Fife-born rising force Jacob Alon has announced their UK headline tour including Manchester’s Deaf Institute on Tuesday 28 January 2025.
Since Jacob’s opening bow at the tail end of the Summer, they’ve made their television debut on Later… with Jools Holland, sold out their rammed-to-the-rafters first headline show down in London, and returned back there to support Kae Tempest at KOKO. If the UK hasn’t delivered an exciting young folk star in over a decade now, Jacob Alon is showing all the positive signs of becoming precisely that.
We spoke to Jacob about all things Confessions, Jools Holland and what else is next. Read below.
Jacob Alon… Thanks for chatting with us today! Firstly, how has your 2024 been? Any highlights?
Generally whimsical, magical, ridiculous, and empowering. My highlights centre around both making new friends and loving old friends. Bringing my artistic vision into reality with my dear pal Dan Carey, and growing into each others’ lives has been one of the best things to have ever happened in my life.
Congratulations on your latest single ’Confession(s)’. Can you share with us the inspiration behind the track?
Being a queer baby growing up in the world and the messy, awkward stretch marks that leaves behind. This song traces them with soft hands.
It’s a shedding of shame. An embrace of what lay underneath. A final offering: both to someone I had loved so long ago and to the small, scared, beautiful little child in me that had so much love to give.
I honour that love now. I let it hold me, in the way it always tried to. I let it show me beauty and joy and pain. And I’m so grateful for how it continues to connect me to so many beautiful, colourful souls all over the world.
I feel lucky to still have this love left to give when the world tries so desperately hard to make us afraid of it. And I want to keep giving it, keep confessing it. To my bonnie, boundless, infinite queers. This song is for you.
This single followed the release of ‘Fairy in a Bottle’ which has been incredibly successful, including a radio play from none other than Elton John and a special performance on Jools Holland. How amazing! How has this support felt to you?
It’s gorj. It’s validating. It’s much appreciated.
It’s also crazy as fuck and hard to comprehend. Like wtf… Jools Holland?! What a beautiful, kind, important force for good in the music world.
It’s a huge privilege to be able to share my music and an even bigger one to connect with these platforms to do so. I’m very grateful they have given me their support and allowed my music to reach so many wonderful people. I can’t wait to give it yaldi next year EVEN MORE.
You’ll be embarking on your UK headline tour in January 2025 … can you describe the atmosphere at a Jacob Alon gig for those who have never seen you before?
Vulnerable, safe, warm, honest, electric, sexy. I want everyone there to feel as much a part of the show as I do. Pals hanging out.
What is your favourite lyric of yours, and why?
She placed her heart
In a world of dreams
So it would be protected by fantasy
So it wouldn’t have to live in the real world
Where it could be broken
It captures a feeling I’ve been trying to articulate for so long.
Thanks Jacob! Have you got anything else exciting coming up in the next couple months that you can tell us about?
More music is on the way! Hooray! New single at the end of January that’s gonna blow your bussies wide open <3
Also, I’ll be going to America for the first time… Tootin’ over to Texas for South by South West music festival! Yeehaw!
Watch Jacob Alon perform Fairy in a Bottle Live on Jools Holland Here: