Review
Reviews of Liverpool music, restaurants, bars and more
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New Single From The Shipbuilders
Categorising their own genre as ‘gypsy scouse surf’, the lads behind The Shipbuilders have definitely hit a unique spot with their music. At their core, the band retains their Liverpudlian roots with a Northern twang rippling through their music. But there’s a low-fi South-Cal vibe mixed in too. New single ‘Feeling In My Pocket’ is uplifting, no matter how low your mood might be from the winter weather. The four-piece – comprising Matty Loughlin, Danny…
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Band Feature; DUSST
There is a long history of bands whose arrival is signified with a groundswell of critical praise. However, a closer look sometimes reveals an artistic promise that flatters to deceive. We all know of such artists. We debate over their creative strengths and weaknesses; friendships are forged and lost over such discussions. In their short tenure, DUSST have garnered similar reviews, championed as the latest buzz band of the week, the group identified by the…
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Lags E.P Review; Lags Capture The Essence of Youth In Their Jangling Indie Tracks
Drawing inspiration from the likes of indie gods Oasis, The Stone Roses and Artic Monkeys, Lags’ songs make for easy listening on a roadtrip or when you’re stuck in the house on a rainy day. The Kirby lads – Danny, Liam, Anthony and Brad – have recently released three tracks on their debut EP, with more expected on the way. Opening track ‘Feeling Alright’ is a catchy number, showcasing the band’s youth. The lyrics really…
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Lawoftheland Fill the Expanse With Their Instrumental-Only Sounds
It’s not an easy job for musicians to paint a picture with their songs, harder still if a song is devoid of lyrics and stripped back to just instrumentals. That’s where Lawoftheland have struck gold though – their songs fill an expanse that most musicians can only hope to. The Liverpool trio, Stephen Miceli, Adam Caine and Teddy Smith, evoke a progressive landscape in their title-track opening of EP Dancing Explosions. During the five minutes…
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The Butes Bring Their Rock ‘n’ Roll Tunes Into Your End-of-Summer Playlist
Relatively new to the music scene, The Butes have just announced their first single releases on a Double A Side EP – two chilled rock ‘n’ roll songs that are sure to become top of your late-summer playlist. The Wirral boys – Philip Collier, Adam Webb, Jon Couch and Sean Dagnall – all have a background in music, and it’s clear from these two tracks that they know how to collaborate to produce some catchy…
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Sneaky Nixons Return With Their Provocative Rock ‘n’ Roll, Belting Out New Single ‘Schadenfreunde’
Always one to draw a crowd for their wild performances, the Sneaky Nixons have returned with a new single that’s exactly not what the doctor ordered. Their reputation as Liverpool’s ‘bad boys’ intact, ‘Schadenfreunde’ is the kind of belter you’ve come to expect from the band. The name says it all, with the single being a two-edged sword – both riotously loud yet sickly sweet at times. Catchy riffs, a steady drum progression, and lyrics…
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Slim’s Pork Chop Express Late Night BBQ; Review
So, Saturday night we were out watching the Champions League final and we had not eaten. Dangerous that. Slim’s Pork Chop Express have started a late night menu called the BBQ CLUB – perfect. After seeing Ronaldo score that winning pen I was driven to food, my go to comfort. We arrived just before 10pm; the menu is available 10pm till late Thursday – Saturday and 9 till late through the week. We ordered some drinks – a Beavertown…
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Archie’s Burgers & Shakes; Review
Archie’s is the latest burger joint to shake up the Liverpool food scene – a pink paradise of extravagant burgers and decadent milkshakes – and last week I was lucky enough to try it out. Perched on the corner of Ranelagh Street, it’s the third venue in the Archie’s family (there are already two well-established restaurants in Manchester) but this is the first one outside of the M60, and also the biggest. And it’s not your stereotypical American…
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Five Guys Liverpool; Review
So Five Guys has arrived in Liverpool!! Many people including myself have been waiting for this moment for the last few years. It has a good reputation in London and of course the USA, oh and also the Trafford Centre. It is a fast food concept but the burgers are restaurant quality I had been told. So, I thought it was about time I found out what all the fuss was about at Five Guys. Me and my eating…
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The Brink; Food & Drink Review
It’s no secret that Liverpool is famous for its pubs and clubs, but recently I was lucky enough to have lunch a completely revolutionary venue on the Liverpool food and drink scene – The Brink. It’s Liverpool’s (and Britain’s) first dry bar and cafe, and was set up by Action on Addiction in 2011 to provide a safe and welcoming place to socialise without alcohol. Most of the staff have suffered from alcohol addiction in the past,…
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A Man Vanishes: Review At Liverpool’s Small Cinema
Japanese New Wave filmmaker Shohei Imamura’s 1967 documentary A Man Vanishes had a one off screening as Small Cinema Liverpool this Friday and it remains a treat for any cinephile. Imamura had been an assistant and pupil of the great Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu, working with him on such classics as Tokyo Story. However, Imamura soon began to disagree with Ozu’s vision of Japan and A Man Vanishes is his acidic and biting pronouncement of his view of mid…
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Afternoon Tea At The Baltic Social
Update August 2022: The Baltic Social is now permanently closed. The Baltic Social is a firm favourite in the heart of the Baltic Triangle and known for serving up some of the best breakfasts in town, as well as a fresh new day and evening menu every season, I was quite literally drooling from the mouth when I read up about their ‘Punk Afternoon Tea’. And with friends telling me about their experience of when they last…
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The Brink To Host Merseyside Recovery Awards
Action on Addiction is set to play host to this year’s Merseyside Recovery Awards at the charity’s flagship social enterprise The Brink Café on Friday, July 17. Members of the recovery community together with the general public alike are set to descend on the popular Parr Street venue to recognise and honour individuals who have overcome drug and alcohol addictions – while commending those who have helped to aid recovery for others. Karen Hemmings, Head…
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The Jackobins 'Waiting On The Sun' Single Review
The new single, ‘Waiting on the Sun’, is another indication of just how far The Jackobins have come musically. The track begins with a spare yet catchy melody, which quickly fills out as different instrumental sounds add more and more texture to the introduction. The tune gains momentum as each new layer falls into place. By the time Dominic Bassnett’s vocals join the fray, the listener is already ensnared by the complex and sophisticated harmonies…
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Last Heart 'Blood & Bone' EP Review
The Liverpool band Last Heart have brought out an EP called Blood and Bone. The Lomax stalwarts have even managed to get Frank Hedges to sing on one of the tracks, making this a very personal record for the people supporting the re-opening of the grass-roots music venue. The band play a loose, rock/blues, and the tracks here showcase some fine slide guitar and clean, up- front rock vocals, especially on my favourite of the…
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Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015); Review
Kurt Cobain is a man that refuses to die. Even when all possible back catalogues, journals and interview subjects appear to have been exhausted, another wave in the oceans of culture will land the shriveled corpse of the revered icon back on the beaches of popularity once again. “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” is the latest biopic on the grunge godhead, released within a week of the anniversary of his death. The question on…
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Threshold V: Weekend Review and Bay TV Special Tomorrow Night
It was a festival to remember last weekend as Threshold put on its biggest and most successful event to date at venues all across Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle. But don’t just take our word for it…you can catch a special episode of ‘The Guide’ on Bay TV this Thursday night – channel 8 on Freeview and Virgin Media channel 159 – at 8:30pm, which looks at the whole of the weekend’s festivities. Be sure not to…
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Threshold V; Mutant Vinyl Steals The Show At 24 Kitchen Street
Mutant Vinyl produced our favourite performance of Threshold Festival, in his set at 24 Kitchen Street he managed to win over the entire crowd and left everyone wanting more. The saxophone wielding singer mixes jazz with electro sounds. He needs to be seen & heard to be believed and appreciated. He owned the stage with his presence and sense of humour shining through, he’s a natural born performer, captivating and entertaining; he certainly knows how…
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Still Alice; Film Review
Still Alice, featuring an Oscar winning performance by Julianne Moore, tells the story of Alice Howland (Moore) a highly esteemed linguistic professor at Columbia University whose world is rattled when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Still Alice is essentially a fairly good lifetime movie elevated by a truly great performance by Julianne Moore (she deserved her Academy Award – although, I wish it had been won for Maps to the Stars). The direction is…
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Band Feature; Cavalry
Based in Liverpool, the ‘Alt-Folk’ band Cavalry had a whirlwind year in 2014. With support from BBC radio 1’s Huw Stephens who labelled them as ‘a BBC introducing discovery’, plays on BBC radio 1 and BBC radio 6 whilst also acquiring a large fan base with over 900 likes on facebook; it’s slightly puzzling as to why the guys have remained so quiet come 2015. Regularly gigging around Liverpool, the band has played venues such…
