Saturday was a busy night for the city of Melbourne, as it seems to be every weekend since everything opened up. It’s meant competition has been somewhat high for artists and sometimes gig-heavy dates cause shows to suffer. Nonetheless, Jaguar Jonze shone above all at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, supported by Nat Vazer and Chitra.
Both openers brought something to the room, Chitra slowly drawing people in with her dreamy vocals reminiscent of Julia Jacklin before Nat Vazer took to the stage with that raw rock energy and loosened the room up.
Sadly, the turnout was somewhat limited for the album launch show of Jaguar Jonze‘s recent debut, Bunny Mode. For those elsewhere, you missed out, and the lacking crowd didn’t stop her from putting on a highly memorable performance full of pace and energy.
Playing majority of the tracks from the new album, Jaguar Jonze managed to put together a well-worked hour-long set. The night was soundtracked by fan favourites such as “Who Died and Made You King” making a big impact early, as well as “Drawing Lines” and “Punchline” playing a big role in the set.
A great moment during the set was when Jaguar Jonze played the Triple J Like a Version she featured on, “Heart-Shaped Box” – originally by Nirvana. Her fans in the room were waiting for it after such a great reception when it was originally performed back in 2019. “Swallow” rounded out most of Bunny Mode before “Little Fires” brought the emotion to the room.
Finally, “Kill Me With Your Love” finished the night, seeing it off well. It was the perfect way to close the Melbourne leg of the album tour with an old favourite everyone could dance and sing along to.
All in all, the energy was electric and Jaguar managed to put her post-Wombat’s tour (literal) hangover behind her to figuratively bring the roof of the Corner Hotel band room down. The beauty of a Jaguar Jonze performance goes beyond just her vocal work or the instrumentation of the band – her personality is contagious. Jaguar’s near-constant dancing and bopping around the stage naturally makes people want to move in the pit and the rest of the country is in for a hell of an experience.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
You’ll next be able to catch Jaguar Jonze at The Triffid in Brisbane on 2nd July and Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory on 9th July. You can buy tickets HERE.
The reviewer attended the performance on 18th June 2022 at The Corner Hotel.
