The Top Liverduplian Music Talent To Look Out For In 2024
Liverpool’s rich music scene is something to be celebrated. The city was placed well and truly on the cultural map in the 1960s when The Beatles shuck the world with their groovy fusion of psychedelic rock and blues. The Beatles had a lasting impact on the city of Liverpool, which still heralds its Cavern Club as a relic of the band’s former spiritual home.
In this article we’ll look at the legacy that The Beatles left behind and the top music talent to look out for in 2024.
The Legacy of The Beatles
Founding member, Paul McCartney, is still active in the live music scene. Only last year he headlined the 2022 Glastonbury Music Festival, rolling back the years and playing through his back catalogue of tracks, as well as some golden oldies from The Beatles. McCartney’s back catalogue has also been mastered by Tony Kishman, who is arguably the finest McCartney tribute act on the planet. He’s the brains behind the popular Live and Let Die: The Music of Paul McCartney show, which takes to Abbey Road on the River in Jefferson, Indiana, next May.
If you’re a fan of 50s, 60s and 70s music, and you want to see Kishman in action, this five-day event would be a great way to keep in touch with Liverpool’s music heritage. A quick browse online tells us that affordable flights to Indianapolis are available from various places including the Opodo website. Using a comparison tool is an easy way to view a range of different operators, flight times and prices, to find the best options for your trip. Naturally, you’d want to make the most of your time out there in the States, so we’d highly recommend planning your trip in advance and making time to visit landmarks on a road trip or with multi-city flights. At the end of the day, though, going on a pilgrimage to see one of the finest McCartney aficionados on the planet is worth it enough.
Looking closer to home than Indiana, is the legacy of McCartney, Lennon and Co. alive and kicking in the fine city of Liverpool today? Below, we shine a spotlight on four of the best up-and-coming Liverpudlian musicians.
Circa Waves
Circa Waves have celebrated a decade of existence having formed in Liverpool back in 2013. The indie rockers are certainly one of the best bands to come out of the city in recent times. In January 2023, Circa Waves released their fifth studio album, Never Going Under. It immediately went in at number one in the UK’s Independent Album Chart.
The band has never been afraid of using its music to discuss pertinent societal issues. Their fourth album, Sad Happy, was written as a double album to represent the fragility of today’s modern, tech-saturated world.
As for its live performances, you can be certain that frontman Kieran Shudall and his chums will give 110% on stage. They are plugging away in this summer’s festival scene and 2024 promises to be another exciting year for this group.
Clean Cut Kid
Clean Cut Kid is another Liverpool band that’s been going for just over a decade now. Their brand of indie pop has ensured they’ve maintained a loyal band of followers, not just in Merseyside but elsewhere in the UK. The band have been signed to Polydor Records in the past, which is no mean feat. Their fourth studio album, Hiss, was released in 2022. The band is now part of Alcopop! Records and have embarked on an exciting new chapter.
The band themselves describe their sound as lo-fi folk meets New Americana. It doesn’t look like the band is touring this summer, which makes some live shows in 2024 even likelier. In the meantime, be sure to check out some of their back catalogue. Tracks like Vitamin C are genuine sing-alongs and perfect for those balmy sunny evenings in the garden.
Black Borough
South Liverpool rap supergroup Black Borough are one of the most fascinating acts to come out of the city in recent years. The Africa Oyé Festival 2023, which celebrates African music and culture over a two-day event, saw Black Borough open both days of the festival staged earlier this month. It’s fair to say the group stole the show, with their encapsulating and tuneful fusion of jazz, rap and hip-hop.
Through the back end of 2022, Black Borough released a four-track EP. The general theme of this, which is available to stream on Spotify, is about trying to be authentic in the music scene and embracing their identity. The opening track, Welcome to My City, is a clever 90s hip-hop track which delves into the realities of growing up as a black person in Merseyside.
This is a group with heaps of individuality and flair. Keep track of their Instagram as they’re sure to be active in 2024.
She Drew The Gun
Last but by no means least is She Drew The Gun, a psych-pop group led by singer-songwriter Louisa Roach. Roach shot to stardom in 2016 by winning the Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent event. With her heavily politicised lyrics, Roach certainly leaves no stone unturned regarding her views on politics and wider society.
Her latest album, Behave Myself, is out now and the band toured earlier this year across a host of intimate venues, including The Lodge at The Deaf Institute in Manchester. Roach is also talented when it comes to the spoken word, with her poetry also showcased at recent shows in February and March this year.
We could go on, but this quartet is a great starting point for anyone keen to keep their fingers firmly on the pulse of Liverpool’s 2023-24 music scene.
