The weekend was really only ever about tonight.

A Jill Lorean gig always fills my heart with joy, and as I ventured to the cold and wet Southside for tonight’s sold-out show, I was excited at the prospect of finally hearing the new album live.

Songs of love, despair, hope, and the everyday allow you to connect to the music in a way that feels immediate and deeply understood. It’s actually hard for me to put into words how hard-hitting and emotionally uplifting tonight’s performance was. How can a trio fill time and space with such energy and raw emotion that the whole effect is truly overwhelming? Maybe it’s because there’s so much going on in the world right now—most of it unsettling and difficult to explain. Maybe tonight’s songs, and their delivery, are a direct reaction to that.

A virtuoso voice, power chords, and an incredible rhythm section delivered their message like a silver bullet. If you’ve ever seen or heard Patti Smith spew Babelogue or sing the last half of Gloria, you’ll know what I mean. The set was a beautiful fusion of new and old, coming together to great effect. The songs are stunning, and the live setting enhances every aspect of them.

This is the best I’ve seen Jill Lorean—powerful, yet relaxed and playful.

The theme of absorbing the now, of taking charge of your own destiny, of changing seemingly impossible scenarios… That was Jill Lorean tonight. Tell me, what film does that remind you of?

The clue is in the name.

Tonight’s hometown gig was sublime.

Jill Lorean are Jill O’Sullivan, Andy Monaghan, and Peter Kelly.

Words: CECH

Images: Chris Hogge