Juliana's US tour began last week in Evanston, IL and continues through to the east coast in February.

As trailed, fans at the Nashville show at the weekend were treated to a Blake Babies reunion.

Here's that moment and other highlights from some of your posts at the first week of shows:

Thanks to spike for getting in touch with video of this moment. There's more from Juliana's set on spike's YouTube page.

New shows have been added to Juliana's US tour in early 2020.

In addition to previously announced dates, the tour continues in February heading back east with shows at St Paul, Milwaukee, St Louis, Annapolis, Sellersville, Somerville, and Northampton. update - Brooklyn too

Juliana's band for these dates is Dean Fisher (bass), Mike Oram (2nd guitar), and Chris Anzalone (drums).

The updated list:

Jan 16 Evanston, IL - SPACE
Jan 17 Indianapolis, IN - HI-FI
Jan 18 Nashville, TN - The Basement East
Jan 19 Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay
Jan 21 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
Jan 22 Austin, TX - 3TEN Austin City Limits Live
Jan 24 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
Jan 25 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's
Jan 27 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
Jan 28 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Jan 30 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Feb 1 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
Feb 5 St Paul, MN - Turf Club
Feb 6 Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall
Feb 7 St Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Club
Feb 10 Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
Feb 11 Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater 1894
Feb 12 Somerville, MA - ONCE
Feb 13 Northampton, MA - The Parlor Room
Feb 14 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg

New US shows announced for January / February 2020:

Jan 16 Evanston, IL - SPACE
Jan 17 Indianapolis, IN - HI-FI
Jan 18 Nashville, TN - The Basement East
Jan 19 Birmingham, AL - WorkPlay
Jan 21 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
Jan 22 Austin, TX - 3TEN Austin City Limits Live
Jan 24 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent Ballroom
Jan 25 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's
Jan 27 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex
Jan 28 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
Jan 30 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge
Feb 1 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern

Update - Nov 29 2019 - more 2020 shows announced:

Feb 5 St Paul, MN - Turf Club
Feb 6 Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall
Feb 7 St Louis, MO - Blueberry Hill Duck Club
Feb 10 Annapolis, MD - Rams Head On Stage
Feb 11 Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater 1894
Feb 12 Somerville, MA - ONCE
Feb 13 Northampton, MA - The Parlor Room

These are band performances:

Juliana and her band will be performing fan favorites from her solo catalog and most recent album Weird, along with select covers from the recent Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John and Juliana Hatfield Sings The Police.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Juliana's solo date at London's 100 Club scheduled for October 2, 2019 has been cancelled.

Refunds are available at the original place of purchase.

Juliana will play Boston's City Winery on July 22.

Ticket info here:

https://citywinery.com/boston/julianahatfield72219.html

(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

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

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.

~~As announced on stage at the end of the JH3 UK tour last week, Juliana will be returning to England in October.

Playing what is likely to be a solo show, Juliana will appear at London's 100 Club on October 2, 2019, supported by The Wonder Stuff's Miles Hunt and Erica Nockalls.~~

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.

Two new US dates previously unlisted here have been announced for New Haven, CT (June 18) and Columbus, OH (June 20).

With the UK tour imminent, here's an updated list of all upcoming shows:

The Juliana Hatfield Three

May 2019, UK
20 Brighton - The 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 Hatfield

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

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:

https://citywinery.com/boston/cabinetofwonders040119.html

Laura Kidd (aka She Makes War), writing about her love of Juliana's music:

I can’t tell you how overjoyed I am to be playing two gigs with The Juliana Hatfield Three next May. Grab your tickets now!

Tuesday 21st May 2019 – London, O2 Academy, Islington – TICKETS

Wednesday 22nd May 2019 – Bristol, Thekla – TICKETS

The music of Juliana Hatfield permeated my consciousness via the “Reality Bites” soundtrack a LONG time ago, and I’ve held her up as an inspiring icon of musical brilliance and prolificism ever since. She’s just so HER.

I'm thrilled about this news. I've been a fan of Laura's music for a few years. She has 4 excellent albums including her recently released Brace For Impact, and is a perfect choice to play with the JH3 at these UK shows.

shemakeswar.com