Bogart’s should have been packed to the gills on Nov. 14, but it wasn’t. Instead, a crowd of seemingly 30-somethings filled three-quarters of the venue with electric cheers for one of the most under-appreciated pop stars of the last decade: Allie X.
The goth-pop singer has collaborated with icons such as Mitski and Troye Sivan; she’s even toured with global powerhouses like Charli xcx and Dua Lipa. But on a rainy November night in Cincinnati, Allie X brought her “Weird World Tour” to Short Vine, casting a glow-in-the-dark spell upon local cult fans.
The opener for Allie X made me regret not bringing a fistful of singles, even though she never once extended her tatted arm for a buck – the iconic drag queen Violet Chachki.
“He leaves the coins on the dresser, rococo on my chest,” Chachki sings with a smirk before revealing two crystal-studded stage breasts to a very pleased crowd.
Chachki’s place on the “Weird World Tour” marks the Drag Race winner’s first tour serving live vocals. She delivered strong and consistent vocals on hits like “Mistress Violet,” but her shimmering snatched wardrobe and captivating voguing takes up the whole stage in the best way possible – Chachki moves like an oil portrait before a drooling voyeur on an acid trip.
Then, Chachki introduces her “music drag mother” to the stage. A face on the back of Allie X’s head emerges to the opening beats of her CollXtion I hit, “Bitch.”
“Steal my blood and steal my heart, whatever it takes to get you off. I’m your bitch, you’re my bitch. Boom, boom,” she sings with studio-level clarity.
During a chat with the crowd, Allie X addressed the blank space in the room.
“I keep looking at ticket sales in cities I’ve never played and I’m like, ‘Aw man.’ Then I get on stage and you guys are so lit and it looks so fun,” she said to cheers.
While this was her first show in Cincinnati, Allie X told the crowd she’d visited the Queen City as a teenage Alexandra Hughes – but it wasn’t a fond memory.
“The last time I was in Cincinnati, I was 18 years old and I was auditioning for Cincinnati Conservatory of Music,” she said to cheers. “It’s, like, renowned, right? Is it still?”
The crowd answers with an emphatic synchronized “YES.”
“Well, they were fucking rude to me,” she responds, one hand on her leather-bound hip.
The CCM-reject turned cult pop queen went on to remind the Cincinnati crowd what she’s made of, and the hits were hitting.
“Over the restless sea, it’s calling me, it’s calling me. Louder than the echoes of our love,” she belted theatrically with crisp vocal control – CCM, what were you thinking!?
An iridescent fabric billows behind her during this performance of “Bon Voyage” from her latest album, Girl With No Face. At that moment, Allie X was the ghost of a jellyfish witch. I won’t let the sticky floor take credit for keeping me planted in place as I watched in awe.
While I’m not one to age profile, I couldn’t help but notice Cincinnati’s youngest pop fans were sorely missing out on Thursday’s magic. Absent 20-somethings with Brat on their upcoming Spotify wrapped would have come alive during “Super Duper Party People” from Allie’s 2020 album Cape God.
“Drink a little velvet so you get into the beat. Strike a bolt of lightning and become a superfreak,” she commanded the Cincinnati crowd.
The nasty-good beat with effervescent vocals forced my hands high and hips low. Live, “Super Duper Party People” was a call to action, and Bogart’s moved with hive mind.
Closing out the night with a track she called her “cuntiest” to date, “Off With Her Tits” from Girl With No Face was a screaming, ranting, raving audio feast. Is she angry? Gleeful? Spiteful? Exalted? Yes.
We’re lucky to live in a city where the likes of Allie X and Violet Chachki can be experienced in a venue with cocktails under $15. I say we collectively decide to pack the house next time Allie X comes to town – as long as I still have room to dance.
This article appears in Nov 13-26, 2024.
