Bands in Liverpool
Liverpool musicians and band interviews, features and reviews
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Blossoms at The Kazimier; Review
Seeing that The Kazimier was offering a line-up that featured both The Vryll Society and Blossoms, it was an obvious choice to get to a gig guaranteed to brighten a cold, Winter Sunday night. For once I managed to get to The Kazimier in time to see all of the bands on offer. The first support Hidden Charms were a very pleasant surprise. Melodic 60’s style pop/rock topped by vocals just coarse enough to give…
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'Liverpool Calling' Music Festival Announce First Wave of Acts For 2015
The beautiful and iconic Bombed Out Church remains as Liverpool Calling’s proud hosts, alongside some of the City’s greatest music venues including The Magnet, Sound Food & Drink, and Maguire’s Pizza Bar. Sheffield indie legends Reverend & The Makers will headline the Bombed Out Church to perform a set like no other. Folk acoustic singer Beans on Toast brings his comedic anthems to the Bombed Out Church. They also have the finest local bands on…
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Baby Strange And Slaves At The Shipping Forecast; Review
Fessing up at the beginning of this review is going to save a lot of time later and, hopefully, go some way towards placating the Slaves fans out there. I went to the gig to see Baby Strange. They are one of my favourite bands. The bias is all mine, because I know I was in the minority. Having said that, I go to gigs with an open mind and have been won over before,…
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David Gaffney’s Latest Release ‘Pocket-Sized’ Is The Perfect Track To Take You Into Spring
Producing the kind of music you’d hear played in a cafe on a rainy day, David Gaffney’s smooth voice has that quality about it that instantly makes you relax. Having received airplay on Dave Monk’s slot on BBC Merseyside already, fans can begin to get excited for further releases. With the pitter patter of spring showers to come, what better time for him to release his upcoming EP ‘Our Canons Of Green’. First single ‘Pocket-Sized’,…
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Above The Beaten Track Festival Announces 2015 Date At The Bluecoat
Above The Beaten Track returns to the Bluecoat on Saturday 5 September. Save the date as Above The Beaten Track returns on Saturday 5 September with the best in grass-roots live music, DJs, artists, traders, makers and audio visual extravaganzas. Now in it’s eighth year, the festival re-located to the Bluecoat in 2010 to cope with growing demand. Originally conceived to celebrate the range of diverse songwriters in the city, it has since expanded to…
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Alan McGee Presents Creation Sessions At District Featuring; Black Delta Movement, Mz Moxy & Shakedown Stockholm Review
I had been looking forward to this event for quite a while. Given the involvement of Alan McGee, a personal hero, I expected the acts to be of a high quality. Arriving at the club on a decidedly chilly night I was rewarded by a glimpse of the man himself, a sure sign that things were on track for a great evening. I had arrived a little early as I was unsure of the band…
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New Music; Gold Jacks – 'One Kinda Woman'
The new release from the Gold Jacks is good, paired down rock. The repetitive riff which forms the backbone of the track is catchy enough to prevent it from becoming annoying, instead providing a perfect foil for the lyrics. There are few embellishments, the track relying on insistent rhythm, crystal clear vocals and minimal, but rather fine guitar licks. Vocally, the track put me in mind of some of the finer bluesy type rock tracks…
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Band Feature; Veyu
Signed to Baltic Records and with a self-titled EP already under their belt, VEYU are surely set for a momentous year. The Wirral quintet are already distinguished on the Liverpool indie circuit having featured as The Guardian’s band of the week last year and Peter Guy’s buzz band of the week just last month. With a self-described aesthetic of “cavernous, turbulent post rock music”, VEYU’s EP, headed up by track ‘Running’ certainly evokes ambience and…
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Springbok/Falls At Maguires Pizza Bar; Review
Although there were four bands on at Maguires, an illness earlier in the week, which had left me weak as a kitten, meant it was unlikely I was going to see the night out. If the bands I did get to see were anything to go by, the loss was mine, because the first two acts were pretty damn fine. Starting with a set by Springbok, the audience were treated to some weighty sounds by…
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Band Feature; Visitors
Local Liverpool band ‘Visitors’ are definitely one to watch out for this coming year. They’ve had an exciting start already with an appearance on BBC Radio Merseyside January 10th, a recording with Red Sofa Sessions and an upcoming show on February 27th supporting Go Fiasco. With their last EP ‘Truth’ being released over 7 months ago, fans eagerly await the release of some new material. Defining themselves as ‘Garage doom rock’, listening to the first track of the…
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Sound City Announce Third & Final Headliner; The Vaccines
Liverpool Sound City have announced the third and final headliner for this year’s festival, indie rockers, The Vaccines. They join previously announced headliners Belle & Sebastian and The Flaming Lips who will play at the newly located Docklands site. Also announced today were Roni Size Reprazent, The Thurston Moore Band, Gaz Coombes F*cked Up, Evian Christ,Unknown Mortal Orchestra The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, Dum Dum Girls, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Stealing Sheep, Dutch Uncles,…
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Female Folk/Pop Trio The Hazel Empire Impress With Colours & Clouds
The Hazel Empire haven’t been together long and they’re already impressing crowds and the press. As just one of five other bands shortlisted nationwide in the Independent’s recent band competition, the trio were chosen to represent Liverpool in the final stage. The all female band, comprising of Jo, Grace and Nadia, have really created a unique branch of folk/pop, so it’s no wonder they’re opening ears to their music. Their latest releases, double single ‘Colours & Clouds’ are as mystical…
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Threshold V Third Wave of Acts Announced For March 2015
It’s two months to go until Threshold launches its fifth annual festival in The Baltic Triangle of Liverpool. The festival will take over 7 venues in the district on 27th-29th March, with some of Liverpool’s and the UK’s finest grass-roots music and arts. The programme is taking shape, people loved last year’s flowing festival feel and we aim to match and even better that atmosphere in March.” – Chris Herstad Carney, Threshold Producer With an already strong…
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New Track 'If You Could See' From She Drew The Gun Co-Produced By The Coral's James Skelly
Tales of otherworldly wisdom set within ‘glacial lullaby-blues’. Words that carry the weight of the world and melody that creeps far beneath the skin makes for a stop-you-in-your-tracks debut on James Skelly’s Skeleton Key Records. Emergent former-bedsit songbird and musical pied piper, She Drew the Gun spreads her wings and flies high on debut single, If You Could See, released on Monday 23 February on Skeleton Key Records. Liverpool songwriter, Louisa Roach stands at the…
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Peace Live At The Kazimier 15/01/15; Review
The gig was sold out. Must be a good, good feeling that, to start a tour knowing you’re hot property. I had never seen Peace live before, so this was one I was really looking forward to. Braving the wild weather, we made our way to The Kaz. Joining the expectant crowd half way through the rather excellent psychedelia of The Vryll Society, a stand-alone act with a future, worth catching again when I could give them my full…
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Fiesta Bombarda Heads To St George's Hall 21st February
For what will be the most ambitious Bombarda to date, everisland will be bringing the Fiesta to what is possibly Liverpool’s most breath-taking and epic space; St George’s Hall! Headlining this monolithic carnival will be Mungos’ Hi-Fi with YT on the mic, The Fire Beneath The Sea & Euphony…plus one more very special guest. A cacophony of tropical melodies and radiant rhythms will entwine themselves around the grand architecture, as we bathe the space…
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Alan McGee & Creation Present; Creation Sessions At District Featuring 'Shakedown Stockholm' & More
Continuing the events organised by Creation Management and founder of Creation Records Alan McGee, District hosts a night of music from up and coming bands. Always a man with his finger on the pulse where new music is concerned, this should be high on anyone’s list of essential gigs this February. The evening kicks off with the excellent heavy garage rock and psychedelia of Hull’s Black Delta Movement, who gave a sterling performance at Liverpool Calling last year, followed…
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Anathema Cathedral Concert Tour Heads To Liverpool Anglican 7th March
In the distant past Anathema were the Doom metal darlings of Liverpool, so when I heard they were doing a tour playing a number of cathedrals, including Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, I knew I had to find out what the Cavanagh boys et al were doing now. Always incredibly musically accomplished, Anathema have moved in a softer, more melodic direction. In 2012 the band featured in a film documenting the band’s September 2012 one-off show at the ancient Roman theatre…
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'Last Line Out' Debut EP Review
Having seen and enjoyed Last Line Out’s live output earlier in the year I already knew they produced a quality sound. Could they reproduce it in the recording studio, though? Always a tricky one. One thing you need to know before we begin, this band can really play. I never had any doubts on that score, but I wondered if they could transfer their live excellence onto disc. I put away my doubts and slid…
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Catfish & The Bottlemen At O2 Academy Liverpool 13/12/14; Review
So, what to say about The Bottlemen that has not already been said. There isn’t much, to be truthful, their steady rise to fame built on solid hard graft, constant touring and lashings of talent, all firmly cemented into place with the release of their debut album ‘The Balcony’ earlier in the year, has been well documented already. Perhaps everyone has their own special memory, their own gig that makes them feel connected to a…
