Liverpool Sound City 2012 returns with big pop, big tunes, a big moaner and finally, yes finally Getintothis’ Stephanie Heneghan gets the Big Sleep.
So that year just flew by. One minute I’m doing tequila shots to SBTRKT and the next I’m scanning the line up for Soundcity 2012 and pestering Getintothis to join the roving reporting team again.
Some would say that the tequila intake might be a contributing factor in this speedy passage of time but I dispute that wholeheartedly.
Anyway, last year’s event was, to put it into words: BOSS. So this year has a lot to live up to.
Things kicked off in the Shipping Forecast for my gig schedule – a venue I’m well acquainted with and first up were Roosevelt, a band I’m not at all acquainted with prior to tonight but within a couple of bars it’s clear that they are RIGHT up my street.
A three-piece set up of hipster lads hailing from Cologne, they showed off tight midtempo electropop songs that got your hi tops tapping. Disappointingly they didn’t actually introduce any of their tracks but they were all DEAD GOOD and the drummer had extremely good facial hair. Two thumbs up here.
Next was COMA, an act consisting of two lads hunched over a table strewn with keyboards, laptops and other electronic-y stuff. They played squelchy electro, some techno, were a bit Daft Punkesque in places and then Orbital the next.
The kind of music that made me wish it wasn’t 8.30pm on a Thursday when I’m mainlining Diet Coke. Devvoed.
Then we bobbed over to the Echo Arena where Professor Green was playing to a crowd that thankfully wasn’t as young as I’d feared, although his entrance onto the stage prompted an ocean of camera phones to be thrust aloft which was slightly annoying.
Moreover, here are some important things to note about his performance:
* He wore a leather jacket with jeans and rocked a dapper side part.
* He had the crowd eating out of his hand (not literally, that’d be unhygienic).
* He played all the big hits – Just Be Good To Green, Need You Tonight, Remedy, ending with an encore of Read All About It.
*And finally, Millie (his celebrity girlfriend from Made In Chelsea) did NOT make an appearance.
* Oh and he was less than complimentary about the organisation of the gig, likening it to ‘shovelling shit up a ladder‘ – he wouldn’t last two minutes with our office swear box.
Forest Swords brings the bass on his live Liverpool debut at Screenadelica.
Couple of quick pit stops at Django Django and Forest Swords before the final band of the night, The Big Sleep.
It has to be said that I’m flagging by this point and despite their name there’s no pillows or spooning involved in their set.
It doesn’t help that they were running around 45 minutes behind schedule but I’d made it this far and I was determined to stick it out.
The Brooklyn trio kicked off with Ace which sounded… ace but the delay in starting the set meant the audience were lethargic and tracks which deserved attention such as Valentine didn’t resonate as you might expect. Timekeeping is important, yo.
And with that Day One of Soundcity was put to bed, as was I. Roll on round two.
Pictures by Richard B.
