REVIEW: Julien Baker @ Middle East 10/22
Photo Credit: Robin Little/Redferns
Review by Sofia Bertone
Standing at just 5 feet tall, Julien Baker is often referred to by fans as “the little one.” However, her energy at the Middle East in Cambridge was larger than life.
The historic, multi-room venue was Baker’s second stop on her 2026 Rock Club Residency Tour. Accompanied by drummer Matt Gilliam and guitarist Calvin Lauber, Baker is slated to perform at six intimate venues across the United States for three nights each.
At 9:00 p.m., Baker and bandmates took the stage alongside a discordant guitar melody. As the band entered the stage, the melody slowly transformed into “Lathe,” an unreleased track that begins with soft guitar and evolves into heavy drums and screaming. Leaning into the hard rock sound, the band then transitioned into more unreleased tracks, “High in the Basement” and “Middle Children.”
Following “Middle Children,” Baker addressed the crowd, thanking them for “making this possible.”
“I don’t know what other viable skills I have, so I’m glad this worked out,” she said.
As laughter rose from the crowd, Baker shifted into a more somber mood with “Sprained Ankle,” a simple guitar track about healing and trauma. Slowly, the energy in the room began to pick back up with hits like “Bloodshot,” “Even” and “Favor.” Throughout these songs, I became aware of how engaged the audience was. All eyes were on Baker, without a phone in sight. In this day and age, this is a rarity, and truly a testament to how engaging a performer Baker is.
After “Favor,” the band performed a trio of unreleased songs sonically distinct from previous work. Beginning with “F,” Baker traded her usual guitar-centric soundscape for a synthesizer and looping pedal. The unique, laser-beam-like synth sounds, accompanied by heavy guitar, made this track incredibly captivating, and possibly my new favorite of her songs. Baker then transitioned into “G,” a powerful track uniquely featuring a synthesizer glitching in and out.
For the final unreleased song before returning to fan favorites, Baker ditched the synthesizer and played “O,” another hard hitter with heavy guitar. I personally loved the way Baker incorporated synthesizer into these new tracks, and I am ecstatic to see how her sound will continue trending into new sonic territory over time.
Going back to the tried-and-true basics, Baker played “Turn Out the Lights” and “Hardline.” “Turn Out the Lights” struck me, taking on a different tone than the studio version, which, like many of Baker’s songs, starts soft and ends loud and intense. The live performance did not keep these extremes, letting the song’s energy rest somewhere in the middle. Although I prefer the intensity of the more familiar studio version, Baker’s stylistic choice certainly made the performance new and intriguing.
As “Hardline” faded out and the lights dimmed, Baker and her bandmates exited the stage. Refusing to let her go, the crowd began to cheer for one more song. Sure enough, Baker returned to the stage.
“Thanks for clapping even though you knew we were coming back,” she joked.
To scattered sounds of laughter and applause, Baker closed out her set with “Everybody Does,” a vulnerable acoustic track that grapples with insecurity and rejection.
As a longtime Boygenius fan, I was no stranger to Baker’s electric stage presence. Watching her perform solo for the first time, I was struck by the contrast between her demeanor interacting with the crowd and performing her music.
When Baker spoke to the audience, she was quiet and subdued, but when she performed, her stage presence electrified — jumping, headbanging and screaming. This contrast felt reflective of her music, which also shifts between subdued and intense, making for an incredibly immersive experience.