The Jacques @ Zanzibar Club | Interview and Review

The Zanzibar club located just off Seel street has always been notorious for hosting artists on the rise and last weekend proved no different, as indie-rock band ‘The Jacques’ took to the stage, the last gig in their abruptly ended UK tour. “It was going really well, up until yesterday’ drummer Elliot O’Brien remarks. A sad, but accurate statement. Despite their run of shows being very well-received, the unprecedented outbreak of COVIS-19 has made an impact on the backs tour, having to cancelled a string of shows taking place on the last leg. “It’s been really nice seeing new places around the UK, even if it is sad it’s ending. But it’s a Friday night, we’re in Liverpool, and it’s the busiest place we’ve been this whole tour, so that great! It’s level of positivity that is equally matched when the band get on stage. Determined not to let the bad news damper the night, the band kick off the night with soaring levels of enthusiasm, making sure that if this was the last gig they would play for a while, they would end on a high.

As the night continued, the band wowed the audience with a mixture of old and new tracks from the bands discography, providing a impressive instrumentation with each. Frontman, lead vocalist and brother to Elliot, Fin O’Brien led the band with ease, dominating the stage with hard-hitting, yet captivating vocals, that at times bordered on spoken word. “We’ve been going as ‘The Jacques’ for some time, but it feels like only now are we really ramping up” he remarks with a laugh. It’s true that the groups discography has been somewhat limited in recent years, but the band feel is taking it like a new start “We kinda went under the radar a bit, there wasn’t really a ‘reason’ per say,” guitarist Harry Thomas pauses “It’s not like we weren’t doing anything, but there’s so much logistical planning that goes into albums and tours that it turned into a bit of a nightmare. But I think with these new releases and the tour, they’re kinda saying we’re back, and we’re here to stay.” The groups new attitude resonates highly with the release of their new music. The biggest crowd reaction of the night came with one of their latest singles ‘I Never Want To Be Your Boyfriend.’ The catchy track is by far the most pop influenced song in the line-up, but aligns perfectly to the groups sound, and is a testament to the bands progression. “I think the music we’re making now has a much larger variety of inspiration than our earlier work” Elliot ponders “Each song sounds different because all hail from different genres. We used to try and keep our songs in one vain, but now we just write the songs we like, and play them all together.” The more freeing approach certainly is conveyed in the group’s performance of the track, upping their enthusiasm to match the crowd frantic energy, as they reacted to the unforgettable sound.

The group ended the admittedly short, but engaging set with some tracks off their long-awaited debut album. It’s been a long time coming, but the electric guitar riffs and heavy drum beats in group’s performance, assure that the wait has been worth it. “We’re just figuring out the final track listing, but other than that it’s good to go!” Fin remarks excitedly. “But we’ll always be writing and making music. That’s what we wanna do.” It’s a uplifting statement from the talented newcomers, and seems to promise that whatever ‘The Jacques’ do next, we should all be watching.

You can check out the bands latest releases here.