For a band so young in their years, The Jacques have been through more than most: meeting their heroes, the death of their band mate and best friend, recovery from crippling addiction, and having a dream tour torpedoed. The story of The Jacques is one of resilience and togetherness, and one that they now herald with a new beginning as they release their long awaited sophomore album ‘Make Repetition!’. Listen HERE.
‘Make Repetition!’ is an album which sees the band collectively regain their voice, which had been lost in the tumultuous experiences around the time of their debut and then further restricted during lockdown. It travels the spectrum of scorched but sky-reaching indie between Blur, Modern Lovers, Parquet Courts and Velvet Underground, with songs of loss, survival, self-destruction, self-improvement, catharsis and sticking together. Yet what could have been a morose mood instead takes on an infectious, bittersweet and ultimately optimistic flavour.
Multi-instrumentalist Harry Thomas says, “I want to catch everyone’s attention. Due to the timing and circumstances of the first album, we’ll never know how it would have fared. We were just knocking on the door. Hopefully the knock is a lot louder now.”
And capturing a fresh wave of attention is precisely what The Jacques have been doing in recent months. Singles ‘Via Dolorosa’, ‘Dead Man’s Garden’, ‘All The Other Sinners’ and ‘Ramona’ have been backed with support spanning NME, The Line of Best Fit, FAULT Magazine and ‘Sunday Brunch’ while extensive touring with Public Image Ltd. saw them bond with punk legend John Lydon.
Assisted by production from Dan Swift (Biffy Clyro, Kasabian), Jules Apollinaire (Suki Waterhouse, Declan McKenna) and Gordon Raphael (The Strokes, Hinds), the new songs on the album further highlight The Jacques’ growing powers. It commands your attention from the off, from the chirpy indie-sleaze opener ‘White Heat’. That sound is echoed on the next new song, ‘Hard To Know’, but unexpected twists pop up at every turn, such as the way ‘The Vault’ staggers from grunge grind to sludge metal intensity, the faded ‘60s tones of ‘Clung’, and the doo-wop charm and darker underbelly of ‘You Only Want Me When I’m Gone’.
The album closes on a euphoric note with ‘Nothing Amazing’, an affecting and ever-evolving ode to “coming back stronger and carrying on.” It’s also of special personal significance to the band. It was one of the first songs that Harry wrote after Will passed, and was later recorded the day after drummer Elliot O’Brien met his current girlfriend.
The Jacques will put ‘Make Repetition!’ in the spotlight with the time-honoured tradition of hectic touring which runs through to the end of the year – their biggest tour so far with 33 shows. As special guests to The Sherlocks, with select headline shows, showcase events, and further gigs with The Twang, Grandmas House and Alabama 3 all on the calendar. The dates are:
SEPTEMBER
9th – London, The 100 Club (with The Twang)
11th – London, Omeara (International Festival Forum showcase – invite only)
17th – Hamburg, Reeperbahn (Motion showcase)
19th – Hamburg, Reeperbahn (SESAC showcase)
OCTOBER
1st – UK, St Albans, The Horn (with Grandmas House)
2nd – Paris, Supersonic Club (HEADLINE SHOW)
5th – Exeter, Cavern (with Grandmas House)
24th – London, The Gunners
NOVEMBER
1st – Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall (with The Sherlocks)
2nd – Chester, Live Rooms (with The Sherlocks)
6th – Stoke, The Sugarmill (with The Sherlocks)
7th – Norwich, Epic Studios (with The Sherlocks)
8th – Dover, Booking Hall (with The Sherlocks)
12th – Liverpool, Arts Club Theatre (with The Sherlocks)
13th – Holmfirth, Picturedrome (with The Sherlocks)
14th — Leeds, Warehouse (with The Sherlocks)
15th – Preston, 53 Degrees (with The Sherlocks)
19th – Carlisle, Fire Station (with The Sherlocks)
26th – London, O2 Academy Islington (with The Sherlocks)
27th – Brighton, Quarters (with The Sherlocks)
28th – Isle of Wight, Strings (with The Sherlocks)
29th – Wells, Studio 24 (with The Sherlocks)
DECEMBER
3rd – Guildford, Boileroom (with The Sherlocks)
4th – Glasgow, SWG 3 (with Alabama 3)
5th – Manchester, The Ritz 02 (with Alabama 3)
10th – Hertford, Corn Exchange (with The Sherlocks)
11th – Derby, The Hairy Dog (with The Sherlocks)
12th – Portsmouth, Wedgewood Rooms (with The Sherlocks)
13th – Northampton, Roadmenders (with The Sherlocks)
17th – Grimsby, Docks Academy (with The Sherlocks)
18th – Lincoln, The Drill (with The Sherlocks)
19th – North Shields King Street Social Club (with The Sherlocks)
20th – Hull, Welly (with The Sherlocks)
