Ashnikko: Girl Power, Gen Z Style
Every generation complains about the generation after them. Boomers complain about Gen x, Who complain about Millennials, who complain about Gen z. IT’s the natural progression of things. Being in this position as a concert photographer is tricky sometimes. I’ll spend hours on Ticketmaster and local venue websites, trying to figure out who is cool and would make for decent pictures. I’ve been trying to photograph bands I’ve liked since my teen years; Twiztid, ICP, Slipknot, Blink182, CKY, the list goes on. Being a manager at a Book Chain, I had a staff of kids That were 10-15 years younger than me so I could bounce these names off of them. “Is so-and-so cool? what does this band sound like? Would you go to this show?” When I was asked to cover Lizzo in 2019, before she blew up, I Literally had no idea who she was. I asked my coworkers “have you heard of someone called leye-zo? is she cool?” and that turned out to be an amazing show.
There’s something about this generation’s ability to accept people’s differences. The crowds at some of these shows are the true melting pot of positivity. i went downstairs to use the rest room at The Fillmore and 2 guys were hyping each other up.
“man, i think my hair looks bad.” “Na dude, you look great, let’s go out there and have a great night.”
Detroit native Chloe Moriondo was the opener this night and she had an aura about her. 5 foot nothing with 15 feet of jubilant glow. Her appreciation of seeing a hometown crowd felt incredibly genuine. In the days leading up to the show, I became more familiar with her music and sarcastic playfulness of songs like “I eat Boys.” The power that platforms Like instagram have to propel someone like her from playing songs in her room to an almost sold out Fillmore is mind-blowing.
Between sets, I sat and played with the settings on my camera. I generally people watch. Concerts are the most Fascinating place to watch people. The people who use concerts to escape who they have to be in their 9-to-5 jobs. The kids that go, dressed how they wished they could go to school everyday and not get shoved into a locker (I assume that’s still a practice among bullies). Each crowd is so different and unique. And watching what was a majority of a younger generation, one can pick up on their generational attitude. I watched a man, probably in his 50’s, trying to spit game to some girls in the front row. And it warmed my heart to see that they were having none of it. he could brag and boast about how awesome he thought he was all night. But these girls were only here for one thing: to see the show. When one of the headliner’s most popular songs is a song about how boys are stupid and unnecessary, dude should have read the room a little better. So with his tale between his legs, he sulked away and the show began.
Ashnikko owned the stage. The eyeball-tentacle adorn stage. I’ve seen Gwen Stefani and Janet Jackson and Lizzo and many other female artists and The message is the same. IT could have been No Doubt belting out “I’m Just a Girl” and there would have been the same energy. An energy of empowerment, but also acceptance. it’s easy to see why she is popular with the LGBTQ+ alaphabet mafia with songs Like “Slumber Party.” A story of a boy who couldn’t Satisfy her lead into a parody of Avril Lavigne’s “sk8er boi,” which was the anthem of every hurley girly i went to junior high with. “She's not a therapist, Don't wanna take care of him, She's an independent girl.” Be young, have fun, experiment, f*ck social norms, be strong, be you. If Ashnikko is the voice of Gen z, they’ll be ok.
