Liverpool Sound City 2012 review - Day One

Get your Converse or  Doc Martins on as Sound City is back for its 2012 installment, and to get to see as many bands as possible there's some walking to be done. For us, this just adds to the excitement that it brings to the city. Nipping from one venue to the other as you can try to fit as much in as possible and envelope yourself in the wildly diverse music on off over the next few days and seeing the rest of Liverpool doing the same. So here's a few of our highlights from Day One.

Luke Fenlon at the Epstein Theatre 

This venue, the old Neptune Theatre for those who don't know, is a great venue for those laid back sets from singers or bands who excel so much in intimate gigs and have the capacity to create an ambiance that captures everyone's attention and Luke Fenlon is definitely one of those acts. With his Bob Dylan tones that have become synonymous to Luke's style but laced with the Scouse charm twinkling away, you can always rely on a brilliant time at one of his gigs and once again he was joined on stage by talented musician in his own right, Saul Godman.  

With a whirling twirling little folk rock number that has you swaying along and wishing you were dressed in Romany dress with a bottle of whisky in hand, thanks to the lyrics and followed by ,"Whats The Point In Trying" which showcased a different tone in Luke's vocals. Giving a deeper more mature sound with undertones of darkness which matched his lyrics. A song wracked with emotion which evolves to  a heady bass infused conclusion. He followed this with, "Wasting my time" despite the title is an upbeat rocking track. 

Luke once again pulled off yet another fantastic live set filled with on stage banter that we have all come to know him for, especially as it was his 1st sit down gig and in his words ,"pretty bizarre"!

TOY @ Kazimier 

The 5 members just about fitted onto a very packed stage. Good turn out already from the crowd. They provided a mix of rock with mellow indie vocals. Reminiscent of late 80 early 90s Californian rock in style. 

  With plenty of guitar reverberating across venue with a lot of heavy beat from the drum and a mild nod towards Jarvis Cocker from lead vocals at times, this was proving to be a fun early runner for the Kazimier. With plenty of head banging and tonnes of energy from the band, which in such a small space due to amount of instruments on stage I'm not sure how they stayed on it but thankfully they did.

Alkaline Trio @ o2 Academy  

Illinois based punk rock outfit headlined the very hot O2 Academy and quite literally rocked it to its very core. With a massive fan base all waiting in eager anticipation for them to appear, the buzz vibrating around the room was massive.

Finally, the trio took to the stage with Tiny Tim's, "Tiptoe Through the Window" brought back to life thanks to the film Insidious. They were met with rapturous applause from crowd as they came onto stage and went hell for leather straight into "We've Had Enough" a pounding rock number that set the tone for the rest of their set. The crowd were singing and bouncing along with plenty of air guitar and drums to go with the bands furious onslaught. They belted out many more equally high energy songs from their massive back catalogue including, "Time To Waste" and "Tuck Me In".

 Matt Skiba took time to head up to the crowd to shake hand the two front men took time to enthuse about Liverpool, it's people and The Beatles, after spending the day at the Beatles Museum. All in all, I've seen the O2 rocked before but not to this extent, a truly brilliant set from Alkaline Trio that the O2 is probably still shaking from

Death In Vegas @ Kazimier

We came back to a very packed out Kazimier, for our last gig of the night. With their psychedelic instrumental opening number to set, Death In Vegas, are a mainly instrumental band I discovered and when they did decide to vocalise a track, I have to admit, i have no idea what was being sang or maybe it was just vocal sounds to go with the Pink Flloydesque noises emanating from the stage. 

They continued with their futuristic synthetic sounds throughout set with what sounded like early 90s trance melted in with it and was extremely reminiscent of a Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Not really my thing but the huge crowd seemed to love it. Technically, they are very adept musicians but there was a certain lack of emotion or energy on stage and I personally found myself becoming very bored with the whole thing. I can only assume that they rely on their music speaking for them but in my opinion a lot can be said for on stage personality.

So there we have our first day round up of Day 1 and we can't wait to get out their for Day 2.........once our feet have recovered that is!!

Review by Alison Goggin

Photos Thomas Lennon http://www.flickr.com

Article posted by Musicmafia

Liverpool Sound City debuts at The Epstein Theatre

Liverpool Sound City debuts at The Epstein

With days until Liverpool Sound City returns to the city, the organisers are proud to announce the artists taking to the stage at the city’s new Epstein Theatre as part of this 3 day art and music extravaganza.  From Thursday 17^th – Saturday 19^th May Liverpool will be home to an international music festival and conference, committed to bringing the best new music, film, art and creative talent from all over the world to venues across the city centre.

 With the recent unveiling of The Epstein Theatre as the brightest and coolest new venue in Liverpool  it’s only fitting that they play host to the best up and coming signed and unsigned talent from the UK and international music scene. Headlining each night in the opulent surroundings of The Epstein Theatre are Stephen Langstaff, Michael Kiwanuka and James Vincent McMorrow.

 General Manager of The Epstein Theatre, Christine Spriggs said 'We are very excited about the forthcoming Liverpool Sound City concerts that we are showcasing at the Epstein. They are all going to be cracking shows and we think that audiences are going to be thrilled to see them in our fantastic new theatre.'

It kicks off in a spectacular fashion on Thursday 17^th May with Stephen Langstaff, Electric Guest, Luke Fenlon and Dave Thomas set to perform. Portsmouth pianist and accordionist Dave Thomas will open Liverpool Sound City at The Epstein. Named “one of the most talented people on YouTube" Dave has already obtained a cult following through the social media website and is now set to take the first steps in forging a successful solo career. We are in no doubt that his performance at The Epstein will be the first of many critically acclaimed performances. With his songs touted as simple stories of love, life and death that have pervaded his life so far, Liverpool native Luke Fenlon has been endlessly compared to a young Dylan. Having previously supported The Wombats during Liverpool Sound City 2008 and a performance at the MUSEXPO Festival in LA Luke has received a worldwide publishing & recording deal in 2010. Electric Guest is the combined talents of duo Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton.  Hailing from Los Angeles Electric Guest excel  in soulful, funked up pop, creating ridiculously catchy tunes which are capturing the attention of those both sides of the pond.  Previously described as having “The voice of an angel with the power of a Tsunami” Stephen Langstaff is also set to headline the opening night. Citing Damien Rice, Tori Amos, Nirvana, The Beatles and Jeff Buckley as his influences Stephen will without a doubt set the mood for the remainder of the festival.

On Friday 18^th May, another great line-up, with acts Michael Kiwanuka, Jake Bugg, Thomas J Speight and Dead Cities gracing the stage.  Supporting emerging artist Michael Kiwanuka there are some equally fresh faced new comers to the music scene. Dead cities are a Liverpool based trio formed in late 2008 and their debut album 'This Killer Wave,' was released November of 2011 and received radio play from BBC 6 Music, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Merseyside. Having honed his craft sharing the stage with folk/acoustic royalty such as Johnny Flynn, Fionn Regan and Mumford and Sons Thomas J Speight has received critical acclaim for his latest EP from Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney.  Nottingham singer songwriter Jake Bugg has previously took to the stage at Glastonbury on the BBC Introducing stage. His previous songs and this current single “Lightning Bolt” received raved reviews on BBC radio 1, 2 and 6. Having already being catapulted into the limelight as the Winner of BBC Sound of 2012, Michael Kiwanuka will be headlining Friday evening’s performances.  Having previously worked with R&B superstar Labrinth Michael has had the privilege of sharing the stage with rock and roll royalty such as Bon Jovi and Rod Stewart and has even supported women-of-the-moment Adele on her 2011 tour. Being compared to Bill Withers, Van Morrison and the Temptations Michael embodies the very definition of promising new stars.

Drawing Sound City at the Epstein Theatre to a close on Saturday 19^th May is the best of up and coming acoustic/folk musicians in the form of James Vincent McMorrow, Dan Croll, The Night and Hey Carrianne. Fronted by the gravelly voice of singer/songwriter Carrianne Hayden and backed up by the beautiful melodic ramblings of Mike Halls, Oliver Hardaker and Jake Foord, Hey Carrianne will be making their live debut of 2012 at this year’s Sound City Festival .Hey Carrianne weave frank tales of heartache with memorable guitar motifs and an understated rhythm section, creating a brand of pop that's sugared with Folk, Indie and Blues. Next up is The Night who are expected to set the stage on fire with their brilliant musical talents.  Helping draw the closing night to an end is the winner of the Musician’s Benevolent Fund Songwriting Award Dan Croll. This Liverpudlian singer/songwriter has previously shared the stage with Friday’s headliner Michael Kiwanuka.  His single 'Home,' was picked up by Q and placed in their essential downloads list for 2012 and his upcoming debut album is set to be one of the most anticipated albums of the year. Rounding off at The Epstein we have an Irish folk music singer-songwriter who has been compared to Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, and Ray LaMontagne. European Border Breakers Award winner James Vincent McMorrow has performed on the prestigious stage of BBC Two’s Later... with Jools Holland and his debut album was released in February 2010 to widespread critical acclaim. James has the added accolade of having many of his self penned tracks making up the soundtrack to American television programmes such as Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries and Teen Wolf.

With wristbands available for both individual days and the entire three days Liverpool Sound City is the pinnacle event which brings the innovations in art, culture and music to the very heart of the city. This brand new unison with the Epstein Theatre will further cement the venue as one of the jewels in the Liverpool musical and cultural crown. 

LISTING INFORMATION

Liverpool Sound City @ The Epstein

The Epstein Theatre

Hanover House

85 Hanover Street

Liverpool

L1 3DZ

Prices

14+ Wristbands: £15

Thursday Wristband: £25

Friday Wristband: £25

Saturday Wristband: £25

3 Day Wristband: £55

LSC Delegates Wristband: £150

Thursday 17^th May

Epstein Theatre

Stephen Langstaff - 22:00-23:30

Electric Guest - 21:00-21:30

Luke Fenlon - 20:00-20:30

Dave Thomas - 19:00-19:30

Friday 18^th May

Epstein Theatre

Michael Kiwanuka -22:00-23:30

Jake Bugg - 21:00-21:30

Thomas J Speight - 20:00-20:30

Dead Cities - 19:00-19:30

Saturday 19^th May

Epstein Theatre

James Vincent McMorrow - 22:00-23:30

Dan Croll - 21:00-21:30

The Night - 20:00-20:30

Hey Carrianne - 19:00-19:30

For more information visit the new theatre website at

www.theepsteintheatreliverpool.co.uk

For more information regarding Liverpool Sound City visit the website at

http://www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk

Article posted by Musicmafia

Mik Whitnall & Drew McConnell (Babyshambles*) Liverpool Eric's Friday 13th

Mik Whitnall and Drew McConnell play Liverpool Eric's Friday 13th

 Liverpool date Acoustic Tour 2012 support from The Francis Jetty, Luke Fenlon and The Hummingbirds

Friday 13 April Eric's 

£12.50 Ticketweb or box office 0151 2369994

When Mik Whitnall was thirteen years old, he visited a music shop with his father. Fixated by an electric guitar hanging on the wall, he was told “don't touch that – it's really loud!” Some say this had a lasting effect on the future musician.

From the Northern Soul stylings of Skin-Deep to Skinhead-Reggae with 100 Men, Mik joined Indie rock group Babyshambles in 2006 as lead guitarist, lending songs to The Blinding EP and co-writing the band's 2007 release, Shotter's Nation.

Described by his bandmate, Pete Doherty as “the finest ska guitarist in the UK”, it's clear that Mik's contribution to contemporary guitar music cannot be confined to one genre. The upcoming tour gives Mick a chance to showcase his solo material in an intimate setting, as well as some new interpretations of fan favourites.

Drew McConnell was born in Dublin in 1978, and spent much of his childhood in Spain. After completing a degree in bass at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), he joined Babyshambles in 2004. He has since released two albums playing bass with the band, Down in Albion (2005) and Shotter's Nation (2007).

With a long list of collaborators including underground hip-hop sensation Lowkey, Jon McClure from Reverend & The Makers and the Arctic Monkeys' Matt Helders, Drew finds time to play in the Clash-style supergroup, Mongrel, as well as being the brainchild behind Helsinki, a musical collective which has featured everyone from Billy Bragg to Albert Hammond Jnr.

Drew has also built a loyal following as a solo artist, releasing the soulful “Ribtickling” in 2008, as well as other projects, playing double-bass and piano with Irish singer-songwriter Fionn Regan, The Bottletop Band with Carl Barât (The Libertines), Seb Rochford (Acoustic Ladyland), Adam Ficeck and Andy Nicholson.

*Please note, these are acoustic shows featuring Drew McConnell and Mik Whitnall, they are not Babyshambles gigs.

Article posted by Musicmafia

Eric's Liverpool band night Sat Oct 8

Upstairs & Downstairs

Eric's, Mathew Street, Liverpool

Saturday October 8

£3 entry (including a drink voucher)

Upstairs at Erics
Electro double bill with a live set from Killaflaw and DJ set from Kids on Bridges

Downstairs at Eric’s

Dave O'Grady, Luke Fenlon, Sharp Darts, The Silence and The Guilt Charm

Born from the influences of the rave scene and the rock driven sound of the likes of Led Zeppelin, Killaflaw are an explosive act. They consist of Benn Helm on main vocals and guitar with Andy Paton providing synths, samplers, drum machines, occasional vocal harmonies and trumpet. DJ set from Liverpool band Kids on Bridges.

Dave O’Grady is a singer/songwriter originally from Ireland now based in the UK combine folk and blues and makes it his own.

It is hard to comprehend that Liverpool born Luke Fenlon is still only 20 years of age. His tender age belies the experience he has gained in his musical career. The ink is still wet on his musical birth certificate yet already he has toured several continents and signed a worldwide publishing deal.

His songs are simple stories of love, life and death that have pervaded his life so far. He conjures up endless comparisons of a young Dylan combined with the street sound of Scouse mates The Las.

Sharp Darts are 5 piece band from Bradford, Yorkshire, formed in 2005. They take the traditional Indie/Rock sound and do something which is "distinctly Sharp Darts" with it. Using a unique blend of riffs, grooves and melodies, Sharp Darts create an impressive 'wall of sound' both live and in the studio.

The Silence are a fresh new four piece band hailing from the sunny shores of Brighton. Together since November 2007 the band have been hard at work perfecting their sound ready for live performances and recording.

The Guilt Charm are a northern band born out of the breakup of others and chance meetings on winter mornings. Taking a side step from indie and staying clear of American Rock The Guilt Charm reside somewhere back in the late 60's and early 70's where guitar driven blues inspired music is still loved by all, drugs are clean and music is pure.

Luke Fenlon Review @ The Masque Theatre Liverpool

I've heard Luke Fenlon's name mentioned a fair few times over the last few months, but I've not heard any of his material yet, so I was looking forward to finally hearing him live.

Taking to the stage at The Masque, Luke Fenlon closely resembles a very young Bob Dylan, with his mop of curls and black leather vintage jacket and from the moment his gravely vocals hit the air, you can understand why he's recently signed a major record deal.

With lyrics and a voice far beyond his years, he's only 19 just in case you were wondering, Luke flowed effortlessly through a flawless set, which included "Demons" a catchy little rock number, "That Girl" which had plenty of folk undertones courtesy of the cellist on stage. This was followed by, "Never Try, Never Fail", an angst ridden song, that had the small intimate crowd captivated.

He followed this with, "Beneath Factory Floors" a haunting ballad style song and, to finish the set "Gin" a song that proves that even the most simple lyrics and music can have an amazing effect.

After the crowd had cheered for more, Luke came back onto stage for an encore, combining, "Empire State of Mind" and "New York, New York". I have to admit, it didn't really work for me, but as he said, it was the first time he'd tried something like that, so we shall put that down to trial and error and hope he sticks to his own original music, he definitely doesn't need to do covers of any kind. Thankfully the set was finished with his own music.

With a voice that can go from gentle and soulful to gravely rock in a blink of an eye, brilliant lyricist and talented guitar player, I can see the UK and further afield will be hearing a lot more from this truly talented 19 year old very very soon.

Review by Alison Goggin

Gallery Pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/musicmafiauk/sets/72157626998774892/

http://www.lukefenlon.co.uk