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Fiery Four-Piece The Jacques are here to spread their unconventional spirit through their bracing basslines and lavish lyrics. A band commonly associated with The Libertines show real promise as they go on their headline UK tour this year. Read on to see who the boys would love to jam with, their most memorable gig so far and what they have yet to share in store for us…
The new single ‘I Never Want To Be Your Boyfriend’ has a slight taste of Post-Punk Eighties about it. Is it fair to say that you’ve taken some old ingredients to make a new recipe, musically speaking?
Yeah. We pretty much wrote that song around a synth sound - we use a lot more of that kind of thing now but actually at the time (that song is around 3 years old despite only just having been released) it was really new for us. We wanted to go for a kind of Roxy Music / Gary Numan kind of thing.
Manchester and Liverpool are cities you tend to think of when Rock Royalty is talked about but your hometown of Bristol has been pretty strong competition going off the many successful bands that hail from its streets. Did your upbringing or surroundings inspire your songwriting?
Well, we haven’t really done trip-hop yet, but we’re known for our genre curveballs so I definitely wouldn’t rule that out! I saw Massive Attack last time I went to Glastonbury which was when we played around 5 years ago and it was hands down the best show I’ve ever seen, so I’d love to go down that route a little bit some time. Reggae and ska is the other big Bristol thing which is definitely a big influence and love of mine, but I’d say I’m equally influenced by London which is where I was born and where I live.
Do you enjoy playing live and what’s been the most memorable gig so far?
Yes, we all do, especially when its busy, so please buy tickets for our tour! Our most memorable gig was Transmusicale festival in Rennes, France.
What’s been the biggest thrill for the band since forming, back in 2014?
Finally completing our debut album, which is set for a summer release. It took us a long, long time to get to this point and was a pretty bumpy fucking ride to say the least.
If you could pick any musician to jump up on stage and jam with you, who would it be?
Bettye Lavette or Keith Richards.
Who’s the joker in the band and who’s the sensible one?
We’re all jokers but I’m usually the one who tells everyone to shut up and get back on with it. I’d say Elliot is the main practical joker.
Your band has a flat out enjoyable energy to it. I can’t imagine anyone not coming away from one of your gigs without a big grin on their faces. Is it all about having a laugh or is there a serious side to it all?
Its all about having a laugh! I’m serious about lots of things really, but laughing is a survival technique. I think genuinely some people just have to do it in order to stay alive.
You’ve been fortunate to have support from major radio stations after your music was featured on Steve Lamacq’s BBC Radio 6 music programme. Did this generate an array of new fans?
I don’t know about an array, but quite recently I found out that my therapist knew me from 6 Music which was nice.
What’s in store for The Jacques in 2020 after the tour?
As I said, there’s an album pretty much ready in waiting at the moment which will be a massive deal for us. We’re also really keen to get back into festivals this year, that would be great. We just want to be gigging as much as possible from here on in, we’re writing a lot at the moment too. And we want to make more friends! We’ve been historically awful at making friends with other bands, which would be nice.
It was a pleasure getting to chat with such a refreshing group who are so passionate about their music. I am more than confident you’ll be seeing this band a lot more often. Make sure to catch them at one of their shows once we can!
Article by Holly Turner
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