Liverpool band the Jackobins played The Chameleon in July and the event had something for any indie or rock fan, starting off with Nottingham teens THE CHASE, a band that are like a high school version of Oasis or the Arctic Monkeys. The rhythm section Dion Heaney and Luke Childs is tight and they rock assisted by the scowl and swagger of Tyler Heaney who shows great star quality singing tracks like ‘Rescue Me’ as he clangs away on his guitar in a Weller style.
Other, more thoughtful support on the evening came from the Leicester band FRENCH LEAVE, with real clever atmospherics from Chris Reid, Rich Green and Olly Walton, played very well. Their songs definitely rock my boat: ‘Sleep Tight comes along like an ambient Joy Division with its cutting but subtle drums whilst ‘Torches’ has an intricate vibe to the guitars. ‘So’ is the one to look out for, with its washes of percussive electronics, sweet vocals and hooks that tell a real story, and great, Dovesey instrumentation.
Prime
PRIME stepped up to another level and really put on a show in their home city, with a new track called ‘To Be Or Not To Be’ showing a lot of promise, adding to NUSIC’s comments that they are one of the best new live bands in Nottingham. First single ‘Teen TV’ finishes the set off as always and is faster than the recording, played at breakneck pace. Singer Lee Heir took his shoes and socks off and threw them into the crowd, and they ended up coming back onto the stage with a shoe almost smashing drummer Josh Baggaley in the face. He still carried on drumming like a crazy man though to finish the set. The encore ‘Shake Off’, demanded by the noisy crowd, was punk-garage enough to rock anywhere. “This is new. If it’s s**t we blame you for requesting it”, joked Lee.
Headliners THE JACKOBINS, who recently graced 25,000 fans at Anfield (I won’t hold that against them), certainly show a chart promise, and their single ‘Ghosts’ can certainly compete with the likes of stadium rockers Kasabian. The chunky, epic sound, aided my Chris Marriott’s flowing basslines takes full advantage of The Chameleon’s massive pa system, probably one of the best in the city.
Jackobins
‘Waiting On The Sun’ is a worthy headline track for the EP, and guitarist Veso Mihaylov added some jagged, Shoegaze style edges to stop the set sounding a little too mainstream for my tastes, putting some real energy and passion into his playing. The five-piece reach epic heights here as singer Dominic Bassnett pulls out his rock star moves and takes off his shirt as he caresses his mic stand. “Ooh here we go / Waiting on the sun, waiting on the sun” – it’s all very polished and professional, and their Notts fans were not disappointed, nicely finishing off a night that featured four bands to definitely follow and keep an eye on.
Review by Rich Smith
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