Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

There is a confident, almost poised rawness to The Jackobins sound that is positively endearing. The four songs on offer by the band demonstrate perfectly that the biggest hurdle for any group or artist starting out is having the sheer guts to find their way out way out the bedroom and into a studio or onto the stage. Far too many dream about doing things, they constant urge to say yes I would be so good at that but letting the spark of ambition rot away in the corner, unloved, unkempt; only thought of ten years later with a sigh and bitter recriminations.

The Jackobins are endearing, the sound the five members, Dominic Bassnett, John Whittingham, Chris Jones, Liam Higgins and Veso Mihaylov, have created is one of interesting and bubbling dynamic relief from many of the songs that may assault your ears during a day. Where there is room for improvement it will happen because everybody starts somewhere and groups such as The Jackobins don’t sit on their backsides plotting a revolution, they do get out there and practice and practise till they know it the time is ripe for the guitar’s blood to be spilt in the anger of cord released, primed and targeted.

Silver Rider, Ohh So Blue, the very cool and embattled Prussia and How Do You Face Life? offer so much to the listener that at one point you can feel yourself being transported back to the days of underground radio in which a strange enticing sound would come through the crackling airwaves or the authentic no holds barred verbal tones of early U2, before the attitude kicked in or The Doors in their most brutally exciting of phases. Dominic Bassnett’s vocals growl and hunt down the predator chasing the band and like a wolf springs into action the minute the crash of drum stick hits the skin and the guitar and bass bleeds talent and the calmness of the keyboards supplied by John Whittingham offers a calm oasis in the background in which to nurture the confidence and dynamic offering.

The republic of The Jackobins, a force, if they continue to shout from the rooftops and kick at every door possible, that will become one to reckon with.

Ian D. Hall