Australian singer-songwriter Julia Jacklin returned with sophomore album Crushing on February 22nd via Polyvinyl Records and it’s been one of my favorite records of the year so far. Jacklin is on tour in support of the album, which brought her back to New York for two sold out performances. The first was at Rough Trade NYC in Brooklyn, with the second taking place at Bowery Ballroom the following night on April 25th, which we were in attendance for.
Kicking things off was Katherine Paul’s Black Belt Eagle Scout, who expanded upon the offerings found on her debut album Mother of My Children, released last year via Saddle Creek. Paul and her tight live band offered beefed up renditions of songs from the debut records which sounded great in the live format.
Jacklin was up next and I was excited to see how she had grown as a live performer. We first caught her back in 2017 when she headlined Rough Trade NYC and got a taste of some new material last fall when she opened for First Aid Kit at Brooklyn Steel.
There was certainly a different feeling in the air at this performance, which Jacklin handled perfectly by stunning the crowd with her opening performance of “Body” that soared throughout Bowery Ballroom. She cast a spell in the room throughout her set, finding a way to balance her more delicate ballads with her garage rock-leaning jams such as single “Pressure to Party.” Jacklin totally commanded the stage and the crowd, running through nearly all of Crushing as well as old favorites from her debut album, as well as single “Eastwick.”
It’s been great to see Jacklin’s career taking off in the right way, with good tunes and great live performances doing all the speaking for the talented songwriter, who has a bright future ahead of her that we can’t wait to watch unfold.
Find a full gallery of photos from Julia Jacklin’s performance, along with the setlist and shots of Black Belt Eagle Scout.
Black Belt Eagle Scout:
Julia Jacklin:
Julia Jacklin setlist:
1. Body
2. Eastwick
3. Leadlight
4. Motherland
5. Don’t Know How To Keep Loving You
6. Turn Me Down
7. When the Family Flies In
8. Don’t Let the Kids Win
9. Good Guy
10. You Were Right
11. Pool Party
12. Head Alone
13. Pressure to Party
Encore:
14. Comfort
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