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A lot can happen in three years. Back at the late end of 2002 we saw the emergence of a ‘Liverpool scene’, with the city undergoing a period of creativity that saw a number of fresh new bands breaking through. The most famous of these, The Coral and more recently The Zutons, are well known but there were a number of others, many of which have since fallen by the wayside.
Inner City Sumo was set up in April 2002 as an outlet for up and coming Liverpool bands to "express themselves in a fun and creative way". ‘Modern Rock & Roll from the Mersey Delta’ is the second compilation to be released by the label and features 19 bands - all of them unsigned - and a variety of musical styles. As you would expect it is something of a mixed bag.
The compilation begins interestingly, firstly with the low-key sound of Lovecraft, before things are livened up by Zombina & The Skeletones and the excellent 28 Costumes, whose track 'Dull Boy' provides the album's highlight.
Other notable tracks include the preacher man sound of Blue Demon, EMO (yes, EMO from Liverpool!) from Tokyo Adventures and the feisty girl punk of Flamingo 50.
With so many artists featured, it is hardly surprising that some do not quite match up and the compilation would have benefited from including less pointless two-chord punk thrash, but as a snapshot of a burgeoning underground scene in one of the UK's key cultural cities, 'Modern Rock & Roll...' is certainly worth a listen.
