HorsegiirL @ The Cause review: barn dances have never been so much fun

Transforming London’s uber-cool club The Cause into a barn (complete with an outdoors bucking bronco). For one night only, a sea of cowboy hats, cowgirl prints and leather chaps stretches down the docklands just off the North Circular Road in anticipation of horsrgiirL’s first-ever Hayfever party.

“Prepare to get drenched in sweat,” warns one reveller in the queue for the cloakroom who suggests Skiddle should ditch their coat. They’re not wrong: the industrial warehouse building is an absolute sweatbox, and packed with ravers eager to get as close to their equine hero as possible. Appearing from the haystacks mounted behind the decks, the DJ-producer-vocalist’s arrival is met with deafening screams and a paparazzi-level of camera lights. 

Immediately, it’s clear that the room is full of her adoring fans (or “farmies”, as she affectionately calls them) with some sporting pig snouts and one even donning a fish head; others, who have already visited the merch stand, proudly wear their new £20 handmade charm bracelet and limited edition £80 bag.  

With DJ MIMI having set the tone thanks to hard edits of pop classics like Rihanna’s ‘Where Have You Been’, the crowd is well and truly warmed up for the mane attraction come midnight. Making heart shapes with her hands as Hayfever balloons float overhead, a rocketing remix of Flo Rida and Ke$ha’s iconic ‘Right Round’ gets everyone galloping together as the heavy bass obliterates speakers and shakes the wood panel shutters.

Happily posing for selfies and reaching out to touch her legion of followers’ hands, horsegiirL’s energy and sheer joy is contagious. While some viral artists would likely save their big hit until the end of the set, horsegiirL drops the huge ‘My Barn My Rules’ with more than an hour to go. At first, it seems like a brave decision but doing so this early on proves she’s certainly no one-trick-pony. 

With each lyric sung back by her hardcore fanbase, the unconventional crossover is received like a national anthem. Impressively, the crowd are equally keen to lap up her many other songs; too, including ‘My Little White Pony’ and new single ‘f0rbidden l0ve$tory’ (which brilliantly riffs on Avril Lavigne’s ‘Sk8er Boi’); she also tests her day ones with 2022’s‘starsiigns’. 

Alongside her own tracks, she brings all the bangers to the yard, with hedonistic interpretations of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Sexy Back’, NeYo’s ‘Closer’, Icona Pop’s ‘I Don’t Care (I Love It)’ and Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’ all getting Berghain-friendly spins. If one thing’s clear, it’s that the post-lockdown generation of ravers want their beats delivered as hard and fast as they can get them, and laced with a dose of nostalgia.

The next morning, horsegiirL posted on Instagram that she was “speechless” and thanked everyone for making the first Hayfever “such an iconic night!” The industry may have said neigh for some time but, continuing to fearlessly blaze her own trail of euphoria and escapism, horsegiirL is now winning the race. Long may her rein continue.

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.