Julien Baker Sells Out The Bellwether in Los Angeles
Article written by and photos by Natalie Ryan
On October 25th, Julien Baker played the first in a nearly sold-out run of four shows at The Bellwether in Los Angeles as part of her solo 2024 tour. What began as two nights at the venue quickly turned into four, the first three completely selling out. Baker brought along a different direct support act for each Los Angeles show (FIGHTMASTER, Medium Build, Kevin Devine, and Enumclaw), with Katie Malco as additional support.
British indie rock artist Katie Malco began the show with a low-key set, just her and her guitar. She made the crowd laugh with her deadpan humor and nonchalant attitude. Her captivating voice carried easily through the venue, enchanting the audience. She played the recently released song “Babette”, saying she named it after a girl she barely met once, but the song isn't about her. Despite somewhat of a medical emergency happening halfway through her last song, during which she stopped and the person in distress was helped, she finished strongly and left a good impression on new fans.
Next up was FIGHTMASTER, the solo project of non-binary musician and actor E.R. Fightmaster, best known for portraying a neuroscientist in seasons 18 and 19 of Grey’s Anatomy. With a full supporting band, FIGHTMASTER could’ve easily been the band headlining the night the way they were killing it. E.R. only began FIGHTMASTER last fall, releasing their debut EP “Violence”. Since then, multiple singles and a second EP, “Bloodshed Baby” have been released. The band had incredible energy and sounded even better. To close out their set, they played their flawless, chilling, and totally unique cover of Heart’s “Barracuda”, an absolute thrill to experience live.
Find FIGHTMASTER at their individual links below:
Finally, it was the moment everyone was anticipating. Julien Baker’s band came out before her and began with “Over”, transitioning into “Appointments”, which Baker ran on stage to sing. From Memphis, Tennessee, Baker is a singer-songwriter and guitarist also known as a member of indie rock supergroup Boygenius, along with Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Her songs often revolve around addiction, faith, love, and mental illness. Being an unapologetic lesbian and Christian from the south, her music reaches a myriad of people that don’t feel like they have any representation. I wasn't sure at all what to expect from a Julien Baker show, but I was blown away by her talent, the band, and the production.
If at any time there was silence in between songs, someone from the crowd would shout some variation of “we love you!”. Several people were dressed up for Halloween as well, with a Grimace front and center at the barricade. Baker mostly played songs from her last album, “Little Oblivions”, released in 2021, including “Crying Wolf” which she played on the keyboard, a highlight of the set. The majority of the show she was playing her floral guitar, and when she wasn’t singing she was flipping her hair and going crazy during the big breakdowns. Before leaving the stage, she played “Hardline”, a devastating song about substance abuse and imposter syndrome. After a short break, Baker and her band came back to perform “Everybody Does” as the final encore song. The crowd was louder than ever with it, finishing the night with a bang.
