Credit: Far Out / Eddie Whelan

Jockstrap on the catharsis of playing live music

Mon 14 August 2023 10:19, UK

Georgia Ellery and Taylor Skye, the duo behind rising alt-pop act Jockstrap, have revealed that they’re only just coming to terms with their newfound success on stage.

Ellery, the duo’s violinist and vocalist, also performs as a member of Black Country, New Road. Hence, she had her work cut out at Glastonbury 2023, with both acts on the bill. “The audience is on our side already, and I don’t think I’ve got used to that,” she reflected in a new interview with The Independent.

Jockstrap set out to bring a popular front to the avant-garde vanguard and, thus far, appears to be striking a pleasing balance. Just a few weeks ago, the pair performed as a support act for Blur at Wembley Stadium in London.

“I’m really excited by things that surprise me and the people around me,” Skye added in the same interview. “Some of my favourite musicians are the ones that make something I didn’t think could even be allowed or existed. I’m quite overwhelmed by asking what music is, and this has been a nice platform for me to experiment.”

Later, Ellery reflected on Jockstrap’s recent live performances, revealing how music can offer release. “I think music for me has been really affirming about identity – who I am, how I want to perceive myself and how I want others to perceive me,” she said. “It’s something I didn’t realise was happening until we were out there and playing shows.”

Addressing the song ‘Angst’ from Jockstrap’s 2022 debut album, I Love You Jennifer B, Ellery revealed that she no longer associates with its reference to anxiety.

“I don’t think I connect to ‘Angst’ all that much when I sing it live,” she pondered. “I think that would be quite insane to go back to those feelings. There’s lots of imagery in it, and it’s good to mark that moment – I think a song does that well, like a tattoo – but when you sing it, you don’t need to go back there.”

Concluding her appraisal of progress, Ellery appeared to show newfound comfort. “I’m only beginning to realise how cathartic and how much of a good crutch it is,” she said. “It’s really important for me to express these feelings or these lyrics and then to see people enjoy it.”

Watch Jockstrap perform ‘Concrete Over Water’ at Glastonbury 2023 below.