The Jackobins, Liverpool Calling 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
The sound of thunder, the presence of future greatness and the unswerving, undeniable attraction of truth, theatre and showmanship; not the harking back to the early days of British Rock in which the likes of Queen, Genesis or countless others played their days out to adoring fans inside tightly packed, smoke filled rooms but to the inside of St. Luke’s Church and the arrival of The Jackobins to the stage.
Long is the heralding call for the band to go up against their own studio work and give the live performance that has been bursting at the seams to come out and be recognised with the valour and audacity of cool spirit that anybody who has seen them knows has been boiling away, been on the verge of erupting like an Icelandic volcano giving life sustaining heat to all in its vicinity.
Never a disappointment, never ones to shy away from the unseen challenge, The Jackobins seemed to survey the assembled and then without hesitation gave arguably the live performance of the year so far inside the Merseyside borders.
From gale like start to hurricane finish, the band fulfilled their early destiny with such gratifying splendour that images of showmanship, of giving the dedication so richly deserved to the fold and the masses which make their way week in, week out, to the live arena to see young bands in action.
The hurricane like feel of the set was enhanced by songs such as the opener One More Chance, Ghosts, The Other Side, Strange Days and the outstanding Waiting On The Sun all claiming their rightful place and making more than the right mark on the day. To witness vocalist Dominic Bassnett come down into the very heart of the front part of the crowd and woo them in the same type of dramatic vein that Freddie Mercury did at Wembley in 1985 was to be applauded from start to finish and with the rest of the band playing as if the day had taken on extra meaning, this truly was a group of lads giving showmanship a new 21st Century definition.
With fortune and a good guiding hand The Jackobins really should be seen as the group that can headline the really big outdoor festival within the decade, if that doesn’t happen they should ask for their money back but somewhere along the line they will have been done over by corporate greed. It may be a bold statement but as the sound gave way to the peace and quiet of the stunned appreciation, it is a statement that The Jackobins can more than hold up high and be proud in the conviction to carry it through.
There are days as a music fan that you live for, for anyone catching The Jackobins at St. Luke’s as part of Liverpool Calling in 2015, it was a day to treasure with fullness of heart.
Ian D. Hall