More about: julia jacklin

Out of all the indie music that I listened to through my teens, Julia Jacklin’s debut album, Don’t Let the Kids Win is one of the albums I return to regularly. Her wry musings on aging and lust delivered in a voice so sweet and so deadpan is something that I simply haven’t grown out of. For the first time, I’ve been lucky enough to catch her on her UK tour. In the spacious but intimate setting of Camden’s roundhouse, Jacklin reminds us of everything which makes her appeal so enduring.

Julia Jacklin opens with the title track from her debut ‘Don’t Let the Kids Win,’ unaccompanied and slowed down as far as it will go. In the gothic arches of the Roundhouse, her voice sounds clear and strong as she sings “we’re gonna keep on getting older, it’s gonna keep on feeling strange,” lyrics which I’m sure all the audience related to. Three albums into her career, Jacklin herself is no longer a kid, and this reflective track seems more prescient than ever. Despite the obvious adoration from her fans, she wears the spotlight awkwardly, seeming somewhat surprised that so many have turned out to see her. 

There’s something about this awkwardness, or reluctance to bask in her success, which makes Jacklin relatable to so many of her fans. Her nonchalance shines through in her singing and lyrics, with songs like ‘Moviegoer’ examining the emptiness of fame and success. The audience is very mixed, but is, like Jacklin, somewhat subdued. Instead of loud singalongs, many seem content to just observe Jacklin and her band as they take us through her catalogue. There were singalong moments, though, most coming, towards the end of the set, when Jacklin turned up the tempo. Recent single ‘I Was Neon’ marked the turning point, and the existential chorus of “Am I gonna lose myself again?” was met with a burst of enthusiasm from the packed-out Roundhouse. 

Her brilliant latest album PRE PLEASURE featured on the set list less than expected, but the occasions where it did were some of the highlights of the night. The chorus of ‘Love, Try Not to Let Go’ was louder than life, capturing the fear and intensity of falling in love. Jacklin introduced ‘Ignore Tenderness’ with “this song’s about sex,” and the whispered lyrics sounded more intimate and confessional when delivered in person, taking the song’s message to new heights. 

Instead of Jacklin herself starting the show, we are treated to the familiar panpipes of Celine Dion’s ‘My Heart Will Go On’. She seems to take pleasure in the unexpected, poking fun at or subverting concert norms in her characteristically gentle way . The first portion of her set is dedicated to album tracks before she pauses to say “Right… the hits.” Once the hits are out of the way, instead of going off stage, she chants “encore, encore” before launching into her last song ‘Hayplane’, a somewhat rogue choice. As the song builds though, it seems to encapsulate everything that Jacklin does best, from a slow, wistful melody to a powerful, commanding guitar solo.

In a gig that perfectly captures the Julia Jacklin effect, managing to move seemlessly from the fragile and confessional, into roaring indie hits - she carries the crowd with her at every move. All stood relatively still with eyes focussed and jaws on the floor, it's not a magnatism thats easily explains, but it sure it felt.

See the view from the pit, captured by Ele Marchant:

Grab your copy of the Gigwise print magazine here.

More about: julia jacklin