side of the stage.
She took a short water break and talked about the quirks of the venue and the old abandoned pool in The Rave. The late artist Mac Miller left a note in the pool a while back that read, “I once lived and now I am dead”. She snapped a pic and posted it to her Instagram story after the show.
“I saw Mac Miller… I don’t know, it was all really creepy,” said the singer as she picked up her blue electric guitar. “Anyways, I’m happy to be here.”
Then she played her TikTok viral song “Girls” from her 2018 “Chapter 1” EP which became a staple song in the lesbian community. Couples were swaying and dancing together while the flowy and dreamy undertones immersed the audience. The artist shares a lot about the focus of being queer in her music and uses a lot of romantic themes with messages about mental health in her songwriting.
As the show went on, she played more hits from her “If I Could Make it Go Quiet” album, with a good mix of slower ballads that gave the crowd a breather like “We Fell In Love In October” and upbeat bops like “Serotonin”. She also played “Dead Girl In the Pool” which was extremely fitting for some of the eerie amenities that the Rave has to offer. She prepared the crowd to rock out to “Bad Idea” as she got the band ready.
“People are scared to have a good time,” said Ulven. “I want everyone in this audience to dance with me.”
“Rue” was one of the last songs of the night. She talked about how the song is about being cheated on despite not having been cheated on herself. The crowd laughed while some clapped. Everyone started slowly inching closer to the stage.
She ended the night with her hit song “I Wanna Be Your Girlfriend” that amassed her a strong following after she put it out on SoundCloud in November of 2016. She jumped back and forth and made her way to the end of the stage.
“Y’all have to come in forward,” she said as she stood on the barricade catching her breath. “Make some space.”
The crowd shook as she launched herself in and surfed around through the peak chorus of the song. The band played even harder as the audience screamed and reached to touch her. When she got back on stage, she said her goodbyes and thank yous to Milwaukee. Considering it was completely sold out, it was a pretty successful show for Ulven.
The singer’s North American tour will continue through April and end in Arizona. After that, she’s taking it international.
Very intimate interesting shots. Especially the 1st one ☝️