Jadu Heart Concert Review: A Post-Romantic, Psychedelic, Trip-Hop Experience

Jadu Heart — English duo Diva-Sachs Jeffrey and Alex Headford of London and Huddersfield, respectively — have taken over North America and Europe on the tour of their fourth album, “Post Heaven.” The duo’s recent stop at Brighton Music Hall in Boston on Sept. 26 drew an intimate and dedicated audience to celebrate the release of their newest record.

Abby Sage, an up-and-coming folk-pop musician, opened for Jadu Heart. She awed the crowd with her titillating, yet charming mannerisms as she performed her setlist from the bottom of her heart. One track in particular, “The Florist,” stood out for its repeated entreatments for a florist to “make something pretty of it” by cutting and trimming, making way for Sage and her band to entrance the audience by playing the entire ensemble arrangement live.

After some anticipation, fans gathered around once again, abuzz with company and good drinks. Jadu Heart took to the stage with their two accompanists, drum player Theo Maguire and well-rounded auxiliary instrumentalist Antonina DK. The accompanists’ additions to the music took the performance to a higher level. The passion with which Maguire played the drum kit and DK’s prowess when playing both main melodies and additional sound effects brought the music to life.

Jadu Heart began with their most-streamed song, “I’m a Kid.” As Jeffrey and Headford got into the swing of the show, they hyped up the crowd with an unmatched energy felt throughout the entire hall.

Standing on opposite ends of the stage, Jeffrey and Headford gave the audience a dynamic visual display. Alternating one’s gaze between both leads formed a shared idea of how the music affected both individuals. As Headford stared longingly into the distance, Jeffrey passionately belted into the microphone and jumped to the beat. Even though both members collaborated on the music, their unique perspectives and behaviors combined into an exceptional experience for a live audience.

Throughout the setlist, Jadu Heart highlighted songs from their new album, but made sure to satisfy the crowd with their older tracks as well. While songs like “Dead, Again” and “Burning Hour” from their third album “Hyper Romance” received a lot of hype from the crowd, songs from “Post Heaven” like “U” and “AUX” still had the audience nodding heads and tapping feet with approval for the new album’s trippy and new-world feel.

The lighting at Brighton Music Hall provided an otherworldly environment for the audience to get lost in the set. The illumination of red and blue lights — combined with the dreamy synth effects that Jadu Heart uses in nearly all of their tracks — transported the crowd to a world full of auditory psychedelic trips. This effect was most notable in the instrumental break of “Another Life.”

At the end of the show, Jadu Heart blew away the audience with the aforementioned fierce performance of “Another Life.” Jeffrey and Headford shredded their guitars, Maguire beat the drum kit to the point where it was seemingly about to break, and DK ensured that the dream-like synth effects were perfectly synced up to deliver an enthralling close to the night.

Having last performed in Boston in 2023, Diva-Sachy Jeffrey and Alex Headford received a well-deserved welcome back in response to the electrifying production they put on.

—Staff writer Anmol K. Grewal can be reached at anmol.grewal@thecrimson.com.