So there it is. It’s been and gone. An incredible night that lived up to and surpassed all expectations!! The GIT Awards! The line up was incredible and the diversity shown on stage in terms of genres, styles and personalities was amazing. It’s great to the city showcased in such a way…
Oceanis - Five like minded individuals, obsessed with creating music that is bold, new, heavy and dynamic. This melting pot of technical metal, rock and post hardcore serves to both bludgeon and sooth the listener at the same time…
Scarlet Tone at San Tracuba – 12/04/2012
(Image: Andy Cowen by Scarlet Tone)
I don’t mean it as an insult when I say that Scarlet Tone is not exactly unique. You can go to just about any city in the country, from London to Manchester, Birmingham to Leeds, and I guarantee you can find nights just like it when you get there – provided you know where to look. Up and down the country people are gathering in quiet pubs somewhere between the city centres and the suburbs and listening to the local talent ply their trade on acoustic guitars…
Kazimer - 22.02.12
Atop the balcony looking down on the ever increasing dancefloor, I could sense the eagerness to hear the alternate rock band Spector play their first gig in the Kazimer, Liverpool. Hearing some positive word of mouths reviews and listening their single ‘Chevy Thunder’, I was a part of the eagerness. I was interested to see what else they could bring to the table. The music being played through the speakers was cut off and the crowd held their breath for a few seconds, waiting to see the perfectly round glasses of lead singer Frederick Macpherson. The place exploded with applause when the entire band came down the steps of the uniquely set up of the venue. Dressed for the occasion, in monochrome black suits with white shirts Spector didn’t take long to show they have a lot to offer the music scene…
@ Baltic Triangle - 10.02.12
22.15 Minion TV
Even as I was picking up my passes I could hear Minion TV in the next room. They were producing their own crafted sound which has become so familiar to me over the last few months. It was the Blade Factory stage that they were on and they provided the perfect background to my meet and greets but once I was done with that they started mysteriously pulling me in to their world of sharp electric guitars and minimum vocals. Think of a Lexus advert. Lexus did when they heard them!…
HARVEST SUN PROMOTIONS & LMW presents…
A new genre of music has been created. It’s called ‘Perfection’. The creators, The War On Drugs, are bringing this ‘Perfection’ to our town of Liverpool via the medium of Harvest Sun and LMW presents at everyone’s favourite Kazimier.
Support from Evelyn.Is/Fieldhouse @ The Shipping Forecast 7/2/2012
(Image: We Were Promised Jetpacks by DearScotland)
On arrival to the Shipping Forecast’s basement venue there seemed to be a mellow electronica track playing softly over the sound system. I slunk about the place for an embarrassingly long time before somebody pointed out what I thought was a drum technician tinkering with some cymbals and a beatnick sat in the middle of the stage embracing a harp. It was only then that I realized what was coming through the speakers was live…
High Places - 14th February @ Shipping Forecast
New York conquering and LA living duo, High Places, are on their way to Liverpool courtesy of Harvest Sun promotions with the intent to melodically and atmospherically take you away in to electronic euphoria. With a well travelled sound it’s not surprising to hear that this pair have been cross continent playing their sounds; all in the midst of their new LP Original Colours…
How would you improve the Liverpool music scene? What do you think we need to boost it? (Click ‘Read More’ to see what people said)
from: http://thefallofkings.tumblr.com/
For those who don’t know, the music scene in Liverpool is going through a massive revolution and brilliant bands seem to be jumping out of everywhere! Here’s a pick at some of our favourites at the moment, there’s too many to put here so we’ll do more in the future.
(Click the underlined bits for links to relevant sites to either hear stuff, watch stuff, or read stuff, all links are different so check them out!)
Good friends of ours, WtU are more of a collective than a band. With an ever increasing line-up that includes a full brass section, backing singers, mc’s and anyone who wants to get funky, the band now regularly have over 13 people onstage! They mix rock, funk, blues, reggae, hip-hop, metal and more together to form their own genre called ‘Stankh’. They (all of them) busk on the streets and tear it up till the police move them on. We personally saw them take over 2000 trees festival earlier in the summer after opening the festival on the main stage. Politically charged, some of the songs have got real meaning and the bands mission seems to be to awaken people with a message of peace, love and fun(k)!
Check out - False Flag
Although not originally from Liverpool, this 3-piece recently moved from Coventry (where they said the scene is not so good) and have already established themselves in city well known for it’s music. They moved up here, got jobs in starbucks, and play as much as possible, even devoting their entire Monday to the band with a full 8 hour working day playing, writing and planning the band’s future. Being Jo Francis have made their name as a powerful live act and have some great songs to match. We’ve played with them a few times and they’re certainly heading for a big future!
check out - Hello Hero
We’ve played with Fonetiks a few times and they’re really doing something right. They combine dance with rock in a way that many have tried before but somehow they do it better. The drummer has electronic samples and triggers alongside his normal kit, the singer/guitarist plays a mixture of crazy sounds, heavy crunching riffs and sings simple melodies, whilst the 3rd members instrument is actually a playstation controller connected to a laptop and decks. They use projectors and imagery, triggered by the music, that beautifully compliment the sounds and create a great live show.
Check out - Antelope
Although they have technically have split up, Dire Wolfe still occasionally get together to play another ‘last ever’ live gig, so who knows what they’re up to?! They met through LIPA and as such are all great musicians, and their song writing is truly brilliant. Front man Dan Croll is now doing well with a solo project and is well worth checking out. His solo stuff is more acoustic/folk driven and brilliantly showcases his award winning songwriting but maybe doesn’t quite have the energy of the Wolfe (or Tarek’s unbelievable drumming), although the more I listen to the songs the more I love them!
Check the 5 tracks on the Dire Wolfe myspace for a taste of what could have been, and Dan Croll’s - Closer
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The Real People – O2 Academy Liverpool 14.08.11
So apparently The Real People had a major influence on Oasis? Yeah, and they’ve been keeping with that tagline since oasis started getting radio play. If there was ever an appropriate time to use the phrase ‘holding on to the past’ it’s tonight.
After trudging across town to the O2 academy I turn up for doors and the usual pre-gig warm up but the room was completely empty for the first hour until the 1 and only support act came on; A singer songwriter with an acoustic guitar and a harmonica brace, the phrase 10 a penny comes to mind BUT!… This guy was incredible! I didn’t catch his name on the night but I urge you to find out who this guy is and listen in!
The Academy 2 slowly filled up with half-cut bootle boys until The Real People came on and when the place did eventually fill up. Surveying the crowd was like playing a game of ‘spot the washed up scouse musician’. Opening up with ‘people in the telly’ gets the crowd going, the crowd were ‘avin it, as they say, all night. However im not sure if it was the booze and coke or the great tunes that kept them going. I suppose lad rock and cocaine go hand in hand. For me The Real People are the musical equivalent to an egg on chips tv dinner; I’d enjoy it at the time but I would have to wait quite a while before I had it again. There’s no real substance, nothing more then a simple song played by a tight band.
As much as I may be on my high horse, musically and culturally I have to respect The Real People. Their songs may sound to me like every other 90’s lad band but I’m only 24 and was still only a child in the 90’s. The Real People were doing it before the word brit-pop was even coined and they’re still doing it now. Now isn’t that what music is all about? Not for money or fame? (though those incentives may have crossed their minds) but about playing unpretentious real music to real fans. What else is incredibly respectable is that they did it themselves - They hired out the Academy themselves, promoted themselves and put on a decent night themselves.
‘The best band in the world’ - Liam Gallagher. Really?
Ali Horn
Blondie- Liverpool O2 Academy 1st August 2011.
Iconic.
It’s August 1st 2011. Tonight is a night that anything can happen. The excitement in the air is almost tangible. The incomparable Blondie is gracing the stage of the Liverpool 02 Academy tonight, the only headlining gig scheduled in Britain this year. Yes, yes, they are doing the usual leg-around of festivals, but with a comparatively small capacity of 2,500 in tonight’s venue, the crowd knows that this is going to be special.
Blondie takes to the stage, with three of the original members, Chris Stein, Clem Burke and of course, Debbie Harry. Harry sashays onto the stage wearing a tight black dress, bright blonde wig and mesh gloves, staying true to her pop-punk roots. The set comes to life with a mixture of old hits ‘Rip Her To Shreds,’ ‘Call Me’ and ‘Maria’ intertwining with tracks of the 2011 album Panic of Girls such as debut single ‘Mother.’ Although the new tracks lean more towards reggae than ska-punk, and are not as impressive as any of the classics; let’s face it, we’re not here for them. We know that and Blondie know that, that’s why they waste no time boring us with filler from the new album and just carry on thrashing the crowd with the classics.
The sweat dripped off the walls, the brow and chest of every single person in the place as the bass pumped through the dancing arms, legs and heads of the crowd. Raindrops of sweat were hitting Harry as she effortlessly sampled Beastie Boy’s ‘Fight For Your Right’ during her ‘Rapture’ rap with aurally sexy results.
From girly girls, to aging hardened punks, to generations of families, Blondie tonight has indeed attracted a mixed bag; however, they all have one thing in common, the phenomenon that is making them dance their feet off.
The main set culminated in the much anticipated ‘One Way Or Another’ whose spiky guitar riffs had every member of the crowd on their feet screaming “I’m gonna get ya.” And of course to honour our fair city of Liverpool, there was the obligatory encore Beatles cover of ‘Please, Please me,’ which again was flawless and showcased the bands obvious affection for this city.
The crowd and the band left sweaty, sore, exhausted, but fucking loving every second of it.
Jodie Mallaburn
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