In Review: Jockstrap at Lincoln Hall
Photos by Linnea Cheng
Amidst the on-and-off rain consuming the city on the second day of Pitchfork weekend, I ventured down to Lincoln Park to catch Jockstrap’s official after show (really a pre-show for their Sunday performance) where they played for a sold-out Lincoln Hall.
Jockstrap is a duo made up of Taylor Skye and Georgia Ellery, Georgia being one of the founding members of the immaculate Black Country, New Road. Jockstrap is a glitchy pop outfit serving songs constructed with hard-hitting bass, graceful vocalizations, catchy-as-all-hell hooks and creative sampling. Since their collaboration began in the late 2010s, they have been evolving into one of the most innovative and interesting groups in music today.
It could just be me getting old, but when I go to a show starting at ten at night I get worried that after my first beer eyelids will grow heavy and yawning will become uncontrollable, but luckily for myself and the rest of the crowd at Lincoln Hall the opening act was Japanese/German lyricist Nina Utashiro who made drowsiness all but impossible. Nina’s intense performance, balancing between thrilling and frightening, was a powerhouse stage-strutting, bass-thumping opening show.
Lincoln Hall might give off a bougie vibe with their five dollar Old Styles and their central location in Lincoln Park, but there is no doubting their incredible sound system that is ran by a diligent team of sound techs. I have to think that part of the reason the music sounded great and the lighting looked great was because the techs seemed actually into the music with their heads bobbing up and down, their eyes attached to the stage and their focus as intense as the performers themselves.
After Nina’s set concluded and the lights rose up and went low once again, the familiar opening theme of HBO’s Succession played and the audience, as if on instinct, went crazy. Out came Jockstrap with Taylor seating himself behind his musical machinery and Georgia taking her place behind the microphone. As soon as the first song, “Debra,” came on along the low rumble of bass, Georgia exhibited complete control over the stage, dancing and moving and singing directly to the audience. Although her vocals are already incredible on their own, on songs like “Neon” when Taylor joins in to harmonize, their dynamic reaches new heights, instantly elevating their show to a world class, five-star, top-shelf, supreme performance.
The great thing about Jockstrap is how well they handle the dichotomy of their own music. With “Jennifer B,” there’s pulsing digital notes alongside a rumbling bass that vibrates everyone’s sternums, frenzying the crowd. Following that, “What’s It All About” features a much softer tone centering around Georgia’s vocals and her acoustic guitar. For all their blending of sound and style, at no point does Jockstrap lose track of themselves. They remain intact, each song a meaningful banger gliding between tear-jerking vocalizations and charged pop verses.
The culmination of this balance is showcased on one of their final songs, “Concrete Over Water,” the perfect example of Taylor and Georgia’s effectiveness as a duo. The harmonizing vocals, Georgia’s violin performance, and the sonic build to the chorus proves just how effortlessly in control they are. By the climax of the song, when everyone is rocking back and forth to the glitched out synth alongside the haunting violin, it makes you feel as though every song ever made should include a violin paired with an array of synthesizers, otherwise it just wouldn’t make sense.
Jockstrap isn’t set to play in the United States again until the fall, but if the chance arises to catch one of their performances I can’t recommend it enough. Without any Chicago dates set in the foreseeable future, all we have left to do is sit and patiently wait for their return.
