With a Punk Attitude Towards Hyperpop, Alice Longyu Gao Celebrates Pride at the Ballroom

Alice Longyu Gao at the Ballroom on June 23 (Photo by Wayne Lim)

As Pride month comes to a close, queer artists are packing in as many explosively gay celebrations as they can to commemorate the times.

That’s where Alice Longyu Gao comes in, screaming: “I love my LGBTQ+ legends; even though life is not easy for us, we are here to party.” Keeping the radical spirit of Pride alive, Gao’s outrageously fun 59-minute show on June 23 marked her first of the West Coast leg of her CEO Tour. The hyperpop heavyweight, hailing from the Big Apple, graced the ever-drink-stained floor of the Ballroom with a punk attitude towards hyperpop on Friday.

The mirrorball reflected its light on dozens of excited fans all dressed up in typical Gao-inspired attire – like balaclavas with bunny ears and various kawaii aesthetic clothing. A cute rainbow-colored LED sign with the words “Let’s Hope Heteros Fail, Learn and Retire” repeated its message over and over. The night started at 8:40pm with an electrifying set from L.Cie, a local Austin DJ who distorts sound down to its most eargasm-inducing rhythms.

Her performance involved a lot of genres – rap, emo rock, and a surprise remix from rap’s newest it girl Ice Spice’s viral hit “Munch (Feelin’ U).” The audience could hear one question in their ear: “You thought I was feeling you?”

Photo by Wayne Lim

Once the stage was set up, Gao walked out in a Vivienne-Westwood-deconstruction meets Eighties-prom dress. With her hair in a single side ponytail and her maroon tulle skirt, the singer ironically greeted the crowd with a singular statement: “Some of you guys probably thought you came here for a music show, but guess what? I decided to do stand-up comedy!”

On her March album Let’s Hope Heteros Fail, Learn and Retire, the Chinese-born artist brought this brand of ironic humor. Live, the opening track “(Intro) Let’s Hope Heteros Fail, Learn and Retire” exemplified this perfectly, as Gao played a white harp one minute and went into a screaming rage the next. Up in audience members’ faces, she gave them a chance to let out their anger with her, which was oddly comforting to watch.

The infectiously confident yet self-aware pop star knows how to keep the audience engaged – maybe that’s why Lady Gaga personally shouted her out on her “Women of Choice” playlist in 2020. Though unpredictable onstage, she came through with remixes of her most popular 2019 track, “Rich Bitch Juice.” Two remixes – one of Bladee’s hit “Be Nice 2 Me” and one of LMFAO’s early 2010s nostalgic track “Party Rock Anthem” – both set to Gao’s playful lyrics: “Have some juice, honey rich bitch juice/ You've been sad, lately need to let loose.”

Photo by Wayne Lim

The extravagant producer continued her crowd work with the absolute banger “Make U 3 Me” by jumping into the audience and forming her own pit to face off screaming fans. “I’ll make you love me!” the crowd chanted. Sweating up a storm with margarita in hand as the song ended, the now-tipsy star made it known that she slays. With following songs “Believe the Hype” and “Legend,” Gao really came through with the stage presence and confidence of a well-trained music veteran.

The night ended with “(Reprise) Let’s Hope Hetero Fail, Learn and Retire.” The title track offered essentially the same song as the intro, but with a humorous satirical ad for the online therapy website Better Help. Once the set ended at 10:55pm, Gao used her phone to control the LED sign to promote her merch and say other prompts like “Pronouns? True.” – a funny, very Gao way to show support for the LGBTQIA community she reps.

L.Cie (Photo by Wayne Lim)

Alice Longyu Gao (Photo by Wayne Lim)