Beach Bunny had had their first performance of their tour at the Englert Theatre on Friday, April 8. As the night progressed the theater filled with excited young bodies thrilled to see Beach Bunny live. Their performance was refreshingly youthful and effortlessly talented. Even though guitarist Matt Henkel was missing, as Lili Trifilio said, “The show must go on!” She went so hard on the guitar that her finger started bleeding. Bassist Anthony Vaccaro and drummer Jon Alvarado equally rocked out, jumping around and bringing playful energy to the set.

The stage had vintage televisions lit with static and projected stars. The colorful pink, purple, and red lights glittered off of Trifilio’s glittery, silver outfit and the backdrop.

At the start of their performance, Trifilio asked everyone to stand, which sent the crowd rushing to her feet at the front of the stage. They opened with her single “Oxygen.” A smile erupted on Trifilio’s face when people started to sing along. During her song “Good Girls (Don’t Get Used)” the audience was asked to sing backup vocals, bringing them into the performance. Everyone sang along. Beach Bunny had the younger students who sat beside me mesmerized, one even accidentally smacked me during “Blame Game” because they were so taken by the song.

Although the venue was seated, and the crowd was smaller than anticipated for future venues, and they were down a guitarist, the performance was all the more genuine and personal. The crowd participation and emotional vulnerability of Beach Bunny’s music made the entire show approachable and fun. If I could go back in time and be there again, I would in a heartbeat.

Beach Bunny will go on to play the Mo Pop Festival in Detroit and Lollapalooza in Chicago later in the year along with artists like Green Day and Big Sean.

For more information about Beach Bunny, see our previous article here.

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At the start of their tour, Beach Bunny will be performing April 8 in Iowa City’s very own Englert Theatre for Mission Creek Festival. You may know Beach Bunny, or Lili Trifilio, from her viral hits on TikTok like Prom Queen and Cloud 9. Her more recent works include her EP Blame Game and singles Oxygen and Christmas Caller. Their new album will be released March 29.

Lili Trifilio’s band Beach Bunny includes Jon Alvarado on the drums, Matt Henkels on the guitar, and Anthony Vaccaro on the bass. They typically play alternative indie-pop music, similar to the styles of the Wallows and Ella Jane.

Trifilio’s debut EP was released in 2015. Her music describes specific, typically indescribable, sensations of pining for love and heartbreak in ways that thousands of listeners relate to. TikTok teenagers used the song Prom Queen to help them explain the insecurities they feel in their physicality. Prom Queen feels distinctively natural and talks about the beauty standards forced onto girls from a young age. The lyrics, “Shut up, count your calories,” resonate with many listeners insecure about their bodies as a result of societal pressures with the rise of social media.

Beach Bunny’s tactfully aloft tone is the perfect spring vibe and it continues in her other works. Her songs Dream Boy and Ms. California are both carefully captivating yet rather approachable in their attempts to share their sentiments on warmth and endearment.

If you ever felt unreasonably hopeful in the face of an uncertain future and love light indie pop, come to see Beach Bunny perform live on Friday, April 8 at 9:45 PM in the Englert Theater.

Find out more about Beach Bunny performing at the Mission Creek Festival on the Mission Creek website.

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