JAWNY: Live in Brooklyn
Mullets, ironic tees, and anticipation filled the crowd at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, NY last week as they waited to see JAWNY perform. The line stretched around the bar as fans lined up to enter the venue. Buying merch before the show and talking excitedly among themselves, you could feel the excitement in the air. Some fans were dedicated enough to have tickets to attend another JAWNY show only two days later at the Bowery Ballroom.
Wallice opened the night and played tracks “Funeral” (my personal favorite), “Hey Michael”, "23", and more. The crowd was also treated to the unreleased track “Disappear”. Her bubbly personality made watching her a treat.
JAWNY came out strong with "Strawberry Chainsaw", followed by "Sabotage" and the iconic “Trigger of Love”. Baby’s hosts early and late shows and with time ticking, JAWNY was squeezing in tracks by adding effortless transitions between songs. With Baby’s LED light board behind the band, timed lights added to the track’s effects.
The set list focused on JAWNY’s latest album It’s Never Fair, Always True, which dropped in early March. Fans knew every word and were dancing along the entire show. It was apparent the crowd loved JAWNY's music as one fan held up a cardboard sign asking for a deep cut. Another strawberry-themed fan paid homage to "strawberry chainsaw" with her pink makeup, clothes, and glowstick.
Mustaches are a prerequisite for JAWNY's band as the bassist, drummer, and JAWNY all wore one. Dressed in jumpsuits emblazoned with JAWNY on the pocket, JAWNY’s band had fabulous energy. The bassist threw everything he had into his playing as he swung from side to side while the drummer kept everyone on time while impressively singing along.
Sing-alongs were a large part of the night, with JAWNY incorporating excellent crowd work. During “Best Thing”, he got the crowd to sing “oh, no” on cue, turning the song into a participation piece. Newer fans caught on quickly to the bouncy “lalala." One of my favorite moments of the show was when everyone in the audience held up their phone flashlight, turning the small venue into a magical place as they sang along to JAWNY’s short cover of Taylor Swift's “You Belong With Me."
JAWNY had a great vibe with his stage presence and genuine “thank yous” to the crowd for coming out to the show. Rather than wasting time doing a dramatic fake ending and encore, JAWNY acknowledged the time limit and gave a warning to the last two songs. Despite playing a shorter setlist than usual, the band was still thrilled to be on stage and delivering an amazing show.
