(Orlando FL) Jillian Banks has quickly amassed a cult-like following. In the Fall of 2013, she served as the opening act for The Weeknd’s international tour, with dates in both the UK as well as the US. She was a featured performer last April at California’s massive ‘Coachella’ festival. In June she performed at Tennessee’s ‘Bonnaroo’, and then again in July at Poland’s ‘Heineken Open’er’. Then in August her mainstream popularity erupted after performing on the Jimmy Kimmel show. So to much worldwide anticipation, BANKS kicked off her North American tour tonight before a packed out downtown Orlando’s “The Beacham” nightclub.
Tonight’s front act, Australian-based ‘Movement’, sounded good particularly with the cover tunes to which the audience could relate, performed for approximately 45 minutes, and did well to warm up the crowd. ‘Lil Silva’ who featured BANKS on two of his tracks from his EP ‘Mabel’ which released this past August also serves as BANKS’ producer, and was scheduled to also be one of the openers for tonight. However, due to issues with his Visa, Lil Silva was not able to assist his artist with opening tonight.
Following a quick set change, BANKS took the stage at just a little past 8:15 p.m. Accompanied by drummer Derek G Taylor on her left, and keyboardist / guitarist John Anderson on her right, BANKS performed a total of 12 songs tonight.
I enjoyed her performance tonight. She is marketed as a very dark and slightly mysterious individual whose genre falls somewhere within the scope of R&B, electronic, and pop-hop – but doesn’t easily fit into any one of those genres alone. Tonight’s concert-goers got a glimpse into her pained soul as outlined in tonight’s opening song ‘Alibi’. The song’s lyrics give insight into her feelings of insecurity and inadequacy in the eyes of a former romantic interest, as she begs for assurance that she isn’t a societal outcast, or monster of some sort. The painful and hurtful imagery seems to resonate with much of tonight’s younger crowd, likely spurning her rapidly-forming cult-like fanbase following. The pain continues into her second song of the night ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ where she exposes her own vulnerability in surrendering her fragile heart to the one she loves, only to find that her feelings are unreciprocated.
In ‘Brain’, BANKS seems to indicate that she no longer feels alone. She has now discovered that love interest is not as tough as he initially let on to be. This leads into ‘F*ck ‘Em Only We Know’ in which she lets her lover know that they their relationship is unique and that no other person will be able to identify / understand its complexity. She then elevates her status in ‘Goddess’ during which even she refers to herself in the 3rd person in essence she has now put herself above her earthly self.
I had the fortunate opportunity to meet BANKS after her Orlando show which served as a complement to the Jillian Banks you would see in between songs: smiling, and quick to thank her audience for their support and appreciation, at times being drowned out by the cheers of said audience. Vocally, she has a wonderfully mysterious and haunting tone. Her ballads rang through The Beacham as the eerie haunt of a tortured soul, betrayed and tormented by someone who loved but was not loved in return. With the exception of ‘Begging For Thread’, it would be difficult to see anyone dancing to her music in the clubs; however, what you would see from the people who were listening to the lyrical content would be lots of head-nodding in affirmation and empathy as they identified with the vulnerability and pain in her voice and music.
BANKS’ show is stripped down to the basics: there are no pyrotechnic displays, and no flashy choreography. There is, however, a beauty in seeing the darkness that has permeated her heart, which she shared with us in Orlando. In watching her show, one should see that the pain felt in one’s own life is also being felt by the sweet girl hurting inside on the stage. Be ready world, BANKS is just getting started.
Setlist:
Alibi
This Is What It Feels Like
Brain
Fuck Em Only We Know
Goddess
You Should Know Where I’m Coming From
Change
And I Drove You Crazy
Drowning
Waiting Game
Beggin for Thread
ENCORE: Stick
Tonight’s front act, Australian-based ‘Movement’, sounded good particularly with the cover tunes to which the audience could relate, performed for approximately 45 minutes, and did well to warm up the crowd. ‘Lil Silva’ who featured BANKS on two of his tracks from his EP ‘Mabel’ which released this past August also serves as BANKS’ producer, and was scheduled to also be one of the openers for tonight. However, due to issues with his Visa, Lil Silva was not able to assist his artist with opening tonight.
Following a quick set change, BANKS took the stage at just a little past 8:15 p.m. Accompanied by drummer Derek G Taylor on her left, and keyboardist / guitarist John Anderson on her right, BANKS performed a total of 12 songs tonight.
I enjoyed her performance tonight. She is marketed as a very dark and slightly mysterious individual whose genre falls somewhere within the scope of R&B, electronic, and pop-hop – but doesn’t easily fit into any one of those genres alone. Tonight’s concert-goers got a glimpse into her pained soul as outlined in tonight’s opening song ‘Alibi’. The song’s lyrics give insight into her feelings of insecurity and inadequacy in the eyes of a former romantic interest, as she begs for assurance that she isn’t a societal outcast, or monster of some sort. The painful and hurtful imagery seems to resonate with much of tonight’s younger crowd, likely spurning her rapidly-forming cult-like fanbase following. The pain continues into her second song of the night ‘This Is What It Feels Like’ where she exposes her own vulnerability in surrendering her fragile heart to the one she loves, only to find that her feelings are unreciprocated.
In ‘Brain’, BANKS seems to indicate that she no longer feels alone. She has now discovered that love interest is not as tough as he initially let on to be. This leads into ‘F*ck ‘Em Only We Know’ in which she lets her lover know that they their relationship is unique and that no other person will be able to identify / understand its complexity. She then elevates her status in ‘Goddess’ during which even she refers to herself in the 3rd person in essence she has now put herself above her earthly self.
I had the fortunate opportunity to meet BANKS after her Orlando show which served as a complement to the Jillian Banks you would see in between songs: smiling, and quick to thank her audience for their support and appreciation, at times being drowned out by the cheers of said audience. Vocally, she has a wonderfully mysterious and haunting tone. Her ballads rang through The Beacham as the eerie haunt of a tortured soul, betrayed and tormented by someone who loved but was not loved in return. With the exception of ‘Begging For Thread’, it would be difficult to see anyone dancing to her music in the clubs; however, what you would see from the people who were listening to the lyrical content would be lots of head-nodding in affirmation and empathy as they identified with the vulnerability and pain in her voice and music.
BANKS’ show is stripped down to the basics: there are no pyrotechnic displays, and no flashy choreography. There is, however, a beauty in seeing the darkness that has permeated her heart, which she shared with us in Orlando. In watching her show, one should see that the pain felt in one’s own life is also being felt by the sweet girl hurting inside on the stage. Be ready world, BANKS is just getting started.
Setlist:
Alibi
This Is What It Feels Like
Brain
Fuck Em Only We Know
Goddess
You Should Know Where I’m Coming From
Change
And I Drove You Crazy
Drowning
Waiting Game
Beggin for Thread
ENCORE: Stick