We caught up with The Jackobins ahead of their sold out hometown show tonight. To see what they have been up to and what we can look forward to next.

So bring us right back to the beginning for The Jackobins where did the band start and why?
The Jackobins started when Veso wouldn’t take no for an answer, and after what amounted to stalking myself for a few months, I gave in and agreed to form a band with him. I would have formed it earlier, but after arranging to meet up in this shady pub, he was a no show and so I got drunk and ended up talking to some other musicians in there and got sidetracked for a few months. Eventually we got jamming in an old terraced house in Wavertree, where Veso and our old keyboardist John, and original drummer, Arthur all lived together (along with some guy living in the ceiling). I remember our earliest sessions, Arthur would have a full kit set up in the kitchen near the sink, Veso would be sat on the stairs with the guitar, and me and John would be in the bathroom with keys and vocals.

You have had a shift in the lineup, and have welcomed two new members what brought about this?
A band is only as strong as its weakest relationship between any two members, and personalities were clashing with almost everyone having a different idea of how to move forward, and it gets to a point where you realise forcing yourself to be around certain people is not good for either yourself or for them. But out of all the shit that inevitably comes with band politics, something really great has come out in the form of our new members, Tom (bass) and Sean (drums). The drive and ability of the two of them is really inspiring and already in the short time they have been on board, we have moved forwards in ways we just couldn’t have done previously. They are a real pleasure to work with and I am genuinely looking forward to going out on tour with them (and Veso I suppose).

So introduce us to this new lineup of The Jackobins?
As I mentioned above, I am very pleased to announce Sean Burns on drums, and Tom Donoghue on bass, both of them are gifted musicians, but perhaps more importantly, they are sound lads and great fun to be around, this incarnation of the Jackobins is far more relaxed than ever before, but paradoxically, its almost the most productive version of the band to date, and so much creativity is being unlocked.

You’ve been gigging around the UK with many festivals under your belts what has been the highlight so far?
We do love festivals, the atmosphere is just something else, its always hard when someone asks you to pick highlights, but I think we would probably go with Y Not Festival 2016, we had a ball on the This Feeling Stage, the crowds were unreal and we got to hangout with a lot of great bands, the backstage area was messy, it was glorious.

Your singles ‘Waiting For The Sun’, ‘One More Chance’ and ‘Hasty’ have all displayed how you are growing and improving as a band musically. Each track showcasing a new more refined aspect to your sound, ‘Hasty’ being the most recent release, what sparked or led to this more refined sound?

We are constantly exploring our sound, and just when we think we know all the corners, we find another one. Like most bands, we are our own worst critics (we have so many unreleased and unplayed songs), but this motivates us towards better and better records. As I mentioned earlier, since the lineup change, the atmosphere in the band has changed, and this change has manifested itself in a flood of new songs that we are currently working on.

Big anthem blasters and sing along chorus’ seem to be the main feature of your tracks they are catchy and mighty is this what you try to achieve or does it come naturally?
We have never really set out to make a certain sound, we pluck ideas out of the air, and if we like it, we roll with it, and it becomes a Jackobins song. Its funny how you look back and realise you’ve kind of created something without noticing. But that being said, we are fans of big anthemic sounding songs, they can capture an audience in just this most fucking brilliant, special way, they are easily accessible, which is important, because isn’t one of the main miracles of music, the ability to connect with people?
Strong bass lines and dynamic zealous bright guitars are a massive feature and I’m sure a big contributor to why your songs are so infectious where do these riffs and licks come from?
In a word, Veso…. He’s very much our Surge, I have always been blown away by his ability to create these addictive riffs , that whilst demanding attention, leave room for the rest of the song to grow around.

You guys have been quiet lately is this to create anticipation for something big to come?
We have been rebuilding the band in the wake of the lineup changes, and literally haven’t stopped behind the scenes, but probably more importantly, we’ve been taking some time to enjoy being a band again and creating new material.

Have you got plans to release any new music this year?
We have recently been in the studio with Sugarhouse again, recording some new material, we are looking forward to revealing it soon, then we will be back in June recording more again. Our last release was Hasty which was some time ago, which is really depressing… 2016 was a good year on the road for us, but the internal fighting really crashed our creative party.. but now with the changes that have happened, we have got this torrent of ideas and songs bursting out and we cant wait to get them out there.

You have a hometown show this Friday, which is sold out that must feel good?
Playing our hometown is a special treat for us these days, we are here like once or twice a year normally, but they never disappoint! The Magnet where we will be playing is probably our favourite venue in Liverpool and Liverpool crowds are some of the best there are!

What can your fans expect from your upcoming shows?
Lots and lots of new material, along with old fan favorites, the band has changed, and I think people are going to like what they see and hear. Also they can expect a lot of dirty riffs, big vocals and energetic performance.
What are you looking forward to this summer?
We got a tour that starts this week with a Sold Out home show which is always fun. There’s several great festivals announced and plenty more we can’t reveal just yet which we are buzzing about. Particularly we can’t wait to play Sound City and Hope and Glory as it’s on home soil and both festivals have done a stellar job especially when it comes to emerging artists.
Any Irish dates planned?
You’ll have to wait until September, but we really are dying to get over.

You can have a listen to The Jackobins tasty tunes on Spotify here