The Dome in Tufnell Park remains one of London’s most effective mid-sized rooms. Originally constructed in 1885 as a Victorian swimming pool, the venue’s high ceilings and open floor plan provide a superior acoustic experience that surpasses the flat, muffled sound found in many modern black-box theatres. Tonight, the space served as a resonant chamber for Jehnny Beth, an artist whose career trajectory has moved steadily away from the post-punk output of her former band, Savages, toward a more jagged, industrial solo identity.
Since her 2020 solo debut, To Love Is To Live, her path has been marked by high-profile experimental collaborations—most recently with Faith No More’s Mike Patton—and an increasing reliance on electronic, beat-driven aggression. The current tour, supporting her latest album You Heartbreaker, You, represents the furthest she has traveled from the "guitar band" format, favoring a sound that is mechanical, dark, and unapologetically abrasive.
The set opened with "Broken Rib," the lead track of the new record, delivering an immediate onslaught of low-end frequencies and industrial distortion. Clad in black, Beth’s presence was defined by a physical discipline that mirrored the mechanical rigidity of the music. Before the aptly titled "Push-Ups," she dropped to the stage floor in a bra top to complete ten repetitions—a gesture that signaled the performance would be as much a feat of endurance as a musical recital.
The stage was engulfed by a smoke, punctuated by blinding white strobes that reduced the four-piece backing band—a formidable force of bass, drums, and electronics—to shifting silhouettes. This visual detachment forced the focus onto Beth’s vocal delivery, which swung from distorted controlled spoken-word to visceral, high-register screeches.
Early in the set, she abandoned the safety of the stage for the mosh pit. Unlike the choreographed crowd-surfing of mainstream pop, Beth’s immersion into the audience was blunt; she creates a channel to the centre of the room, maintaining eye contact with the crowd while delivering her lyrics with an intense glare. The setlist drew heavily from the new album, featuring tracks such as "High Resolution Sadness" and "Obsession," dedicating a song to the bisexual members of the audience. Performing with what appeared to be a camera mounted to her microphone, and given the notable presence of videographers within the crowd, it's probably not the last we have seen of this gig.
Musical references to her influences were woven throughout the evening. She performed "In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)," a track originally from David Lynch’s Eraserhead, though her arrangement leaned heavily on the Pixies’ reimagining of the piece. A cover of Björk’s "Army of Me" further highlighted her affinity for 1990s industrial-pop textures. The energy reached a crescendo during "I’m The Man," the centerpiece of her solo debut, before concluding with "I See Your Pain." As the final track on the new album, its live rendition provided a bleak, atmospheric conclusion to a set that offered very little in the way of traditional comfort.
Jehnny Beth continues to bypass mainstream convention, opting instead for a performance style that prizes endurance and visceral impact. At The Dome, she proved that her commitment to the "onslaught" remains absolute.
Setlist
Broken Rib
High Resolution Sadness
I Still Believe
No Good for People
Innocence
In Heaven (David Lynch cover)
Push-Ups
Reality
Stop Me Now
Army of Me (Björk cover)
Out of My Reach
Obsession
How Could You
I'm The Man
I See Your Pain
Check out remaining tour tickets below.
