Getintothis’ New Breed 2019
We’re at the dawn of a year of exciting new music, and Getintothis staffers share their tips for 2019.
Here we are, then. The end of year lists and reviews are behind us, and we’re now looking forward to who will take 2019 by the scruff of the neck and make it their own. It’s a testing time for music, both on a local level in Liverpool and nationally.
Brexit and the potential barriers it will uphold for our musical exports will be one of the years’ tougher prospects, but it is the continuous loss of so many independent venues across the UK that feels gloomily imminent.
They’ll dig in though, venues, labels and promoters all work tirelessly for the cause. It’s the musicians and fans that are, particularly in Liverpool, vital when it comes to fighting to keep the music coming. Getintothis’ Peter Guy picked out a particular fan in Wilfried Haag, who if you’re heading to a gig in town, is probably there.
He also mentioned the happenings at Sound, where the Eggy Records gang are causing a stir in the basement. I picked that out when compiling Liverpool’s bands and artists guestlist selections from last year. You’d be hard pushed not to feel like it is that venue and those that revel in it that will have a hand in shaping the next 12 months for new music.
The city of Liverpool repels criticism, including from within, and Sound excudes that. There are people that bear all, telling their own personal stories that add so much to a live music experience.
Beija Flo is one of these, her telling of personal pain with a style that is, in short, completely Beija Flo. Her set is conversational, funny, heartbreaking, and then funny again.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are bands that turn up and do their thing without so much as a mutter. This is also fine, there is no way to do things when it comes to music.
Whether creative output is a gate to an artists soul, or something that came up at 4am on someones sofa, it can be loved and loathed in equal measure.
There’s music for everyone, and gigs for everyone, each person that walks into a venue just as important as the other whether it’s their first time that year of their one hundredth time.
Whether it’s a dip into a radio playlist, or hours uncovering an obscure b-side that’s so rare it doesn’t even exist, in the best way possible, it’s all the same.
But one thing is for certain, the bands and artists in this feature need your support. In order to keep producing the music you love or love to hate, there must be that murmur, that word around town.
It’s people power, we know how it can be a force for a farce, but let this year be the year that people make good things happen. – Lewis Ridley
Hannah and the Wick Effect at The Shipping Forecast, Liverpool
Hannah and The Wick Effect
I’m kicking us off with Hannah and The Wick Effect, and not apologising for tipping them more than once for a big year in 2019. During September and October, the band, fronted by Hannah Brown, seemed to attempt the most gigs in Liverpool in the shortest time frame possible.
The North East riot grrrl who emits sedative and hypnotic songs with effortless effervescence will, without doubt, be preparing to greet Liverpool and further afield this year and have them fall in love. Not only are Hannah and The Wick Effect so meticulously precise in their musicianship, they’re also a work in progress that has already reached an exquisite level. Take your chance at Getintothis’ Deep Cuts on Friday, January 20 at Jacaranda Phase One, and indulge. There may be a name change in the pipeline, but the quality will remain. – Lewis Ridley
More on Hannah and The Wick Effect
Shards
Shards
Shards are a band that made 2018 a year of exposure, a plethora of support slots including a watershed set with Black Honey in September has meant that they have put themselves on the lips of those that frequent the types of gigs where guitar seeps from the stage, up the stairs and onto the road outside. The 4-piece released their debut single Reflections in the August of 2018, an effort rooted with shimmering nostalgia, the track took its rightful spot on Getintothis’ top Merseyside tracks of 2018.
Though the track is outstanding, it is their live performance that has nailed their place here, on stage they exude a hypnotic indie romance in parts before snarling, aggressive tracks to complete what is now a solid set. They ended 2018 on a high with two gigs in December, one supporting The Mysterines and a raucous night at the Jacaranda Record Label‘s New Year’s Eve Party. This January, Shards will feature down at Phase One as Getintothis’ Deep Cuts turns two on Friday, January 18. It won’t be there only chance to see them this year, far from it, but a chance to get on board early. – Aimee Puleston
Sara Wolff
Sara Wolff
Throughout the next year (and beyond), I highly recommend you keep a close eye on the work of Norwegian singer-songwriter and Deep Cuts alumni, Sara Wolff. Her recent single releases Forget Me Not and Scarf Song beautifully showcase her attentive and well-crafted lyrics.
The backing band she has assembled is sharp as a tack and supports her narratives with thoughtful dynamics, both in recordings and during their live performances. She’s currently busy working on recording a new EP, so be sure to take the chance to see her live at Jacaranda Phase One on Monday, January 28. – Abby Meysenburg
SPQR
SPQR
SPQR deal in songs that are epic in scope and sound. They don’t take the road less travelled and as a result make music that can confound your expectations as much as it can excite your feet.
Their songs are clever without being overly arty and, importantly, they have not forgotten to rock in all the right places.
SPQR have, dare we say it, matured over the two and a half years they have spend together and their gigs have seen them play to crowds that have increased in size and enthusiasm, even generating their own moshpit at Sound recently.
SPQR are a band who seem to be on the cusp of great things. Hopefully 2019 will see all their stars line up and their potential will be realised. – Banjo
Feral Wheel
Feral Wheel
Consisting of members from the now defunct Wild Eyes, Huw Roberts (guitar/vocals), Steven Rawlinson (bass), Sam Gill (keys/vocals) and Terry Green (drums) now go under the awesome moniker of Feral Wheel.
After playing several shows in 2018, they are bound to singe hair and fry brains of those willing to encounter their pummeling live performance in the new year. Having witnessed all of their shows last year, this is a band expanding on their own sound and becoming more accomplished each time they take the stage.
Combining a pastoral psychedelic traipse through the wilderness only to be met with a steam-train-like brand of kraut rock, Feral Wheel will be one of the most highly anticipated live acts across the north west and a definite must see for 2019. – Simon Kirk
The Mysterines
The Mysterines
Who says word of mouth can’t be as effective as social media? A band who prove this are Wirral three-piece, The Mysterines, who enjoyed an excellent 2018 which included releasing their excellent debut single, Hormone, with the assistance of James Skelly.
Despite all of that there’s hardly a word written about on social media, with the band clearly wanting to remain a mystery indeed. Seeing them live last year was mind blowing. Going down to Hangar 34 to see Miles Kane last May, I knew very little about this band supporting him apart from a few positive reviews I’d seen. Those few reviews were correct, they smashed their way through their support set to a full room down in the Baltic. Vocals laden with passion from singer Lia Metcalfe front up an outfit that are ready to reveal out of the shadows in 2019. – Amos Wynn
Getintothis’ 2018 Year In Review: best gigs, event, albums, venues, festival, label, hero and more
Beija Flo
Beija Flo
Bill Nickson
Bill Nickson
This last year or two has witnessed Bill Nickson bloom from a newbie with insufficient songs to fill a
full length set – at one show, the audience shouted for more, he had to explain we’d heard all he
had prepared – to a young man showing increased evidence of serious song writing chops.
Nickson, alumni of Getintothis’ Deep Cuts night, is a far more relaxed live performer now, no doubt
due to mixing it up on stage with contemporaries Jo Mary, Beija Flo, Astles, winning audiences over
at those tasty support slots with the likes Pip Blom and Alessi’s Ark, plus holding his own alongside
his contemporaries at the New Year’s Eve Eggy Records night celebrations at Sound.
The dying days of 2018 witnessed the young blade edging outside of his Merseyside comfort zone,
his song Villain bagging airplay on Radio 1 no less, and playing a much coveted support slot with
Echo and The Bunnymen up in Yorkshire.
Last summer’s single What to Say retains that DIY bedroom lo-fi DIY approach we’ve come to
associate with Bill Nickson, but with added layers and cheeky angles; the addition of a banjo for
example is a lovely, unexpected touch, an added quirkiness. The young blade enters 2019 with a
justifiable sense of expectation, as he continues to look outside and see a bigger world, one with no
limits. – Cath Holland
Niki Kand
Niki Kand
Niki Kand is a woman of many talents. Born to Iranian parents, her drive to work in arts was born when she enrolled in art school in her teens. Her artistic persona resultantly developed through involving herself in its many disciplines.
Upon graduating with a degree in Visual Arts and Fine Arts, she made the decision to devote herself to music, and so moved to Liverpool in 2014. Her music is entirely self-produced and driven by minimalism, resulting in alt-pop treats that, whilst fairly light and fun, regularly return to the demands of love.– Luke Halls
Wavey Joe at Deep Cuts
Wavey Joe
Is 2019 the year when Liverpool hip hop truly breaks through? The last few years have seen Aystar lead the pack for Scouse Trap and in his wake have been a number of vital MCs representing a genuine voice from the city’s streets.
However, while the cauldron keeps on bubbling, there’s yet to be a voice who has truly gone overground and crossover into a more mainstream consciousness. Do we need that? Do they want that? We hope so, because their talent surely deserves it. Among the likes of Local 2 Global, Rico Don, Nae and the long-championed on these pages, Beyond Average, there stands one man who we’re hoping can make the step up: Wavey Joe.
Having cut his chops alongside Rico Don on the live scene – most notably a wild live session with the Godfather of Grime, Wiley at 24 Kitchen Street last year, he’s thrown out a number of heavy hitters on SoundCloud before unleashing a handful of live sessions for the likes of Road Rage and Fresh on the Road. Next up, hopefully, is something more solid – an EP, an album – who knows, but you best believe in Big Way Vee. – Peter Guy
Video Nasties. Photograph by Lu Lowe/Lowe Creative
Video Nasties
Ok, I admit it, being a sucker for horror movies ever since I was too young to watch them, the first thing
that attracted me about Video Nasties was their name. When I found out that their debut single and
video, Transvoltum, was influenced by John Carpenter’s Prince of Darkness this only added to their
attraction.
However, leaving aside for a moment the horror influences that are a key part of their aesthetic, 2018
went down as a year when Video Nasties showed us glimpses of a sound that is set to be fully unleashed
in 2019. Fusing influences from their previous bands with post-punk and even electronica, their swampy
black ‘n’ roll evidenced on the aforementioned Transvoltum and more recent single, Viva Deth, have
proved as tantalizing as a trailer for a banned 1970s Italian horror for those who like their music twisted
and heavy.
Formed in 2017 by members of the Bendal Interlude, Iron Witch, SSS and Magpyes, this Merseyside
metal supergroup spent much of last year writing material for their debut album. Some of this was
showcased during live performances in support of acts such as Cannabis Corpse, Horrified, Mammoth
Weed Wizard Bastard and the Obsessed.
Now, with the band set to record their album in early 2019 and a forthcoming gig in support of British
doom overlords, Orange Goblin, this year should see them warp more minds than a Lucio Fulci movie.
You have been warned. – Ned Hassan
Tracky – Photographer: Warren Millar
TRACKY
Electronic and drum machine one man bands like Charity Shop Pop and Pizzagirl are breaking out of their bedroom studios and making a name for themselves of late. TRACKY can be added to this list. Describing himself as a ghetto blaster pop producer, TRACKY isn’t exactly the newest kid on the block. His alter ego; Mike Poynton is an accomplished singer songwriter whom some of you may remember as the lead singer with Youth Hostel. After a break from the circuit to write new material, Mike re emerged as TRACKY last year and Deep Cuts was fortunate to book him for his first gig from where he went on to clock up some impressive support slots to Boy Azooga, Red Rum Club and The Tea Street Band as well as playing Sound City on the Farm.
I predict 2019 to be the year for TRACKY to break out and reach out to a wider audience with his tales of being young, broke and Northern. Influenced by Daft Punk and Phoenix, TRACKY’s tunes are accompanied by amusing and near the knuckle animated projections on stage which makes for a lively gig with plenty of singing along and dancing.
TRACKY has been confirmed to play at Sound City 2019 and has been chosen as one of a select number of the artists to engage with the Sound City Surgery which nurtures promising young talent. Hopefully it won’t be too long before we see TRACKY release a single or EP. If we don’t see his name up in lights bigger than the ones he currently uses on stage, I am sure at some point a certain Mr Poynton from Ormskirk will be picking up an Ivor Novello or such like for writing the perfect pop song of the year for a big name. – Jane Davies
Yank Scally
Yank Scally
Enigmatic Toxteth-based producer Yank Scally is certainly not one to be tied down to a specific style, or even genre. His output ranges from jungle-tinged drum and bass (Set U Free) to Daft Punk influenced r ‘n’ b (Give It All Away). Yank Scally promises a debut album soon, which will surely have a seismic impact on Liverpool’s already vibrant electronic scene.
Self-taught, Yank Scally has a firm grasp on the intricacies of electronic music production, and clearly displays the inimitable spark of passion, and willingness to experiment that will no doubt lend themselves to a memorable 2019 for the producer. – Max Richardson
Yammerer
Yammerer
The definition of the word Yammerer is ‘one who complains peevishly’. Or in a biological sense, ‘the howl of an animal’. However, when we apply it to music, it’s a whole other thing. Yammerer – the band that is, are a whole different beast. Imagine if you will, the sound and narkiness of The Fall mixed with the early psychedelic swirl of The Red Crayola and some obscure none-hit wonders extracted from a Nuggets compilation and you’re getting pretty close.
They’re an intense, multi-limbed racket of a band, ramshackle and noisy, yet always driving forward. Snarly and exciting, Yammerer are a band you’ll want to hear in 2019. And maybe complaining peevishly and howling at the same time is not an altogether bad thing to be. – Rick Leach
Eyesore & the Jinx
Eyesore and The Jinx
Eyesore and The Jinx were pretty hard not to miss live in 2018. At least for the second half of the year the self described ‘jaded and overweight’ trio seemed to be everywhere.
Support slots saw them play with Protomartyr, Acid Dads and Cocaine Piss to name but a few. There were appearances at many Merseyside festivals including Liverpool Calling, Smithdown Road Festival and of course, Sound City. And there were a lot of very messy Eggy Records nights down on Duke St.
Ruling what felt like the whole of the festive period Eyesore had an Office Christmas party and Dj’ed New Year’s Eve. If there’s one band in Liverpool that know how to be the life of a party these guys are giving it a good go.
So it feels like the three piece are building up for something bigger in 2019.
At the moment just one song is bashing around online with another on the way very soon. Gated Communities is a loud and proud garage rock rattle of dark political humour and observational fuzzed up lyrics. We here at Getintothis have previously used such crazy cat words as ‘manic mayhem’ and a ‘rockabilly hand grenade’ to describe their live shows and pumped up energetic sound.
So what’s in store for 2019? There’s a single launch for On An Island happening at Outpost on January 31. Plus after recently running riot through the Merseyrail Sound Station development programme, anything goes this year for Eyesore and The Jinx, what haven’t they done in Merseyside yet? – Lucy McLachlan
UPDATE: Here’s the new single On An Island
Rico Don at Liverpool’s 24 Kitchen StreetRico Don
Liverpool’s rap talent is hungry, and Rico Don might just have the biggest appetite. His delivery matches his biting, incisive lyrics and he possesses a versatility that means grime and hip-hop beats (including drill and trap) have both found their way into Rico Don tracks – each genre seeming to fit as naturally as the other.
He’s easily capable of switching up his flow, rapping in a calmer, introspective tone on his Vibrations EP and ramping up the intensity to a level reminiscent of Ghetts in his Road Rage video. Currently signed to C4 Entertainment, he’s been a well-respected part of the Scouse scene for years, having released EPs and mixtapes as far back as 2014 – but 2019 might just be the year he blows up. – Dominic Finlay
Seatbelts – (Photo courtesy via artist Facebook page)
Seatbelts
They’re part Hooton Tennis Club (so they have the pedigree) and part new, so we don’t quite know where Seatbelts are going in 2019.
But it is for sure they played some cracking gigs last year and on that basis we expect them to be on top form for the coming year. Their new single Content Crush dropped just before Christmas and deserved to be given to everyone who was on both the naughty or nice list. With an EP in preparation it won’t be long before they’re playing bigger venues around the UK.
They’re catchy poppy cats who know how to make the tunes to get people dancing and their use of a cowbell is a sure fire bonus. – Peter Goodbody
Dawn Ray’d (Chris Everett)
Dawn Ray’d
Peaness
Peaness
Hailing from Chester, this female 3-piece “melodic indie-pop slo-punk band” (it says here…) have enjoyed a well-deserved steady rise since self-releasing their debut cassette EP No Fun back in 2015.
Since then word of their charms spread through the DIY scene like juicy gossip, soon reaching Auntie Beeb.
They’ve been championed by Huw Stephens, Radcliffe & Maconie and Steve Lamacq for their smart and catchy songs and 2019 sees the trio working hard in the studio and the promise of a debut album.
A cut above the countless identikit indie boy-bands drawing on similar influences, they’ve been winning over crowds up and down the land for their packed and polished gigs. 2019 could well be their year – Gary Aster
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