Stuck with a relatively early set at 6 p.m., it was surprising that Slayyyter was legally allowed to perform in the daylight. If you've listened to the American provocateur's music, or even just seen some of her cover art, you might assume she's only allowed out after dark. Her style of Soundcloud hyperpop ramps up the rave sensuality of Charli XCX and Rêve to Cardi B levels, delivering dancefloor-driving electropop dripping with "stripper who's gonna kick your ass" energy. It's the kind of music with which you have to think twice about driving across state lines.
In addition to the time slot, Slayyyter also had to contend with a constant misting on a damp Victoria afternoon, but she wasn't going to let the rain get her down. Early in her set, she asked, "Are you staying dry out there? I'm really wet tonight."
Perhaps demonstrating a little restraint, she actually kept things fairly PG-13 for the first few tracks, front-loading her setlist with some of her less aggressive tracks. She got the crowd to crouch in the wet and then jump during "Memories of You," and lit a cigarette for "Dramatic," if only to underscore the line "I smoke my cigarette with passion" — but also because nine out of 10 dentists agree that smoking makes you look cool, especially if you're wearing a black leather jacket.
Things got a little raunchier after "I Love Hollywood," the opening track from her 2023 album Starfucker. With lines like "fuck me on the dancefloor" in "Erotic Electronic" and "I put that dick in, fuck like I'm gifted / In Jesus's name, I am addicted" in the as-yet-unreleased track "No Comma," there's a good chance that some of the kids in the crowd learned exciting new words that day. Then again, kids have to find out about the Playboy Mansion's grotto eventually, so it might as well be through a quaint little ditty like "Daddy AF" ("I been fuckin' models / I been poppin' bottles (all night) / Playboy in the grotto").
Unfortunately her vocals were fairly washed out by the backing track in "Mine," but for the most part, Slayyyter clearly demonstrated her skills. To be honest, I figured she'd probably DJ while playing prerecorded vocals and occasionally pretending to sing like so many celebrity DJ sets, but she showcased serious pipes, in addition to her obvious theatricality and engaging crowd work.
She separated the crowd into sections to make noise during "I Love Hollywood," and worked in a little banter whenever she could, while laying it down all over the space, getting down on all fours for "No Comma," prowling around for "Purr," and lying flat on her back for "Daddy AF." It's commendable how she puts it all out there, no filter.