You’re never short of options on how to spend a Saturday night in New York – and Saturday, October 3rd was no exception. Multiple boroughs of the city welcomed an eclectic lineup of artists; from Slayyyter at Terminal 5, Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden, Geese at Forest Hills Stadium, or Dom Dolla at Flushing Meadows. While every offer between Manhattan and Queens was tempting, I chose to spend the evening with Ninajirachi at Brooklyn Steel for one of two sold out nights.
Leading up to the concert, I had low hopes for snagging a ticket that wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg. Luckily, everything fell into place within a week before the show. I initially started listening to Nina because she had my favourite Pokemon in her name. I discovered her shortly after I Love My Computer came out, and much like her rapidly-growing fanbase, I was immediately hooked. When I saw her at Coachella in April, bringing out Porter Robinson to play ‘Wanna Cry’ for the first time, I already anticipated the next time I’d see her live.
The stars ended up aligning perfectly when I found out I’d be in New York on the same night as her double-header at the East Williamsburg venue. Unfortunately, I was running terribly late and missed out on openers 2charm and MGNA Crrrta (I later overheard a girl on the bus ride home raving about them.) I saw no indication of Ninajirachi show-goers on my delayed subway ride to Brooklyn Steel, but within steps of the venue I saw latecomers like myself sporting 2000s cyber-goth and gyaru outfits – some of which leaned closer to feeling reminiscent of the 2010 to 2012 swag era.
Moments after I entered the venue and switched into my reworked Nina t-shirt, the lights went down. The crowd was immediately exhilarating from the moment Nina hit the stage; ripping the band-aid off with ‘girl EDM’ into ‘London Song’. From that point on, there was not a moment of stillness among the 1,800 attendees. I don’t find myself spending a lot of time looking at the artist at most EDM shows I go to, but the stage production that Nina pairs with her set is palpable. I kept reaching for my point-and-shoot film camera to snag photos of her MySpace-meets-Frutiger Aero visuals, and until I get the roll developed I’m praying at least some turned out well. Between watching her compelling visuals and a constant sea of hands thrusting upwards, I was walking the tight rope of taking in every moment and getting lost in the music.
If there’s one thing Nina has perfected, it’s building tension and release. I formed a very brief yet magical connection with the girl next to me during ‘All I Am’; we continued to lose it together for the entirety of the show. Every track and beat drop contributed to a continuous flow of euphoria and bliss that lingered until the end of the night. After closing her set with the Frost Children remix of ‘Fuck My Computer’, I completely forgot how tired I was on my way to the venue and left feeling like I could run 20 laps. I met up with a friend who went to the Geese concert after the show and immediately showed her all of my videos; that was enough to convince her to find a way into Nina’s second night at Brooklyn Steel and get a taste of the catharsis from night one.
Izzy Petraglia is a publicist, writer and photographer based in Toronto. Within her work, she loves to tie in her passion for music, fashion, and pop culture. Follow her on Instagram.