Photo: John Johnson/ Getintothis
As the winter months hit full stride, and it’s completely freezing everywhere, what better reason to get colder, than to head to the city of Liverpool. Some speculation would say that the Liverpool music circuit has never been replenished since the early 2000s.
Yet, having looked at Liverpool Sound City’s line up this year, full to the hilt with local talent, and then looking at Liverpool Music Week’s line up, that speculation would be futile. Yes, of course, Liverpool Music Week is a weeklong celebration of music in Liverpool, but never before has the line up had such a depth of local talent, whilst also offering up something from further afield.
The local talent aren’t always the band playing earlier on each night, either. The festival is gleaming with civic pride, as the likes of She Drew The Gun, All We Are, Clean Cut Kid, and Louis Berry are further up the billing. But the weight of some of the night’s bills is sumptuously balanced. People from outside of the city will be privy to some of the city’s lesser-known talent.
Interestingly, the festival’s organisers have put all the big names on whilst ensuring that home grown talent supports them. And because of that, bands like Haarm, VYNCE, Feral Love, Pink Kink and RongoRongo, to name a few, will be the support acts people will come away with in their repertoire.
Yet, somehow, the list goes on. Whilst Haarm have been lauded by Q magazine, VYNCE, by NME, Feral Love by a festival in Canada. Pink Kink don’t even have any recordings, yet Liverpool’s movers and shakers are already mad about them.
Trudy and The Romance, who we have personally tipped for great things, are playing also. The band isn’t from Liverpool as such, but they are considered adopted scousers, and for that reason, their homecoming set may just be enough for them to drive you wild.
There is also L U M E N, who, with his very basic set up of himself and his laptop, has a simplistic charm, along with some jangly guitars that are enough to wet the thirst of any indie enthusiast.
Whilst the music should be enough to get you there, if you are enthusiastic about venues, Liverpool Music Week has hired out a few special ones. The Dome at Grand Central Hall will play host to Warpaint on the opening night. The Dome is a Grade 2 listed building. It’s a Victorian Methodist Church and it’s right in the centre of the city – so it’s a venue that will have you taken aback in all of its beauty.
Then there is the Liverpool Olympia, which was originally built for circus shows. How fitting that it is there where John Carpenter will be playing. The director/ composer/ writer is bringing his brooding atmospherics to the city for what seems to be a one-off set, and has all the punters talking about it.
Liverpool Music Week is giving Sound City a run for its money this year. It’s centre of town, with a stellar line up of established bands, and your next favourite artists. It’s the kind of line up that has something for well-seasoned gig goers and music lovers, as well as, those of us who haven’t got our finger on the pulse. If you go to Liverpool Music Week, you will come away with some new bands under your belt, no doubt about it.
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