Chin up, beautiful! Jutes is on tour! On Tuesday, the Canadian musician, known for blending genres like alt rock, metal, R&B, trap, and hip-hop, kicked off “SMILE YOU’RE ON TOUR” at The Van Buren in Phoenix, Arizona, promoting the release of his newest album, Chin Up, Beautiful. The album, which arrived only last week, marks his third release in only three years, following the success of his breakthrough record, Sleepyhead, and Dilworth. This tour sees Jutes trade in intimate venues like the Valley Bar in Phoenix for those much larger in size, a testament to his rise in popularity over the last year, especially. The tour’s lineup is stacked with talent, with support from artists wilt, MOTHICA, and In Color on select dates.
wilt, whose name is inspired by Hole’s “Celebrity Skin,” brought their '90s grunge/emo/alt-rock-inspired sound to a crowd that packed into the room early. Their influences, including bands like Nirvana, Radiohead, and of course, Hole, were evident as they made their way through their setlist, grabbing the attention of the audience right away with tracks like “nothing good to cry about” and “bundy.” They also gave a sneak peek into their new single, “dent,” set to be released later that week, their last to drop ahead of their debut album, when no one's watching, in October. They had plenty of fans along the barricade singing along, and their cover of t.A.T.u’s “All the Things She Said” had the whole venue joining in.
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“Gloom Pop” artist MOTHICA took the stage next, and color me impressed. From her vocals to her complete aesthetic, MOTHICA wowed the crowd. I was not familiar with her music prior to the night, and I found myself browsing her catalog as soon as I left the venue. MOTHICA, named after moths, which she likened to “emo butterflies,” kicked off her set with “Somewhere In Between,” before moving into “CASUALTY” and “buzzkill,” which had the entire crowd grooving. She treated the crowd to a cover of Bring Me the Horizon’s “Can You Feel My Heart” before the live debut of her song “Doomed.” Leading into the track, MOTHICA got vulnerable with the crowd, opening up about her depression and anxiety, sharing about an attempt to end her life at a very young age, and celebrating all the things she has gotten to experience in her bonus time, including playing at Wembley Stadium, getting a dog, falling in love, and now playing with Jutes. The crowd was absolutely vibing as she rounded out her set with “SENSITIVE.” After their van broke down on their way to Arizona and with the intense thunderstorms on the way to the valley, MOTHICA almost didn’t make it to the show. I know that I am not alone when I say that I am so glad that they did!
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Anticipation was building within the venue as the lights finally dimmed. A thick fog rolled across the stage as Jutes emerged, donning black shades and a leather jacket, a bold choice in Arizona on a "cool" 101-degree day. Jutes and his band immediately launched into “Cry Wolf,” a track from the new record, Chin Up, Beautiful, released only the week prior. I had been streaming the record nonstop since its release and could not wait to see which tracks I would get to experience live — “Cry Wolf” was the perfect start! He then took the audience back to Dilworth with “SMUT,” the stage bathed in red lighting, perfectly setting the mood for the track’s sensual vibe. He ditched his jacket as he moved into “One of Us” before diving back into the new album.
Jutes took a moment to address the crowd, exclaiming, “We’ve come a long way from Valley Bar just last year,” and expressing his gratitude to the fans. Early last year, Jutes made an appearance at Phoenix’s Valley Bar, a 250-capacity venue, and there's no doubt that people have really caught onto his talent since then, given that there were nearly 2000 people packed into The Van Buren that evening to watch him perform. And he did not disappoint. Jutes brought energy and charm to the stage, dancing, kicking, and pouring every ounce of passion into his screams.
Throughout the night, Jutes would pause to share the meaning behind his songs. Leading into “Mannequin,” Jutes explained that it was a song he wrote about changing who you are and losing yourself entirely to keep someone around, almost as if you have become a mannequin.
As he moved into the track that inspired the tour’s name, “Smile, You’re on Camera,” he said, “Phoenix, I’m so obsessed with you, let’s take a photo,” filming the intro to the song while on stage with the crowd singing along, a video that would later appear on his Instagram. As is his tour tradition, he played an unreleased song for the crowd, “Love Psychosis,” which he announced would be part of an upcoming deluxe version of the new album. As the setlist continued to unfold, he would alternate between albums, centering the entire set around his last three albums and leaning heavily into his new material, with 11 of the album’s 13 tracks appearing on the list.
Jutes opened up about a time in his life in which he considered giving up being an artist. He explained that he had lost faith in himself and felt his dreams weren’t possible, but before hanging up the towel, he decided to make one more album. That album, Sleepyhead, would go on to change his life. He expressed his gratitude to the ride-or-die fanbase he has built, sharing that what he has achieved has far exceeded anything he had ever dreamed. He expressed that music has been his therapy and that being able to help others with his music in the way that he has helped himself is all he has ever wanted and the thing he is most proud of.
He took his vulnerability even further with the crowd as he was introducing “Take Care of Her.” Jutes explained that this was a song he never intended to play live, as it was hard to write and even hard to sing. The song is one that he wrote for his late grandmother, who he lost earlier this year, and was written from the perspective of his grandpa losing her. He dedicated the song to everyone who has lost someone important to them, expressing hope that those lost were all there with them that night. Jutes’ vocals were impressive all night, but particularly during this track, as he poured all of his emotions into the lyrics.
As the set was nearing its end, Jutes shed his shirt and spiced things up with “Dissassociate,” featuring the entire crowd screaming “spread your legs for me, watch me eat my way to your heart," at the top of their lungs. Jutes returned for a two-song encore for his “sleepyheads,” ending the evening with the title track to the record that forever changed his life.
“SMILE YOU’RE ON TOUR” is just getting started and is one you won’t want to miss. Be sure to catch Jutes as he makes his way through a city near you.
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