Liverpool Sound City 2012 is awash with Merseyside talent this year, here Getintothis’ Jon Davies and Peter Guy pick out the top 10 from the region not to miss.
Wet Mouth at the Attic, Thursday May 17, 8.30-9pm
Channeling college rock and peppered with riotgrrl references, Wet Mouth are a relatively new band that could go on to bigger things.
Their songs fall nicely in line with the current American West Coast scene of summery vibes and evenings jamming in the garage.
All We Are at Bold Street Coffee 9-9.30pm and Leaf Cafe 11.30-midnight, Thursday May 17.
One of the hottest new bands on the Liverpool circuit with a faithful following to boot, All We Are are the midway point between Grizzly Bear psyche-folk and classic English songwriting in the vein of XTC.
But it’s the interplay between Rich, Guro and Luis‘ multi-layered harmonies which is central to their mystical beauty.
Expect stripped back comfort in Bold Street Coffee before a swirling second set finale in Leaf – double the pleasure.
Jethro Fox at Wolstenholme Creative Space, Thursday May 17, 10.30-11pm.
With just a couple of live dates under his belt but with half of the UK’s A&R talking about him, it must be a strange proposition being Jethro Fox.
Yet, the young LIPA student, can take confidence from those early performances as the weight of his songwriting came to the fore and his live presence will surely on grow.
With a prime slot in WCS, one of Liverpool’s best under the radar, cool-as-shit, venues this could be just the show Jethro and his growing legion of fans were waiting for.
Getintothis reviews Jethro’s live debut at the Kazimier.
Bendal Interlude at Screenadelica, Friday May 18, 9.30-9.55pm
Liverpool holds a number of close-knit groups of bands that represent the more curious side of rock music, one circle being stoner rock, and The Bendal Interlude are one of the heaviest bands going.
We haven’t any long stretches of road round here but you can imagine blasting Bendal through a blown out car stereo around Palm Desert, they are the perfect soundtrack to boozin’ and cruisin’.
Bow and Arrow at Screenadelica, Friday May 18, 11.30-midnight.
Another stoner rock outfit, who are making their live return since reforming as a three-piece instrumental band. Bow and Arrow are loud, frenetic, full of killa riffs, and one of Liverpool’s most underrated bands.
Salem Rages at Screenadelica, Friday May 18, 8.40-9.05pm.
Drawing inspiration from schlock-punk of the Misfits and The Cramps comes one of Liverpool’s most distinctive acts, Salem Rages.
Live they’re whole heaps of fun, with lead singer Roman Remains exuding a half creepy, half ridiculous persona, and the songs aren’t half awesome, too.
Kasst at Bumper, Saturday, May 19, 6.30-6.50pm
An all-too-brief outing for this teenage lyrical prodigy.
Kasst kicks off a night of remarkable Liverpool talent at Bumper which features two GIT Award nominees in the shape of Miss Stylie and headliner Esco Williams, plus a dream of a support cast.
But it’s this 15-year-old, who we’ve tipped for sometime, on stage early doors that could provide the talking point deep into the night.
Coffee and Cakes For Funerals at Bumper, Saturday May 19, 7.40-8.10pm
Another from that Bumper showcase are hip-hop/soul quartet Coffee and Cakes For Funerals.
Perhaps the most intriguing sound to emerge from Liverpool for sometime, CACFF are far from the finished article, but when Getintothis saw them at the Attic during GIT Award nominee, Esco Williams’ Pledge Party the excitement was tangible.
The chemistry between Michael Blackburn‘s distinctive guitar technique and Joe Hazlett‘s delectably-soulful tones is a wonder to behold. Genuine contenders.
Death At Sea at Wolstenholme Creative Space, Saturday May 19, 10-10.30pm.
Similarly to Jethro Fox, Death At Sea are very much in their infancy, yet very much the talk of the town.
Their debut gig last month at Mello Mello served to whet the appetite and back up much of the hype but it’s their scheduling up the bill alongside national buzz band PINS and international hype bands Bleached and Be Forest which makes this a showcase not to miss.
Expect frazzled melodies, reverb aplenty and an ocean of geometric print t-shirts.
Getintothis on Death At Sea.
Vasco Da Gama at Screenadelica on Saturday May 19, midnight-12.30pm.
Another circle of the Liverpool music scene inspired in equal measures by math rock and indie has given us a number of bands to be excited about, one of them is Vasco Da Gama.
Combining off kilter rhythms with highly dynamic songcraft, Vasco head an impressive finale at Screenadelica which also features GIT Award nominees Ninetails (9-9.30pm) and our other favourite hyper-kinetic wizards of rhythm Jazzhands (10-11pm).
