You’d think free beer and live music would be a guaranteed good time. Kinda. A hard to please Stephanie Heneghan catches two Liverpool favourites at the Zanzibar.
There aren’t many combinations that bring a smile to my face like live music and free booze can so when asked to head down to the Zanzibar last Thursday for the Liverpool leg of the Miller Time Live sessions, it was a no brainer.
Unfortunately it was also a school night meaning I had to restrict myself to a single bottle of complimentary alcohol. It’s a good job I’ve got immense self-control…
Courtesy of our generous American beer brewing friends the entertainment for the evening consisted of two Liverpool bands with Stealing Sheep first to take to the stage.
Presently being championed by 6Music and current darlings of the indie scene, the all girl psych-folk trio have won plaudits from fans ranging from Lauren Laverne to Paul McCartney.
Despite their celebrity acclaim, unfortunately they left me slightly cold. Opening with I Am The Rain, their lush three part harmonies were soothingly pleasant to begin with but with little crowd interaction, one track blended endlessly into another and displaying a giggly uneasy demeanour gave the performance a restless and ramshackle feel.
That’s not to say it was all negative, the tom-tom drums provided depth and there were splashes of energy and coherence throughout, with vocals that occasionally resembled Bjork‘s at her most haunting. Overall it was all a bit Lilith Fair for me but hey what do I know, Macca likes them.
Next up, a band more suited to my personal taste. Hot Club De Paris are stalwarts of the Liverpool scene and despite having seen them more times than I can remember (or count on both hands and feet) they always manage to produce a vigorously fresh sounding set.
Rattling through an impressive number of three-minute masterpieces, there’s no messing about with these lads who pause only to banter with the audience. In between tracks we were treated to them riffing on the Miller Time slogan (Greenwich Mean Time, Dinner Time), opening the floor out for a Q&A session and trying to procure tips off the crowd for Football Manager 11.
With their stand out track being the NSFW titled F**k You, The Truth, they’re not the kind of music my mum would approve of but as far as fun raucous indie pop goes, they do a bloody good job of it.
Hot Club take to the Zanzi stage.
