Julia Jacklin, Crystal Ballroom, October 26, 2026
Crushing it again
Last week Australia’s Julia Jacklin visited Portland for yet another memorable concert at Crystal Ballroom in support of her latest album, The Gem. This marked her first visit to the Rose City since 2024’s Revolution Hall performance in support of her last record, 2022’s fantastic Pre Pleasure.
Jordan Peterson performed her opening set with a warm and confident stage presence. Songs like “God” and “The Sky” from last year’s full length album, Hermit cradled with her subtle vibrato worked as great precursors to Julia Jacklin’s set.
How to keep loving
Julia Jacklin then took to the stage with a tender performance of “I Wish”. Bassist Mimi Gilbert and guitarist Jacob Diamond provided additional harmonies as the trio sang and the notes crescendoed toward their majestic ending. Jacklin’s music exists in the space between love and the perils of human connection. She filled the room with moments of torment fraught with loves lost, hearts broken and the candid recollection of arduous memories. Her voice projected sadness but danced into dark places with biting humor. For example, “Body“, from 2019’s Crushing, exudes this wit with lyrics like:
“Just a boy who could not
Get through a domestic flight
Without lighting up in the restroom
Got caught, cloud of smoke, thumb still on the light”
The night continued with fan favorites like “I was Neon“, “Pressure to Party” and the devasting “Don’t Know How to Keep Loving You”. The latter alludes to a broken relationship, how does one communicate with a lover when all attempts seem fruitless? Jacklin herself is an enigma of sorts hugely private regarding her own relationships, yet vulnerable in approach to her music.
Jacklin chose her anthemic tune, “Head Alone” to end the evening. The song delivered a powerful means for the crowd to echo the lyrics that reckon with boundary setting and physical touch. More than a few of the audience chanted “I don’t want to be touched all the time / I raised my body up to be mine“. The emphatic chorus of strangers in the ballroom belted the tune rejoicing in the freedom to assert their personal space.
Julia Jacklin, often lauded for her songwriting and singing abilities is an auteur of sorts. She employs heartbreak, arduous learning, and wry humor as recurring actors present in her work. Jacklin’s music speaks to our universal longing for understanding and care. Most importantly, we can relate to her songs because they address the one thing we all desire: love.
See more images from the show below:
