LA shoegaze band julie played their first headline Melbourne show to a packed Corner Hotel this weekend.
Their debut album, my anti-aircraft friend is easily one of my favourite albums of the last year. Reminiscent of early Nirvana, Radiohead or Smashing Pumpkins it is tinged with melancholy, and though it heavily draws on its grunge influences julie have still managed to craft what feels like an album with a fresh new sound. The gig also sold out weeks ago, so my anticipation was high for their live show.
For a band that’s so comfortable with experimenting dynamically on their album, julie seem afraid of silences on stage. The show is earsplittingly loud, almost from start to finish, which is cool if you want a high energy, grungy rock show, less so if you’re looking for a faithful representation of their studio work. Between songs there’s a constant noodling on their instruments, or an ongoing loop, feedback, distortion etc. This definitely disturbs the momentum of a set that, at points, loses the crowd and impacts the ability for individual songs to stand out. It also allowed little room for correction if a song didn’t start perfectly.
Combined with a general lack of stage presence, a disjointed playing style at times (not helped by their unusual choice of stage set up – there’s a reason the drummer goes at the back) and little crowd interaction from the band, it made for an interesting show. It wasn’t bad, but it was unexpected and it’s hard to pick key stand out moments from their set. Having said that, I don’t want to punch down too hard on this band. They’re young and clearly incredibly talented. They’re a long way from home, likely without their regular support network and this was their final gig here after a couple of weeks of festivals. (For anyone that isn’t familiar with the festival circuit in Australia, the weather has generally been stinkingly hot, and these festivals are much further away from each other than you realise, so it can be unexpectedly grueling).
On the flip side, given much of the crowd weren’t alive to remember the original 90s grunge scene, I’m pleased they’re getting to experience this kind of overly loud, somewhat chaotic live show. Albeit it with a side of gen z pretention. I was genuinely beginning to believe that anyone under the age of 25 didn’t know what a mosh pit was so to see them jumping around like it was nobody’s business was enjoyable to witness (from a safe distance because no one taught them the rules about looking out for each other).
Bass player and vocalist Alex’s hauntingly beautiful voice was the highlight of the evening and I hope as they grow the band learn to allow this to stand out. stuck in the car with angels is honestly one of the best songs on their album anti-aircraft friend and I was disappointed it didn’t get a feature in their set list.
Around half way through the set, they slowed the pace for one song. This seemed to help them find their feet, and there was a solid 20 minutes where the set flowed more comfortably and they more consistently captivated the crowd. That band, who julie were for that short period, is one I’d go and watch again. If they can learn to work with this, live with a little vulnerability on stage, and learn to let the audience into their journey a little more, there’s certainly incredible potential here.
Listen to julie’s album here.