Jakob - Jakob @ San Francisco Bathhouse - 11/06/2011
I have to admit up front that I've never heard much of Jakob before apart from the odd track on the internet, or played at friends’ houses. But I've yet to hear a bad thing from anyone who's ever seen them play and that, along with the fact that Tool chose them to open for them earlier in the year in Australia, is what got me down to the sold out San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington last Saturday to check them out.
Due to a ticketing mixup we missed the opening acts but by all accounts Bachelor of Architecture and Sora Shima put on an outstanding show and did themselves proud. By the time we arrived Jakob were set to take the stage and the atmosphere in the packed out bar was incredible. It's amazing to be in a room full of people that excited about seeing local music, particular when the band in question is from Napier - not one of the typical music centres of the country.
At about 11pm Jakob hit the stage to a roar of excitement then for the next hour and a bit blew a very receptive audience away with a solid set of soundscape, expanding on musical ideas, taking the audience on a sonic journey with each new song. While they had three albums of songs to choose from the band were keen to try out some new material. Always a tricky call by a band, the crowd lapped it up. Part of the reason for the crowd support is the level of musicianship exhibited by this trio; it really shows why they’re getting the recognition from abroad from big names in rock.
Just after midnight Jakob finished up but weren’t let off that easy, being called back to the stage to finish with the highlight of the night, a jaw-dropping rendition of Semaphore, off their 2003 album Cale:Drew. We stumbled from the San Fran buzzing, content and determined not to miss Jakob next time they roll through town.
About Jakob
This, New Zealand’s most formidable sonic instrumental three-piece, formed in the sleepy seaside town of Napier, Hawke’s Bay in 1998. Their debut album Subsets Of Sets (2002) put them on the map, their sophomore Cale:Drew (2005) solidified them as one of the country’s true explorative musical outfits and their third album Solace (2006) took them to the world. On the back of Solace’s release they toured Europe, the UK, Australasia and the USA with the likes of Isis, Pelican, Cog and The Hidden Hand. As their reputation continued to build they were twice personally invited to tour with American prog-rock heroes Tool throughout Australia and New Zealand, and toured alongside Damo Suzuki, frontman for seminal German psychedelic band Can.
Their previous album Solace was released in 2006 and in the eight years that have ensued various obstacles were thrown in the way of a new Jakob album materialising. By some freak coincidence all three of the band members all suffered debilitating hand injuries that would leave at least one person unable to play at any given time. Wrist surgery, broken hands and severed tendons all contributing to Jakob having to wait, and wait. Every time that momentum looked like building, the band were forced out of action and left to start again. Frustratingly this included cancelling a 29-date tour of Europe in March & April 2013.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Jakob
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