So, if you've been following the zine for a bit, you know we are big on Jagged Baptist Club! You may recall that these guys graced our cover to kick off 2025. As soon as they announced their UK/IE tour, we starting looking into plane tickets to be a little part of their monumental voyage.

We saw them right before they hit the road, for their 2nd residency show at Permanent Records Roadhouse (Cypress Park, L.A.). They blew the roof off the place with their trademark danceable power tracks. Blake asked the audience if we thought the UK would like their sound & style and everyone cheered in support. He followed up by telling us (Angelenos) we were his favorite. I'm not so sure that'll be the case for long because these guys are going places!

While we waited for our trip dates, they brought the comedy in their daily stories, sharing their tour diary happenings. Sleepy airport pics, hairdryer sock hacks, and various eateries allowed us to vicariously follow them from gig to gig. The excitement was building!

When we finally made our way to their London show at Shacklewell Arms, we were still extremely jet lagged and confused by the delayed sunset. We shamefully admit that we arrived tardy. After runnning around the bar to figure out they were playing in separate part of the venue, we hastily setup to capture some pics and video.

As was expected, they already had the crowd bouncing around and begging for more. New fans or not, they were into it! It's always entertaining to witness the caricature-like facial gestures & atypical dance moves that Blake serves. His animated features definitely pick up where Mick Jagger's & Steven Tyler's left off. The stage was a bit odd, including hand-plastered, spanish-style archways leading to a background section, where the drums were setup. This made it hard to see Morgan pounding away (who always reminds me of Animal from The Muppets). Nevertheless, they all brought their fierecest energy & made us very proud. They are doing a fine job of representing L.A. overseas! 

After the set ended, I headed to the merch table & was greeted by smiley Josh (their keyboardist), who sold me one of their super cool shirts. The tee design could easily become a branded tattoo flash page for uber fans. We understand that these items are now sold out so lucky you if you managed to snag one (& bummer if not). I chatted with bassist CJ (my fellow Fontaines DC fan) about the tour prep, their travel adventures, how confusing it is to walk & drive on the "wrong side" of the streets, and what they might expect when they get home. I stole a bit of Blake's time to congratulate him on the Radio X interview w/ John Kennedy, meeting Mike Joyce (of The Smiths), and playing the Great Escape Festival.

Overall they are the epitome of making sacrifices for their passions and how it can sometimes actually pay off. They've been presented with some amazing opportunities & they continue to prove themselves worthy! We wish them all the best & hope this is just the beginning.