REVIEW: Slayyyter: Live at The Eastern - ATL
The singer's latest WOR$T GIRL IN THE WORLD tour solidifies her status as a genre-bending dancepop princess
Standing inside The Eastern on Monday night among more than 2,000 fans packed shoulder to shoulder, one could easily forget how quickly Slayyyter's popularity has grown this year. When the WOR$T GIRL IN THE WORLD tour was announced in March, her Atlanta stop was originally booked at a venue less than a third that size. While Slayyyter had built a dedicated following through her previous albums, the March release of WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA took off almost instantly, forcing promoters to upgrade to larger rooms. By the time the tour started in late July, every date was sold out across North America, Europe, and Australia.
As I moved throughout the venue, I found myself surrounded by fans screaming every lyric, from the front barricade all the way to the back of the balcony. Whether it was a rap verse, spoken word, or melodic hook, fans knew every moment of every song. The room was quieter but engaged for the two unreleased songs, “NEKROMANTIK” and “I THINK HE'S GOT A GIRL.” Making its live debut was “BIRDS,” Slayyyter's reimagined take on the Turnstile song released on their NEVER ENOUGH: VERSIONS album last month. A few lucky fans likely heard Turnstile deliver the song just three days earlier at Atlanta's Shaky Knees Festival.
The stage resembled the exterior of a Midwestern home under a solitary streetlight, complete with plastic lawn chairs, discarded tires, and an old cooler. After a musical interlude midway through the night, Slayyyter reemerged from the house's front door wearing a metallic gold-fringed outfit. The glamorous ensemble presented a striking contrast against the weathered set. On one end of the stage stood a life-sized carousel horse, which she mounted during "CANNIBALISM!" while purple lights and bubbles flooded the room. Slayyyter has noted in recent interviews how the inspirations for the album and tour came from childhood memories of living in St. Louis, with the carousel figure referencing a snow globe from her youth. On stage, it was easy to picture that young girl dreaming of performing under the spotlight for this moment.
Backed by a full live band, she turned the album's traditionally electronic tracks into a blend of punk, metal, and pop that sets her apart from her peers. Slayyyter's voice sounded impeccable live, pivoting seamlessly from pop melodies to screams. While she is a master at her craft in the studio, she proved to Atlanta that she can translate that product into raw, dynamic live theater. This heavier arrangement of "YES GODDD" hit the room with a massive, relentless force.
Leaning strictly into this current era, the setlist drew entirely from the new album cycle alongside recent singles and unreleased cuts. Slayyyter is at the top of the pop and dance music world right now, but calling it a peak seems premature. She's breaking down genre barriers and riding a trajectory with no visible ceiling.
Article and photos by Joe Chiarella. Please credit @joe.takes.pictures or @art.seen.atl if reposting on social media.
