If you see the New Jacobin Club and Angry Teeth Freakshow Halloween performance next Friday, you might be forgiven to think they donned their costumes for this special day.
Not exactly - it's all part of a show that includes machetes, fire and fearsome music.
The band has been around for about 13 years, but has performed together as a theatrical group only about a year and a half.
They follow in the traditions of older sideshows popular at carnivals in the early 1900s, and perform acts using staple guns, broken glass, syringes, sledgehammers, torches and flaming hula-hoops, as well as virtually anything else that can maim or kill.
"We've joked that it's like Cirque du Soleil, but we're really evil," said a band member known as The Horde. "It encompasses everything from classic turn-of-the-century freak-show acts to some very unusual modern things, and lots of costumes."
He will be joined on stage by Swarm on bass, Fury on guitar, Brother Vitruvius on keys and Rat King on drums, all using only their stage names for publicity.
Opening for the band is the local group Zombie Sex Cult, as well as touring acts Lavagoat and Plagued Inferno.
Up to 11 people can take to the stage at one time in a performance The Horde said is inspired largely by medieval times, where they will sometimes act out the lives of people such as King Edward II.
While they may seem crazy, Horde insists they practice every movement they make to ensure it's done safely. They've had scrapes and bruises over the years, but "nothing debilitating," he reassured.
"We're not out of control. We're very careful and very professional about this," he said.
The musicians describe themselves as somewhere between Judas Priest and the Misfits, with straightforward heavy metal style with recent branching out into rock opera.
The group has performed on Guinea Pig, a Discovery Channel program on sideshow performers, and the act has continued to grow over the last year and half in both size and complexity, with new performers joining in all the time.
"This is not a typical night at a sideshow. This is something a lot more eye-opening, a lot more dynamic, a lot louder and bigger and more colourful," The Horde said.
The show takes place on Oct. 30 at the Union Centre on Eighth Street near First Avenue East. The full-sized stage will allow the group to take their theatrics to the max, said Horde.
And if you're in for a scare this Halloween, there's likely no better place in town to find it.
Doors open at 7 p .m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are open to all ages and cost $10, or $7 if you come in costume, with no advance tickets.
Local goth rockers the New Jacobin Club have a busy year ahead with a new live show including a freak show and burlesque act, a new album in the works and even some new band members thrown into the mix. The Horde managed to take time away from doing dark and creepy things and talk about what to expect from the band in 2009.
TH: This past year Lady Arkham and The Eclipse left the band to pursue other things. Joining myself (vocals/rhythm guitar), The Fury (lead guitar) and The Swarm (vocals/bass) are The Rat King on drums (from Edmonton) and Brother Vitruvius on keys and acoustic guitar. Vitruvius is an ex-Saskatoonite musician recently returned from exile in B.C. In a former life he was the mastermind behind the legendary synth-pop phenomenon Linus Hemmingway.
JCS: I heard you're in the process of working on the new album. What can fans expect?
TH: The new album, already with the title "This Treason" will be an epic gothic rock-opera telling the of the tragedies and atrocities surrounding the 14th century warlord Sir Hugh Despenser and England's King Edward II. Other tales of medieval European folklore and Christian occult are woven into the storyline. Don't expect it to be a dry history lesson. The album is already 85 percent written. The final studio recording itself will take a good chunk of 2009 to complete. We will be employing more than one guest artist to complete the massive full sound we're looking for.
TH: We put together a truly imposing stage show by incorporating everything from lights and projections to freak show stunts and pyro. We teamed up with Cookies and Cream, a burlesque duo; the Angry Teeth, a freak show; and Continuum Flux, a light/sound/visual design wizard. The Angry Teeth are really the icing on the cake - they perform stunts with piles of broken glass, bowling balls, staple guns, syringes, whips and an assortment of objects that get set on fire. We're currently planning Western Canadian tour for June with the Angry Teeth so fans should check our website for updates on that.
To find out more about New Jacobin Club visit www.newjacobinclub.com or myspace.com/newjacobinclub
As every self-respecting ghoul knows, the Halloween season is the preeminent time of the year for the living (and yes, even members of the press) to make contact with the spirit world. With this in mind, I recently procured some candles, a quantity of brimstone and a Ouija Board, in an attempt to summon The New Jacobin Club (NJC), exiled immortals with a penchant for horror, theatrics and ear-shattering guitars.
Cast out of a higher plane of existence and brought together by their leader, a mysterious figure known only as The Horde, NJC formed an unholy artistic union, manifesting in the frozen Canadian wastelands around Saskatoon. Watch out—there’s nothing freakier than reaching into another dimension and pulling out a pissed-off warlord with a cause.
“The human race never learns from its mistakes,” growls The Horde, “and we‘re going to make sure you haven’t forgotten that. Throughout history, shadowy figures have stood by and gently encouraged and pushed the human race ahead in its quest to destroy itself. Why have history’s greatest empires always crumbled beneath the weight of a disturbed leader? Why have humanity’s greatest technological accomplishments been borne of the need to destroy? These shadowy figures will stand idly by and watch nations tear each other apart. We are the heralds of these entities and are carrying out their will—recounting tales of human tragedy and ignorance so that you will be prepared for what lies ahead.”
Taking their name from a doomed French political organization of the Middle Ages, the rest of The New Jacobin Club’s rogues’ gallery include The Swarm, Eclipse, The Fury, and the devastating Lady Arkham. They’ve recently released their third full length LP, a gorgeously-illustrated, sonically punishing horror rock epic called Wicked City. It would be easy to say that Wicked City is a Samhain-inspired gothic metal album, but that would be a huge cop-out. A New Jacobin Club album is like a patchwork Frankenstein of diverse influences, dueling guitars, enormous synths, pounding drums and bass, and most important, what really sets it apart—incredible musicianship.
“Well, we’re not pompously claiming to be re-inventing the wheel or anything,” rumbles The Horde. “Many current artsy rock groups either think they are the cutting edge of new sounds or that they are re-introducing the world to classic high-volume rock ’n’ roll. This is just dumb. We all have very diverse taste in music and it peeks through everywhere. We’re not shy—if we want to put an ornate power metal epic on a CD next to a ’60s pop sounding song, or a demonic Latin Bossa Nova, we will.”
The climate was bleak for metal bands on the prairie when the NJC had its genesis, ten years ago. No one would book a group with ghastly white faces, gimp masks, or screaming guitars. Moreover, prairie record labels also treated the NJC like they were an instant ticket to damnation. Yet ironically, when they ventured out of their home province on tour, they were invariably welcomed with open arms, and were even signed by an American label for their first official release. Along with the validation that came from such successful tour experiences, The Horde says one reason the NJC survived those tepid early years is because they didn’t rely solely on the metal scene to garner fans.
“There is now a richly creative and open-minded community that did not exist in Saskatoon when the NJC started out in the mid ’90s,” explains The Horde. “We can now safely say we have lots of local support. A big part of it has been our association with a newer scene of genre-bending multi-media artists and performers. 21st century Saskatoon groups like Linus Hemmingway, Adolyne, Mahogany Frog, Junior Pantherz, Nyet to the Neins—while very different from us musically, have been inspiring on a philosophical level.”
Not surprisingly, the NJC are also doing very well in Europe, where there is a thriving goth/punk/bondage scene. But Saskatoon has a chance to see them right here at home on Halloween Night at the Bassment, where they—much like Victor Frankenstein—will be bringing the monster that is Wicked City to life, in a full-on multimedia presentation and all around kick ass rock show.
“The live show is but one aspect of this group,” says The Horde. “I find it ridiculous to judge art based on only one dimension, and we have several—the performance art, the audio art, the visual art, and the poetic art. We are happy to have combined as much of that as possible into our new album. Not every aspect of our art sits well with everyone, but at least on some level it will grab their attention and hopefully be memorable in some way. Expect to feel all dirty and conflicted inside.”
>
Planet S: I’ve been at NJC shows where William Castle films and other old horror movies have been playing on televisions on the stage. Can you explain what film brings to the Jacobin experience?
The Horde: William Castle was a gimmick-obsessed B-film boob. I can’t imagine what he brings to anyone’s enjoyment of the Jacobin experience. Maybe if you play our new album while watching The House on Haunted Hill with the sound turned off like those stoner hippie dipsticks do with Pink Floyd and The Wizard of Oz—except instead of smoking weed while you watch you have to eat a jar of hot pickled string beans and do shots of Tequila. Maybe it’s actually about what the New Jacobin Club brings to the William Castle experience.
PS: The video for Creeping Flesh is a bonus on the Wicked City CD and is featured on your Myspace page (www.myspace.com/newjacobinclub).
How effective has a music video been for you?
The Horde: Having your video available for all to see on the internet is worth more than one or two token plays on a TV station. This is where taking advantage of the internet can really pay off. The video is great because it’s bridged that gap between the studio recordings and the live show—people that have never seen us live get a better idea of what the NJC is all about. Many people will watch a whole music video before they will listen to an audio track of a band they’ve never heard before.
PS: Any surprises for the big Halloween show?
The Horde: We are hoping to have with us a very special guest performer or two for part of our set. 2006 is our 10th anniversary in Saskatoon, and what better way to celebrate than alongside some departed Jacobin brethren of the recent past. Expect to hear at least a fistful of songs we haven’t performed in quite a long time.
PS: What are your future plans?
The Horde: In summer 2007, we hope to have an eye-popping effects-laden live show to take on the road with us. There were plans to shoot another video, but it’s looking like that will have to wait for a while. We will continue to push Wicked City throughout 2007 before considering more studio work.
PS: Anything else we should know about NJC?
The Horde: We all read the Planet S religiously. Sometimes even outside the bathroom
Album Reviews
BC Musician Sept. 2011
The New Jacobin Club – This Treason
Location – Saskatoon
Date of CD – 2010
Label - independent
For the past 17 years the New Jacobin Club have shocked audiences and built a loyal cult following as western Canada’s gothic shock band along with a live show which is reminiscent of Skinny Puppy crossed with the Jim Rose Circus. This album comes with a CD and the DVD “Inside the Cannibal Circus” which was filmed at a live performance in 2009. This latest effort is a morality play set to music tracing the relationship of Sir Hugh le Despenser the Younger who became royal chamberlain to King Edward II. For the uninitiated this album and DVD are intriguing and are worthy of a listen, if only to fuel your desire to see their amazing live show which may change the way you see music forever. If you are already a fan this will only serve as a compelling tool to recruit new fans to their growing following.
Battlehelm.com May 2011
New Jacobin Club
This Treason
>
(Somnambulist Sound System)
Theatrics in music is as old as music itself. At least when it comes to hardrock/heavy metal. Larger than life acts like early KISS or Alice Cooper would have been less interesting without the large shows/theatrics. Even though the competition was less ferocious back in the 70s you still had to stand out to be noticed. Something that is even more of a matter today with so many bands fighting for so few channels to expose their music in. Canadian New Jacobin Club has all the theatrics to be noticed by the looks of it but can they deliver the goods? Since this is my first encounter with them I have no idea what to expect from them. I have nothing to compare their progress with. I've heard them described as a cross between Judas Priest and Misfits. I hear the Misfits (Danzig-era) mostly in the vocals but also a bit in the music. The Judas Priest impression I'm not so sure about. What it made me think of instead was a less mechanized Marilyn Manson gone 80s heavy/thrash metal. I'm not usually impressed by bands that feel like they're all over the place but New Jacobin Club are the exception.
- Anders Ekdahl
Blistering.com May 2011
The New Jacobin Club
This Treason
Somnambulist Sound System/Indie Pool
Canadian (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan based) outfit The New Jacobin Club have been on the scene for the better part of fifteen years, and in that time have managed to produce three full-length albums (2001’s ‘The New Jacobin Club’, 2003’s ‘Retake The Throne’ and 2006’s ‘Wicked City’), and a host of other releases pressed exclusively on vinyl and cassette (Mostly demos, singles and live albums).
But despite their prolific output, the band haven’t really managed to make a huge dent with their gothic/metal on a musical level, primarily because the visual aspect of their show (Which has been described as the evil version of ‘Cirque De Soleil’) is an equally important aspect of their overall presentation. That was prior to the release of their latest effort ‘This Treason’, which is easily their most accomplished effort to date.
Conceptually based on tragedies and atrocities surrounding the 14th century warlord Sir Hugh Despenser and King Edward II, ‘This Treason’ is an ambitious gothic rock opera that could well have turned into a complete disaster in the wrong hands. And while it’s no classic masterpiece, The New Jacobin Club has managed to make an album that’s as entertaining as it is varied.
The opening title track ‘This Treason’ is a fair indication of what you can expect from the group, and that’s part orchestral, part gothic rock and a fair chunk of metal thrown in with the heavy guitar and bass work. Lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist The Horde gives the band a slight latter era-Misfits sound on the vocal front, while the heavy riffing from The Fury, The Swarm’s bass work and Rat King’s drums give off a slight Slipknot influence, if only with the strong rhythmic groove they all contribute to.
‘Private Hell’ is a definite favourite with its strong pop melodies and punk rock vibe wrapped around some impressive lead work, while the semi-acoustic/keyboard driven ‘Breath Like Wine’ is another worthy effort.
Despite their best attempts at evoking a heavier and creepier feel, the keyboards in ‘Countess Scorned’ don’t quite manage to convince the listener enough to really work, while the rocking dirty blues effort ‘Like Dogs’ sounds like its built on a solid foundation, but don’t really go anywhere during its full five and a half minutes.
The faster speed and aggression within ‘The Fall’ is a definite lift around the halfway mark of the album, even if the theatrics around the latter half of the song feel a little tacked on for the sake of a cinematic feel overall, but the rocking instrumental ‘Kronos Devours His Children’ does manage to put the album back on track.
The big centrepiece of the album has to be the thirteen minute mini-opera ‘All Mourning Long’. Much like some of the former tracks, ‘All Mourning Long’ does have its genuinely interesting moments (The acoustic work at the tail end is well done, as to are some of the heavier moments that punctuate here and there), but seems a little too drawn out in places to really justify running for such a length.
The use of stringed keyboards add a real sense of drama to ‘The Bishop And The Executioner’, earning the song a place amongst the short list of favourites from the album, while the closing number ‘Penance At The End Of Days’ (Excluding the hidden ‘Breath Like Wine (Clubmix ‘84)’) provides a fitting heavy and catchy conclusion to the album.
On a theatrical level, few can match The New Jacobin Club with their live presentation. But on a musical level, the band has always lagged behind many with music running a distant second to presenting a visual feast for the eyes. But with ‘This Treason’, the band has certainly written some solid tunes, all of which can be enjoyed on their own.
Of course, there’s still some niggling issues in terms of production, mixing and the ratio of fillers compared to album worthy tracks, but when you weigh up the past and the present, it’s clear that The New Jacobin Club have come up with a worthwhile release this time around with ‘This Treason’.
For more information on The New Jacobin Club, check out - http://www.newjacobinclub.com/
© Justin Donnelly
Rock Classiques March 2011
The New Jacobin Club - This Treason
Shock rock with a gothic flavour
ALAIN LEFEBVRE/CFOU 90.1 fm
(translated from French)
The New Jacobin Club is a Canadian shock rock collective that, like White Cowbell Okalhoma, relies heavily on visual spectacle in concert using all sorts of props that in my opinion make it more of a freakshow than anything else. They have existed for fifteen years and, though they have never caught my attention before, I really enjoyed their new disc - the fourth in their career, This Treason, which is very good and was assembled with great care. In this concept album that tells the story of the last days of King Edward II, one finds beautiful orchestrations and “scary” theremin passages that give a very particular color to this disc. The album is accompanied by a DVD concert recorded in 2009, along with interviews and a video clip related to the concept of the disc. Described musically as a cross between Judas Priest's early 80's and more recent Misfits, they have received nods of approval from Exclaim magazine among others. It's worth a visit ...
Rating: 8.5
EXCLAIM! 03/2007
New Jacobin Club
Wicked City
By Keith Carman
Fiery and imposing while still retaining a degree of intelligence and fore-thought, Wicked City is an impressive piece of punk-influenced metal from Canadian prairie metallers New Jacobin Club. Falling just short of classic thrash metal, these well-produced songs are speedy without hitting overbearing and feature a primal vocal delivery that is as forthright as it is catchy. Things become truly interesting, however, when the band hit the chorus of any given song, where their obvious penchant for bubblegum punk rock comes out. The catchy crescendos are shocking polar opposites to the raging verses and the four-chord passages are simple and poppy, creating an almost staccato jump between parts that is moderately jarring yet by the second time around, one finds the elements adhering quite readily. Overall, while Wicked City won’t exactly forge a new stream out of the sea of metal, it is still a refreshing dip. Factoring in the band’s seemingly tongue-in-cheek use of Viking imagery, this displays strong degrees of both a sense of humour and proficiency.
(Somnambulist Sound System)
Mote 03/2006
The New Jacobin Club
Retake the Throne
Manticore Music Group
The New Jacobin Club are a hardcore/gothic punk band that hail from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The band just goes to show that it's not where you are from that defines who you are or what kind of music you can play. The group which formed in late 1995 has been playing their unique brand of death metal meets power punk for over a decade and have since released two proper recordings.
The band who always takes the stage dressed in Halloween garb have managed to carve out a niche for themselves in the world of heavy metal music taking off where the Misfits stopped. At first glance I am leery about what I am about to hear since both 2001's self titled release and the more recent 2003, "Retake the Throne" pictures members of the band in full makeup and fake blood attire, but after reluctantly placing the albums in my CD player I am pleasantly surprised. "Retake the Throne" is balls out rock and roll played by a group of individuals who obviously take pride in the music they create. The NJC actually have talent and create music that is loud and energetic, yet sophisticated and well produced unlike most other bands the group share the genre with.
Stand out tracks on "Retake the Throne" include "Chamber Door", "Pendulum Swing" and my personal favorite, "Feeders of Sorrow" a love song with an 80's rock feel. For those fans of hardcore, gothic, metal, and punk who have yet to hear the New Jacobin Club I suggest you search out the Saskatoon quintet, you'll be glad you did.
Paul Borchert
Metal Maniacs 05/2004
THE NEW JACOBIN CLUB - Retake the Throne
Somewhere between the realms of mid-era Judas Priest in a straightforward rock/metal style and newer era Misfits vocally and visually, this is a horror-punk-metal hybrid with a nice start and plenty of room to grow. There’s nothing amazing or profound put into play here, rather a nice blend of styles with decent beats that keep you interested, and a decent use of keyboards to create atmosphere. A well produced 11-track release that definitely pays homage to the Damned, Iron Maiden and said bands above. A little more energy in the drumming would have upped them a few points, but the dude doesn’t fuck up so I guess the job was done. I’ll look forward to their next release and wouldn’t be surprised to see them on stage trading makeup tips with Jerry Only and the new Misfits line up in the near future.
GROK 05/2004
RETAKE THE THRONE
The New Jacobin Club (Manticore)
REVIEWED BY AMY FOSTER
The original Jacobins were the most radical bunch of revolutionaries around during the French Revolution, instituting a Reign of Terror in the late eighteenth century. Hailing themselves as "western Canada's goth-punk overlords," the New Jacobin Club have risen up out of Saskatoon to inspire fear into the hearts of the teeny-bopping mainstream with their second full-length album. Dressed up like road-kill and calling themselves Vlad the Inhaler, Lady Arkham, The Horde, The Swarm and Eclipse, these guys are just having so much fun that your inner bogan won't be able to resist lettin it's hair down and head-banging along. Turn it up loud and terrorise the sweet old ladies next door -- pretending
to be the antichrist is a great stress reliever.
Review of "Retake the Throne" at BallBusterHardMusic, January 2004
Review of "Retake the Throne" cd at Urotsukidoji�s Pad, October 2003
DEATHROCK.COM 10/2001
New Jacobin Club (Manticore Music)
It starts out on a sombre note, misleading you into thinking this may be an ethereal project, but if you know the New Jacobin Club, you know better. The unexpected beginning was a nice touch. The transition to the instrumental track ‘Dragon Island’ lets you know just what you are in for, with strong guitars and a hook around every corner. The production on this CD is much better than previous releases for an amazing sound, compared to other releases that sounded like muddy (but not bad) versions of Samhain meets the Undead (interesting!). The backing organs to this give it what to me is uniquely death rock.
The leads are alternately light and comforting, then grim and foreboding - showing good divergence and technical skill. Some of the songs get lost on a blase rock sound, but the album holds together despite these few. There is also a tendency to add rockabilly western guitar licks in at strategic moments, adding to their repertoire, such as on ‘Manipulator’. The pace and instrumentation is reminiscent of fellow Canadian ghoul rockers, Forbidden Dimension. ‘Demon Princess begins with a monologue, and on one track is an excerpt of HP Lovecraft’s ‘Rats in the Walls,’ and ‘Invisible Deity’ is a creepy church organ style solo, though what defunct and blasted church it could be from is a mystery. The vocal style of The New Jacobin Club is a not unusual male vocal that bears a distant relation to The Misfits, though less abrasive. The CD ends where it begins, with an ethereal soundscape that though relevant, is too abrupt.
death: ***
music: ***
Review of "The New Jacobin Club" cd in Southbound Beat Magazine, July 2003
Review of "The New Jacobin Club" cd in Nephilius Webzine, June 2003
Maximum Rock’n Roll 06/1999
NEW JACOBIN CLUB - “A Lesson in Mortality” ep
It’s an embarassment of riches this month for genre-fuckery. First the JUD JUD single, now this classic piece of goth-rock parody. All the cliches are in place, from ultra-tired sleeve art to members named “Xerxes” to band photos of players sporting corpse-paint that stops at the jaw-line. Someone’s been studying their CATHEDRAL OF TEARS records! A mordant gift for those guitarists half in love/death with flange and delay-delay-delay. A perfect death...(RW)
(Transparent, 6759 Transparent Dr, Clarkston, MI 48346)
Moral Minority 04/1999
New Jacobin Club - “A Lesson in Mortality” 7” ep 1999
This death rock trio has come a long way. Started by front man Count Xerxes, 3 bassists and 2 drummers later they have found a home on Transparent Records based in Michigan. Rumour has it that they’ve also been invited to a death rock festival that would’ve seen The Misfits headlining. It’s nice to see that you don’t have to move to make it somewhere and if you’ve got brains you can still make music more than a hobby. This release is complete with cackles and screams. Not as energetic as I know they can be...but really interesting solos and solid bass playing. The drumming is also immensely better than I remembered. It’s hard to categorise this band but there’s an interesting mix of rockabilly, surf and rock.
-Jodie Thomson
Interviews & Articles
