J.D. Roots: featuring The Horrors, The Cribs and Twin Atlantic
aaamusic | On 28, Mar 2012
Jack Daniel’s are proud to announce the launch of JD Roots, a unique series of three shows across the UK that takes some of the biggest names in alternative music back to their hometowns for one-off intimate gigs that are sure to be highlights of this year’s live music calendar.
For the launch of JD Roots they have three of the most talked about and popular alternative bands around. THE HORRORS are the toast of the critics but are also well on the way to being the pre-eminent alternative band in the UK, THE CRIBS are heading towards their fifth album release with the swagger of a band that captivate a huge fanbase across the globe and TWIN ATLANTIC have become the most talked about band of recent times with the release of their second album.
JD Roots kicks off in Glasgow on Thursday 3rd May when TWIN ATLANTIC headline King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. A buzz band with those in the know on the release of their debut mini-album ‘Vivarium’ in 2009, the four piece broke through with their debut full length, ‘Free’, released last year. With fans including Zane Lowe and a cover of Kerrang to their name, the band are now more used to bigger stages, so, with a blistering live reputation, the JD Roots opener is all set to be a mouth-watering start to this series of one off shows. The band are all set to make this a memorable show:
‘We’re looking forward to being a part of the JD show this summer and playing the venue that’s probably still closest to our hearts and where everything started for our band. We have a lot of memories tied up at King Tuts and it’ll be good to go back and play a special set with a mix of songs that started their lives there’.
Wednesday 9th May sees us at the other end of Britain as we present THE HORRORS return to Southend’s legendary Chinnerys. From their initial appearances at their own Junkclub in the seaside town, the band have denied the early naysayers and, over three albums, have seen themselves heralded as the most progressive and important alternative band in the UK, most recently winning ‘Best Album’ at the NME Awards for ‘Skying’, their third studio album. This incredibly special show is a rare if not the only chance to see The Horrors play in such intimate surroundings to the people who played a vital part at the very beginning of their story. Rhys from the band explains the importance of the town to the Horrors story:
‘We plotted our first band practice whilst sharing drinks in the window of Southend On Sea’s Royal Hotel, a grand old building overlooking the longest pleasure pier in the world and home to the infamous Junk Club. A couple of months later we played one of our earliest shows in the hotel’s dark basement to a heaving crowd of sweaty freaked out individuals. Now we return to Chinnerys, just a stone’s throw from that hallowed place; to get right back where we started from and celebrate a fantastic few years of causing trouble’.
JD Roots finishes its UK tour on Wednesday 16th May when THE CRIBS return to Wakefield to play an ultra-rare home town gig at what is sure to be a crammed and excitable show at the Wakefield’s Theatre Royal. The trio have redefined the idea of independence, never shying away from standing up for the values that are inherent in both their music and their approach to their art. A peerless live act and a fanatically supported example of all that is great about British independent music, The Cribs embody the ethos of JD Roots.
‘We haven’t played in Wakefield since 2007 as all the venues seem to have disappeared. We last played at a place called Escobar. There were loads of kids who couldn’t get tickets for the show, so the streets were lined with people watching through the windows. It will be great to finally play here again after 5 years.’
The support band on all three shows sees Jack Daniel’s bring some of its own Tennessee musical roots to the UK with Nashville’s THE BLACK BELLES joining the line-up. Signed to Third Man Records, whose headquarters in Downtown Nashville is an integral part of any visit to Music City, Yahoo described Jack White produced all-female four piece as ‘A ghoulish brand of garage complete with off-kilter guitars, ominous pipe-organ keyboards and an infectious kick drum beat’ proclaiming that‘The Black Belles are a perfect female counterpart to the Horrors’.
