On the evening of September 5th, Acid Stag witnessed another BIGSOUND highlight – a captivating performance by Mojo Juju, live at The Zoo.
If you’re not familiar with Mojo Juju’s work and are a fan soulful melodies and emotionally charged songwriting, she’s definitely one you’ll want to add to your favourite playlists.
The multitalented artist is a gifted communicator. Just earlier that day had delivered a keynote outlining her artistic journey and covering a variety of topics such as; sexuality, racism and the importance of diversity. She left the auditorium with a standing ovation. Similarly, her performance later that night left the room completely captivated.
With intoxicating stage presence, she kicks the show off with a haunting message of displacement and isolation, channeled through a compelling performance of her single: “Native Tongue”. The song draws from her cultural heritage (part Aboriginal and Filipino) and the cultural crossfire that came from her upbringing in Australia: “I don’t speak in my fathers native tongue,” she sings.
Another subsequent highlight of the show is her performance of “Bound To,” which tells the story of Mojo’s grandparents and their love for each other. The performance is carried by a strong percussion groove, with jazzy chords playing beneath while Mojo’s soulful singing permeates the atmosphere. The piece is further enhanced by the venue’s phenomenal light show and smoke machine.
Following this comes a song written from a political slant: “We have time for a couple more … This is a song we’ve written about Peter Dutton”, Mojo Juju says. The crowd jeers and she continues: “Cos fuck him, right? Fuck the lot of them. Fuck Scomo, fuck Pauline and don’t climb Uluru!” Mojo Juju then dives straight into an explosive performance of “Think Twice.” Pulsating guitar riffs pour into an anthemic war cry of a song, which ends with a poignant lyrical phrase: “history will not be kind, oh you’ve got it so wrong.”
The final song of the night is a live exclusive that can’t be heard anywhere else online. In fact, we at Acid Stag were given the name of the track as an exclusive for this article. The song was called “Leave It All Behind,” and is infused with rap sections, complete with a gut wrenching, melodic chorus and thumping rhythm.
Despite a relatively minimal setup consisting of just herself, tracks and the help of T-bone on the drums, Mojo Juju’s performance at The Zoo was ultimately very powerful. Throughout the set she demonstrated impeccable vocal control and as the show progressed, so too did her stage charisma. Our verdict: this is an artist well worth your attention.
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