REVIEW: Machine Girl Digitally Dominates The Eastern in ATL
- Mikey Smith
- Mar 11
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 27
The innovating electronic act reach career highs at their show in Atlanta
I was not prepared for what digi-hardcore legends Machine Girl had up their sleeve for their show this past weekend at The Eastern. A true mashup of the two parts of the genre, the band fully embraced the hardcore part of their digital world. This concert was delivered in all-caps and whether a longtime or casual fan, you felt everything that was brought to the table.
The show was opened with two sets from LustSickPuppy and Show Me The Body. Together, each act represented two elements of Machine Girl’s music: the glitchy, loud electronic sonics and the raucous, punk/non-conformist mindset. Both artists also presented an unpredictability that would linger throughout the night, leaving fans to wonder what crazy thing was going to happen next.
Finally, the lights dropped and fans went berserk as the members of Machine Girl appeared one by one on The Eastern’s stage. Lead singer Matt Stephenson donned a gas mask and ripped right into the opener off their new album, “We Don’t Give a F—k.” And that’s right. Machine Girl doesn’t give a f—k.
Running live versions of different tracks off their 2025 project, PsychoWarrior: MG Ultra X, the band dominated the attention of the crowd’s constant motion. Even when the digicore performers took breaks for water or to talk with the fans, moshpits were still being opened in the audience. But whatever the crowd would do to keep the energy up was no match for what the band themselves were doing.
In every moment, the room was waiting for what crazy things Stephenson and co. were going to do next. Whether it’s delivering powerful, screaming vocals while crowdsurfing for the umpteenth time or climbing each layer of The Eastern, dangling from the balcony while fans stood in awe, Machine Girl alone maximized every part of the venue. The lights, the sound, the antics, all of it delivered on the highest level possible.
As the audience members stepped out of the venue into the rainy storm outside, each one had this extra boost of insanity placed into them by what they had just seen. Folks were ecstatic from the electronic mayhem witnessed live in Atlanta. Machine Girl hasn’t lost their mojo by playing these bigger spaces. In fact, they feel right at home taking on a larger-than-life atmosphere with more fans than ever.
Article and photos by Mikey Smith. Please credit @mts2.photo or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
