Softcult, Present, Computer Girl

Beer City Music Hall, Oklahoma City, OK

July 21, 2024

Review and Gallery by Ally Arens

Rising grunge rockers Softcult have recently wrapped up another stellar United States tour, bringing their blend of sludgy riffs and empowering lyrics to audiences throughout the country. Accompanied by Present, who were on their first ever cross-country tour, they brought the show to Oklahoma City’s Beer City Music Hall near the end of the run on Sunday, July 21. 

Opening up the show was OKC’s own Computer Girl, an electronic rock act that offered some unique vibes to kick off the night. Their brief setlist included tracks such as “Piss Off, Loser” from their 2021 self-titled EP, immaculately matching the vibes of their stage-mates, and setting the tone for what was to come.

Next up with their own blend of grunge-tinged alternative rock, and serving as perfect sonic siblings to the night’s headliners were Present, hailing from California. Lead singer and songwriter Alex Hunter captivated the crowd with her vocal performance, while the rest of the band got the crowd moving and made them hungry for more as they played through tracks such as recent release “Kill the Moth.” Even though this was their first tour, they performed as if they’d been touring for years, and are absolutely worth catching if given an opportunity.

Finally, it was time for the stars of the show. Canadian duo Softcult, consisting of siblings Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, kicked off their blend of 90s-esque grunge rock mixed with “riot grrrl” attitudes with “Haunt You Still,” taken from the band’s latest EP Heaven, released in May. This was followed up by a pair of earlier tracks, “Gloomy Girl” and “Take It Off”. The band sounded absolutely phenomenal, getting the crowd engaged as they chanted “Trans Rights” between songs, and sharing the harrowing story of Sarah Everard’s death before performing a song inspired by her story, “BWBB” (Boys Will Be Boys), speaking up for the continued struggle of women to simply exist without being harrassed or attacked. 

I had seen Softcult once before, at this same venue last year; their energy was just as strong, and I felt like the crowd was even more excited and engaged than previously – a testament to the growth and spread of the Softcult message as the band continues to grow as artists. 

Though Softcult’s most recent tour has wrapped, ending on July 23 in Ohio, the band has a few more shows in store for the remainder of this year. Next on their touring schedule is a pair of festivals in their home land of Canada in September and October, before heading down to Mexico for a brief set of shows in December. All show information can be found on the band’s website.