Julia Jacklin

Julia Jacklin with Jordan Patterson — Event Description

Julia Jacklin brings her deeply personal songwriting to San Francisco’s Castro Theatre on Friday, October 23, 2026, with Jordan Patterson joining the lineup. Doors open at 7:00 pm and the show begins at 8:00 pm, setting the stage for an evening focused on thoughtful songwriting, emotional honesty, and Jacklin’s latest creative chapter.

At the heart of Jacklin’s fourth album, The Gem, is a question she describes as central to her life: wanting to love and be loved while also wanting to remain free. The album explores that tension alongside themes of reinvention, self-discovery, relationships, and learning to trust your own instincts.

The title has a particularly personal origin. When Jacklin moved from Sydney to Melbourne in 2017, she found a small Collingwood bar called The Gem where bands would push dining tables aside and perform from a corner on the floor. She began spending time there as she built a new life in the city. Years later, that same place became part of the setting for the making of her new record.

After releasing three acclaimed solo albums—Don’t Let the Kids Win (2016), Crushing (2019), and PRE PLEASURE (2022)—Jacklin entered the The Gem sessions determined to approach her music on her own terms. She recorded at Rat Shack studios, located above the pub, alongside longtime friends Jacob Diamond on guitar, Mimi Gilbert on bass, and Jess Elwood on drums.

The recording process proved more complicated than expected. After initially believing the album was finished, Jacklin realized she had more personal work to do within the music. She and producer Robert Muinos spent another eleven months revisiting and reshaping the material, ultimately creating a record she felt able to fully stand behind.

That process gives The Gem its sense of excavation and renewal. Songs such as “Brand New,” “God Sometimes,” “The Hardest Thing,” “Get Away from Me (I Think I’ll Love You Soon),” and “Walk on Me” explore different facets of identity, relationships, freedom, and change, while the closing track “I Wish” offers a tender reflection on Jacklin’s younger self.

For San Francisco audiences, the October 23 performance offers an opportunity to experience Jacklin’s latest work in a live setting, with Jordan Patterson also appearing. The Castro Theatre provides the backdrop for an evening shaped by the intimate, searching qualities of Jacklin’s songwriting. With doors at 7:00 pm and the show at 8:00 pm, the event offers a Friday-night opportunity to hear an artist embracing reinvention while remaining closely connected to the experiences that shaped her music.