Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Gold Jacks at the St Luk’e Church as part of Liverpool Calling 2014. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Effortless, a joy to listen to, as naturally showman like as you want and uncomplicated, this pretty much sums up what it is like to hear Manchester based band Gold Jacks for the first time.

The no nonsense blood that swims happily in the veins of all four members of Gold Jacks is one that is enhanced by the fact that they have the potential to become one of the best bands to come out of Manchester because of their no nonsense approach. There is nothing fluffy about the performance and it comes down to all four bringing the ideals of a Yorkshire background into the heart of the old Lancashire city. It is the musical equivalent of installing the art of David Hockney into a humble home that has been built on the old sacred ground in which the Kippax Stand of Maine Road once stood, no nonsense but incredible joy.

For Stewart Burns, James Gaskell, Thomas Smith and Liam Dunning, this approach sits well and for those who had made their way to St. Luke’s ahead of the much anticipated performance by local legends Space, they were not to be disappointed. From the opening track of Cold Heart Shakes through songs such as Neon Soul, Rolling In Yellow, Where Money Don’t Grow and Count The Rain, the Gold Jacks stood against the throngs of people finding themselves enthralled by giants making their way through Liverpool, the sound of a quite rightly vocal demonstration in support of Palestine on the other side of the road and quietly but with incredible passion gave a set worthy of anything to come during the day ahead.

Watching the band and their confident demeanour on stage was a pleasure, the rare rapture of seeing somebody so into the music that they actually look as if they are not just feeling every beat but living the moment between the notes supplied by the other members of the group, it was a delight shared by all inside St. Luke’s Church.

Far too soon the set ended for the Gold Jacks and whilst they may reside in Manchester, they are a band worth travelling to see if you have the chance. A great addition to the Liverpool Calling Festival.

Ian D. Hall