Liverpool Sound City crowds know how to have a good time, Getintothis’ Rosanna Hynes salutes a carnival atmosphere on the closing day of the festivities.
Tonight’s Liverpool Sound City theme was adoring crowds. Starting at the O2 Academy, where the legions of Enter Shikari fans were synchronised to perfection, clapping, moshing and singing back on command.
Enter Shikari‘s combination of drum and bass and metal was received with an enthusiasm only matched by the gusto with which the Hertfordshire lads gave it out.
The set blended seamlessly from one track to another, and the light show was the perfect accompaniment to the high-energy stage performance.
Their tracks follow a somewhat set formula (talking then shouting then breakdown) but they’re technically superb, and it’s clear that each song in the show was created and chosen with care.
They can be surprisingly tuneful at times, and the interaction they have with their teenage army shows that they’re genuinely pleased to be up there.
Definitely worth a watch, even if you don’t normally go in for that sort of thing, because Enter Shikari have a way of reminding you what it is to truly obsessively love a band.
Enter Shikari fans know how to have a jolly good time
On then, to The Attic, where Matzka‘s throng of fans are already packed in and loving every second of the Taiwanese reggae masters.
They’re really rather good, with their bouncy bass, well-delivered vocal style and clever guitar riffs.
Visually, they’re reggae through and through, all dreadlocks and big smiles, but there are definite punk influences in the super neat delivery. Again, the crowd know every word and are in ecstasy just being there with their heroes. I’m starting to feel very old and cynical as we head on out to Screenadelica.
Palm Reader apply a punk-infused metal while their lead singer flails about on the floor in front of the stage, pacing furiously and restlessly, screaming into the microphone for all he’s worth.
The bassist jockies around constantly, and the two guitarists left on stage are ceaselessly smashing around like they’re the ones in a pit. It’s modern punk, and it’s definitely not dead.
Alpha Male Tea Party – one of the many delights at Screenadelica at Sound City
The Not Amused, in Mello Mello, played a completely contrasting buttoned-up, old-school punk with cockney accents.
Its Billy Bragg meets Stiff Little Fingers in suits. They have a haphazard delivery that relies on guesswork and intuition more than lots of rehearsal. It’s not original or groundbreaking, but it’s enjoyable nonetheless, and we’re saluting those still out there doing it.
Sheepy at Mello Mello had a decent turnout, which is understandable since they’re from Birkenhead. They’re sort of playing punk too, but it’s definitely at the rockier end of the spectrum.
Sheepy seem adept at changing their style, moving from heavy rock to almost poppy within a single song, and it’ll be a good idea to keep an eye on them – with a little refinery they could be the next new big Scouse discovery.
Pictures by Getintothis’ Sakura and Marie Hazelwood.
