It was a late door, but early start at Scala on a soggy London evening and I flew into the venue just as Human Interest, the first opener on the London stop of Jasmine.4.T‘s UK leg of the Tranarchy World Tour, were starting. I was immediately greeted by a huge “PROTECT TRANS KIDS” flag decorating the keys stand, which had its pride and place throughout the whole evening and immediately set the tone. That night Scala became a haven for the queer community.
I was furiously unpacking my camera gear during Human Interests’ first song – they started mere fifteen minutes after the doors – and I was frazzled, but their warm, fuzzy, very 70s inspired rock tones were the perfect fit – their fuzz matched my fuzz. The guitarist and vocalist Cat Harrison and bassist Tyler Damara Kelly are the core of the band, but they were supported on stage by drums and synths and as someone who went through a solid Janis Joplin and The Doors phase – I was having a lovely time during their short set. They were brand new to me, but their EP Smile While You’re Losing (An Audio Guide To Wellness) from 2024 is excellent – highly recommend ‘Better Press Repeat’, and I will keep an eye out for them on gig lineups.
Continuing a discovery of new names, the second opener was the ethereal Pem. I was immediately sold when I saw a cello on stage. I was utterly mesmerised from the first note. Intricate yet delicate, like a fine lace, Pem’s compositions seem like living and breathing organisms that create an alternate universe to get lost in. She reminded me of The Weather Station in that respect. ‘to earth will you tell me when we land’ and ‘m4 cloudy’, the most recent singles, as well as ‘awe’ from her 2024 EP cloud work are real standouts, and the band accompanying Emily Perry’s alter ego (keys, cello, guitar, drums) beautifully craft the soundscapes that seem to wrap her poignant, introspective lyrics in a soft gauze. Emily herself is a multidisciplinary artist, songwriter and gardener, and her relationship to nature permeates every note of her captivating music.
When the time came for Jasmine.4.T, our photo pit as well as a large portion of the audience donned face masks following Jasmine’s call outs on social media to keep each other safe (she suffers from ME and even a minor cold could seriously impact her health) – and it showed just how protective the community is. During a quick line check, she fixed a “FREE PALESTINE” t-shirt to her mic stand and soon afterwards her band came on stage, with the bassist Emily Abbott and drummer Maxie Cheer donning the same t-shirts, while Jasmine.4.T donned her now trademark stage outfit of a bikini top and a pleated mini skirt – the “FREE PALESTINE” shirt on her mic firmly displayed in front of her, and adjusted any time it moved.
Both the support acts were perfect openings as Jasmine.4.T’s songs are beautiful vignettes of vulnerability – as a singer/songwriter, her music is delicate with lyrics that take the listener on a journey of her deeply personal moments. There are elements of higher energy and stage bravado, especially when Jasmine and Emily face one another, but there is also a reason why Jasmine was signed to Phoebe Bridgers‘s label Saddest Factory Records – the mood is mellow and confessional, and the audience was hooked on every word, deeply resonating – no wonder she was named as one of BBC Radio 6’s artists of the year this year, together with Jacob Alon with whom she just released the single ‘Find Ur Ppl’, which we didn’t have to wait long to hear live.
Opening with ‘Skin On Skin’ from the critically acclaimed album You Are The Morning, which recently got a YBT Deluxe release dedicated to her incarcerated friend Yulia Trot, Jasmine commanded the audience from the get go. Very early into the set, she paused to dedicate her performance to Yulia and lead the Scala into a roaring, boot-stomping chant:
FREE PALESTINE!
FREE THE FILTON 24!
FREE PALESTINE!
FREE THE FILTON 24!
She also placed the bonus tracks from the disc two of the deluxe version of you Are The Morning at the heart of her set: the poignant ‘I Can’t Believe I Did This Without You’ and ‘I Don’t Think Anyone Else Could Have The Same Place In My Heart’ at the heart of her set. Weaving through the songs from the album, she was joined on the vocals by her keys player Asher Fynn for my personal favourite ‘Kitchen’ and ‘Roan’. The iconic ‘Guy Fawkes Tesco Dissociation’ saw Jasmine jump into the crowd for a roaring guitar solo and the mighty F* Choir joined her on stage for ‘Elephant’. The finale was an encore ‘Did U Kno’, also the final song on the YBT Deluxe second disc.
She has previously spoken about how privileged she felt to be the beacon of hope for the trans community and it was evident at Scala. She built a band of trans musicians, and her audience spanned the full colour spectrum of the pride flag. Her voice is vital, and not just in the current political climate. If you can’t see it – you can’t be it, and having trans musicians named as artists of the year by BBC Radio 6 Music will hopefully pave way for more queer artists to take up space on stages, because the community wants to celebrate them and hear their stories.