Best music photos from December & January featuring: Enter Shikari, The Fernweh, Queen Zee & more

Enter Shikari

We’ve got a double helping for our photo of the month feature with all the best from both December and January, Getintothis’ Kevin Barrett brings the action.

Ok, firstly let’s clear up this up, I know when we started this feature it was to be the best photos of the month – not months. But in case you missed it, in December we had our huge end-of-year feature where our gang of photographers each picked their best photo of 2018. I strongly recommend you go and check that out if you haven’t already done so, but as a bonus here, we can bring an excellent extended gallery covering all December and January’s best live shots.

So, the start of the year has been a bit of rollercoaster for the Merseyside music scene and beyond, with news reaching us of yet another independent venue’s closure in the St Helens musical institution The Citadel, add this to the impending administration of HMV, and government business rate cuts directly affecting music venues makes very bleak reading for the industry.

Although, on the other hand we brought you news on a regeneration ‘masterplan’ by Liverpool City Council for the Baltic Triangle, adding to the launch of Liverpool Music City Region Music Board, and also plans for a regeneration framework for Cavern Quarter and Williamson Square area, things might not be all as doom and gloom as it seems.

Liverpool gig guide feat: John Grant, Laura Veirs, The Lucid Dream, Queen Zee and more

But one of the brightest shining lights recently has been the staggeringly rapid rise of a relative newcomer on the Liverpool music scene, Jacaranda Records Phase One is quickly establishing itself as the city’s hottest venue for bands to play. The future is looking very exciting there, with already a plethora of the best bands and artists booked to stop by over the coming months, and plans to create a record label, recording studios, and vinyl production facility, there seems to be no stopping them in their growth.

Up until the past week, it’s been typically quiet on the gig front for the turn of the year whilst the Christmas hangover wears away.

Thankfully Independent Venue Week came to the rescue to blow the new year cobwebs well and truly away.

And what a week it’s been for our team of snappers to make the most of it, some highlights included Hacktivist bringing their blend of enigmatic metal/electronica to EBGB’s, The Delines playing the most serene Americana sound to a sold-out Unitarian Church on Sefton Park‘s edge. And finally Witch Fever pummelling through their high octane performance headlining our Independent Women night as they shook Phase One to its core.

So here we go with the gallery double whammy…enjoy.