Tear Talk and Ady Suleiman head up Liverpool’s new breed of emerging artists, Getintothis’ Rosanna Hynes finds refreshing depth in the creative pool.
Descending into the Shipping Forecast‘s cellar is a sure fire way to transport yourself into ‘gig mode’, and Breakfast Monkey were the perfect warm-up act for the evening.
Their heavy sludge had more than a touch of Muse in their inspiration, though the metal influences (think Bullet for My Valentine et al) came through in the vocals. Their bass lines dragged you in, and primed the evening with a toasty glow.
Daniel Ross was from a different end of the musical spectrum, and though the floor was sparse when he began, it was full when he had finished.
Laid back, oozing warmth, the band utilise Ross’ heartfelt, Scouse accented vocals against delicate guitars and well-balanced instrumentation, to create a sound that feels familiar, as though you should know the words, strangely reminiscent of Canadian folk artist Peter Katz.
Next up was was another singer-songwriter, Ady Suleiman – and it was easy to understand his growing popularity throughout Liverpool and the wider music scene.
Suleiman is tailor-made for popular radio – and while his music is hardly innovative (think Paolo Nutini minus the cringe) his laid back cool married to the lounge feel, great lyrics and catchy choruses and you had a recipe for something much bigger than The Hold‘s dungeon-like stage.
A State of Mind, an ode to atheism, typified his refreshingly enthusiastic approach which had the crowd singing along to his reggae-infused sweet soul music.
Tear Talk provided another musical redirection; offering up muted vocals and thumping drums, oodles of shoe gazing and an entrancing, trippy set.
More understated than what had gone before – and yet harder to ignore than the remainder of tonight’s billing, they marry Sonic Youth with The xx which is both innovative and hugely effective; a highlight being Parallel, from their 2013 B R E A T H E EP. A genuine triumph and one to keep an eye on.
Photography by Getintothis’ Gaz Jones.
