The closing day of Soundcity is upon us. So,as not to feel to down-hearted, we started the day at the Australian free BBQ to feast on some gorgeous sausages and burgers whilst watching Seekae and experiencing some experimental, ambient sounds direct from their hometown of Australia.The 3 members transfixed in their knobs and buttons and switches and levers,hardly came up for air to deliver a well received set. Upstairs, in stark contrast to the chilled out sounds, The Brazilian Showcase was in full effect with Black Drawing Chalks beating out a testosterone filled set. With lots of hair whipping and guitar thrashing, this was good old heavy rock in the house and pretty darn great it was too, even though it left my already tender ears a little worse for wear.
The evening session of the final day took us firstly to Studio 2 to see Forza. The Norwegian band mix rap with indie with classical violin. This may sound like an odd mixture but it works.These guys are pretty big in Norway and I was glad to see them perform in Liverpool and good to see them in a venue like Studio 2. The stark comparison from the audience reclining on chairs and sofas to the intensity of the performance on stage was amazing.
All too quickly though, it was off to the o2 Academy for the re-located Bella Union Showcase. We were there to see Marques Tolivier. This guy,not so long ago, was busking in the streets and sleeping on sofas and now he is playing Soundcity and you can see why. This talented young man commands the stage armed with his violin. His clear angelic voice drifting across the o2 causing silence to descend amongst the audience. His fingers plucking at the violin strings like his life depended on it. His set was 30 minutes long. I could have sat and watched him for 2 hours.
Then across to the St Georges Hall for the headlining act Sound of Guns. Supporting them were the excellent Fly with Vampires. Good to see homegrown talent being recognised and showcased in the glorious hall.
Fly with Vampires were in fine form. Playing a mixture of their old songs and some new ones they filled the hall with energy and enthusiasm. Without having to do anything,they had the crowd enraptured. Clapping along and stamping their feet. I have only ever seen the guys in small venues but they fit just as easily into a venue this size and probably bigger.Next year these guys have got to headline.But not this year. This year belongs to Sound of Guns. Their meteoric climb, from when we first witnessed them in a small bar Manchester, has been rapid. The venue may have changed but the energy and talent we first saw in that bar has not. Lead singer, Andrew Metcalfe, taking control of the stage from the onset. Belting out the songs that the audience want to hear. Reaching forward to touch the hands of the fans and grabbing photographers cameras in order to take pictures of them from the stage. A true showman. Hearing "The Architects" being sung by the crowd was truly a spine tingling moment. The only question I have is why aren't these guys bigger than they are? Hopefully the up and coming tour supporting The View will sort out that once and for all.
