Juliana will play Boston's City Winery on July 22.
Ticket info here:
(I’ve written this up as an account of my week going to shows on the UK tour last month. I normally write a more detached review because I’m often reporting on shows across the Atlantic I haven’t attended! I’ve decided to write this in a bit more of a personal style which hopefully will bring back memories for those there, and give a taste of what it was like for those of you who weren’t. It was an amazing week - Craig)
On August 24, 1995 I took a day off work to see Juliana perform a 30 minute set at the Virgin Megastore on London’s Oxford Street. This was the day before she played the Reading Festival.
It was lunchtime in a brightly lit store but it remains one of my favourite gigs ever. After all it was Juliana Hatfield playing with with drummer Todd Philips and bassist Dean Fisher. The band name had been retired by then but I was so thrilled to be watching The Juliana Hatfield Three.
I didn’t know it would be nearly 24 years before I’d see them perform together again!
Juliana’s UK tour in May 2019 - her first full band shows in Europe for a nearly a quarter of a century - was an opportunity not to be missed...
Brighton
May 20, 2019
The week kicked off in an upstairs room in a Brighton pub and The Prince Albert is such a Brighton pub!
Situated right near the train station, with an exterior wall artwork devoted to musicians, this is clearly a regular home for Sussex indie types.
It’s easily the smallest venue the band would play in all week, and what could have been a low-key warmup show was anything but in these surroundings.
One of the hottest rooms I’ve ever seen a gig played gave the show a raw feel. It was super loud too!
After over two decades since Juliana had rocked out in the UK, the first sound the Brighton crowd heard was Juliana’s vocals:
“Na na na na na na Baby baby baby “
The set list would settle into a different order in subsequent shows, but here opening with that noise from Going Blonde seemed so appropriate.
It was such a tight little room that there was no backstage area. The only route to the dressing room was stepping off the stage into the crowd. When it came to the end of the set the band headed into a corner of the stage and realising their predicament quickly resumed their positions for the encore!
It was an awesome show. I always love visiting Brighton too. My week had only just begun though…
London
May 21, 2019
I was surprised when I saw that the London date was at Islington Academy. It’s a fair size venue for a band who hadn’t played in the city for 25 years but London did good and came out to fill the place. Juliana even joked on stage that she wasn’t sure if anyone would come.
I recalled the 2006 solo electric shows at Bush Hall as I looked around and saw so many smiling faces as we heard many of our favourite songs performed live for the fist time in ages, and in some cases the first time ever.
This was a special moment and it seemed like Juliana and the band could feel it too. It was amusing as she invited questions from the crowd during the set:
“What’s the best show you’ve ever played?” “This one! I like to live in the moment!”
London felt like a big celebration. It had been a gorgeous sunny day in the city. I spent the afternoon taking in exhibits at the Tate Modern and hanging out by the river, and was in a joyful mood by the time of the show. It was clear I wasn’t alone.
What a sound the band made here too.
It was delightful to hear If I Could. One my favourite Juliana songs again brought back memories of that London 2006 show, where it was still a newish song for me from the honour download thing. 13 years later it’s now an official Juliana Hatfield Three song, so it just had to be heard with Dean and Todd. Perfect.
See also photography by Daniel Gray for Academy Music Group and Jason Miller's review and photos at The Vinyl District
I think everyone who visited Bristol for this show took a photo here!
Bristol
May 22, 2019
This one was on a boat!
Charlie P had given me some background before we came - The Thekla is a former cargo ship, once owned and lived in by Vivian Stanshall’s family and used for musical theatre and cabaret in the 1980s.
The only times I’ve ever been to Bristol have been very brief visits. No change here but I did get to see a gorgeous part of the city. The whole wharf area is very picturesque, particularly in the early evening weather. I wish I could have seen more.
Probably the quietest crowd of the week for this one. My personality doesn’t lend itself to much shouting or whooping at shows and I think Bristol was full of people like me :D Maybe Juliana too who commented on stage that she wasn’t much of a noisemaker when attending shows. Probably the contrast in atmosphere from the previous night in London made this more noticeable from the stage.
Regardless of this, and what may have been some sound issues for the band, I loved this show!
The sound was great in the audience, and I found the unusual setting perfect for my tastes.
We had a double encore here too, Juliana returning to conclude with a couple of solo electric songs including a beautiful version of Suspended in Time, which she introduced as a song she likes to play when she has moments to herself. It was gorgeous.
I loved every show I saw all week but Bristol was my favourite.
It was also my first chance to say hi in person to Stacee, who was over visiting the UK for the first time for these shows. As we all know Stacee has contributed immensely to Juliana’s fan community from the official website, the old forum, all the wonderful photos, and so much more. If you haven’t seen the pictures posted during the week, I've included a few here from Juliana’s and Stacee’s Instagram for a flavour of life on the road with the band, and what it’s like on the other side of the stage. We all got to spend more time together again later in the week. It was a delight to meet up and it made the tour all the more special for us Europeans for Stacee to be here :)
Because of this chat I didn’t get a chance to speak to support artist She Makes War (Laura Kidd) who had invited the crowd to say hi at the merch desk. I’ve been a fan of Laura’s music for many years, and have helped to crowdfund her albums but I’d never seen her live before. It had all just added to my anticipation for this tour :) It was great to hear these songs live performed in her home city. I enjoyed the subtle differences in sound between the trio here and the four-piece band from the previous night in London.
I loved the vocal effects on Delete, the rockier full band tracks, and particularly the emotion of Dear Heart which is such a gorgeous song.
As I say, Bristol was the highlight for me. I loved it so much I had to keep going!
Back in 2014 after seeing Minor Alps in London I had an urge to do it all again and quickly made arrangements to head off to Brighton the following day. That same feeling returned as soon as this Bristol show ended. I found myself wishing friends Lieve and Carsten a good journey to the following day’s show, but quickly realised that I wanted to go too! As soon as I got back to my hotel, I had travel bookings for the next day in Nottingham :)
Nottingham
May 23, 2019
Again my time in Nottingham was limited so I didn’t see much (or get to go on the Robin Hood Trail!), but I did spend a nice afternoon in the sun around the city centre and Trent University area. I was also far too excited to see the trams :)
At the show Juliana acknowledged that she was playing in fellow Blake Baby Freda’s one-time home city.
The support band here and the rest of the tour was the fabulous Colour Me Wednesday. The band had also opened in Brighton where band member Harriet Doveton had declared her excitement at the week ahead revealing that Juliana was a reason why she played guitar. (Laura / She Makes War said something similar in Bristol, making the choice of artists playing on this tour so wonderful)
I got to love their songs by the end of the tour and look forward to checking out more of their work.
Look at this photo of Harriet clutching her LPs at the end of the tour. Blake Babies Vinyl!
Rescue Rooms is located near one of the city’s two universities and shares a building with the Stealth bar and nightclub. It’s a very indie studenty venue. The band seemed to really get into this performance, and despite a relatively high ceiling for the size of the room, the sound filled the place wonderfully.
Juliana asked if anyone in the crowd remembered the last time “The Three” played Nottingham in the 90s and was delighted when an audience member offered proof by wearing a 2 decades + old JH3 t-shirt!
Except of course these shows were not just “The Three.” It might have been difficult to market ticket sales as the “Juliana Hatfield Four” but that’s how I’m going to think of them :)
Joe Keefe added so much to these performances. He sure can play. it was great to hear Made In China songs Joe had worked on but his contribution and solos on all tracks was awesome.
The band as a whole sounded great. Dean’s bass lines are so good, and Todd is an exceptional drummer. These songs just sound so right when Dean and Todd play them. They look so cool too :)
With Joe to give an even fuller sound the layers on Lost Ship sounded gorgeous, and made the big rock tracks like Nirvana and I Got No Idols stunning all week.
I’m so happy I was able to fit this bonus show in to my schedule. It was a cracker.
Here’s some excellent photos courtesy of Gav Medza:
There are other photos at Fit For Moshing
The set list changed slightly during the tour but this Nottingham list is fairly representative of the week.
I returned home for a couple of days so I can’t report on Glasgow or the Manchester show (where the band played mid-afternoon as part of the Gigantic Festival). By all accounts these performances were equally excellent and looking at social media it seems the band had a great time too.
Birmingham
May 26, 2019
The final show of the week.
It was great for me to meet fellow fan David Young here. We’d spoken online many times and regular visitors to this site will be familiar with his awesome live photography. David had certainly put in a remarkable effort in a whirlwind trip across the Atlantic and back for the last three shows of the tour (and in Manchester managed to combine a Juliana festival appearance in the afternoon with a Sting show in the evening!)
Any sadness that the tour was ending here was outweighed by the joy that it had happened.
Similarly, the sound issues at the Institute (and I’ll be honest there were many at this show, particularly at the start for both JH3 and Colour Me Wednesday) really didn’t matter in the end.
It’s a small venue in a larger building (we were in a room on the top floor) and it was a nice intimate way to finish. It brought back memories for some in the crowd who had seen Juliana play with Evan Dando here in 2012, and Juliana remembered that that was the show where she had to collect Evan from a bar to begin their set!
The band worked their way through a now familiar set list, including a very welcome reprise of If I Could.
The set lists for these shows were inspired, offering a full range of Juliana’s post-Blake Babies career. Great picks from Hey Babe, BWYA, Only Everything, to the “middle years” with the Made In China songs, and a few from the last three albums including a banging version of Olivia’s Physical.
I’d like to say a big thank you to whoever it was that requested the final song and for Juliana for playing it from memory. She’d come back for a second encore and surprised us with a gorgeous solo electric version of Make It Home - one of my favourite ever songs. It was a beautiful, perfect way to end the week.
She headed off stage telling the crowd she’d be back in England in October.
I’d like to thank Juliana for coming out after the show to briefly chat with us. It must be odd to be asked to chat and pose for photos for folk at any time, but particularly after the energy of a performance and the week on the road, so I really appreciate it. Again it was a great way to end the week and have a chance to thank Juliana for what was an unforgettable tour, hearing some of the most influential life-affecting songs performed live with her band. Thank you so much for coming over Jules.
Every show was unique in some way and I’ll take great memories from each one.
I’m so happy it all happened. I had the best time, with the best people :) I love that we get to come together to hear Juliana share these songs and moments with us.
Kudos to those who travelled far more than me, especially those who came from other countries. I get why you do it even more now :) Thank you to everyone who I got to enjoy the week with especially Lieve, Carsten, Charlie, Gav, Phil, David, and of course Stacee. I know it meant a lot to others too. Just seeing all the happy faces in the crowds told me that.
It’s the best feeling, made extra special on this tour with the addition of Todd, Dean, and Joe on these songs.
I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming shows in the US this month and that you all get to experience the joy I felt all week.
An unforgettable time.
Update July 22, 2019: This show has been cancelled. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.
I'll post a review of last week's shows here soon.
But for now a huge thank you to Juliana, Dean, Todd, and Joe for a fabulous week of music that was the JH3 UK tour.
3 US dates confirmed for June 2019. I'll update this page should there more.
update April 10, 2019 5 more US shows in June now added.
update May 7, 2019 2 more US shows added
The list is updated now:
June 2019, US
18 New Haven, CT - Cafe Nine
19 Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
20 Columbus, OH - Rumba Cafe
21 Ferndale, MI - The Magic Bag
22 Evanston, IL - Out of Space (outdoor show headlined by Liz Phair)
23 Cleveland, OH - Music Box
24 Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
26 Washington, DC - Union Stage
27 New York City, NY - Mercury Lounge
28 Jersey City, NJ - Monty Hall
Also, as previously confirmed there are 7 UK shows in May 2019.
See the Tour Dates page for all upcoming shows.
Juliana is returning to the "Cabinet of Wonders" variety show curated by and featuring Wesley Stace at City Winery Boston on April 1, 2019.
Previous appearances at these events have seen Juliana perform a couple of songs during the performance.
Tickets are available now:
Oh my! What a treat this is.
Uploaded 30 years after it took place by RoadToRuane - the "Billy Ruane live archive preservation," here's a Blake Babies show featuring Evan Dando.
The Juliana Hatfield Three! UK! 2019!
UPDATE 2: Brighton & Glasgow shows added!
UPDATE 1: London date is May 21. Birmingham venue is O2 Institute, not O2 Academy as I wrongly listed originally. Hope to see friends old and new in May! - Craig.
May 2019, UK
20 Brighton - The Prince Albert
21 London - O2 Academy Islington
22 Bristol - Thekla
23 Nottingham - Rescue Rooms
24 Glasgow - CCA
25 Manchester - Academy - part of Gigantic Vol 5 All Day Festival
26 Birmingham - O2 Institute
Juliana's official site says "more European shows to be announced.". Update April 3, 2019 - Juliana now says these 7 UK dates are now the only scheduled European shows.
Juliana appeared on stage for an encore at Liz Phair's show at Royale Boston last night (Oct 8, 2018.)
She performed Olivia Newton-John's Please Mr. Please with Liz and Speedy Ortiz's Sadie Dupuis.
UK live appearance alert!
On a bill including Echo & The Bunnymen, The Wonder Stuff, and The Bluetones, Juliana will appear at Manchester Academy on Saturday May 25, 2019 as part of Gigantic Vol.5.
Unexpected!
Juliana played at the Wicked Good Festival on Boston Common yesterday (Aug 18, 2018) on a bill that included Buffalo Tom and Bleachers.
She played:
- Feel It
- Sunny Somewhere
- I See You
- Somebody Is Waiting For Me
- Wonder Why
- Failure
- My Sister
- I Don’t Know What To Do With My Hands
- Necessito
- Dancin' 'Round and 'Round
- Everything Is Forgiven
- Suspended In Time
- Physical
- Short-fingered Man
- Choose Drugs
Set list info via Charlie P.
Thanks to David Young of Dry Eye Photography for these excellent photos:
Juliana played The Burren in Somerville on Monday (May 7, 2018) for the 20th anniversary of 1998's Bed album, which she played in full from the start, followed by some bangers from Hey Babe, BWYA, Pussycat, and the Olivia Newton-John covers LP.
Set list and lineup info courtesy of Charlie P:
Magen Tracy: keyboard, percussion backing vocals.
Todd Philips: drums (and unmic'd backing vocals)
Ed Valauskas: bass and backing vocals
- Down On Me
- I Want To Want You
- Swan Song
- Sneaking Around
- Backseat
- Live It Up
- You Are The Camera
- Running Out
- Bad Day
- Let's Blow It All
- Everybody Loves Me But You
- I See You
- Everything Is Forgiven
- Suspended In Time
- Physical
- Dancin' 'Round and 'Round
- Wonder Why
- My Sister
- Nirvana
Photos courtesy of David Young of Dry Eye Photography
YouTube is home to a bunch of clips. Thanks to spiketop for getting in touch about his playlist from the event and Carlos for other links.
Via WERS.org:
88.9 WERS is proud to present a Wicked Good Festival, featuring FREE performances from Bleachers, Buffalo Tom, Juliana Hatfield, and Air Traffic Controller with even more still to be announced! Free and open to the public, this community event on Boston Common will be fun for the whole family. So plan to join us on August 18th for our first ever and totally FREE Wicked Good Festival – make sure to check back regularly for festival updates and additions to the lineup.
20 years on! A gig announcement via The Burren, in Somerville, MA:
Juliana Hatfield celebrates the 20th Anniversary of her Bed LP by playing the record start to finish with drummer Todd Phillips who played on the recording. She’ll also be playing material from her Hey Babe LP (which turns 25 this year), as well as some stuff off her new critically acclaimed Juliana Hatfield sings Olivia Newton-John LP. Special guest Ed Valauskas on bass.
Juliana played ONCE Ballroom in Somerville, MA last night (April 6) in a show to celebrate her new Olivia Newton-John covers album and the vinyl reissue of Hey Babe.
What a set list:
- Failure
- If I Could
- Somebody Is Waiting For Me
- Cry In The Dark
- Wonder Why
- Magic
- Suspended In Time
- Please Mr. Please
- Hopelessly Devoted To You
- Have You Never Been Mellow
- I See You
- Forever Baby
- Remember November / Rain
- Just Lust
- Everything Is Forgiven
- Short-Fingered Man
- I Honestly Love You
- A Little More Love
- Physical
- Xanadu
- Totally Hot
- Universal Heart-beat
- Necessito
- Singing In The Shower
Thanks to Charlie for the annotated set list photo (and info: "The order of the last two was swapped... five piece band (2g, b, d, k) with sometimes a sixth member (ag or 2nd k) and sometimes a seventh (bv)... solo means guitar solo, not alone!")
All other photos courtesy of David Young of Dry Eye Photography.
There's no tour, but there is a show.
"Celebrating the release of Juliana Hatfield sings Olivia Newton-John performing songs from that album...and other stuff too", Juliana plays ONCE Ballroom in Somerville, MA on Friday April 6, 2018.
Here's a set of photos by David Young taken at last weekend's Hot Stove Cool Music event at Boston's Paradise Rock Club.
With Freda Love Smith on drums, Juliana peformed a set featuring Some Girls songs together with a preview of her upcoming Olivia Newton-John tribute album. UPDATE - with thanks to Charlie P, here's the full set list:
- Necessito
- Feel It
- Robot City
- Poor Man's You
- Wonder Why
- Short-Fingered Man
- Physical
- Magic
- A Little More Love
- Xanadu
Thanks as always to David (Dry Eye Photography) for sharing his work here.
There's further photos of the event by Joshua Pickering at Innocent Words and a short review with a photo at the Boston Globe.
Prior to the concert, Juliana spoke to Jay N Miller for The Patriot Ledger, where she touched upon the new album:
“I’m not able to conceptualize going in a particular direction, I just have ideas and follow them,” Hatfield explained. “When I have ideas, I make them come to life. I keep moving and keep working. You have to keep working - you’re only here a short time and you have to be open to new possibilities. The idea of doing an Olivia Newton-John record popped in my head, so I went and did it. Unconsciously, I guess it might have been a reaction against the feelings surrounding ‘Pussycat,’ which were disturbed and full of anger. You could see it as the pendulum swinging back. I just wanted to do something that felt good.”
Juliana also talked to Brett Milano for the Boston Herald:
“It’s hard to say why I like her, but I’ve always had a visceral reaction. Something about the sound of her voice and the melodies really hits a pleasure center in my brain,” Hatfield said. “I think there’s also an innocence about her that I’ve always related to. In most of the relationships I’ve had in my life, I tend to be drawn to complicated, troubled people. I saw something in her that was different from that, so I felt an affinity — she was more like the light in the darkness. Her songs are really gorgeous and sweet, and they match my affinity for melodic pop songs, but she acknowledges that there is a dark side.”
Hatfield conceived of the album after a Newton-John concert she’d planned to attend last year was canceled due to the singer’s illness. She’s made the album a partial benefit for Newton-John’s cancer foundation, and received a nice tweet from her in response.
“I really appreciated the welcome from her camp, but I really did this for myself. I love the songs and wanted to record them. That’s really the only reason I ever do anything I do. But I didn’t know how many chords she has in her songs. In terms of their being impressive and challenging to play, there’s some pretty sick songwriting going on there.”
Juliana Hatfield performing at Hot Stove Cool Music in January 2015. Photo © David Young
Mark Shanahan, for the Boston Globe reporting on an upcoming live appearance on February 3, 2018 at Boston's Paradise Rock Club, and a return to an event Juliana played in 2015:
...the benefit for Paul and Theo Epstein’s Foundation to Be Named Later will no doubt be a rocking good time. The show, which takes place Feb. 3 at the Paradise, will feature performances by Juliana Hatfield, Band of Their Own (including Kay Hanley and members of Belly and the Blake Babies), former Red Sox pitcher Bronson Arroyo, and Peter Gammons and the Hot Stove All Stars featuring former Yankees center fielder Bernie Williams and Cubs broadcaster Len Kasper.