Jack White at Troxy

Jack White

Gina Birch

Troxy, 28 February 2025

I saw Jack White again tonight at the very much improved Troxy and my ears were blown off in the best possible way! It's easy to see why he's become such an icon and is so beloved, because he really does give it all every show, treating us all to songs from every era of his career.

I remember when Troxy first opened as a music venue (it was formerly an art deco style cinema), I was not impressed but over the years it has definitely grown on me, probably due to a makeover and seeing acts like John Carpenter and The Mars Volta there. After last year's intimate show at Islington Assembly Hall, which to be fair it would be hard to beat, it was still a treat to get a ticket to one of these Troxy shows (he is also playing a second night there), which sold out straight away. It's no surprise since he could easily play an arena and has sold out multiple nights at the far bigger Hammersmith Apollo in the past, so I still felt lucky particularly as I managed to get a spot at the barrier (albeit at the very end). You can tell White gets a lot out of playing theatre shows and, going by his socials anyway, seems to be having a ball touring his most recent album, No Name, which is arguably his best solo album to date.

White also appears to enjoy showcasing bands and artists he enjoys, with a different one supporting him on every date, who he always poses for photos with, something that must be a huge boost for up and coming bands. The support tonight though is an artist who most likely influenced White, Gina Birch of The Raincoats, who released her debut solo album at the grand old age of 67, back in 2023, through White's Third Man Records label.

I almost saw The Raincoats once, as they were supposed to open for Nirvana at their Brixton Academy shows, which were obviously cancelled due to Kurt Cobain's death (I had tickets to two of the four nights), so it feels exciting, over 30 years later, to finally see Birch live. She certainly still looks incredibly cool, even all these years on, wearing shades and a bright pink suit. Her all female band (called The Unreasonables) were similarly colourful, her bassist all in blue and her guitarist/keyboardist wearing an all-purple ensemble: they looked very much like they could be playing with the modern day Bikini Kill, which of course makes sense as Birch certainly influenced them.

The short set was full of feminist anthems, some punky, some post rock, some with a dub or reggae feel and there was even a song about the anger at a neighbour making noise making a basement (Digging Down), which I very much related to! The highlight was obviously I Play My Bass Loud, the title track of her album, which sounded cool and defiant. She also brought on her friend Helen McCallum, of the Chefs, to sing the suitably angry Pussy Riot and a cover of The Kinks' Lola, which ended the set. 

It was definitely fun to finally see Birch live and she seemed in good spirits tonight. I'm not sure if the audience fully appreciated her but hopefully there were a few who dug what she was doing, I know I did.

When I saw White on his tour for Boarding House Reach back in 2018, it was a much more elaborate rock star set-up, with an fully designed round stage, with a full band and big screens, all bathed in White's signature blue colour. This time it's a much more stripped back affair, harking back to when I first saw him with The White Stripes, over 20 years ago. There's a simple trio of musicians backing up (drummer Patrick Keeler, who of course played with White in the Raconteurs, Dominic Davis on bass and Bobby Emmett - looking very cool in his shades  - on keyboards), and a completely unfussy stage. When the show starts, White even runs on first waving to the crowd, rather than the band playing first and building the crowd up for the big rock star reveal. I admit I liked this more down to earth approach more: it felt so much more punk rock and reminded me why I loved The White Stripes so much in the first place.

White always looks cool, but at the moment with his black leather jacket and tousled black hair, there was something a bit Elvis about him. After a little warm up jam, the band immediately launched into songs from No Name: Old Scratch Blues and That's How I'm Feeling. Honestly, if he had just played the new record through I would have been more than happy as they sounded, raw, loud and alive, but three songs in he bust out the White Stripes classic, Dead Leaves On The Dirty Ground, which was an absolute delight.  

White definitely was not afraid to revisit his past, as there were no less than ten White Stripes songs played tonight and even a couple of Raconteurs tunes to boot (Top Yourself and Broken Boy Soldier). He was full of energy too, swinging his guitar around, running to the edge of the stage and making contact with the excited crowd and generally keeping the whole place buzzing.

Apparently White never plays to a setlist, he just feeds off the crowd, giving them what they want, which accounts for the pleasing array of songs from throughout his career. For someone who has such a cool punk rock ascetic, White is clearly also a complete showman and his interactions with his band, often running up to the drums or the keyboards and getting into the groove with his fellow bandmembers, showed just what chemistry they had on stage and as musicians. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

Back in the old White Stripes days, they never played encores (which is something I'm a big fan of, as you know), and when I saw White in 2018, I wasn't quite sure if there was simply was a break in the performance or the last part was officially an encore. Tonight, it definitely felt like an encore. He ended the main set on a bluesy and raw Ball And Biscuit, with White soloing and bawling his way through the old White Stripes tune and then the crowd cheered for more, until the band returned. So an encore this time, without a doubt, but also, an encore that was almost as long as the main set, with White giving us about nine more songs.

I was particularly excited to hear Archbishop Harold Homes live as it's my favourite song from the new record, with White's vocals sounding even more crazed and wild, like some kind of weird rock n' roll preacher. I absolutely loved it. But the biggest response, not surprisingly, came at the very end, with the audience all chanting along with the riff to Seven Nation Army. I would not blame White if he never played this song again but there is something rather unsnobby and nice that he willingly offers it up every night, and I can't deny it is completely thrilling to hear it in the flesh and hear the interaction with the crowd, which White encourages. I mean, imagine writing a song like Seven Nation Army that has had such a cultural impact, that it's instantly recognisable to everyone, even if it's just from hearing it at some kind of sports event. That's something few artists achieve.

I always feel like I've experienced someone really special when I see Jack White live, and what's more I saw him from the start in the early days and witnessed him become an icon. What a treat it is to still be able to see him play at relatively small venues like this.