Scene Queen, Girli, Deadlands

Beer City Music Hall, Oklahoma City, OK

July 22, 2025

Review and Gallery by Ally Arens

Alternative artist Scene Queen is continuing to make a name for herself as she spreads the gospel of Bimbocore to packed venues all over the country, most recently embarking on the “Hot Shows in Your Area” tour in support of her debut full-length album Hot Singles In Your Area, released last summer. Accompanying her on all dates are Deadlands and Girli for a night full of fun and empowerment. The Encore Nights was able to catch the tour as it stopped at Oklahoma City’s Beer City Music hall, marking Scene Queen’s first full headlining show in the city. As one might expect, the night was full of community, with lots of ass-shaking in the “Twerkle Pit” and pink outfits a-plenty. 

First to take the stage was metal band Deadlands, and they immediately got the crowd roaring and jumping around. Fronted by Kasey Karlsen, who is an absolute dynamic powerhouse of a vocalist as she transitions seemingly effortlessly between deep growls and gorgeous melodies, the New Yorkers brought the heat as they played through selections from their most recent EP, SEVEN, like “Villain”, “Die in Paradise”, “Limbo”, and “House of Cards”. They kicked the night off with a bang, and their live set is not to be missed.

Next up, hailing all the way from the United Kingdom, was pop artist Girli, whose dance-y tracks fit right in with Scene Queen’s crowd despite their absence of guitar riffs, especially such sapphic love songs as “More Than a Friend” and set closer “Matriarchy”. Her on-stage energy was super fun to watch, and her vocals were absolutely captivating.

Finally, it was time for Scene Queen to, in her words, “turn Beer City into Queer City” – and that she did. She kicked things off with the headbanger “BDSM” before quickly getting even spicier with queer anthems such as “Finger” and “Pink Panther”. While a Scene Queen show is definitely NOT recommended for children due to the explicit nature of many of her lyrics, it is an incredibly safe space for any adult who needs one, as she reminded everyone throughout the night to look out for each other, and she even inducted us all into her own “Bimbo Beta Pi” sorority because she wants to cultivate a space where everyone is free to be themselves, different from a stereotypical sorority group. 

This was my second time seeing a Scene Queen set, following last year’s Summer School tour, and both times I have been equally impressed by her talent and how much fun energy she brings – it is quite literally impossible not to just want to drop everything and shake some ass at a Scene Queen show, and that’s one of my favorite things about her. 

The US leg of Scene Queen’s “Hot Shows In Your Area” tour picks up on July 29 in Salt Lake City, UT before continuing east, concluding in Detroit, MI on August 3. Beginning on September 4, she’s bringing the show to the UK and EU, with Girli and Lake Malice as support; all upcoming tour dates can be found on her website.