Jehnny Beth at the Bullingdon
Jehnny Beth is proper outsider, proper punk music with shades of industrial, grunge and heavy metal. Welcome to the underground.
There are few punk artists capable of the chaos, the anarchy that Jehnny Beth can bring to the table. Launching the first part of a lengthy European tour for ‘You Heartbreaker You’ that sees her literally stop at almost every festival in Europe, following a two-night stint of supporting A Perfect Circle at the 02 Academy in Brixton, Beth makes music for the outsiders, the bisexuals, the rebels. It’s aggressive and forward-thinking, but there’s also room to invite a child on the stage for a push-up competition mid-set (to the Sextile collab, ‘Push-Ups’), as wholesome and fun as you’d expect. The vibes – sans for a mid-set aggro mini mosh pit with two men off to the right that gets broken up within seconds with the skill of an artist capable of controlling the mood of an entire room, is immaculate – and we’re off and running.
Beth launches herself into the crowd early on for a run through of ‘Broken Rib,’ ‘High Resolution Sadness’, and ‘I Still Believe’. ‘No Good for People’ is the angsty, inward, self-reflecting about how we can be two faced and hide our ugly side – about staying true to yourself without selling out whilst also allowing time for others. Beth very much refuses to sell out – this is authentic, stripped down and laid bare music – we’re looking at an artist who by all rights, should sell out arenas and has played in much bigger stages with Savages. But she continues to push venues like the Bullingdon, like Camden Assembly, like The Dome – that wouldn’t normally get even half the attention that bigger artists get.
It tackles the idea of the double, an idea particularly prevalent in modern cinema – and the influence of David Lynch, of which there is a cover of one of his ‘In Heaven’ works deployed later in the set. Beth’s experience in cinema working with people like Jacques Audiard for Paris 13th District / (Les Olympiades) and just coming back from Cannes – where she’s had multiple in competition feature films in the past, shows her strength at dealing with these themes on stage; so tying everything back to Lynch kind of works – even if at heart, ‘In Heaven’ is a Pixies cover: “In Heaven / Everything is Fine”, she reassures the audience – “You got your good things / and you’ve got mine.” It has the raw power and energy that is irresistible. It’s the build-up to the push-ups – and the gauntlet is thrown down for the kid to come up on stage; he’s crowd-surfed to the front and given the spotlight of a star. It’s wholesome, good vibes – across the night – and the perfect tour warm-up.
The 4-piece band is amped up and ready to go – all you need for punk music and the energy that comes with Johnny Hostile’s guitar is legendary; brash, raw and fluid. She wanted to make a punk record for ‘You Heartbreaker You’ and has succeeded, the grunge is evident in ‘Army of You’, the Bjork cover – and she yeets herself into the crowd to be held aloft for a triumphant, rawer powerful rendition of ‘I’m the Man’, held aloft to an adoring audience. She’s done this every time I’ve seen her and this feels like a crowd that very much understood the assignment – completely respectful. She basks in the adoring glow held atop people’s shoulders. It’s always brave, it’s always fearless – but that’s Jehnny Beth, and this is the Bullingdon. For her it’s always been not work, not a hobby, but a way of living – wholly committed to the craft.
The industrial rock gateway into punk sound has seen her collaborate with the likes of Depeche Mode and IDLES and that passion is evident from the moment that she sets on stage. Her passion as a boxer is evident from the word go – all-dressed up and shedding clothes as she progresses in the heat like a fighter walking to the arena – at times throwing down the gauntlet like a metal pit. The right scene will have walls of deaths – I imagine the crowd at A Perfect Circle will be rowdier; but here in Oxford, in The Bullingdon, a 300 capacity venue, it’s a dancier, but no less lively vibe. Some acts need support to ramp up the audience: Not Jehnny Beth – she goes straight in.
The touch of rawer metal is felt on ‘You Heartbreaker You’ especially towards the back end of the live set drawn from her performance at Aftershock in America in 2023, and the intense connection with the audience that feels more explosive than standard punk sets. Hostile himself is great at catering to this – the riffs really find a way of getting the chance to explode wherever possible. It comes as no surprise that Beth has continuously attatched her support to heavier acts: bands like Queens of the Stone Age, who she also toured with in 2023, and Viagra Boys – and is ripe for explosion in that scene. A follow-up third fully metal record would be a dream come true; especially as this one feels like it’s built with the pits in mind.
This is a live set of isolation, love, frustration and alternative sexuality that refuses to conform to gender norms or stereotypes. The theme of self assurance, self-confidence and self-belief and the need to form your own identity and stay true to who you are is paramount and driving this tour – but it also feels wrapped up in themes of desire; and of pleasure. “How can it be so complex / I just wanna see you undress,” ‘Out of My Reach’ highlights the need for that carnal passion and lust in the state of emotion that is never easy. This complex discussion of alternative sexuality and the desire not to fit in drives this live set towards its direct heart – the sense of character and script is equally felt in her lyrics as much as it is her movie work. Performed live, these characters’ have time to feel alive, and exist, laid bear their human desires – as much as the audience themselves.
Photo Credit: Johnny Hostile @johnnyhostilephoto