AKA, the solo project of Callum Thompson of The Mysterines closed out his three gig run of venues across Liverpool on Friday (9th October 2026) at the iconic Tunnel under Heebie Jeebies. This ended his three week residency of gigs in iconic grass-route venues in Liverpool, starting off in the Kazimer Stockrooms on the 30th of September, before going and playing record shop and music venue 81 Renshaw on the 2nd of October.
Before AKA’s three gig residencies, the band had been busy releasing their first two singles. The first dropping on the 20th of April this year. “It Grows On Trees (Money)” packs a punch for Callum Thompson’s first single fronting a band; with influences from classic early 2000s indie rock, loud distorted guitars, reverbed vocals and a catchy sing-a-long bridge. Similarly to the likes of early Cage the Elephant and Alt-j sound with an old school British indie charm. Following this up with his second single drop on the 1st of July. “Control” follows groovy guitar hooks that have the listener having no choice but to move along.
The track has a real late 90s/ early 2000s feel which feels like Callum Thompson is already finding his sound so early onto going solo. “Control” wouldn’t sound out of place in a 90s skater’s mixtape. Thompson worked with mastering engineer Felix Davis on this track, giving a professional and full mix for the listener. Davis worked with the likes of Geese, Cameron Winter, Westside Cowboy and The Waterboys and is now adding AKA to the stacked list of artists. Callum Thompson has received great feedback from his first two singles already, with the high achievement of “It Grows On Trees (Money)” soon to be featured on the upcoming EA Sports’ FIFA27.
Warming up the crowd before AKA was Liverpool based grunge band East Exchange. Playing off the back of the release of their debut EP, “Torn Between Ties”, released last month (4th September 2026), East Exchange delivered an electric and real performance that felt personal and intimate. With no-nonsense, gritty guitars and raw vocals from front-man Sonny K, East Exchange were able to work the crowd and get people ready for the headline act. Their stage presence was undeniable; the style of the band was reminiscent of the early 90s grunge era with the four members in casual, flannel wear, while keeping people watching, really let the music speak for itself. Their sound being very heavily inspired by classic grunge, bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden echo through their music and performance.
East Exchange was a great choice for an opener as they couldn’t be ignored, they commanded attention. They are a band I could see going far, with the rise of bands such as; Keo and Wunderhorse, sharing a similar sound and finding a positive fanbase who resonate with their music, East Exchange could be in the right place at the right time.
By the time AKA took the stage The Tunnel was packed and we were lucky enough to score a spot right at the front. As soon as the band took the stage the music had people moving. The classic indie rock sound that I loved so much on the two singles transferred perfectly to the crowd. It was evident there were a lot of family, friends and fans in the audience which led the set to feel more personal and fun. A huge musical highlight was the use of live synthesisers and samplers on stage, not only was the guy on synths insanely captivating with larger than life stage presence, the use of this added such a unique sound to AKA’s music.
There was never a dull moment due to this, the synthesisers and samplers were constantly being used between songs which created a chaotic ambience to the set which kept the crowd’s energy up until the very last song. The use of the synthesisers along with wiry guitars and distorted vocals lean into a similar feel from some of the sounds from Gorillaz first 2001 self titled album with their laid back hip-hop influences. It gave AKA a slight edge that I haven’t seen many indie bands tap into, especially when playing live.
Unfortunately, technical difficulties hindered AKA on stage. While this didn’t affect the crowd’s experience (not hearing the sound mistakes), the band tried to rectify the issue with the sound technician but it was apparent the sound didn’t transfer well on stage. This being no fault of the bands, sound issues can happen with small venues like The Tunnel as well as huge arenas, and happens to the best of bands. Not letting this stop AKA’s spirits from remaining high, but they did impromptu cut the set one song short ending on their crowd pleasing first single “It Grows On Trees (Money)”. The high energy track actually worked greatly as a closer, ending the set on an explosive, energetic track that definitely burnt a few calories with how much the crowd was moving.
The final song introduced special guests and fellow Liverpool based musicians to the stage; Ellis Murphy and Astles. Fulfilling the role of backing vocals as well as adding extra infectious chaos to the set with tambourines, megaphones and harmonica solos. Ellis Murphy and Astles added the dynamic to AKA so well, giving the impression of a group of friends jamming out, it all came across so genuine and authentic, just how this genre of music should feel.
With the short time AKA have been playing, their progress is already rapid. Reaching huge achievements and milestones already; filling venues across Liverpool over the span of three weeks, their music being picked up by one of the biggest games across the world for the past two decades, and creating a sound that evokes the same feeling the early (golden) era of indie rock did in the early 2000s. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see AKA lining festival stages in the next coming years, with their sound being perfect for summer festival crowds. I can see it evoking the same level of traction bands like Two Door CInema Club and Kasabian do at festivals.
The band are already beginning to embark on festival lineups as they are set to play Neighbourhood Festival in Manchester this month (Saturday 17 October 2026). They sit amongst rising stars in the indie rock scene such as; Keo, Florence Road and Red Rum Club. After seeing AKA live, I have to say I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground with them and hope to see them sharing their music with many more, with the talent in the band supported by the community they’ve built in Liverpool, I can see them going far and look forward to new shows and music.
Sophie Baugh
