Music / Libertines
Review: Carl Barật and The Jackals, Thekla
Thekla is the venue for Carl Barật and The Jackals – a band that formed back in 2014 in a peculiar way. An advertisement was posted to an online platform and more than 1000 musicians applied for it.
The lucky winners were the guitarist Billy Tessio, the bassist Adam Claxton and the drummer Jay Bone. They have worked with Carl Barat since then and the Let it Reign LP was released in 2015. It is a punk-inspired album that draws inspiration more from his Libertines work than his previous solo initiatives.
The venue is not exactly full but the atmosphere is electric. When Carl Barật enters the stage, the audience is ready to jump up and down and it doesn’t take them long to start a bit of Libertines-influenced chaos. The backbone of the set is mostly made up of Jackals songs, but some of Barật’s previous bands covers are also integrated into the show – although it looks like the crowd is here for the Jackals and not necessarily for Barật’s notorious part of his career.
is needed now More than ever
The band starts with Victory Gin – all blaring guitar riffs and catchy chorus – and is followed by Glory Days, with its sound reminiscent of The Clash. Guitarist Tessio replaces Barật as the lead singer on Sister, and his powerful voice matches the heaviness of the tune.
After all these punky squalls, the musicians slow down with Let it Rain, a nostalgic song about a fading love. The Jackals cover the Dirty Pretty Things’ Bang Bang You’re Dead and Libertines’ I Get Along. The set is quite short (fifty minutes) but the band comes back for a four-song encore.
The sound is bursting out from the speaker a bit too much tonight therefore it is difficult to hear Barật’s voice, let alone understand the lyrics. Some of the music quality and subtlety is lost over scuzzy guitars and loud percussion. But all in all, it is a great and very energetic night of punk rock.
Read more reviews: Dot to Dot Festival 2017
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
