‘What do breasts and gigs have in common? They both need good support.’ Julia Jacklin posted this witty ditty on her Facebook page a fortnight ago alongside her Australian tour dates, and support she has been given! She’s fresh-faced and currently albumless, but her shows have been selling out fast. Jacklin and her band are now touring her waltzy single ‘Pool Party’ — a track I’ve listened to on repeat numerous times now. They performed a predictably yummy show on Saturday night at Shebeen (a non-for-profit bar in Melbourne’s CBD) in their hot and sweaty rectangular band room.
We missed the first support act, Good Morning, but Geelong/Melbourne band Canary graced us with some sweet trumpet sounds and catchy tunes that reminded us of early Radiohead. Jacklin opened with the title track from her upcoming debut album ‘Don’t Let The Kids Win’. To put it simply, it’s a very relatable track about freaking out that you’re growing older, but learning to live in the moment.
Her music is very easy to digest; leaving you feeling warm and supple, like you’ve just eaten a smouldering bowl of your grandmother’s signature soup. Jacklin’s male bandmates added beautiful harmonies to some of the tracks, complementing her caressingly graceful, smoky vocals. She is a classically trained vocalist, but there’s no sense of rigidity in her lilting voice.
The crowd lit up and began some light head-banging when the opening riff for ‘Pool Party’ started, ‘Oh, I want to give you all of my love’. I could have happily sat there and listened to her for hours, but she wrapped up quite quickly and without an encore, leaving me looking forward to her next Melbourne show. Hopefully it will coincide with her album release for ‘Don’t Let The Kids Win’ later in the year. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing much more Julia Jacklin.
-Lisa
Lisa Martin is a lover of music, words and frolicking in the gard. She’s also an avid people watcher and a qualified teacher who doesn’t teach.
Julia Jacklin’s next performance will be at Plan B (Good God Small Club) in Sydney on Saturday May 14. Her debut album ‘Don’t Let The Kids Win’ will be released later in the year.
