Julia Jacklin @ Electric Brixton, 04.04.19

Joe Bell catches Julia Jacklin add further life to her sophomore album Crushing, with a fantastic live performance in front of a sold-out crowd at Electric Brixton, alongside support from Georgia Mulligan and Olympia. 

By Joe Bell

Crushing, the new album from Julia Jacklin, follows on from the success of the Sydney singer-songwriter’s 2016 debut, Don’t Let the Kids Win. Mixing jangly guitars with impactful lyrics and Jacklin’s distinctive vocals, Crushing is an empowering post-break-up album, with themes throughout of claiming back one’s body and identity following the end of a relationship.

Opening the night was fellow Sydney songwriter Georgia Mulligan, who showed her talent later playing keys, guitar and singing backing vocals in Julia’s band. Whilst performing a relatively short set early on, she was calm and composed on stage, captivating the crowd with her dreamy folk songwriting and stage presence, alone with a guitar. Despite her early stage time the audience remained silent and hooked to the music.

Next on was Olympia, who strode confidently onto the stage dressed all in pink and instantly commanded attention. She performed her first song alone, and her vocal range was instantly impressive. Joined by a bassist and drummer afterwards, Olympia’s showmanship was fantastic as she owned the stage and flipped effortlessly from rhythm to lead guitar, mixing indie rock progressions with showy solos and soaring vocals. Her chat with the audience was engaging as well, as she introduced ‘Smoke Signals’ – a song about her parents teaching her to shoplift. Olympia’s contrast of raging guitar solos and pop-inspired vocals made her appear as the lovechild of Jimi Hendrix and Lady Gaga. She finished with a single from her upcoming album, ‘Star City’, a song waxing poetic about youth – keep an eye on her upcoming releases this year.

Julia herself opened with ‘Body’, the lead single from her new album – a powerful and slow-burning song about reclaiming her body after the end of a relationship. Despite the often downbeat nature of her material, each song sparkled live and captivated the audience. Her band never overplayed, and the sparse arrangements in every song allowed Jacklin’s powerful lyrics and brilliant songwriting to shine through. The most memorable moments in the show were when Jacklin was able to stand alone with her guitar, on songs such as ‘Don’t Let the Kids Win’. In a live environment, a few of the songs I hadn’t paid enough attention to from her debut really came to life, and the full emotional depth of Julia’s songwriting was palpable throughout. Jacklin’s anecdotes broke up the show well, and she appeared completely at ease on stage as she told stories of past live performances, songs and lightly discussed the problems faced when choosing what drinks to bring on stage. Songs from the old and new album were blended seamlessly, and despite leaving the two most upbeat songs from Crushing to the end of the show - ‘Head Alone’ and ‘Pressure to Party’ - the performances were never devoid of energy and the audience at no point lost interest or engagement. It was a fantastic performance which really showcased the maturity and talent of her songwriting.