Japanese Breakfast, St Jude the Obscure, Mary Miller, Bill Nickson: EBGBs, Liverpool

EBGBs played host to a Halloween special as Getintothis’ Luke Chandley savoured all the tricks and the treats on display.

The huge array of music on offer during Liverpool Music Week is a joy to behold, and each year more acts follow the previous year’s roster and music fans across the world discover new and exciting acts from all corners of the globe.

Next up for us was Japanese Breakfast at one of Liverpool’s more interesting venues, EBGBs.

The first act to take to the stage was Bill Nickson.

A mature voice behind a youthful look, Bill’s songwriting clearly comes from the heart and it shows. The little stage presence is only a small downside to an otherwise promising first act.

EBGBs was starting to simmer along nicely as Mary Miller, tonight’s second act, took to the mic. Miller stands alone on stage, a one-woman act with a guitar in one hand and a laptop nearby, and in this environment she thrives.

An interesting mix of live music coupled with electronic samples; she delivers a melancholic set that leaves you with a pleasing aftertaste.

Next up was St. Jude the Obscure. Slow and gentle whilst moving through their set and their gears, they still churned out a big, atmospheric pop sound with a carefully considered and delicately balanced vibe.

Each track felt perfectly put together; no part out of place.

It felt more like a hand-painted portrait than a string of tracks, and much was owed to what must be a heavily-practiced group of musicians.

Blanck Mass, Bonnacons of Doom, Dialect: 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool

The night’s main event was American act Japanese Breakfast. Much can be said about a stage presence and what it can bring to a live show, but here was a perfect example.

Michelle Zauner, as well as writing interesting and extravagant pop music, is also an entertainer, dancing from one part of the stage to another fast and frequently.

After her brief on-stage tangent about the viral video of Oprah Winfrey introducing a goat into her talk show (and via somebody replying with the chant ‘Trisha!’ from the back of the room), the band were back to their set. A large part of the Japanese Breakfast charm was centred around their energetic, funny and genuinely warm lead singer.

She spoke to the audience as an equal – often making quips, jokes, and observations between songs that more resembled a one-to-one conversation than a gig. A nice, appealing change.

The show may have not quite sold out, but very few people through to EBGBs door that evening will have left disappointed with the line-up. A top night all round.

Images by Getintothis’ Warren Millar:

[paypal-donation]

Comments

comments