Brands and bands sometimes make uneasy bedfellows – but there is one trademark that screams ‘rawk’n’roll’ like no other…and that’s Jack Daniels.
The Jack Rocks stage has been a regular fixture at festivals for the last few years. And it’s been the place to make a b-line for if you want to crank up the excitement levels a notch or two.
This year the team have hooked up with increasingly legendary live promoters, This Feeling, to take seven hand-picked bands on a tour of their stages at The Great Escape, TRNSMT, The Isle of Wight, and Reading & Leeds.
We were lucky enough to see all seven play a packed industry showcase in the cellar of an East London pub as they launched their Tennessee Whiskey-fuelled UK excursion. And we can vouch for the fact that every act rightly deserves its place on the bill.
So, because you may well have never have heard of many of these acts (which is sort of the point of the exercise) we thought we’d put seven questions to each of them so you kind get an idea of what makes them tick.
Here it’s the turn of The Wholls to go under the spotlight…if you want a taster why not check out X21…
- Use 7 words to describe each member of the band
Tordy: chest hair conditioning, love tiger that sings
Sonny: Alice Cooper’s future golf buddy. Plays guitar
Danny: big goofball. Loves his dog. Too much
Joe: 5ft 9. GSOH. Looking for companionship
[Nice plug Joe – good use of initiative, Ed.]
- Describe the band as a whole and your music in seven words
Loud, raw, taking it to the limit.
[Isn’t that an Eagles tune? Ed.]
- You have a half-hour festival slot to play. Which seven songs would you choose to perform and in what order….six of your own and one cover version?
We’re loving touring our album at the moment, we just got back from Europe supporting Royal Republic and it was a great opportunity to play for some new audiences in different countries and see what response we got. 3,000 people going crazy and singing back the lyrics was a pretty amazing feeling, for a solid month! Our favourite six in the set that we will be bringing to the festivals are:
- Perfect Waste of Time
- Take Jimi
- X21
- Give It Up
- Going Down
- Roll Out
And as for the cover? Well, we have been working one out especially for our Jack Rocks 7 festival shows and we kind of want to keep it a surprise! We can tell you it’s a universal feel-good track and something you will not want to miss, so make sure you come and see us.
[Don’t worry – we ache for surprises at festivals…we’ll be there, Ed.]
- Which seven bands or artists have been your biggest influences? Of these which is your biggest hero and why?
Cor, there’s plenty but the ones that come straight to mind as we write this…Primal Scream, The Clash, Oasis, Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Foo Fighters and Stevie Ray Vaughn. The theme with a lot of these artists is they are just normal guys and girls doing something they love and having something to say. Be it lyrically or artistically. And a ‘give-a-fuck’ attitude – which is vital for making tunes true to you as a band. Our biggest heroes? How can you choose between Bobby Gillespie and Liam Gallagher?!? Don’t make us make that call…
[Celebrity death match time? ed.]
- What are your seven steps to success as a band?
- Do it for the love.
- With people you love.
- Leave egos at the door.
- Support other bands, you’re all in this together not against each other.
- Own one pair of leather pants.
- Play every show like it could be your last.
- Write. A lot. Just keep writing!
[Although maybe a bit of judicially applied ego now and then isn’t a bad thing…Ed.]
- Can you each share the seventh-to-last photo you have taken on your phone and say a few words about it?
Tordy: The picture says it all…
Sonny: I saw this online and it had me in a laughing fit.
Danny: My dog, my favourite thing. Apart from the drums.
Joe: This is actually me on the john at the top of The Shard in London. It’s about a quarter of a kilometer up and in my humble opinion could be the greatest toilet known to man. I could easily kick back with a crossword and a cuppa up there for half an hour. Good times.
- Seven is meant to be a lucky number…what do each member of the band use as a lucky charm?
We believe you make your own luck. We’ve got no good-luck charms, superstitions or rituals. Just be ready to embrace everything. More stuff goes on behind the scenes than most people will ever realise. Sonny does collect fans panties at each and every show…however at the moment he has none.
[Girls – come on, you’re letting the side down…Ed.]
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Excited to announce the line-up for BD2026 🥳🙌💫
Super Furry Animals, Madness, Levellers, The Proclaimers, The Divine Comedy, Skindred, Gogol Bordello, The Wonder Stuff & more will join us this August. See you there X
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Mel Liddy Boc Kirk
Goodbye January and hello to our 2026 line-up announcement coming NEXT WEEK! ⏰Thursday 05 Feb 10am⏰
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