Show Review: Diet Cig

Diet Cig’s performance at The Echo on May 4th was exactly the high-energy femme punk show that any fan would expect. Following equally female-centric bands Lisa Prank and Janelane, Diet Cig delivered an exceptionally fun set sprinkled with political awareness and general life advice. The whole crowd sang along to Diet Cig’s set, shouting every lyric.

One thing that I couldn’t help but notice was that the majority of fans were young females. One possible reason why they admire Alex Luciano, Diet Cig’s lead singer, is for her lyrics concerning popular teenage topics such as societal acceptance and slut-shaming, along with her self-described “wokeness”, stated in an interview with Spin Magazine. Between songs, Luciano clearly showed this awareness by shouting out “Let’s smash the patriarchy”, “We support femmes and trans,” and “Remember to call your mom”.

The only downside I noticed, which was more of a personal preference, was that Luciano didn’t emulate the anger that comes across in the studio recording version of her songs. That angst was replaced by a joyful feeling all around. Her angry-girl rock fans, including myself, however were a little disappointed when she asked the crowd not to mosh.

Nonetheless, Diet Cig finished strong with their hit song “College” as Luciano threw glitter all over the stage. My fellow KXSC DJ, Veronica Scupine, and I had an especially good end to the show. A stranger, who later revealed to us that she was Luciano’s mom, asked us to join her in the photo booth and showed us first-hand how “woke” Diet Cig, and Luciano’s mom, really are.

EMMA HERZIG, DJ
MOOD, THURSDAYS 10:00 A.M-11:00 A.M

PHOTOS BY NANCY SORIANO (@fibandacci)