47. The Jezabels
Shepherds Bush Empire
5 March 2014
Oh, how the mighty falter when they try to sprint instead of strut. There was a time I’d have started a small cult for this band. Their early stuff, those first two EPs and the thunderbolt brilliance of Prisoner, was gothic indie-pop perfection. A heady blend of theatre, thunder, and the kind of panache that made you forgive the heavy-handed gothic, melodramatic indie-pop alchemy, dripping with strut, pomp, and a willingness to take itself far too seriously.
They didn’t just arrive; they crashed through the ceiling of Australia’s indie scene with glitter cannons blazing and eyeliner running. Breakthrough Artist of the Year, baby! Golden times. Golden everything. And then... The Brink happened.
Now, let’s be clear: it’s not bad. But it’s no Prisoner. Critics sharpened their knives, and whilst they didn’t quite eviscerate the band, they definitely gave them a few flesh wounds. And you can feel it when they hit the stage on this tour.
This isn’t the cocksure, swaggering beast I saw in their prime. Back then, they were incandescent, frenzied, elegant, half-possessed by their own melodies. A band teetering on the edge of a glitter-fuelled crisis every night. It was glorious. Messy. Unmissable.
This time the hunger’s been a bit sated, and the swagger is wobbling a bit. The cracks are showing. The band feels tired, possibly of the tour, possibly of each other, and the diminution in their chemistry is palpable. This isn’t the electric whirlwind of old; it’s more like a polite but resigned jog toward the finish line.
Still, let’s not be grim. Even when this band is slightly off, they’re still miles ahead of half the Spotify algorithm fodder out there. The songs hold up. The crowd sings every word. And when the old fire flares up, briefly, gloriously, you remember why you cared in the first place.
The strut has become a bit of a shuffle. The hurricane has become a stiff breeze. But give them some time off, a change of scenery, maybe a dramatic solo project or two, and they might just come back swinging. Because when this band is on? They’re untouchable and when they’re off, they’re still a lot better than The 1975, aren’t they?