“Princess of Power,” the screen read as Marina Diamandis took the stage. The name refers to her sixth studio album, released in June, and its subsequent tour. In a black corset top, a bejeweled fringe skirt and knee-high boots, confidence seeped with every stride as MARINA asserted her queen status. She spun a parasol as the wind blew in her hair. With pink ribbon wrapped around her microphone, MARINA looked ethereal performing for the Austin City Limits festival crowd for a second weekend on Saturday.
Preceding Doechii and Sabrina Carpenter on the American Express Stage at 4:30 p.m., MARINA kicked off the perfect lineup. She’s one of the artists that festivalgoers might not realize how many of her songs they know. Every track she played proved a banger, and the hour-long set went by fast.
With time-honored hits like “How to Be a Heartbreaker,” “Bubblegum Bitch,” “Froot” and “Primadonna,” MARINA took the audience back to the eras of The Family Jewels, Electra Heart and Froot.
She mixed in recent tunes with the 2012-2015 tracks, such as 2021’s iconic “Venus Fly Trap,” from the album Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, and songs from Princess of Power, including “BUTTERFLY,” “ROLLERCOASTER” and “CUNTISSIMO.” With the timeless energy MARINA exudes, even her recent releases feel nostalgic.
Some may know Diamandis as Marina and the Diamonds, her former stage name. She dropped the name in 2019 to feel more authentic and less like an artistic persona, she told W Magazine. At ACL, she felt free in her performance after her first release with the independent label she founded, Queenie Records, this year with Princess of Power.
When she began singing “rule number one,” the crowd’s recognition showed. Getting to the chorus, they screamed the lyrics.
“Do we have any primadonna boys or girls in the audience?” MARINA asked the crowd before singing “Primadonna.” Screams erupted from the audience as they sang along.
“Thank you so much for being with me,” she said. “We have one last song.”
MARINA invited the crowd to a “fantastic ‘70s party” before closing with “I <3 YOU” from Princess of Power.
With colorful graphics backing her set, MARINA transported ACL to a fantasy world of butterflies, “froot” and bubblegum.
“Game over,” the screen read as she left the stage.
