JINJER – LIVE AT TOAD’S PLACE IN NEW HAVEN
By Jody Wilk
When Jinjer announced their show in New Haven this year, they were on the top of my must-see list. On a night off from their tour with Disturbed, the Ukranian Progressive Groove Metal band made their way to Connecticut’s most iconic night club, Toad’s Place.
Toad’s Place is nestled in the heart of downtown New Haven and has hosted bands such as The Rolling Stones, Bon Jovi, Black Sabbath, Motorhead and tons more. The line was long for this sold-out show, and excitement was in the air. While waiting for the show to start, I talked to several fans in the front row that had been to multiple shows on this tour, and they were thrilled to see Jinjer headline and play a full set.
Jinjer brought along Until I Wake to kick off the night for them. Until I Wake is a Pop-Punk band from Buffalo, New York, and were formed in 2019. They recently signed with Fearless Records and released a video for “Cold” off of their album In My Head. You can see these guys have fire in their eyes and a passion for what they’re doing by the high energy performance they give.
Although they are a 4-piece band, they did have a second guitarist on stage with them at this show. I’m guessing he’s just a touring musician with the band, as I couldn’t find him listed on any band rosters. You can hear in their music, that they have musical influences from multiple genres making for a unique sound. They recently they got to play at Upheaval Fest in Michigan with bands such as In This Moment, Lamb of God, Halestorm and Ice Nine Kills. This metal band really brought their A-game. You can catch them this fall on tour with Atilla.
At around 8:40 pm, it was time for the main event. After each band member took the stage one at a time, Tatiana charged out and hopped up onto the riser up front and started into 2019’s “Perennial” off of the Micro ep. Tatiana’s growling vocals and dominating stage presence really got the crowd moving. They continued right into “Ape” off of the same release. Tatiana could not only growl, but could hit the high melodic parts, transitioning with fluidity. This was a feast for the ears. Throughout the 16-song set they featured 7 songs off of the 2021 Wallflowers album.
Tatiana had an ominous look with her orange eyeliner glowing in the black-lights. Vladi, the drummer, kept the bass drum hitting hard with a look of concentration and confidence. You can hear that their music, outside of the obvious, is influenced by many different genres, including hip hop and funk. With bouncing bass lines and riffs you can bang your head to, this four-piece band really kept this sold out crowd moving. “Tati” took the time to address the crowd in between the many songs they played, spanning their career. They ended the set with an encore song and crowd favorite, “Sit, Stay, Roll Over”. The energy the crowd had was almost as amazing as that of the band.
Don’t miss your opportunity to see Jinjer live, whether it’s on tour with Disturbed or as a headliner on a night off, they will blow you away. They have shows scheduled in the USA and Canada through the end of September.
Jinjer is:
Tatiana “Tati” Shmailyuk – Vocals
Roman Ibramkhalilov – Guitar
Eugene Abdukhanov – Bass
Vladislav “Vladi” Ulasevich – Drums
Jinjer Setlist
- Perennial
- Ape
- Colossus
- Words of Wisdom
- Call Me a Symbol
- Vortex
- I Speak Astronomy
- Copycat
- Wallflower
- The Prophecy
- Teacher, teacher!
- Pit of Consciosness
- Sleep of Righteous
- Disclosure!
- As I Boil Ice
Encore - Sit Stay Roll Over
Until I Wake setlist
- For The Record
- Sinking Under
- Octane
- Forsaken
- Fools Paradise
- Cold
- Still Sinking
Until I Wake is
Cody Johnson – Vocals
August Lee Geitner – Guitar
Ryan Ridley – Bass
Alex Curtin – Dums
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