Polish hurdy gurdying, psych art-pop, ‘new energy music’ and deadpan Scouse brilliance. Getintothis’ Mike Doherty is given the full treatment on the final day of Liverpool Sound City.
Are you exhausted yet?
Liverpool Sound City Day three, the very last day, and the madness has spread. Norway’s 22 at the Masque Loft are undoubtedly one of the most peculiar acts of the festival.
They describe themselves as ‘new energy music’, that energy, it seems is displayed with half-choreographed stage moves (‘bass player, move over here and guitarist you stand there. Then act like bellends at an air-guitar convention‘ was probably the instruction).
Django Django‘s art pop seems to be a mix of the psychedelic with their trio of harmonies and electronic sounds, and garage rock sensibilities of Smith Westerns and Tapes ‘n Tapes.
Over at Mello Mello, delighting and surprising in equal measure was the Warsaw Village Band.
Playing traditional Polish folk music with a small amount of modern influences from contemporary electronic music. The hurdy-gurdy through an echo box anyone?
Hot Club De Paris, one of Liverpool’s finest bands were on fine form at the Static Gallery. Their strange time signatures make for some of the most interesting guitar music to come from the city.
In terms of brilliance it just pips their deadpan, self-deprecating onstage banter.
Spankrock were rather hit-and-miss. Producer Alex Epton and MC’s Naween Juwan and Amanda Blank go together like pizza and ice cream.
The beats, through the Masque‘s Funktion One‘s were bone-rattling flawless yet the MC’s looked like they were auditioning for a hip-hop version of Glee, their stage presence being so achingly hackneyed.
Pictures by Conor McDonnell
