Issue 58 / August 2015

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Issue 58
August 2015
Malik & The O.G's by John Johnson
Malik & The O.G’s
Marvin Powell
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Migrations

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Bido Lito! August 2015
3
INTERNAL AFFAIRS
Editorial
So, you want to start a career in the ‘creative industries’, do you? Great, good luck to you. The country needs you, too; according to latest government
statistics, the combined worth of the creative industries to the UK economy is about £70bn per year, representing one of the few booming sectors
in the UK marketplace. You know that your flowing prose, incisive reviewing style, signature illustration technique, or acute awareness of the
negative space-loving Copenhagen-style design will make you an asset in a sector that’s going through a major upheaval as new and traditional
media collide; but how do you get your foot on that first rung of the ladder?
First of all, get to the back of the queue; the amount of people coming out of universities and colleges loaded with qualifications in writing
clever words and making pretty images far outweighs the number of employment opportunities available. Unless you’re taking a punt on your
own venture, you’re going to have to compete with hundreds of other people applying for the few positions out there. “Fair enough”, you think, “I’ll
download the application form and give it a go. You’ve got to be in it to win it.” Scroll down to the ‘requirements’ section and you’ll see something
that could make your heart sink: ‘relevant studio/office/publication experience desired’. With the sheer weight of competition for temporary and
full-time roles now, even most entry-level positions come with the caveat of some hands-on experience. A three-year degree, and all the work that
comes with it, isn’t experience enough in the over-saturated jobs market, it seems.
This is where internships come in. And before the bile rises in the back of your throat, to be spat on to the page at the very thought of internships,
hear me out. Put the horror stories of exploitation and boredom-inducing bouts of tea-making to one side for a moment, and consider the role (and
good CV buzz words) that decent intern opportunities provide: hands-on experience working on ‘live’ projects; exposure to a professional working
environment; the opportunity to test your skills and prove your worth; improving teamwork, inter-personal skills, telephone communications, hot
beverage-preparation techniques… you get the picture. I don’t want to trivialise the matter, as I think that internships – paid and unpaid – play a
key role for individuals and businesses alike, especially as the value of experience increases. Being blooded in a potential workplace also lets you
get a taster of the likely environment, allowing you to gauge if you’ll even like the role. You might even try a few before you decide exactly where
you want to specialise. If you’re still undecided, think about internships like this: if we called them work experience roles, would it make you think
any differently about them?
Just to reiterate at this point, I – and we as a publication – are completely against exploitation in these circumstances. Anyone who doesn’t show
the requisite respect for the mutually beneficial role a robust internship programme can play – and/or just treats them as box-ticking exercises –
should be named, shamed and avoided. It’s also worth pointing out that unpaid internships are far from democratic, being restricted to those who
can afford to work for free just to gain experience. Unpaid roles should never be seen as a replacement for labour either, especially if the business
stands to make money from the product being worked on; but, at the same time, not all such placements have to be paid ones, if you have an
appreciation of the creative currency in opportunity and experience. This, in itself, is a delicate notion, as it can be easily abused if the intentions
aren’t pure (see above).
Got an opinion on this, or a positive/negative experience of an internship that you’d like to share with us? Tweet us, email us, Facebook message
us, send us a letter: we want to hear what you think about the culture of interning, and we’ll be building a lot of the responses in to a full feature
to be run in our September issue, which looks in to the whole issue in a bit more depth.
There’s a further reason behind bringing this discussion to the fore, not least because we are launching a new internship programme of our
own. We are looking to take on an Editorial Assistant to work alongside our team on the monthly magazine production, and we promise to stick to
all the guidelines set out above! We would like to hear from any of you who are interested in the role, and we’re going to be meeting prospective
candidates at our Bido Lito! Social Live @ Aloft Hotel on Thursday 20th August. Drop us a line on submissions@bidolito.co.uk if you’d like to apply
(and see the news item on page 23 for a bit more info).
And finally… Craig and I would like to say a big, huge, bright pink ‘thank you’ to Luke Avery, the unsung hero who hung up his InDesign boots
last month. Luke has been part of Bido since the very beginning, and is as much a part of the mag as any of us, having worked on making it look as
recognisable as it does now. It’s been a pleasure, mate, and we wish you all the best! Following on from this, we would like to extend the warmest
of pink welcomes to Mark McKellier, who joined us on design/layout duties for this month’s issue. I apologise in advance about my obsession
with hyphens…
Bido Lito!
Issue Fifty Eight / August 2015
bidolito.co.uk
Static Gallery
23 Roscoe Lane
Liverpool
L1 9JD
Editor
Christopher Torpey - chris@bidolito.co.uk
Editor-In-Chief / Publisher
Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk
Reviews Editor
Sam Turner - live@bidolito.co.uk
Design
Mark McKellier - @mckellier
Proofreading
Debra Williams - debra@wordsanddeeds.co.uk
Digital Content Manager
Natalie Williams - online@bidolito.co.uk
Words
Christopher Torpey, Glyn Akroyd, Richard
Lewis, Joshua Potts, Jonny Davis le Brun,
Stuart Miles O’Hara, Phil Morris, Alastair
Dunn, Jamie Carragher, Bethany Garrett,
Sam Banks, Walrus Said, Nik Glover.
Photography, Illustration and Layout
Mark McKellier, John Johnson, Charlotte
Patmore, Aaron McManus, Lucy Roberts,
Jemma Timberlake, Keith Ainsworth, Mike
Sheerin, Stuart Moulding, Samantha Milligan,
Gaz Jones, Antonio Franco, David Howarth.
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The views expressed in Bido Lito! are those of the
respective contributors and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the magazine, its staff or the
publishers. All rights reserved.
Christopher Torpey / @BidoLito
Editor
bidolito.co.uk

The
Revolution
Is
Live
Words: Glyn Akroyd
Photography: John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com

Bido Lito! August 2015
5
I meet Malik Al Nasir on a sunny Bold Street and ask him if I
can get him a coffee. “No, I’m fasting, but you go ahead, fill
yer boots,” he grins. Malik’s life is something of a modernday
parable, a rags-to-riches story, where the rags represent
a childhood of hardship and the riches an emotional,
philosophical and intellectual maturing throughout adulthood.
Formerly Mark T. Watson, the son of a Guyanese father and
a Welsh mother, Watson suffered a Liverpool childhood of
poverty exacerbated by semi-literacy and racial abuse, against
which he railed. After his father suffered a stroke, at the age
of nine he was labelled a troublemaker and taken into ‘care’.
A fourteen-day stint in solitary confinement was his welcome;
two weeks, which, he says, are still vividly etched in his mind,
as if the bars still covered his windows.
Perhaps little wonder, then, that when his older brother
Reynold introduced him to the politically charged, socially
conscious poetry of American artists Gil Scott-Heron and
The Last Poets the seeds of salvation were sown; seeds that
flowered in 1984 when Gil Scott-Heron played Liverpool’s Royal
Court and Malik met his hero backstage, and bore fruit over the
coming years after Malik took “about two seconds” to consider
Scott-Heron’s invitation to “get on the [tour] bus and come with
us” (you can just hear his jazzy delivery of that line). Malik leapt
on board and changed his life forever.
Malik is a big, gently spoken man and when I meet him he
seems to know exactly what information he wants to impart,
but he also takes a spontaneous delight in storytelling.
Once on board the tour bus, Malik spent the next few years
alternately on tour with Scott-Heron or travelling the world’s
shipping lanes as a merchant seaman. “I studied under these
guys, I studied everything: the music industry, poetry, politics,
civil rights, religion, what was happening in America, what
came out of the black arts movement, the Harlem renaissance,
the Black Panthers, Malcolm X, everything.” If that education
laid the foundations for his burgeoning creativity, his seagoing
encounters with people and places proved to be a trove of
literary treasure. Encouraged by Scott-Heron and The Last
Poets (particularly Jalal Nuriddin and Suliman El Hadi), he
began to write and initially produced poetry both as a means
of convincing himself that he could succeed at university and
also as a personal catharsis. Suitably assured, he put the
poems to bed and they were only resurrected when close
friends and family convinced him of their worth. The poems
are littered with references to the casual and institutionalised
racism, inequalities and injustices of life in the UK (Freedom Is
A Funny Thing, Power) and the more exotic backdrop provided
by his life in the “merch” (Bourbon Street, Elena, Mediterranean
Sunset, Cartogena).
As he warms to the recounting of his story, I ask Malik
about the first time he ever performed his poems live. “I was
selling advertising space on The Buzz magazine and they
did a live event with bands, and one [member] of Gil’s band,
Robbie Gordon, was playing. There was a technical problem
and I’d introduced the band, and Robbie said ‘You do poetry,
give them a poem’. So I dropped this poem, Power, and the
crowd applauded so I dropped four or five while they sorted
the tech out.” His self-belief was further boosted following a
second impromptu but well-received performance, where he
introduced himself with the predictive words, “I’m not a poet,
I’m just an ordinary guy who wrote some poetry.”
Having heard the applause, performing was added to his
growing portfolio, alongside record producing, publishing and
promotion. Indebted to Scott-Heron, Nuriddin and Suliman El
Hadi – who were also responsible for his embracing of Islam
– Malik finally published his poems in 2004 in a book titled
Ordinary Guy, through his own publishing company Fore-Word
Press. A decade or more after they were written, Malik finally
brought the poems to light as a dedication to his “literary
brothers and mentors.”
Fast-track to 2015 and Malik – still performing with and
promoting The Last Poets and performing with his own band,
MALIK & THE O.G’S – has released a recorded version of his
dedication entitled Rhythms Of The Diaspora – Volumes 1 & 2.
The O.G’s, I surmise, stands for ‘Ordinary Guys’, but Malik, not
for the last time, refers to the layers of meaning that lie behind
his words. “Some people also think it stands for ‘Original
Gangsters’: people regard Gil and The Last Poets as OGs. But
it’s actually a triple entendre: my father was born in Guyana
and Guyanese people are known as Guys, so by heritage, I’m
just an ordinary Guy.”
Recorded at Wyclef Jean’s Platinum Studios in New York, the
music on Vol. 1 reflects many elements of the African diaspora,
from the New Orleans marching-band drumming of Bourbon
Street, the reggae lilts of Africa and Cherish The Good Man,
the RnB stylings of Fruit Of My Love and the D.C. go-go triplets
of Blues.
The original poems were arranged as songs by “adding
choruses and bridges”, and are interpreted by a number of
guest vocalists, most prominently J.D. Smoothe, whose clean,
light tone is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder and Charmaine
Radcliffe, who delivers a soulful rendition of the poignant Fruit
Of My Love. Gil Scott-Heron himself delivers a typically cool
vocal on Black And Blue and there’s a lovely moment when,
during the fadeout, after delivering the line “There’s more to
being black than feeling blue”, Scott-Heron ad-libs “I really
like that”. Using only percussive instruments, all recorded live,
the rhythm section of drummer Rod Youngs (Gil Scott-Heron’s
Amnesia Express), percussionists Larry McDonald (Amnesia
Express) and Marivaldo dos Santos (Wyclef Jean), and marimba
player Kenyatte Abdur-Rahman (The Last Poets) are eminently
capable of realising the complex and varying structures and
rhythms of Malik’s songs.
Vol. 2 sees Malik himself delivering his poetry, with a guest
appearance by The Last Poets over a sparse percussive backing
from drummer Swiss Chris (John Legend), who masterfully
switches styles across the spectrum of the diaspora. All of it
is done in the style of early Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron’s
formative albums, which allows the alternately fiery and
plaintive spoken-word pieces to breathe freely. Despite the
anger expressed in many of the poems, it is Malik’s belief that
justice lies in the hands of the creator. Passage Of Crime “is about
the Judgement Day,” explains Malik. “Nelson Mandela called for
no revenge, no retribution; we don’t want to swing the pendulum
the other way and become oppressors, we need balance. People
are not born to oppress.”
Fittingly, as part of its Music Migrations theme, Liverpool
International Music Festival 2015 have commissioned Malik
and business partner Richard McGinnis (Chibuku) to produce a
tribute to Gil Scott-Heron, entitled The Revolution Will Be Live.
The event is one of the cornerstones of LIMF’s Commissions
activities this year, and is taking place at St. George’s Hall on 27th
August. The same diligence that Malik brought to his selection
and execution of the album tracks has been applied to the live
show. All the artists performing have a connection to Scott-
Heron, either musically or politically: Aswad performed at the
Free Nelson Mandela Concert (anti-apartheid being a cause long
espoused by Gil Scott-Heron); Craig Charles devoted a whole BBC
6Music Funk And Soul Show to Scott-Heron after his death; The
Christians covered Scott-Heron’s The Bottle; Sophia Ben-Yousef’s
song Carry On soundtracked the Libyan revolution; and headliner
Talib Kweli is an artist who, Malik says, “has remained true to
the conscious roots of hip hop” – which neatly brings things full
circle and back to Gil Scott-Heron and The Last Poets’ origins as
socio-political protesters. Scott-Heron’s son, Rumal Rackley, and
Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Ndaba, will be in attendance at the
event as guests of honour.
And then there is Malik’s own band, the O.G’s, which feature
Rod Youngs and members of the acclaimed Jazz Warriors. “This is a
coming out for us,” states Malik. “I’ve left it late, I’ve learnt from the
masters. I don’t want to be ripped off like The Last Poets, fighting
legal battles against the record companies like Gil Scott-Heron.
I’ve set up and run my own record company, my own publishing
company; I write and produce my own material; I do my own PR;
I can maintain control and not get ripped off by the shysters who
have permeated the music industry since its inception. I attribute
the ability to do all that to the guidance of Gil Scott-Heron and
The Last Poets. We’ve had a phenomenal response to the idea of
the concert, to its credibility as a tribute to Gil.”
I ask Malik if he’s still writing poetry. “Yeh, I’ve got loads.” He
picks up his phone, says “Here’s one, still a work in progress, no
title,” and, leaning closer to my recorder, delivers a beautifully
lyrical performance, another verse in the extraordinary life of
an ordinary guy.
It’s like we’re living in the Matrix,
alternative reality,
knowing of the truth,
not an option for society.
In the Matrix,
utopian delusions,
politicians manufacturing conclusions,
media moguls’ propagation of illusions,
there’s no escape - lost in the confusion.
In the Matrix,
invasion of your mind,
configuring your thoughts,
to render you as blind,
to the Matrix,
don’t even know you’re there,
you think you’re in control,
while you’re trapped in your armchair.
They tell you what to think.
They show you what to do.
Rewards if you buy in,
if not they’ll punish you.
They choose you by your race,
transfiguring your mind.
They tell you who to hate,
while bankers rob you blind.
In the Matrix,
they’re still searching for the one,
hoping he’ll appear,
so that they can go home,
from the Matrix,
manufacturing a dream,
where ignorance is bliss
and power is extreme!
© Malik Al-Nasir, 2015 all rights reserved
Rhythms Of The Diaspora – Volumes 1 & 2 is released on iTunes
on 1st August on Mentis Records.
The Revolution Will Be Live: A Tribute To Gil Scott-Heron takes place
at St. George’s Hall on 27th August, as part of Liverpool International
Music Festival. Tickets can be found at limfestival.com.
bidolito.co.uk

6
Bido Lito! August 2015
Continuing Liverpool’s fascination with emotionally bruised
dream pop, and its endless ability for existing bands to coalesce
into new forms, expansive rock ensemble AVIATOR move back in
to the spotlight with the release of their new opus, No Friend Of
Mind. The group were founded by singer/guitarist Pete Wilkinson,
whose basslines have graced two generations of Merseyside
groups including Cast, Echo & The Bunnymen and much of Mick
Head’s work, solo and in Shack. Drawing inspiration from The
Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Cure and evergreens such as
Love and The Velvet Underground, and sharing a similar sonic
realm with Bido Lito! favourites The Sand Band, the group’s
fourth LP is a feast of expansive psychedelia founded on bedrock
acoustic strums, spiralling guitar lines and cushioning pedal
steel textures.
How Aviator initially came about, though, was through
serendipity rather than design. “Cast had split up and I needed
something to do to kill some time,” Wilkinson says on the phone
from his London base. “Paul Hemmings [former La’s guitarist]
from Viper Records said ‘Have you got any songs?’ I was writing
quite a few but I didn’t want to do anything with them really, I
wasn’t in any rush to start a new band. Paul had a studio setup
in his attic and we eventually recorded thirteen to fourteen
songs, and he said ‘Why don’t I put it out on Viper?’ which he did
[as 2002 debut Huxley Pig, Part 1]. And it did all right, it got really
decent reviews. I wouldn’t say it was a vanity project, but it was
a more cathartic pastime for me – I needed to do it.”
Given the number of albums that Wilkinson has played on
since Aviator’s inception (seven in all), maintaining the focus on
his own band can sometimes be a struggle. “Aviator definitely
works around everything else,” Wilkinson states, with the actual
album-making process itself being the reason the group was
established. “It’s a project I enjoy doing. I’m not too bothered
once it’s finished, I won’t listen to it. I really enjoy the moment, but
once it’s done it’s done. I’m wanting to move on to the next thing.”
Now firmly established as a duo with a loose affiliation of
additional players, Aviator comprise Wilkinson and Newcastleborn
studio engineer Mark Neary as the nucleus of the band.
Possessing a stellar CV that includes working with Baxter
Dury, Adele, Van Morrison and Roddy Frame, Neary's multiinstrumental
skill is showcased throughout the LP. With
Wilkinson handling “mainly guitar and vocals”, Neary takes
care of the remainder and production duties. “It’s very much
a collaboration,” Wilkinson says of the songwriting. “I’ll bring
the chords in – the skeleton of it – and Mark will flesh it out.”
Sticksman Simon Finley and occasional collaborator Paul
Fleming (aka Baltic Fleet) are two of the more regular members
of the revolving cast, both of whom Wilkinson met through
working with Echo & The Bunnymen. “As a band we have
musicians coming in and out: Paul Hemmings will come in, [Cast
drummer] Keith O’Neill will appear if he can. Patrick Walden, who
used to be in Babyshambles, plays on one track. We’ve got a kind
of rolling band of gypsies who kind of come in and out. I really
like working that way, it feels like something new can happen
every time with different musicians.” This set-up, meanwhile, has
aided Aviator’s songwriting. “The way it worked with Simon was
that we would do the track and send it to him in Liverpool, kind
of give him a bit of a brief about what we’d like and leave it up
to him. It was always quite exciting to get back what he’d done.
Ultimately, music should be an expression of the musicians in
the band; it frustrates me being told what I can and can’t do.”
Having worked in scores of groups over the years, Wilkinson’s
own methods of making music must surely have taken some
influence from the songwriters he’s worked with. I ask if there
have been any particular artists who have inspired him, and the
answer is instant. “Definitely working with Mick Head; his way
of working is really good,” Wilkinson enthuses. “He’s got this
way of including everybody in the band. He’d bring in the song
on vocals and acoustic guitar and then let you do whatever you
want on it. It’s clever, actually: if you turn round to someone and
say ‘do what you want’, you’ve brought them in and it becomes
inclusive. If you get someone saying, ‘Here’s the bassline, play
this’, there’s already a slight friction there.”
How does co-piloting Aviator compare to working as a
sideman? “It feels a lot different, it’s a lot easier,” Wilkinson
states. “There’s no agenda, there’s no deadline and that’s the
beauty of it.”
In a slight deviation from the norm, No Friend Of Mind is being
released on the band’s newly-minted label, AV8, after three
prior releases on the storied Viper Label. “I just thought, why
not have a go?” Wilkinson explains of the development. “Paul
[Hemmings] said, ‘I’ll put it out; this is what I’m gonna do’, and I
thought ‘Well I can do that’. We’re absolutely fine about it; I think
he wanted a break from Viper and I said, ‘I’ll do it’, and he said,
‘If you need any help let me know’, so it’s a mutual thing. It’s all
ready to go at the end of August. What we’re trying to work out
is a price. We don’t wanna take the piss; I’m not interested in
making any money, I just want it to pay for itself, really. If I break
even then job done as far as I’m concerned.”
Lyrically, the album’s title track suggests the direction for the
disc, with No Friend Of Mind taking aim at the all-pervasive social
media age. “It’s not a concept album, it’s not The Wall,” Wilkinson
explains. “But my idea is how everyone is always online and
connected.” Taking in the plangent psych of The Dove and the
waltz-time political swipes (and album highlight) of A Promise,
the LP is done and dusted in a concise thirty-two minutes.
Doubling as a comment on the rapid-fire consumption of music
in the present age, the album was designed as a short sprint.
“Any more tunes on it and people start getting bored,” Wilkinson
states. “It’s also a nod to people having no concentration, cos
there’s so many distractions. I suppose it’s an oxymoron, isn’t it?
We’ll have the album, which complains about people being so
connected and not able to concentrate, but we’ll make it [only]
thirty minutes so you don’t get too bored.”
The next step following the LP release is transferring the
material to the stage. “We pick songs we think we can do live.
We’ll do an interpretation of the album, otherwise we’d need
about ten of us onstage!” laughs Wilkinson. “We’re trying to
dress it up a little differently live than your usual guitar, drums,
bass, vocals set-up. We’d like to do cool shows, not just go out
there and batter it.”
“It’s about how people have lost their intuition and a natural
ability to discover new things,” Wilkinson sums up, reflecting on
what No Friend Of Mind means to him. “If you want something
you go into Google and just find it. When I first discovered Probe
Records it was like I’d just discovered Narnia; it was magical.
That kind of spontaneity has disappeared. I’m not a Luddite, but
I miss the sense of discovery.”
No Friend Of Mind is released on AV8 Records on 31st August.
aviator-music.co.uk
AVIATOR
Words: Richard Lewis
Photography: Charlotte Patmore / charlottepatmore.blogspot.co.uk

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Tues 24th Nov • £13.50 adv
Slaves
Wed 25th Nov • £19.50 adv
The Wailers
Performing the album Legend in its entirety
Sat 28th Nov • £10 adv
The Hummingbirds
Tues 1st Dec • £15 adv
Courtney Barnett
Thurs 3rd Dec • £12.50 adv
Electric Six
Fri 4th Dec • £13 adv
The Lancashire Hotpots
50 Shades of Gravy Tour
Sat 12th Dec • £25 adv
Echo & The Bunnymen
Sat 19th Dec • £16 adv
The Beat
Tues 26th Jan 2016 • £22.50 adv
Michael Schenker’s
Temple of Rock
Thurs 4th Feb 2016 • £20 adv
Bowling For Soup
How About Another Round Tour 2016
Wed 9th Mar 2016 • £22 adv
Scott Bradlee’s
Postmodern Jukebox
Fri 23rd Oct • £22.50 adv
The Wombats
Sat 24th Oct • £20 adv
An Evening with
Simon and Oscar
from
Ocean Colour Scene
Mon 9th Nov •
The 1975
Ticketweb.co.uk • 0844 477 2000
liverpoolguild.org
Mon 3rd Aug • £17.50 adv
Mark Lanegan
Thurs 24th Sep • £15 adv
Peace
Thurs 15th Oct • £25 adv
Ride
o2academyliverpool.co.uk
11-13 Hotham Street, Liverpool L3 5UF • Doors 7pm unless stated
Venue box office opening hours: Mon - Sat 11.30am - 5.30pm • No booking fee on cash transactions
ticketweb.co.uk • seetickets.com • gigantic.com • ticketmaster.co.uk

8
Bido Lito! August 2015
When the desire to innovate sits
alongside the desire to create, sparks
can fly. When these curious desires
coexist in the mind and body of a
musician, those sparks can be even
brighter. Think of the electronic
experimenting of Joe Meek and Delia
Derbyshire, the human-mechanoid
hybrid of Kraftwerk, and My Bloody
Valentine’s deep exploration of
noise; all examples of when great
art meets obsessive sonic craft.
As an investigation of the
connections between craft,
technology and community, FACT’s
current BUILD YOUR OWN exhibition
lets us see fleeting glimpses of these
kernels of inspiration, breaking down the whole argument to
its simplest elements and allowing us to appraise them in
detail. The wide range of projects that fit under the Build Your
Own umbrella show that the nature of craft and DIY has changed
drastically, and how traditional craft skills can connect with new
digital tools.
To test this out, we sent our own intrepid audio explorer –
Adam Rowley, the electronic sound artist we know as Afternaut
– along to FACTLab to get hands-on with some experimental
‘instruments’ at one of the exhibition’s Make Your Own Noise
series of workshops. With the prospect of creating some unique
sounds using an Arduino light sensor, and improvising a range
Words: Christopher Torpey / @CATorp
Photography: Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk
of inventive ways of keeping rhythm, Adam jumped at the
chance to explore some tools that could make him view his
own methods of music making in a different light. The last time
we spoke to him (in August 2014), he had just released an album
that was written and performed on his own self-made modular
synth, so we thought it might be up his street. “This sounds
absolutely fantastic, I'd love to be involved!” came his reply
when we invited him. “You know me very well!”
“It was a bit of a cacophony, with six people playing random
sounds at once,” Adam remembers of the workshop, where
he was joined by retired music teacher Reinhard Fuchs, who
specialises in the unconventional art of music composition
with joystick interfaces. “We started off the day by just staying
silent for a few minutes, listening to the environment. We were
then asked to slowly blend in [to that background] using some
sounds: playing with a glasses case, the odd cough, scratching
on the chair. Then we started to incorporate these random
devices.”
The Make Your Own Noise workshops were devised by the
collaborative group of artists from Owl Project, alongside input
from Manchester-based improv music institution The Noise
Upstairs. Drawing on influences such as 70s synthesiser culture,
DIY woodworking and current digital crafts, Owl Project work
with wood and electronics to fuse sculpture and sound art,
creating music-making machines, interfaces and objects which
intermix pre-steam and digital technologies. Their signature
product is the rather natty iLog, a musical device whittled from
a piece of wood to echo sleek contemporary products such as
BUILD
YOUR
OWN
iPods and advanced mobile phones, and which also highlights
the disposability of these modern gizmos and their lack of
traditional craft.
“That way of exploring things in a childlike way is kind of like
what I do with my electronic productions,” Adam explains, when
asked about approaching the workshop as a music maker rather
than just an inquisitive soul. “Like, I won’t think about what key
I’m in, or specific melodies. I’ll just make sounds until I think
‘Ooh that’s good’, and I’ll use it later on for something. So using
that idea, but [doing it] with other people and using specifically
non-musical objects was a bit of an eye-opener.”
For our post-workshop de-brief with Adam, we thought it
would be interesting to invite another musician along and throw
another perspective in to the process. As Faded Gold, Stefanie
Chew paints lush canvases of swelling synths that tug at the
heartstrings, and we were keen to hear her opinions on this
tinkering.
“No I don’t really do much experimentation, I like to stick with
my instrument really,” Stefanie states. “I’m not one of these
techy people who can twist sounds a lot – I don’t really like
things to sound… a bit odd. I like it all to fit in: a bit like a pattern,
in the way that a piece of art will all merge together nicely. I’ve
always got a good idea of where I want certain notes to be, but
I guess what I experiment with a little bit is how I get those
sounds. So what sort of instruments I use, and how I can amend
the sounds on my laptop.”
“As an artist you’re used to approaching something in an
inquisitive way,” continues Adam, “experimenting and trying
something different. I think if you get too comfortable doing one
thing you just end up re-making the same tracks. If you start
challenging yourself and doing something you’re not normally
used to, you learn something fresh.”
Responding to the question of what avenues of musical
advancements there are still left to explore, Stefanie says she
thinks “it’s hard now to break the mould and do something very,
very different because so much has been done already. I think
that, because quite a lot of things are done on a computer now,
it might be that people who are not necessarily ‘musicians’
will find it easier to write stuff and put music together – so
[music] might not always sound the way a musician would put
something together. It’ll put another spin on it. “
With these ideas ringing in our ears, we challenged Adam
and Stefanie to head along to the final Make Your Own Noise
workshop at FACT, with the aim of creating a selection of blips,
beats and noises to use as stems for the basis of a Build Your
Own track. “It would be different to anything I’ve ever done
before,” says Stefanie, “but it would be quite interesting to
have some sort of soundscape to work on top of, and see what
comes out of it.
Being given a set
of… things, and
told ‘right, you
have to produce
some sounds
with these’, that’s
an interesting
challenge – you’d
experiment more
and see what you
could achieve
with the tools at
your disposal.”
There are no
right or wrong
ways to make
music, which
makes a DIY
process like this all the more fascinating. It
just shows that there are even more ways to
achieve the results you want, even if half of
them aren’t what you expect. “It’s good to
do things by accident, and do it in a naïve
way,” Adam muses, as we prepare to take
on the second part of the Build Your Own
challenge. “I think you just have to be
curious to try it. That’s the only little leap
that you need really: a little interest, and
it just spirals from there.”
Keep your eyes and ears trained on
bidolito.co.uk in August for the Build Your
Own tracks created by Afternaut
and Faded Gold.
Build Your Own runs at FACT until
31st August.
fact.co.uk

Liverpool’s Newest Venue
Liverpool Philharmonic
MUSIC
ROOM
Music Room is a small, friendly and informal venue which will open its
doors this October. Music Room is a home for emerging Liverpool artists,
a new space for city festival events and a place to try out new things.
Have a drink at the bar, grab a bite to eat and come and enjoy!
Box Office
liverpoolphil.com
0151 709 3789
Highlights announced so far include;
Stevie Nieve Plays Elvis Costello
Saturday 1o October
The first ever gig in Music Room is composer, pianist and
founder member of The Attractions.
–
Seckou Keita: 22 Strings
Monday 26 October
Master of the 22-stringed kora, championed by BBC 6 Music’s
Mary Anne Hobbs & Guy Garvey.
–
9Bach
Thursday 5 November
Intriguing band from North Wales who have been remixed
by Gruff Rhys.
–
Rob Vincent & Gary Edward Jones
Sunday 22 November
A slice of Liverpool Acoustic Festival with two of the city’s finest.
–
Tom Robinson
Friday 4 December
BBC 6 Music presenter returns to giging with his first album in
20 years.
–
I am Kloot’s John Bramwell
Saturday 5 December
The front man of the popular Manchester outfit.

Marvin Powell
Words: Joshua Potts
Photography: Aaron McManus / ampix.co.uk
When I was eighteen, I bought an album I didn’t care for, at the
basement price of £3.99. I’d heard everything there was to hear
about it already (minus most of the songs), and the CD’s cover
and booklet certainly had my attention – that carnival red, the
wreath, the photographs documenting a new approach to pop
music, and those four uniforms, each tailored to the illusion that
I was seeing ageless symbols instead of people. Yet listening
to Sgt. Pepper’s took a good while to be fun. My tastes at the
time were... malnourished, to be kind. Yet I kept going back to
the album in a vain hope for some kind of road to Damascus
moment, knowing that so much had been said about it, that so
many writers and music fans felt its power every day, even as
it seemed to have been there from the beginning of time. And,
quite unexpectedly, the sounds of Pepper wormed into me too;
unexpected, that is, for just how long it took me to ‘get it’. I was
a fan before I knew that I was. I might still wish a loop of Yellow
Submarine on my worst enemy, but I’ve come to see those other
tracks as old friends, waiting for me to arrive at the adult’s table.
I kept going back to them. I might not have understood why, but
I persisted. If the reason was solely down to expectation, well
– that’s what good criticism does to you, I suppose.

Bido Lito! August 2015
11
I’ve made this rather egregious introduction because MARVIN
POWELL is the polar opposite of my Beatles experience. He
is almost entirely unknown. He does not project buckets of
character beyond his stature as a normal, chirpy bloke from
Wavertree. There is no flurry of orgasmic press to shepherd him
into the spotlight. Somehow, though, he is immediately familiar,
comforting and brilliant, enough to draw you in from the off. I
have heard three of his songs, and I’m only allowed to talk about
one of them. The man himself is strikingly low-key. Mystery is
a large part of his appeal, particularly since his voice, aching
with sadness, has emerged out of nowhere as a fully-formed
instrument. But there are no needless and off-putting layers of
mystique to wade through with Powell: this guy feels box-fresh
and ready to go, and he seems as bewildered by it as I am.
“I was never one of those people who would sit down and
learn Wonderwall,” he says over a patchy phone line, explaining
just how he’s arrived at a deal with Skeleton Key Records after
years spent on the open-mic circuit. He speaks in fits and starts,
getting reedier when he debates his finer points of expression.
In fact, Powell admits he isn’t great at interviews – “rambling”
is the cause, apparently, but I assure him that’s a common
affair with feature pieces, like long intros and professional selfloathing,
so he can chill. “I know where I’m going,” he tells me,
most definitely not referring to our conversation.
“I suppose music has always been a big part of my life. I had
violin lessons all the time when I was a kid, and I used to sing in
the school choir. The guitar didn’t come until later. When it did,
it was better for me somehow.” The image of a pleasant young
Powell, jiving away to his parents’ Motown records while working
on his treble, seems coloured by a greater ambition, albeit one
that took a decade or more to surface. Refusing to play covers
like his friends, he built songs from scratch, a skill that paid
off when he landed a job at Urban Coffee on Smithdown Road
when he was sixteen. It was there that Powell was exposed to
Liverpool’s strong amateur performance tradition. The die was
cast: “A lot of people came down, dead folky, and I slowly got
involved. I enjoyed watching people sing and tell stories as they
were doing it. Lyrics are so important to me – honesty, personal
or political. I’d seen gigs live on telly, but I remember seeing
these kind of players right in front of me for the first time, and
that lit me up.”
If he’s honest about finding his eureka moment in the Trojan
Horse of youth employment, he’s also forthcoming about his
influences. Nick Drake inevitably comes up – the folk-hero’s
fingerprints are all over Buried, Powell’s debut single – yet
other classic songwriters, like Neil Young and Paul Simon, skirt
at its edges. Perhaps this sense of sharpened heritage is what
helps lift the song to the effortless height it achieves: Powell’s
vocals are smooth and nervous all at once, hiccupping with
melancholy, supported by some dazzling 12-string guitar work.
The main riff sounds like it’s caught sight of Jimmy Page fiddling
by a cottage fireplace. ‘Lucifer’ is namechecked, a word 98%
guaranteed to sink anything, but amazingly he gets away with
it. The impression is of a confident artist avoiding a jamboree,
committed to translating the confessional element of the 70s
for the here and now.
Like his heroes, Powell can be conflicted about performing.
“There’ve been occasions when I’ve thought, ‘I’m never, ever
doing this again. It’s pointless. I might as well be farting down
the microphone,’” he explains, specifically about rowdy audience
members who don’t grant his lyrics their deserved effect. “People
who stand at bars with their haircuts, nothing more, do my head
in. And even if you get a good crowd, then you’re like, ‘Shit, I have
to focus completely now.’ I still crap myself on stage.”
This is strange, because up until now I’ve been thinking how
clearly those years spent paying dues for simple pleasures have
paid off. At any rate, it’s what led him to be spotted by Alfie
Skelly of The Sundowners, who agreed to cut a demo for him,
which quickly escalated into a four-track EP, then a full album
of material. The days of an artist banging out a proper record as
quickly as they are able have largely retreated into the blinkered
hell of VH1 docs; how refreshing to see someone buck the trend
of tentative songwriting, at the behest of their own principles.
Thematically, there’s a hazy psychological aspect to
Powell’s music, which he terms “light and dark”, or the
struggle of reconciling the human animal with its proper,
civilised counterpart. Although Freud “frazzles [his] brain”, he’s
fascinated by “trying to be emotional and feel things and be a
good person all at once.” There’s a distinction here between
intuitively accepting the worst in ourselves, while supressing it
to remain good, positive and hopeful that our sociable selves
will win out. “A lot of people can be introverted or extroverted
when they want to be. One day you might not want to speak
to anyone, and the next you’re out having a drink with your
mates and it’s cool. I don’t think people are one or the other.”
While it’s easy to see why a round-the-clock wallflower might
respond to a line like Buried’s “couldn’t find the beast bound in
wires”, it’s Powell’s loose, freeform imagery that makes a case
for imaginative redemption.
So what should people know about him that’s weird and
unusual, a stand-out fact in a sea of acoustic attention-seekers?
He can’t answer. Then he mentions the androgyny of his singing
voice, and the fact that he’s often mistaken for a woman till he
turns around and blokes notice his beard. A final conversational
stab draws a link between his lyrical ability and actor/playwright/
novelist Sam Shepard, who “rambles on for a chapter or two, and
the next page isn’t related to anything that’s happened previously
in the book. What he says is spontaneous, yet it links together
by the end and has this greater meaning to it.” Whatever strands
of importance Powell can muster will be thrilling to observe in
the months to come, just as his future takes tips from the past,
slotting seamlessly into our city’s aural veins.
Buried is out now, available through Skeleton Key Records.
Marvin Powell also headlines the Bido Lito! Social @ Aloft on
Thursday 20th August, which is free to attend.
soundcloud.com/marvin-liam-powell
bidolito.co.uk

12
Bido Lito! August 2015
Words: Jonny Davis Le Brun
Another season at Tate Liverpool and another major exhibition
well worth your time drops by. JACKSON POLLOCK: BLIND SPOTS
(running until 18th October) looks to shed light on a lesser-known
period in the artist’s career: the black pourings. Beginning with a
selection of his iconic drip paintings (1947-49), the exhibition will
progress through to this intriguing period (1951-53). Alongside
the black pourings will be a selection of relatively unknown
drawings, providing a deepened perspective on one of the most
famous artists of the twentieth century.
Bido Lito! writer and head of Rest Relax Records, Jonny Davis
Le Brun, takes an in-depth look at the cross-pollinating world of
improvisations and expressionism that informed Pollock’s work
in this period, as we also introduce an exciting new collaborative
In Response To project, a subsidiary of RRR.
Jackson Pollock, or Paul to his mother, played a key role in
furthering the American abstract expressionist movement.
Why is this important to us music fans? Because what Pollock
highlighted with his drip paintings was the ultimate importance
of the moment of creation. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote
in the 1800s, “Life is a journey, not a destination”: but it would
take perhaps another century for this enlightened attitude to
reach visual and sonic arts practice.
The surrealist movement that had preceded abstract
expressionism had ushered in a deep tremor of spontaneity, all
but denying logic and representational imagery its once hallowed
seat at the throne of fine art. Duchamp’s Fountain, rising up from
of Coleman Hawkins’ My Ideal (1943) or the multi-instrument
improvisations of Charles Mingus’ Pithecanthropus Erectus (1956)
as examples. The former deals in soft, melancholic tones yet with
a wilful divergence from the core melody, not unlike Pollock’s
Mural (1943), painted in a single frenetic burst of energy. Mingus’
1956 track is an all-out romp of colour and confidence, perhaps
finding a visual companion in the painting Convergence (1952).
Both works are riotous and rebellious in their use of myriad facets
pinging off and overlapping with one another.
In 1960 Ornette Coleman released Free Jazz: A Collective
Improvisation. The cover incorporates Pollock’s The White Light
(1954), finally cementing the link between the two parallel art forms.
The recent passing of Coleman has rightly brought renewed interest
in his work and, in conjunction with the Jackson Pollock exhibition at
Tate Liverpool, should spark the imaginations of artists throughout
the North West and beyond to dig deep into the concurrent worlds
of these two giants of their respective trades.
Celebrating a lesser-known period in his career, the exhibition
looks into his collection of black pourings created between
1951 and 53. In response to the enormous popularity of his drip
paintings and the subsequent pressure it brought him, Pollock
dived deeper into alcoholism. This pushed his work into far darker
territory, vastly reducing his palette and heavily favouring gushes
of uncompromising black.
It is at this point that we notice his influence on the likes of
Mark Rothko, an artist often deemed to reside at the opposite end
of the abstract expressionist spectrum, but indeed a man with
B L I N D S P O T S
We would like to invite a group of Merseyside musicians to take
part in a new In Response To series, run by our writer Jonny Davis
Le Brun, where artists are invited to create new pieces of music
inspired by the works of Jackson Pollock on show at Tate Liverpool.
We will be holding an open day at the Blind Spots exhibition on
15th August, and anyone interested in being involved should
contact us on submissions@bidolito.co.uk.
the anti-art Dadaist movement, had hammered a damning nail
into the contextual coffin, paving the way for the following
century’s spiral into the ironic scepticism of postmodernism.
Pollock’s most exciting period in the late-40s and early-50s
coincided with the bubbling vitality of the burgeoning free-jazz
scene in his native USA. The intuitive works of Lennie Tristano
and the almighty yet beautiful clatterings of Thelonious Monk’s
“elephant on the keys” style gave a shot of life to an already
booming bebop scene, throwing the door wide open for the
complete freedom of the likes of Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman
and Cecil Taylor to really cut loose.
Taking a horizontal approach to painting, Pollock laid his large
canvases out on the floor and began to move sharply away from
the figurative representation of his previous work. Twisting
and turning, carefully and with wild red eyes, he set about drip,
drip, dripping paint onto the canvas. Some have suggested
his resultant works knowingly predate the mathematical
complexities of chaos theory. This would more likely seem to
be another humanistic attempt at imbuing meaning after the
fact, ignoring the journey of discovery to which this worsening
alcoholic was becoming increasingly wedded.
It should come as little surprise, then, that Pollock professed
a deep kinship with jazz music, believing it to be the only other
creative happening to coexist alongside abstract expressionism.
Chance, accidents, directness and improvisation in his work likely
all stemmed from his love for America’s most intoxicating homegrown
genre. Scoffing at critical analysis, he wanted his work to
be enjoyed in the moment, just like the highly-charged sonic
firecrackers setting alight the smoky bars and clubs from the
West Coast to New York.
The flexibility and continuity of Pollock’s wandering paint
drips offer a remarkable visual comparison to the flowing solo
lines of some of the great jazz improvisers. Take the soft flurries
a deepening addiction to melancholia. The darkening palette
of Rothko’s Color Field paintings often attract associations to
ambient music thanks in part to their minimalist aesthetic.
Indeed, the indeterminate music composer Morton Feldman went
so far as to adorn the Rothko Chapel with his own soundtrack in
1971, following in the footsteps of Stravinsky and Rachmaninov,
who themselves saw fit to provide sonic accompaniment to their
favourite works of art.
So what can we learn from one of the most famous artists of
the twentieth century? His work enables us to develop a deeper
knowledge of an intensely creative and socially important period
in both American and international history. The combined force
of abstract expressionism and free jazz changed lives and
continues to prove influential to this day. In just a handful of
years, the world saw the coming-of-age of artists such as Jackson
Pollock, Mark Rothko, Arshile Gorky and Franz Kline. Musicians
such as Ornette Coleman, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, John Cage,
Karlheinz Stockhausen and Olivier Messiaen were at varying
stages of their respective careers, yet with one principle uniting
facets of their methodologies. Improvisation. Being mindful and
aware at the moment of creation held a deep importance for each
artist, allowing them to formulate theories and new paths for
their field, paths still trodden to this day.
Far from the removal of emotional authenticity, as touted by
a number of critics at the time, abstract expressionism and, by
extension, free jazz propagated the ultimate authenticity. Not
content to spin yarns and spell out the emotional feeling behind
their work, this new breed of artists offered the rawest-possible
presentation of their art. Expression in its purest form, warts and all.
Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots is open now at Tate Liverpool, and
runs until 18th October.
tate.org.uk/liverpool

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14
Bido Lito! August 2015
JACARANDA RECORDS
Words: Stuart Miles O’Hara / @ohasm1
Illustration: Lucy Roberts / lucyannerobertsillustration.co.uk
Once upon a time, you didn’t take anything away from music
shops. They had hundreds of well-trained staff and hundreds
more seats for customers, but the sounds on sale only lasted
as long as you were in the shop – for millennia, music that
wasn’t being played live or remembered in your head wasn’t
happening. Then someone with a surfeit of science found a way
of putting sounds between ridges engraved on plastic discs,
and new shops sold them millionfold. The discs changed size
sometimes, but everything went on them, from Bruckner to
gamelan to rockabilly to electronic throbbing that never graced
an instrument. For a while, shops let you hear what was on
the discs before you paid, in little booths. Then, for a longer
while, you couldn’t do that anymore. The process was reversed:
you trusted the silent sleeve, paid for it, and were rewarded or
disappointed when you got home.
Ensconced on the top floor of their venerable Slater Street
venue, JACARANDA RECORDS have revived old trends in new
ways. The first is the ‘try before you buy’ nature of the
old booths that populate the café-cum record store-cum
hangout. The table I’m sat at is one of four with decks set
into moody black marble, each with four volume
controls for speakers in the seat cushions,
and a sociable dial that lets you eavesdrop
on another table’s tunes. At a glance, I can
see Santana’s Abraxas, The Flaming Lips’
Yoshimi, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood!’s
Welcome To The Pleasuredome playing at
the other listening stations. It’s quite rare
now to enjoy music out and about without
headphones, and have a choice over what’s
being played (rather than, say, having a
DJ or Spotify playlist select your tunes
for you). I’m sitting with the Jacaranda's
Graham Stanley and Joe Maryanji, and
we unanimously decide this interview will
be soundtracked by Jane Fonda’s Workout
Record. And we’re all giddy about the arrival
of what will be Jac Records’ pride and joy:
a re-fitted, fully functional 1948 Mutoscope
Voice-O-Graph Deluxe.
For the uninitiated – and there’s no shame
in that, because Voice-O-Graphs are rare – it’s a
phonebox-sized recording studio which, for thirty years until
the early 60s, let you record just over a minute of speech or
music for 35¢. Despite novelty appeal and regular employment
in sideshows, they often served a more sentimental purpose,
allowing soldiers and tourists to send messages home.
“It looks like a 40s time machine,” enthuses Graham, who
wears the stress of receiving it from restorer William Bollman’s
US workshop lightly. “As far as we know, there are about
five in the world. A collector’s got one, Jack White owns two,
there’s another one at [White’s label] Third Man Records in
Nashville, and ours.” The Jacaranda Voice-O-Graph has been
improved by extending recording time to over three minutes
and making microphone adjustments, and it now cuts onto a
more durable medium than the old laminated cardboard which
only withstood a few plays. It won’t be an ornament, though.
Like Third Man Records’ booth, it will be open for business, as
Joe explains: “We want to preserve what goes on vinyl in the
Voice-O-Graph, build an archive of songs so people can listen
to ‘Jac Radio’ online. We’d like to have ceiling mics running
from the booth, record café sessions, maybe even down to the
basement if the eight miles of cables we’ve already got allow it.”
So how does a musical TARDIS fit in with the building’s
history? What’s the ethos at the Jac? A straight question gets
two answers: “How much stuff can we stuff into what is really
just three rooms?” says Graham as Joe just blurts out, “Music.”
Looks are exchanged, hinting that each wishes they’d given
the other’s answer. It’s clear that they’re two-thirds of a music
business whole – the remainder being the building. Graham
elaborates: “In the past, Liverpool has perhaps been too
nostalgic, too reliant on its musical heritage. Before this place
reopened, it was just another Beatles pub, one of many. I wanted
to acknowledge the past and what [former Beatles manager and
former Jac owner] Alan Williams did, but do it today, with room
for the building – what goes on in it, what it stands for – to grow
in a way we can’t imagine now.”
The booth’s arrival represents the endgame of two years of
planning. But that’s not the end of the story. “The Jac opened
in 1958, and it was open for 57 years before closing. We want
to refit it for another 57,” says Joe. “We’ll offer free rehearsal
space in the basement. Where can you get that round here
today? Even with facilities at a premium, they’re few and far
between.” He gestures over my shoulder, towards MelloMello
and Wolstenholme Sq.
Joe and I chat like a pair of old men about the difficulties
making a break as a new band 10-15 years ago, and how the
new Jac could foster a music scene that’d be called ‘grassroots’
if it wasn’t so urban. “By offering open mic nights with no ego,
no hierarchy, we could do something that’s 100% better.”
Beaming and gesticulating as the sun comes out, his manifesto
is sympathetic to Graham’s vision for the building. “I love the
idea of guys who drink in the bar downstairs, attend open mic
in the basement, decide to jam one evening. They start a band,
rehearse in the basement, and come up here to record an EP on
the Voice-O-Graph. Even with bigger things afterwards, there’ll
always be a sense of home here. And we can sell their records!”
Stock man Dec chimes in from the bar, “Any local bands putting
stuff out on vinyl, we want to stock them.”
We talk about how the ‘vinyl’ part of the revival is decreasingly
relevant – there’s a video of a record cut onto a tortilla on
Vimeo now – and the best part is rekindling the listenermusic
relationship. As Graham says, “You can think about vinyl
physically: by putting the needle down, it plays. But with a CD,
you also press play. [What they have in common is] a much
more integrated experience, less bitty than listening up
to the first chorus of a song then moving on. You can’t
underestimate how novel listening to music on vinyl is to
someone who’s nineteen, who doesn’t remember
their parents having a gramophone.”
At Jac Records, at least, it’s not just an
exercise in nostalgia. The technology here
is new, and the Voice-O-Graph’s use will go
way beyond its creators’ imaginations: even
according to old Mutoscope ads, they were
a money-spinning gimmick. A welcome
party is planned for the Voice-O-Graph on
8th August, with sessions by Liverpoolscene
luminaries for an inaugural EP,
which Bido Lito! are delighted to be taking
the lead on. They’ll need luck getting the
Harlequin Dynamites into a space of just
under 3m³ though.
With photos charting the booth’s progress
(on their Facebook page) and the proposed
‘Jac Radio’, this is a thoroughly contemporary
venture. The interior stylings are vintage, but
was anywhere in the 60s so sexily black and
blue in exactly these shades? The way Graham and
Joe juggle ideas, every little change on Slater Street
could inspire currently inconceivable plans. In a discussion that’s
cited both Napoleon and Ozzy Osbourne, taking in Adorno and
Dimmu Borgir en route, the last word is Graham’s: “I hope to
inspire people to push the limits of a ‘typical’ business model.
It happens in London but in a safe way. It’s not often Liverpool
sees a first these days. This is something you’d expect to find in
Shoreditch or Manchester that Liverpool would then copy. It’s
nice to get in there first.”
Join us on 8th August at Jacaranda Records – on the top floor of
the Jacaranda Club on Slater Street – for a day of live performances
where we will be inviting a selection of Merseyside artists to come
along and record tracks on the brand new Voice-O-Graph.
@jacaranda_recs

LIVERPOOL’S CONNECTION
WITH THE WORLD
Words: Phil Morris / @mauricedesade
Illustration: Jemma Timberlake / jemmatimberlake.co.uk
This year Liverpool International Music Festival is asserting
its international substance with a series of commissions
that celebrate and explore Merseyside’s diverse global music
connections. As the pendulum of influence seemingly swings
between Liverpool and the rest of the world, Phil Morris
examines the events commissioned by LIMF under the theme
of MUSIC MIGRATIONS – unearthing the city’s impact abroad,
highlighting the influence of black music in our heritage and
sustaining music scene’s attributes on the digital stage.
As a cosmopolitan port city, Liverpool has been a gateway
for social migration and a place of settlement for international
communities, and this movement of people has shaped the
global evolution of music. Over time, geographic and political
boundaries fluctuate in how easy they are for people to navigate,
but, somehow, music and culture will always find its way
through.
Perhaps the flagship event of LIMF’s commissioned events this
year is the Routes Jukebox project. LIMF music curator Yaw Owusu,
esteemed photographer Mark McNulty and producer Jernice
Easthope have embarked on an ambitious musical exploration of
the USA, Jamaica, Ireland and Liverpool to find the untold stories
of the key influencing records that made Liverpool one of the
greatest musical cities in the world. The documentary presents
the definitive picture of the cultural impact of music from abroad
and the resulting tide of influence Liverpool bands have had on
the world of music. An accompanying live event featuring Steve
Levine and Janice Long (28th August, The Epstein Theatre) will also
retrace the transatlantic connection of the 1950s.
“Routes Jukebox is, for me, the most important project we
have as part of LIMF 2015, as it looks at the roots and routes
of the music and sounds that have brought Liverpool to its
storied height within the music world,” Yaw Owusu explains,
brimming with enthusiasm for his curation. “Both elements – the
live event and the documentary – are entertaining, educational
and, ultimately, a celebration.”
For the documentary, LIMF visited the ever-evolving music
scene of New York, reliving the journey of the Cunard Yanks –
the much-mythologised seamen who would return to Liverpool
with the music commodities that would eventually spark
the Merseybeat boom. The team also spent time examining
musical links in big-hitting cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and
Nashville. The latter of those locations is also to be honoured
in a separate LIMF-instigated venture aimed at forging a special
relationship between Nashville and Liverpool. The Bluebird At
The Bluecoat partnership will give two local songwriters the
opportunity to travel to Nashville to perform at the worldfamous
Bluebird Café, while twenty runner-up songwriters
will participate in workshops at LIMF 2015. On 29th August,
BBC Radio 2’s legendary ‘whispering’ Bob Harris will host a
live representation of this partnership, as The Bluecoat brings
a little bit of The Bluebird’s famed Listening Room to Liverpool.
Replicating the signature Bluebird format, the songwriters on
show (Grammy Award-winning bluegrass artist Jim Lauderdale
and Ohio-born country musician Kim Richey among them) will
perform together in the centre of the room, surrounded by the
audience, as they share stories and accompany each other on
various improvised pieces.

Bido Lito! July 2015 17
Another vital commission based on the theme of
Music Migrations is Liverpool: Next Stop New
York, a weekend-long consideration of how
black American music influenced the heritage
of Liverpool and wider popular culture. It’s
often overlooked, but the majority of music
played by Liverpool bands in the early 60s
was a variation on the rhythm and blues
picked up from black American artists. Seminal
DJ and Next Stop New York performer Greg Wilson
explains: “The way bands like The Beatles took the
music of black America and put their own twist on it – that
informed popular music throughout the 60s. Music’s
always about that, two existing forms that fuse to
make a new thing.”
The commission will explore and outline this
give and take of influence over a number of
events at Sefton Park’s Palm House between
28th and 31st August, and an accompanying
exhibition that runs at View Two Gallery on
Mathew Street from 7th to 23rd August. Exploration
is Next Stop New York’s main event, consisting of an
interactive discussion and Q&A with key figures like Eddie
Amoo (The Real Thing, The Chants), original Cunard
Yanks Richie Barton and Billy Harrison, and our
own founts of musical knowledge, Roger Hill
and Bernie Connor.
The two-day Exploration (29th and 30th
August) is preceded by an opening night
of performances from iconic DJs such as
Wilson and Les Spaine. Documenting how
black music affects culture in Merseyside
is very close to Wilson’s heart; as a seminal
figure of the Wigan Pier movement he has
a unique perspective on Liverpool’s heritage.
“Liverpool wasn’t a Northern Soul city, Liverpool
was a funk city,” he explains. “Liverpool was into the
contemporary black American music
of the 70s, whereas, down in Wigan,
people were going back in time
listening to old records.”
Wilson’s experiences illustrate
that Liverpool’s encounter with black
music did not end with The Beatles’
domestication of the blues. Liverpool
has a rich history of black musicians,
including The Real Thing and The
Christians. The impact of black music
in this global city should never be
ignored, and with this commission it will be explored, shared
and celebrated. The Revolution Will Be Live – A Tribute To Gil
Scott-Heron, is an event that further highlights this sentiment,
with performances from civil rights
activist Talib Kweli and legendary
reggae band Aswad. Special
guests of honour Ndaba Mandela
(Nelson Mandela’s grandson) and
Rumal Rackley (Gil Scott-Heron’s
son) will join this stunning lineup
– which also sees local singersongwriter
Sophia Ben-Yousef join
this month’s cover artist Malik & The
O.G’s on stage – in celebrating the
revolutionary spirit of the late, great
Gil Scott-Heron.
While it is possible to trace Liverpool’s worldclass
cultural heritage and musical influence
around the globe, the relevance of the theme
in modern climes may be defunct. Today, great
migrations of culture occur online every day.
The advent of the internet has changed the
way music is perceived and created. Scenes
no longer coalesce around a physical place,
like a record store or a venue, and, increasingly,
we turn to genre rather than geography to define
sound. In synchronicity with this transition, LIMF
have commissioned the Global Roots International
Mixtape, an NTS/Boiler Room-curated mix of global
talent to explore international electronic music by
creating the ultimate mixtape in relay style. Some
of the names involved include Comeme (Berlin),
Soulection (London), Clap! Clap! (Italy) and
Ebbo Kraan (Amsterdam), who will be tasked
with bringing together the far-flung sounds of
the world’s hottest DJs in an event at the Palm
House on the evening of 30th August, which will
be broadcast on NTS Radio.
While the modes of communication have changed
rapidly since the advent and mass distribution of recorded
music, the impact on cross-cultural relations of the
exchange of artistic ideas remains a vital part
of human advancement, and may yet prove
to be crucial in helping those remaining
boundaries to become more porous.
And, even though our digitised world is
moving further away from regionalised
hubs, Yaw Owusu remains optimistic
about Liverpool’s chance of sustaining its
reputation as a musical capital.
“I don’t think we’ll see another scene like
Merseybeat grow organically in a city like Liverpool
that will influence the world,” Owusu states. “Everything now
is so immediate and anyone anywhere
can be influenced by any sound and
genre – however niche, new or foreign –
and then be a part of a scene that lives,
breathes and develops online and then
has an international core scene and
network. And that’s great! And I guess
that’s where Routes Jukebox ends.
However, I do 100% believe Liverpool
is an influential music city still – we carry
that tag proudly and it is clearly in our
make-up, culturally, creatively, socially.
We do so much, have done so much, and today we have such a
growing scene that I can understand why artists and bands stay
here or move here, and why people view this city as a special
musical place. It makes sense. I don’t
think that will change.”
Liverpool International Music Festival
runs from 27th to 31st August. Full
details of all the events – from LIMF
Summer Jam to the Commissions,
Partnerships and LIMF Academy – can
be found at limfestival.com
Keep your eye on bidolito.co.uk for
our exclusive live sessions with LIMF
Academy artists Jalen Ngonda, Michael
Seary and Amique.
LIMF SUMMER JAM @ SEFTON PARK
Aaron McManus
Perhaps the beating heart of LIMF, the sprawling threeday
Summer Jam is adding to its tag as Europe’s biggest
free music festival by also being one of the most fun
to be part of. Sefton Park’s picturesque expanse of
meadows and hillocks will play host to four stages of
live music and family-friendly entertainment between
29th and 31st August, giving you the perfect setting to
enjoy the last bank holiday weekend of the year.
The Review Field is used to handling thousands of
alfresco party people as it has hosted Africa Oyé here for
almost a decade. For the third year running it’s also the
home of Summer Jam’s main Central Stage, with some of
the biggest names in pop music leading the festivities:
dance titans BASEMENT JAXX and LABRINTH are
balanced by the altogether more easy-listening soulful
pop of LAURA MVULA, KATY B and RAE MORRIS. Perhaps
the highlight of the Central Stage live performances is
saved til last, as ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN team up with
the ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA for a
sure-to-be momentous closing set on the Monday night.
The evolving sounds of our city are given their rightful
showcase alongside all of the household names, and
the itsLiverpool Stage is the place where it’s happening.
We were asked to select some of the artists to represent
the current crop, along with the good folk at Getintothis,
and we came up with quite a list: neo-psych modernists
HOLY THURSDAY, alternative pop polymath ESA SHIELDS,
the captivating SHE DREW THE GUN, fearsome Lycraclad
noise-smiths BARBEROS, hip hop soul man BLUE
SAINT, Baleric/Scouse disco dreamers TEA STREET BAND
and the sparkly, sad and romantic SILENT SLEEP. Expect
plenty more local talent to grace the itsLiverpool Stage
over the three days, and make sure you check in to see
how diverse our current crop of talent is.
Elsewhere, the Mellowtone-curated Bandstand
brings a touch of soothing blues and rootsy Americana
to proceedings, and the LIMF Academy Stage showcases
a clutch of Merseyside-based musicians who could be
headlining the Central Stage in years to come. All-told,
there’s no better place to be this August bank holiday.
See you down the front.
bidolito.co.uk

18
Bido Lito! August 2015
AUGUST IN BRIEF
Edited by Alastair Dunn
FESTEVOL
Pretty much every great act in Liverpool has been assembled by EVOL to unite in one of the city's best-loved venues in what has to be the focal point of
the city’s gigging calendar. The event will take place in two parts over the first and second Saturdays of the month in both the garden and club section of
the Kazimier. DAVE MCCABE & THE RAMIFICATIONS are set to headline the first day whilst ALL WE ARE (pictured) top the bill for the second. You'll hardly
be able to move for local heavyweights, as WE ARE CATCHERS, THE SERPENT POWER, SPRING KING and XAM VOLO add further spice to proceedings..
The Kazimier / 1st and 8th August
MARK LANEGAN
As part of Screaming Trees MARK LANEGAN helped shape and define what became known as grunge. Though never given as many column inches as
some of his contemporaries such as Kurt Cobain, his influence on alternative music is unquestionable. Alongside his career with his band, and after
they split, Lanegan has flourished an artist in his own right and has released nine studio albums under his own name. For any 90s enthusiasts out
there this should be a must-see. For others, don't worry, this is not a flannel-only affair.
O2 Academy / 3rd August
PZYK UPDATE
With an amazing array of artists already revealed in the first Liverpool Psych Fest announcement, the organisers have upped the ante once again with
the latest additions to the 2015 Congregation of acts. New Heavenly signings FEVER THE GHOST (pictured) join the party, as well as orchestral chamber
pop maestros FLOWERS OF HELL, Eindhoven's devastating RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON and noise rock leviathans DEAD SEA APES. To accompany
the announcement, the festival’s signature band Bonnacons Of Doom have prepared a trippy mix of some selected acts on the bill. Weekend tickets
and a limited supply of PZYK DORM packages are on sale now at liverpoolpsychfest.co.uk.
KRS-ONE
Regarded as an icon in the hip hop community, KRS-ONE made his name as part of Boogie Down Productions in the 80s. He is credited with helping
create the genre of gangsta rap and of inspiring other hip hop artists to involve more socially and politically-orientated themes in their work. He is
perhaps best known to a wider audience for his track Sound Of Da Police, which dealt with institutionalised racism in the American police force. With
more than ten solo records to his name, KRS-ONE has improved with longevity, and this should be a storming performance.
The Kazimier / 7th August
SINGLE MOTHERS
Scathing, post-hardcore four-piece SINGLE MOTHERS bring their live show to the intimate setting of Studio2 on Parr Street. Since the
release of their debut LP Negative Qualities in 2014, the London, Ontario-based group have won over critics and fans alike. Lead singer Andrew
Thomson's distinctive vocal style has been compared to that of The Replacements and The Hold Steady, but it is his lyrics that have gained
him the most positive attention. Given the intensity of their recordings it should be a real treat to see these guys in the flesh.
Studio2 / 27th August
THE SOUND OF MUSIC SUMMER 6TH BIRTHDAY
Join the evergreen Bernie Connor for a summer dance party as he invites us all to celebrate the sixth birthday of his gloriously enlightening Sound Of
Music podcast. Staged at the Aigburth Cricket and Bowls Club, this event is taking place in order to raise funds to help save the venue from developers.
Connor will be supported on the night by ROBIN JACKSON and JOSEPH KAYE, with visuals from ENTROPY LIGHT AND MAGIC, and audio powered by SIR
HENRY's HI-FI. The kingdom of heaven is within.
Aigburth Cricket and Bowls Club / 7th August
BIDO LITO! SOCIAL LIVE @ ALOFT
It’s been a long time coming but our much-loved (at least by us) Bido Lito! Socials are finally back! We’ve teamed up with Aloft Hotel to put together
a series of monthly live events in August, September and October, bringing you a selection of our favourite featured artists in an intimate setting.
We’re delighted to say that dreamy Drakeian troubadour MARVIN POWELL (pictured) will be headlining our first Social, on Thursday 20th August.
Each event is free to attend and we’d love you to join us in supporting some great home-grown talent.
Aloft Hotel, North John Street / 20th August
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! August 2015
19
ARTHUR RUSSELL’S INSTRUMENTALS
One of the great musical enigmas of the past four decades, ARTHUR RUSSELL died in relative obscurity due to his inability to finish and release his
work. Regarded by his peers as somewhat of a genius, he collaborated with many legends of the NYC scene such as Talking Heads and Steve Reich.
For this incredibly special and one-off event, Peter Gordon brings an amazing ensemble – including Rhys Chatham and Peter Zummo – to Liverpool to
perform some of Russell's music in the only performance in the North of England.
The Kazimier / 11th August
MERSEYRAIL SOUND STATION UPLOAD DAY @ LIMF
Liverpool International Music Festival spreads its tentacles as far as Aigburth on the August bank holiday weekend, as Merseyrail Sound Station
host a pop-up stage at St. Michaels station to welcome guests travelling by train to the LIMF Summer Jam at Sefton Park. As well as featuring artists
performing on trains on the way in, the pop-up event (on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August) will double as an Upload Day for emerging musicians
to go along and enter the Merseyrail Sound Station Prize. The overall winning artist receives studio recording time and a year of industry mentoring,
so it’s well worth heading along. For more details, and to listen to the latest podcast, go to merseyrailsoundstation.com
GODSPEED LMW 2015
The good folks at Liverpool Music Week have roused much excitement with the release of the first group of artists to be performing at this year's
event. Post-rock pioneers GODPSEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR (pictured) will be making their Liverpool debut at Camp and Furnace on 27th October, which
should, of course, be pretty special. As if that isn't enough, indie legends DEERHUNTER will also be performing, alongside other stellar acts such as
HEALTH, BEST COAST, GANG OF FOUR, SOAK and JOSH T PEARSON. An amazing first announcement from the LMW team, and we look forward to see
what else awaits us for the multi-venue affair across 22nd-31st October. liverpoolmusicweek.com
MEINE NACHT
Such is the interest in the second Meine Nacht party that it will be live-streamed from its secret location. Only one hundred tickets will be available
via RSVP and those wanting to get their hands on one will have to keep watch on the event's Facebook page for updates. For this instalment, SAMUEL
DEEP – founder and co-owner of house label SlapFunk Records – will be performing along with resident DJs OR:LA, MATT CHAMPION and JESSICA
BEAUMONT. An event shrouded in mystery that should be a pretty unique experience.
Secret Location / 15th August
LIVERPOOL’S LOVIN’ IT
Liverpool Loves is a long weekend of entertainment spread across various zoned-off areas of the Pier Head, taking place over 6th, 7th and 8th August.
There will be a selection of events within ‘The People’s Festival’ covering music, the arts, dance, comedy, food and drink, health and wellbeing, as well
as lots of family-friendly activities. The music comes on Saturday 8th August across three live stages, curated by Bold Management, the Dovedale
Social and Merseyrail Sound Station: STEPHEN LANGSTAFF, CHELCEE GRIMES, SATIN BIEGE and SHAMANARCHY are among those taking care of the
entertainment. Definitely enough to keep you busy for the day. liverpoolloves.co.uk
IZEM
Having won the approval of 6Music's world-music connoisseur Gilles Peterson, tropical beat master IZEM released his debut album Hafa this year
to much acclaim. Known for making African and Latin-inspired rhythms, he has come to be regarded as one of the most exciting DJs and producers
around. His tracks are written as he crosses the globe, picking up the sounds of different cultures and incorporating them into his own music, leading
to an eclectic and innovative palette. Support on the night comes from Kolours Soundsystem
The Kazimier Garden / 20th August
AWOLNATION
Led by Aaron Bruno, formerly of Under The Influence Of Giants and Hometown Hero, AWOLNATION have found commercial success with a series
of hit singles, such as Sail, which went gold in the US. Though critical acclaim has not necessarily accompanied their mainstream appeal, their
blend of electronic music and straight-up rock will appeal to many and might make a nice change for those of us who rarely venture into chart
territory. The band are currently touring to promote their second studio album Run.
O2 Academy / 27th August
BIDO LITO! INTERN PROGRAMME
Ever wanted to know what it’s like working in independent print publishing? Are you looking for a career in music journalism and want some hands-on
experience? Well, we may be able to help. As well as opening up a discussion about the role of internships in the creative industries, we are offering a
new six-month intern role with us as an Editorial Assistant. Far from being stuck in the corner making tea, our role will offer the successful applicant
the chance to get stuck in to editorial and planning discussions on all aspects of our monthly magazine production. Interested? Come down to our
Social at Aloft Hotel on Thursday 20th August with some examples of your written work and meet the team.
bidolito.co.uk

20
Bido Lito! August 2015 Reviews
OUTFIT
VEYU – Gulf
EVOL @ The Kazimier
Turn left at the massive kiwi bird (at least I
think that’s what it is), follow the silver wig/
fan arrangement, and if you stand under the
upside-down Colgate striplight wedding cake,
GULF should be playing in front of you. They
seem to have started with a cover of Get Lucky,
but they haven’t, it’s just an unexpected bit of
funk guitar that fits comfortably in their slightly
proggy sound: that of a prog band doing fourminute
pop numbers, which this five-piece do
pretty well.
A decent audience has gathered by third
number Out There, but even if they’re OUTFIT
fans bagsying a spec for later, they’re not likely
to be disappointed. It’s suddenly clear why Gulf
are supporting: a complex guitar/synth wash
swirling around vulnerable, virile vocals might
bag them a few new devotees tonight.
Next up are VEYU, whose Thom Yorke-esque
vocals, gracing songs with a strong whiff
of the Cure’s Pornography-Disintegration-
Bloodflowers trilogy (read as: long
introductions, lyrics often don’t arrive until
well into the third minute), work well on this
bill. They’re carrying extra timber after their
Sound City appearance, and it lends them a
greater onstage authority. Indeed, Running
has bass so tremendous people could be seen
pulling their socks back up more than once. Also
worth mentioning is The Everlasting, a steadier
number on an epic scale, showing that VEYU
know exactly how long to keep their nervous
energy pent up and when to release it.
To skip to the end briefly, this is a perfect set a cavernous valediction to the stage, tonight is
from Outfit. Seven tracks of new LP Slowness’ tighter and more intense and distracts everyone
twelve get played – this is the launch, after all from the approaching curfew. It’s already five
– and an early trio, Framed, Smart Thing, and to eleven, and the show closes as Slowness
the title track, confirm its strength, sounding does, with Swam Out. From the balcony, it’s
as if the Berkonians have been playing them noticeable that the audience’s attentions have
forever. The first is in a different league of shifted. Staring ahead in blue-lit admiration
song, melodically unpredictable but sounding until now, people are turning to face their
entirely familiar, and single Genderless is simply neighbour, grinning.
fiercely sexy. That said, there’s some adolescent For a band who clearly work so hard arranging
enjoyment in thrashing guitar strings when the and rehearsing, Outfit don’t make it seem like
venerable Spraypaint gets resurrected.
work. They look and sound like they’re playing
It’s a particularly big audience tonight, with for their mates; from an opening paean to the
a few familiars in attendance. Stealing Sheep, Kaz, to the note-perfect performances inspiring
Dutch Uncles, Loved Ones, Natalie McCool and an effervescent audience, it’s clear Outfit feel the
someone I’d have expected to be preoccupied same way. The Kazimier’s last year is also proving
with strategising a way to keep Greece in the to be one of its strongest and tonight’s set ought
Eurozone, but no: that’s deffo Angela Merkel to become part of that posthumous legend.
nodding along to Two Islands. That song, once
Stuart Miles O’Hara / @ohasm1
Outfit (Mike Sheerin / michaelsheerin.photoshelter.com)
HEAVENLY 25
Harvest Sun @ The Kazimier Club & Garden
Since Heavenly Recordings began 25 years
ago it has gone on to become one of the most
highly respected and sought-after independent
labels for fans and musicians alike. Having
spawned the careers of such influential artists
as The Manic Street Preachers, it has consistently
adhered to a well-defined aesthetic and a
commitment to releasing new and innovative
work. With its current roster boasting some of
our local scene’s most exciting acts, it made
perfect sense to have a celebratory bash in one
of Liverpool’s best-loved venues, and so that’s
exactly what Jeff Barrett and co. decided to do.
Taking place across the garden and club
venues at The Kazimier, the daytime events
are staged outside. Despite the bad weather
there is a jubilant atmosphere, and with sets
from DUKE GARWOOD, GWENNO, KID WAVE
and STEALING SHEEP there is good reason for
the cheery vibes. Stealing Sheep’s premiere of
their new conceptual performance Legs stands
out, as they eschew their usual hooky vocal
harmonies to delve into a 25-minute electronic
set complete with colourfully-attired dancers.
As the evening approaches it is time to move
inside and catch London-based five-piece THE
VOYEURS. Their blend of art-school indie rock
is interesting and well thought-out, but there
is a sense that the set never really peaks, and
the crowd seem slightly underwhelmed as it
draws to a close.
Legs (Gaz Jones / @GJMPhoto)
Never ones to leave a crowd wanting,
however, are local group HOOTON TENNIS CLUB,
who burst on to the stage to deliver a frenzied
and memorable romp. Coming off the back of a
storming performance at Glastonbury, Hooton
are fast becoming one of the most talked-about
live acts in the country, and it is clear to see why.
Newly released single Kathleen Sat On The Arm
Of Her Favourite Chair has the audience singing
along in fine voice, a testament to frequent airtime
on BBC 6Music, plus the fact it’s a damn
good song. With a mammoth tour ahead of
them and the release of their debut album in

PART 1: AUGUST 1 ST
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22
Bido Lito! August 2015 Reviews
Ariel Pink (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
August, Hooton Tennis Club are clearly destined
for great things, and based on tonight’s show
they absolutely deserve it.
Another band to seriously turn heads at
Worthy Farm this year were the ever-ebullient
KING GIZZARD & THE WIZARD LIZARD. With
two drummers, three guitarists, a bassist
and a harmonica player, their jazz-infused
psychedelic rock shows are truly a thing to
behold. With constant time changes and
impressive musicianship the songs are played
back-to-back, creating a seamless wave of
sound that hops between melodies and guitar
patterns. A mesmerising display from one of
Australia’s current best exports.
Finishing off the line-up of bands on an
all-dayer which has fulfilled its promise
are grungey three-piece THE WYTCHES.
They emerge to a now fairly drunken and
enthusiastic crowd of revellers and blaze
their way through a selection of songs that
are clearly well known to those present.
However, though it may simply be due to the
sheer quality of acts that have come before
them, the set does appear slightly lacking,
and it is perhaps not the barn-storming end to
the day that most were expecting. It has still
undisputedly been a triumph though, and it is
left to DJ BERNIE CONNOR to play out the night
in typically stylish fashion.
Alastair Dunn
ARIEL PINK
The Vryll Society
EVOL @ District
Having been making records since the early
2000s Ariel Rosenberg, also known as ARIEL PINK,
had gained little recognition outside of his own
musical circles until the release of Before Today in
2010. It was the first LP to be released under the
group title of Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, and his
use of eclectic musical styles and experimental
recording techniques gained him much respect
and critical acclaim. Ever since then he has been
making hipsters drool with his zany output and
unhinged live shows, and his latest record, pom
pom, has done little to dampen his appeal.
THE VRYLL SOCIETY are a band plucked from the
current crop of Liverpool talent and make for an
inspired choice of support. Despite some issues
with the sound, which results in lead singer Mike
Ellis’ vocals sounding like, in his own words, a
Dalek, it is a solid showing and one that hints at
great things in the future.
With many devotees now clearly present, a
charmingly dishevelled Ariel Pink takes to the
stage to much fanfare. He begins proceedings
with the irreverent and bizarre Jell-O, a track that
would be well suited to some surreal, acid-soaked
children’s disco. To be honest, this description
could quite readily be applied to much of Pink’s
back catalogue, and serves as a good starting
point for what turns out to be an overtly intriguing
and beguiling performance. Merely two songs
into the set and Pink is berating the audience for
being “fucking stupid and not loud enough”, an
outburst that would probably spell the end of any
good vibes for most performers, but one that is so
intertwined with the onstage persona of the man
that it is not only forgiven but applauded.
Taken from the latest LP, One Summer Night
is a high point, with its memorable 80s horrormovie
intro and bubblegum melodies providing
a backdrop for Pink’s laconic vocal delivery. Never
one to court convention his disparate influences
are always apparent, and this track seems to
encapsulate his appeal to a contemporary
audience fairly well. The songs are ever-hinting
at familiarity whilst distorting and warping these
expectations to create something infinitely
memorable yet faintly disturbing. Kind of like
watching a Christmas film in slow motion whilst
someone starts a small fire in the corner of your
living room.
With the drummer now clad in a leather cowboy
hat and bikini, and the rest of the four-piece band
in full flow, the show has taken on a mutually
enjoyable party atmosphere. The die-hard fans
are clearly having a great time, but those who
have come along purely as a result of word-ofmouth
will also be suitably impressed.
Alastair Dunn
LIV-BCN
The Kazimier Club and Garden
It’s a cliché, but given that this is the UK
leg of a festival held between Barcelona and
Liverpool – and that the Kazimier Garden is full
of Spaniards (/Catalonians!) – it’s only fair to
mention the weather: the skies are eggshellhued
and it’s raining profusely. Happy July,
BATHYMETRY, who have the difficult job of
holding a crowd who are still mostly off-thestreet
punters at this time in the afternoon. As
such, their very casual style isn’t a hindrance,
and their slightly stoned 60s guitar and ants-inyour-pants
stop/start basslines eventually draw
appreciation from the be-ponchoed audience.
There’s also a song in Cornish, which could be a
roundabout show of solidarity with the Catalan
independence movement. Maybe.
Next up is PAU VALLVÉ, who treats us to a
varied run of songs ranging from introspective
picking that leaves room for slight, melodic
vocals, to thunderous loops of percussive
strumming with a strong flamenco feel. Despite
this, it doesn’t feel like a token ‘world music’
crossover. Comparisons with José Gonzalez
would be lazy – a better comparison would
be Damien Jurado. It’s common to see singersongwriters
getting worked up in the space
of three minutes, with the results sounding

Reviews
Bido Lito! August 2015
23
Clinic (Antonio Franco / antoniofranco.net)
more epic in their heads than the audience’s
ears. Fortunately, Vallvé knows about form and
balance, and when his voice soars it’s in tandem
with the listeners.
MINION TV close the Garden line-up with
sweeping post-rock instrumentals with swaying
on the spot and head-nodding mandatory.
Everyone here is compliant – the rough wood
and old brick surrounds always suit this style,
with few songs under eight minutes. It’s not as
easy to do as it might seem from the number of
Liverpool bands who did it so well a few years
ago, and Minion TV get it right.
A few hours later, in the darkness of the
Kazimier proper, STRANGE COLLECTIVE assemble.
They’re an endangered species who play a very
brief set marked by a discerning taste in their
own songs. Strange Collective probably best
fit the description of a Liverpool band as given
by someone not from Liverpool, but they’re
more than the sum of their jangling guitars and
baggy pretensions. Songs like Heavy and Super
Touchy are instantly catchy – the sound is alien,
but these aliens, far enough away to receive
1960s radio transmissions, have spent the long
journey to Earth perfecting that sound, and it’s
almost convincingly human.
MUJERES have great songs and a highvelocity,
tight garage rock sound that makes you
wonder what the Spanish for ‘Parquet Courts’ is.
However, a bass solo (plus excursion into the
audience) misjudge the tone uncomfortably,
particularly as everyone assumed the bassist
was joking by announcing, “One song left. It
lasts an hour.”
How do you classify CLINIC? Impossibility
demands metaphors about sand running
through fingers, hourglasses etc. They won’t
do, and new hyperbole must be invented. We
all know (from that advert with the sausage
dog) that Barcelona has over two miles of beach;
trying to pigeonhole Clinic is like trying to play
catch with a sand dune. You may hear some
typical late 90s guitar on debut single I.P.C.
Subeditors Dictate Our Youth and everything
makes sense, but not when it follows See
Saw, a song filed under ‘straight-up woodwind
bangers’, full of the mysteries of how exactly
one plays clarinet through a surgical mask.
Fifteen years on from Internal Wrangler, Clinic
can pick and choose songs that give the crowd
of aficionados what they want: music that’s a
little bit sick, melodica (Children Of Kellogg),
Morricone (The Dream Of Bartholomew), and sex
noises (all three in Porno). It’s worth mentioning
the beautiful Harvest, five songs in, when the
show really matures. Their anaesthetised drone
can be daunting but it’s audible and, tune after
tune, Clinic’s diversity shines through. Trust
them, they’re doctors.
Stuart Miles O’Hara / @ohasm1
Ceremony Concerts Present
Richard Dawson
+ Asiq Nargile + Ex-Easter Island Head
The Kazimier, Liverpool - Wednesday 16 th September 2015
China Crisis
PLAYING THE ALBUM 'FLAUNT THE IMPERFECTION'
The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool - Saturday 17 th October 2015
The Magic Band
The Kazimier, Liverpool - Sunday 8 th November 2015
Amsterdam
Gulliver's, Manchester - Saturday 14 th November 2015
Thea Gilmore
The Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool - Tuesday 17 th November 2015
Boo Hewerdine
The Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool - Wednesday 25 th November 2015
Dodgy
Arts Club, Liverpool - Saturday 28 th November 2015
Turin Brakes
+ Cousin Jac
The Kazimier, Liverpool - Friday 4 th December 2015
John Bramwell (I am Kloot)
The Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool - Saturday 5 th December 2015
Dr John Cooper Clarke
The Atkinson, Southport - Saturday 12 th December 2015
TicketQuarter / See Tickets / WeGotTickets / Gigantic

F.O.E.S
Bad Sign – Pavilions – Black Diamond
– Carbon – Enamel Animal
Blade Factory
On entering Blade Factory, one can’t help
but notice the shrine of F.O.E.S-themed
merchandise arranged just so on a table
nearby. Among this veritable temple of goodies
is the reason Bido Lito! are here tonight: Fall
Of Every Sparrow’s (to elongate the acronym)
new EP Antecedence. Sleek copies of the record
await those whose appetites for the headliners
aren’t satiated by tonight’s gig alone.
For starters, we’re treated to a dose of
ENAMEL ANIMAL. Although their name may
sound like a CBBC character that never left the
drawing board, they’re actually an alternative
rock band with an exciting sharpness about
them. Their self-contained rockers have
edges you can really cut your teeth on, each
song lingering just long enough to leave you
wanting more. A bold opening act who are well
worth checking out.
In a six-course billing, it’s up to CARBON
to take the second slot. The band grow more
confident as the set progresses, and seal their
impressive performance with a hard, dark finish
in the form of Bonfire: a real cruncher of a tune
made distinct by the band’s rock-yodel hollering.
Their intriguing guitars and door-blasting drums
appear to be at odds with the chic, flat-pack
surroundings of Blade Factory, but then again
the entire line-up seems in juxtaposition to
the venue. Truth be told, it imbrues an exciting
tension into the entire evening.
BLACK DIAMOND come next. Having
supported the likes of Motion City Soundtrack,
this youthful foursome look assured in their
own abilities and rightly so. They’re a band
whose acidic psychedelic stylings sound like
they were cooked up in the desert under the
heady auspices of Josh Homme. They’ve also
got a real asset in the vocals of Daniel Byrne,
who threatens to add a few storeys to the
building thanks to his remarkable range.
Again, it’s the vocals that stand out with
next act, PAVILIONS. Clearly channelling
transatlantic influences, singer Tezz Roberts
leads from the front with energy and feeling.
Hard to categorise, this Wirral-based group are
very much carving out their own sound. All we
know is we like what we hear.
Enter the penultimate act, three-piece outfit,
BAD SIGN. From note one, there’s absolutely
no let-up or dip in energy from this trio. It’s
a rambunctious performance, with guitarist
Jonathan Harris and bassist Joe Appleford
taking advantage of their wireless capabilities
by marauding among the crowd, thus bringing
a new meaning to the phrase ‘taking the bass
for a walk’. Strutting about like bulls in a ring,
Bad Sign scatter the crowd in front of them. A
dangerous set in all the right ways.
When asked about Antecedence, the group’s
second EP, F.O.E.S frontman Chris Mackrill
has talked about the need to say something
specific through their music, to articulate real
emotion. The focus of their new output is
centred on the raw, not-so-passive aggression
that can pervade relationships. Three of the five
new tracks bear reference to monarchy in their
titles; all is unfair in love and war, and for F.O.E.S
there’s not much difference between the two.
The music complements Mackrill’s bitter lyrics
perfectly, particularly in the outright attacks of
Rival Thrones and Crown Antler.
It’s apt then that the band are on such
belligerent form tonight and a delight to see
their striving for meaning translate so well in
a live setting. Renditions of the new material
are no less thrilling in the flesh than they are
on the album. In contrast to the full-throttle
power tracks already mentioned, F.O.E.S are
also able to display their versatility in haunting
melodies such as No Sleepers Verse, which
rattles about the brain for days at a time. In
this band, Liverpool has an act who know when
to go hard and when to go soft, who also look
the real deal topping a bill. It’s no wonder
the likes of Kerrang! are sniffing around. With
this successful EP launch, this up-and-coming
quartet are getting their just desserts.
Jamie Carragher / @CarragherJamie
AFRICA OYÉ
Sefton Park
For many, this festival sets the precedent for
the whole summer: a wet AFRICA OYÉ and we
are in for a disappointing few months; a bright
sunny festival in South Liverpool’s grassy
heartland and the summer will be a triumph.
Either way though the vibe is always up there
with the quality of the African-Caribbean food
on offer from the skilful chefs who surround
Sefton Park’s now familiar festival arena.
This year’s event gets off to a mixed start on
the Saturday, with acts doing their best to keep
spirits up as the wet stuff comes down. By the
end of the day, however, the sky is bright blue
and grass is drying out, and headliner OMAR
puts a smile on festival-goers’ faces with a
solid set of feel-good soul.
Now in its third decade, Africa Oyé has
prospered by combining community, local
and internationally acclaimed acts and by
showcasing the huge variety of musical styles
that have developed via the African diaspora.
Sunday’s line-up is no exception, featuring
community drummers BEATLIFE, legendary DJ
ANDY KERSHAW, and veteran Jamaican toaster
FRANKIE PAUL.
The Oyé Introduces initiative (launched
this year to promote North West talent) kicks

26
Bido Lito! August 2015 Reviews
Cumbia All-Stars (David Howarth / dayhowarth.com)
things off with Liverpool-based MERKI WATERS.
Waters deftly raps and sings his way through a
mix of up-tempo afro beat and soulful ballads
to a small but appreciative crowd gathered
under a once-again grey sky.
MODOU TOURÉ AND RAMON GOOSE follow
with their West African Blues Project. Touré’s
strong, clear voice floats out, muezzinlike,
and Ramon’s bluesy lead flows over a
highlife rhythm as more and more people
gravitate towards the stage. Touré and Ramon
weave acoustic and lead patterns and synth
treatments squirt over the fading sound
before, for the tenth year in succession, Beatlife
community drummers take to the stage and
roll some thundering beats out across the field.
On stage, old and young alike look as though
they are having the time of their lives and it’s
not only their enthusiasm that’s infectious:
they pull out all the stops with some seriously
complex rhythms which leave the crowd
applauding and cheering. It is this kind of
community involvement that keeps Oyé truly
grounded.
Back to a bluesy vibe with DIABEL
SISSOKHO, whose band launch straight into
a heavy Mannish Boy riff over which he picks
clean, high notes on his kora. Mixing up fast,
driving rhythms and slower dubby basslines,
Sissokho’s set sees the first serious footwork
amongst the crowd. With their subtle changes
of tempo, virtuoso kora playing and strong,
soulful vocals, we have lift-off.
Andy Kershaw precedes to preside over a
great party, dancers whirling to his mix of afro
beat, highlife and dancehall. It is a joy to see
this pioneer of world music broadcasting at
his first Oyé and he looks to be thoroughly
enjoying it, grinning from ear to ear as he spins
one delight after another.
By the time the sun breaks through, a
massive crowd has assembled and thousands
are circling around the perimeter stalls. The
drumming workshop is rocking, jammed with
kids from three to 63. Over in Trenchtown, I
enjoy a superb set of dub and reggae courtesy
of DJ Red Kite. A drunk delights the straw baleseated
people-watchers by taking about two
puzzled minutes to negotiate the ring pull on
his next brew; an octogenarian skanks happily
away with daughter and granddaughter;
juggling balls rise and fall rhythmically from
hand to hand; distant fairground rides are
spinning and shining in the sun; bubbles flow
from a brightly coloured space gun and float off
into the skies, blown by gales of laughter. And
the headgear: five panels, feathers, flowers;
boaters, bowlers, beanies; hijabs, fezs, geles;
rastacaps, flatcaps, madcaps. All unmistakably
Oyé.
The evening session starts with some fine
afro-Latin rhythms from Peru’s CUMBIA ALL-
STARS and continues with the mesmerising
vocal call and answer and whirlwind percussion
of the Réunion Islands’ LINDIGO. Throughout
the set, instruments are added to the mix: a
throbbing bass, stabbing keyboard, flourishes
of accordion, until finally frontman Oliver
Arasta (who at one point is bouncing around
the stage in the press-up position) dons a Bo
Diddley-style guitar and brings the set to a
rousing climax.
The crowd are fully primed for headliner
FRANKIE PAUL and, resplendent in white suit
and loafers, he is assisted to the front of the
stage and once in position doesn’t move an
inch save for a slight sideways movement of
the head akin to Ray Charles. To a heavy dub
bass and skanking lead he delivers his vocals
with a strength that belies his frail appearance
and the crowd are swiftly on board. Covers of
Stevie Wonder’s My Cherie Amour and The
Foundations’ Baby, Now That I’ve Found You
provide a great singalong. From the back of
the stage the view is incredible, a stormy sea
of bobbing heads and raised, swaying arms.
Onstage, the drum and bass lock down the
rhythm with metronomic precision allowing the
lead and keys to elaborate. With this superbly
tight backing Paul has fun with his choice of
material and covers Tom Jones’ Green Green
Grass of Home (highly appropriate!), and the
O’Jays’ She Used To Be My Girl before throwing
in a brilliantly delivered, leftfield, Somewhere
Over The Rainbow, which a delirious crowd lap
up.
The colour and character of Oyé remain
undiminished. Keep it free. Now let’s have a
boss summer.
DEAD KENNEDYS
Slagerij
O2 Academy
Glyn Akroyd
SLAGERIJ are cartoon characters who run the
gamut of pop-punk archetypes: Matt Dennehy
(Bass) is a clown of the Mark Hoppus stripe,
and Martin Montier (Guitar, Vocals) looks like
he could secretly hold a master’s degree in
political science. Their set is a condensed
history lesson, efficiently bouncing between
ska, hardcore, and thrash, and drawing what
will turn out to be a third of the capacity
audience.
It’s been eight years since DEAD KENNEDYS
were last in Liverpool, and I doubt that it’s a
destination holding much truc for stateside
punks. That’s probably advantageous to both
band and crowd – the lack of apprehension and
pro-Beatles fawning make way for an unbridled

28
Bido Lito! August 2015 Reviews
Dead Kennedys (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
show, snotty, with neck veins full apop, the
kind that discards its sweaty t-shirt and enters
the crowd elbows-first. For the record: only
Ron “Skip” Greer (Vocals) descends from the
stage tonight, and he remains fully clothed.
The crowd do not. Greer’s been the voice of
Dead Kennedys since 2008, their longestlasting
vocalist since Jello Biafra, the thinkingman’s
pogo stick, left in 2001. He wisely avoids
imitating his predecessor’s vibrato-heavy sneer
before a crowd which, despite singing along to
Kill The Poor and Nazi Punks Fuck Off, contain
elements that would probably drag him into
– under – their midst and disperse to leave
nothing behind.
In fact, only half of tonight’s line-up released
Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables in 1981. DH
Peligro has other commitments, his drum stool
filled by Steve “Boomstick” Wilson (they all have
names like this), leaving East Bay Ray (Guitar)
and Klaus Flouride (Bass). They look like Vic
and Bob these days, respectively. Yet a shrewd
understanding of punk still shines through
the indignation, however cynically they do it:
as they drape the chorus of Taylor Swift’s Shake
It Off over Bleed For Me, a diminutive skinhead
shoves his way past me, en route from the pit
to the back of the room, muttering, “It’s shite…
Fucking disgrace”.
Despite left-wing politics, and acerbic songs
that survived the Reagan-era (California Über
Alles, Chemical Warfare, Holiday In Cambodia)
with an urgency that doesn’t just stem from
machinegun tempi and ever-decreasing breaks
between, I suspect tonight’s crowd are after a
more Pavlovian experience: guaranteed sweat
and rage irrespective of everyday life (though
some of that anger is surely pent-up over crap
pay or disenfranchisement). An older gentleman
in a hoodie squeezes through with two pints
as I stand outside the moshpit. He stops, gets
tousled by exiles from the pit and again on
their re-entry. His beer goes over him, over me,
in the air, on the floor. Not a drop enters his
rictus grin, and I doubt if he ever intended it
to. He’s having the time of his (long) life. Dead
Kennedys are superb showmen, ticking every
box for a punk rock gig – but it’s ultimately a
sideshow with no main event.
Stuart Miles O’Hara / @ohasm1
MAVIS STAPLES
Lizzie Nunnery and Vidar Norheim
Philharmonic Hall
“We have an aisle seat at the very back or
middle row near the front.” “I’ll take the seat
at the back so I can dance in the aisle without
getting in anyone’s way.” The man at the box
office laughs… Babe, I ain’t joking, we’re talking
about MAVIS STAPLES here. Alarmingly fresh
for her 75 years and from the previous day’s
Glastonbury performance, Ms Staples is led
onto the stage at the Philharmonic where her
band and backing vocalists wait. She’s a five
foot bundle of sass, sugar and warmth with
a voice deep as a cannonball moan. She tells
the sea of greying heads before her in her
Southern-tinged Chicago accent that tonight
she’ll be taking us on a journey, and breaks
out into If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me).
We’re ready, Mavis. Though it’s been decades
since her family band The Staple Singers
soundtracked the Civil Rights Movement, the
evening seems to have protest woven through
it as she breaks into her second song, a cover of
Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth.
Earlier, folk duo LIZZIE NUNNERY AND VIDAR
NORHEIM opened the show, captivating
the audience with their mixture of acerbic
austerity-hating poetry and beautiful sea
shanty-like choruses. Tales of Liverpool past
and present percolate through England Loves
A Poor Boy and Company Of Ghosts, using
only percussion, guitar and vocals. These
aren’t rose-tinted accounts; rather, cutting
critiques on patriotism and colonialism, and
a nuanced re-imagination of the city which
juxtaposes old with new. England Loves A Poor
Boy narrates the story of Old Man Trouble, a
homeless figure who died in Liverpool after
fighting for the Empire in WWI on the broken
promise of returning to his native Caribbean,
while Company Of Ghosts eloquently reminds
us of the seafaring past and prospering present
of Liverpool’s Georgian Quarter. Poverty
Knocks is the highlight of the set, with the
audience singing along to Nunnery’s warning
of Thatcherite policy “watch out the boat is a
rockin’”. Witnessing a woman returning to the

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Bido Lito! August 2015 Reviews
Cavalry (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
stage after having a child, and spit staccato
anti-Conservative propaganda with the force
of nature and a voice unwavering, is just about
as empowering as it gets.
Mavis, of course, extends this trend,
delivering classics Freedom Highway, Respect
Yourself and I Like The Things About Me That I
Once Despised with a voice so big and low it
belies her tiny stature. She then takes a break
while her band of West Coast blues musicians
showcase their talents, playing on to a slide
guitar showdown. Returning to “take us all the
way back to 71”, the riff to Stax Records classic
I’ll Take You There reverberates through the
pristine white walls and wood-backed seats
of the Phil, and Mavis gives out the feistiest low
moan known to man. You know the one – that’s
it, I’m up in the aisle and giving it my best sidestepping
gospel clap.
After leaving the stage to a standing ovation,
Mavis returns to encore with The Band’s The
Weight, which she performed with The Staple
Singers at The Band’s final concert, captured
in film and record on The Last Waltz. She
may be singing about meeting the devil but
there’s something distinctively spiritual about
her presence, her almost God-like voice, only
amplified by the venue’s lush interior. I feel like
I’ve witnessed something truly, truly special.
May Mavis waltz on for a long time to come.
Bethany Garrett
CAVALRY
SeaWitches – Goodbye Horses - AJHD
EVOL @ The Kazimier
This show lands just a week before CAVALRY’s
Astral Coast appearance in New Brighton and
it’s obvious that pressure has built around the
lads after recent recognition from venerable
digital station 6Music. However, the band are
as focused as ever, elevated and extremely
animated, set to deliver the goods once again.
And, with a sterling support line-up, tonight’s
billing at the Kaz, announced fairly late in the
day, is set to be a cracker. The venue is perfect
for such an occasion, as much home-grown
talent is nurtured through this deservedly
mythologised city landmark.
AJHD kicks off proceedings with a blurring
rapture that meets someway between a
mixture of sonic reverberation, dystopian
swells and lo-fi industrialism. It is seriously
befitting to see these local lads coming into
their own. Their rapturous grunge vibes fill your
soul with melancholic angst. Keep your eyes
wide open for this group of talented musos;
they have direction and are likely to launch a
frontline assault in the near future.
Another beer down, and a short while later a
lovely little oddity takes to the stage: GOODBYE
HORSES. Unknown to the majority of people
in the crowd, although featuring familiar
faces from the same stable as local favourites
Strange Collective, this surprisingly fun and
charismatic duo are accompanied by their very
own electronic drummer-cum-MacBook. 303,
606 and 808 drum samples spring from the
venue’s PA system and the 67 Danelectrowielding
guitarist is in his element. Goodbye
Horses woo the crowd with what can only be
described as a half-hour-long trip. Envisage
the first time you watched Stanley Kubrick’s
classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. Yeah, THAT
trippy. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test springs to
mind within the first five minutes of this sonic
journey. Infectious jangling surf-like guitars,
met by rumbling low-end frequencies and
infectious rhythmic bass is more than enough
to satisfy the crowd. Delay, upon reverb, upon
a 60s trip is good in my book, lads. Keep up
the good work.
SEAWITCHES look to further forward their
cause after a slew of successful gigs and a
much-praised performance at Sound City.
The atmosphere is perfect for their welcome
addition to the frame. However, the more
theatrical approach gives the immediate
impression that SeaWitches may not be
a particularly good fit for this show. Their
influences seem to be gathered from far afield,
and a lulled sense of confusion seems to follow,

32
Bido Lito! August 2015 Reviews
Submotion Orchestra (Samantha Milligan / samanthamilligan.co.uk)
washing over the venue, as their set doesn’t
quite take off and captivate this restless crowd.
There’s little doubt that SeaWitches are onto
something extremely interesting, but perhaps
it’s for another time and place.
CAVALRY time. The guys emerge onto the
stage, their sheer presence and professionalism
as they hit the stage are that of a more
established act and the effect of this first
impression immediately alters my perception
of the band: something spectacular is about to
go down. This five-piece don’t come across as
a relatively recent group, they seem at ease,
comfortable and experienced in their trade,
and we’re able to savour every single ounce of
their melodicism. The guitars pile-drive through
the Kaz and the audience are pummelled with
compelling lyrics and soft melodic tones.
It is all genuinely impressive: older tracks
Leaves and Lament are finely executed, along
with newer ballads such as standout single An
Understanding. The guys are obviously onto
a winner, with the crowd immersed almost
instantaneously as these infectious tracks
drown the room. Acoustic influences draw tonal
comparisons with the likes of Paul Simon and
James Taylor, with songwriting similarities to
The National and solo John Lennon material.
This is a group of young musicians
showcasing themselves as they reach their
prime. The group have found their identity,
and their place within the bosom of Liverpool’s
music community.
Sam Banks / @SamJamesBanks
BALTIC GARDEN PARTY
Constellations
Last year’s Baltic Block Party was a genuine
event, spilling out people – clouded by free
e-cigarettes – every which way down the streets
of the Baltic Triangle. It’s a disappointment to
find the Garden Party has no such giveaways,
or limitless dimensions of madness. We’re
firmly hemmed in here: there are mojitos
being served from a shack, and you can drink
out of a coconut if you wish, but exploring
isn’t strictly doable. There are only two stages:
one of which, the Observatory, has a wellplaced
phalanx of potted ferns at its feet. The
foliage provides something to look at while
SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA take their sweet
time to get going. It takes around an hour and
a half, but they get there, and they don’t seem
rushed. Scratch that – they’re far more patient
than any group playing this sort of thing ought
to be. Three albums into their career, the band
are as smooth and conspicuous as a porkpie
hat in a Primark sale. The texture of their
music requires attention. It’s not enough for
the stuttering hi-hat of All Yours to reframe the
song’s momentum single-handed, because the
bass is right there behind it, pulling the crowd
to where it wants to go. Singer Ruby Wood is
good but the band as a whole are better. They
edge towards trip hop, just as jazz penetrates
the highest point of their ascendances with
colourful relish. A treat, generally speaking,
and perfect for the tobacco-mojito melange.

Real Ale Pub & Kitchen
Open 7 days a week. Quality cask ales,
plus boss craft beers from Mad Hatter,
Brew Dog and others, bottled Belgian
beers, and great food.
Whisky tastings, cheese & wine nights,
live music, outdoor stage and courtyard.
All set in a Grade II listed former
jailhouse in the city centre –
come and take a ‘Cell-fie’
Liverpool One Bridewell
Campbell Square, Argyle Street
Liverpool L1 5FB
t 0151 709 7000
www.liverpoolonebridewell.com
Liverpool One Bridewell @Lpool1Bridewell
@magnet123
OPEN MIC
IN assOCIatION wIth
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EvEry wEdNEsday frOM 8PM
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Featuring guest hosts, guest DJs and whoever
wants to come and play...
Original songs. Bring your own Guitar.
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w magnet-liverpool.co.uk
www.mellowtone.info
@mellowtoneclub
mellowtoneclub

Channel One Sound System (Samantha Milligan / samanthamilligan.co.uk)
WRS
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Tonight is one of celebration for overworked
students, many of whom are looking for a sendoff
befitting their grateful, summery faces. The
benevolent presidency of CHANNEL ONE SOUND
SYSTEM might offer them a more natural high
than the type currently circulating round the
porta-loos. A modern relic of roots reggae’s
earliest attempts at global peace-keeping, the
outfit rests on the turntables of founder Mikey
Dread, supported by the Zionist mantras of
MC Ras Kayleb. The duo run through decades
of material and empowering gobbledegook.
“Where is Babylon?” Kayleb shouts, with the
bullishness of a preacher. “Babylon’s in your
phone! Babylon’s in your pocket!” All right, OK;
if this is a ploy to download a Channel One set
as an mp3, it doesn’t need to be so obscure.
That said, their abiding message is crystal clear
– love everyone, love yourself, stop whining
about anything that doesn’t involve bobbing
your shoulders (although this is already the
greatest pastime imaginable, from a quick
survey of young gents wobbling to an early
comedown). Mr Dread has been doing this
for 35 years and it’s only courteous to admire
him, playing to the same demographic that
launched him to prominence in the first place.
He must be entirely deaf by now, and although
the set goes on and on, he could go longer.
Down and dirty house carries on inside, but,
truth be told, by this point I’m seeing friends
old and new, each off into the next horizon
of their lives and it’s a fitting denouement to
our time in Liverpool. The music and the lights
coalesce and simmer, spiral around us, and I’m
elated. This may be a different sort of party to
yesteryear, but it’s most certainly not of the
Chelsea Flower Show variety.
Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts
BENJAMIN BOOKER
Carbon
O2 Academy
The blueish hue of the O2 Academy lights are
apt: an all-blue, bully-boy Conservative budget
has been announced and BENJAMIN BOOKER
is beginning his set by cutting the venue’s
between-set playlist short and running Bessie
Smith’s sombre blues classic Muddy Water (A
Mississippi Moan) through a disillusioned
crowd. All such misery is forgotten, if not
temporarily, as Booker opens with Always
Waiting, which begins slow, drawn-out and
grungy, only to trick us by picking up pace
at thirty seconds into an excellent energetic
boogie-punk quickie. A much needed pick-meup.
Earlier, support act CARBON tried to inject
their brand of angst-tinged, drum-heavy rock
‘n’ roll on to an indifferent crowd. Their first
few songs merge together, lost amongst
the conversational murmurs of a growing
audience, while more distinct and developed

www.AboveTheBeatenTrack.co.uk

Another Great Season of Comedy at the Brindley
Cheshire’s Award Winning Venue
Only 25 mins from Chester, 20 mins from
Liverpool, 30 mins from Manchester.
Good road and rail links. FREE PARKING
Hardeep Singh Kohli -
Bigmouth Strikes Again
Friday 4 Sept | 8pm | Studio | £12
Manford’s Comedy Club
Thursday 10 Sept | 8pm | Studio | £15
Chris Ramsey’s All
Growed Up
Monday 21 Sept | 8pm | Theatre | £17.50
Benjamin Booker (Stuart Moulding / @OohShootStu)
Manford’s Comedy Club
Thursday 8 October | 8pm | Studio | £15
Lee Nelson – Suited
and Booted
Andrew O’Neill – Heavy
Metal – a History
Thursday 22 Oct | 8pm | Studio | £12
Monday 19 Oct | 7.30pm | Theatre | £20
Manford’s Comedy Club
Thursday 12 Nov | 8pm | Studio | £15
The Brindley, High St, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 1BG
Box Office: 0151 907 8360 Online:
www.thebrindley.org.uk
www.facebook.com/brindleyartscentre
www.twitter.com/TheBrindley
track Bonfire comes as a set highlight, all
melancholy but delivered with passion.
Despite Carbon’s enthusiasm, however, the
crowd remain largely uninterested.
Captivating a crowd poses no problem for
“Benjy lad” (as a zealous group of long-haired,
ket-wiggged Scouse lads insist on calling him).
Flanked by only his drummer and bassist, it’s
impossible to lock your eyes on anything but
Booker; his stage presence is electrifying. One
moment all voodoo-vibe hands, tense jaw and
closed eyes, the next pure loosey-goosey-soulshakedown-boogie,
the man knows how to fill
the stage and work a crowd. He has the folk
at the front eating out of his hands, while he
drinks out of theirs – he asks for a shot and is
bought one. “Fucking Jägermeister?!”
He takes a break for more dancing while his
bassist picks up a fiddle and his drummer a
banjo before playing a couple of all-American
covers. Though he “can’t understand anything
anyone says here” Booker gets some audience
participation on the go for his version of Nina
Simone’s take on traditional folk tune Little
Liza Jane. The crowd give back, singing “oh
little Liza, oh little Liza Jane” with so much
enthusiasm and Scouse-tinged, slightly-off
diction, Booker can’t contain his grin. Another
cover comes in the form of Otis Redding’s
Shout Bamalama which gets everyone (not
just the super-enthusiastic super-fans up front)
bounding up and down. Keeping the tempo
high with Wicked Waters and Violent Shiver,
Booker looks delighted as the crowd finish off
his lines, singing a long with fervour.
Set highlights Slow Coming and Kids Never
Growing Older showcase two of the aspects
that make Booker so refreshing along with
his punk-rock-soul-boogie sound; his voice
and his fearlessness. Kids Never Growing
Older hints at the treatment of his adopted
New Orleans home in the wake of Hurricane
Katrina, while Slow Coming – a rasping protest
ballad – beautifully opens up discussion on
inequality, questioning human progression.
The lyrics are devastating and poignant, listing
injustices revolving around race, sexuality
and immigration, juxtaposing these with
technological advancements, then sighing in
exasperation “honestly how can I be proud
right now? / To tell you the truth I ain't been
sleeping too well.” Sung with a voice that’s
half Tom Waits, half Mr Pitiful, and all chainsmoking
angel, both tracks are real killers. His
pride in New Orleans’ resilience seems woven
into his performance.
Muddy Waters loops again at the end of
his set, barely distinguishable behind the
screeching reverb. Let’s hope we all manage
to stay afloat.
Bethany Garrett

COMPETITION!
WIN AN AKAI RHYTHM WOLF SYNTHESISER! >>>
We have teamed up this month with the lovely folks at DAWSON'S MUSIC to give you lucky
lot the chance to win an AKAI RHYTHM WOLF DRUM & BASS SYNTHESISER worth £145!
Bringing those stunning analog sounds of decades gone by back to the forefront, the Akai Rhythm Wolf Drum and Bass
Synthesiser injects the sounds of old school electronica and hip hop into your workflow.
Inspired by classic analog beat machines and synths of yesteryear, the Rhythm Wolf gives today’s musicians the power
to harness iconic analog sounds for music production and performance. The drum machine consists of five completely
customisable drum sounds and includes a kick, snare, open and closed hi-hat, and metallic percussion. On-board controls
let users customise tuning, amplitude envelopes, and volume of each drum voice separately allowing for precise real-time
adjustment, ideal for live performances. The bass synthesiser features a selectable oscillator, classic filter design, a filter
envelope with variable decay, and is capable of creating powerful, penetrating bass sounds and squelchy, fat leads.
Dawson’s Liverpool are located in their new Williamson Street location, having outgrown their original store on Ranelagh
Street which could no longer pack enough stock onto its shelves to serve the local musical community. They moved to
huge new premises to enable the store to serve the needs of Merseyside’s musicians even better. Spread over two floors,
the Liverpool store stocks a vast range of equipment and instruments for all musicians, including guitars, basses, drums,
synthesisers, music technology and DJ equipment.
All you need to do to enter this competition is....
Follow @DawsonsMusic and retweet their Bido Lito! competition tweet.
We will put all the entries in a big pink FA Cup drawstring bag and select a winner at random.
Competition closes 20th August.

38
Bido Lito! August 2015
DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER
with Stylus
We’re always interested to hear what waxy gems are lurking in the depths of the record
bags of the city’s DJs, ones that they just can’t wait for people to ask about when they’ve
dropped them to an adoring dancefloor. This month we asked Walrus Said of STYLUS to pick
out some of his favourite cuts, and he selected four choice Finders Keepers compilations
to wax lyrical about.
“Finders Keepers is arguably one of the finest compilation labels out there. They seem to
find the most bizarre people to compile the most bizarre music, which results in wondrous
journeys through time and place – just like the four that follow.”
THE
FINAL
SAY
Words: Nik Glover / @wearelovedones
By now you’re probably fed up of us preaching to you, so we thought we’d reward you for reaching
the last page by offering you something a little bit different. Each month we’ll be passing this section
over to a guest columnist to have their own say on an issue of their choice. This month, Nik Glover of
Loved Ones responds to the contents of Apple Music’s T&Cs and George Osborne’s first unadulterated
Conservative budget, and considers how they affect the plight of our nation’s music makers.
SCIENCE FICTION PARK BUNDESREPUBLIK
GERMAN HOME RECORDING TAPE MUSIC OF THE 1980S
An album full of 80s German post-punk electronic music is
like taking your childlike ears to a kids’ play area with a slide
going into a ball pool. Every song on this album shimmers and
glistens with genuine genius, and proves that, although great,
Kraftwerk and Neu! weren’t the best things to happen to German
electronica. And each one of these tracks is different, taking you
on an off-kilter voyage – brilliant.
MAN CHEST HAIR
18 OUTBURSTS OF UNRELEASED TESTOSTERONE FROM
THE 1970S MANCUNIAN ROCK UNDERGROUND
We all know that Manchester has produced some sensational
music: Joy Division, Happy Mondays and Autechre. But did you
know that Manchester had a thriving pre-punk scene? Neither
did I. It runs along a similar theme to music of the same period,
but these un-signable hairy motorheads put a typically Mancunian slant on their music. The
heavy distortion, huge fuzz and DIY attitude really portray an industrial city.
THAI? DAI!
THE HEAVIER SIDE OF THE LUK THUNG UNDERGROUND
The opener is a cover of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man, showing
the experimental and creative intent of the artists involved in
this little-known era of Thai music. It’s a truly magical meld of the
traditional and Western influence of the time, and Bangkok was
where different styles of Thai music came together, including
luk thung and luk krung. Please Instagram me your reaction to
the start of Ying Ting.
POMEGRANATES
PERSIAN POP, FUNK, FOLK AND PSYCH OF THE 60S AND 70S
This has been my ‘go to’ for years when people ask for a
recommendation. It covers pop, funk, pysch and rock with a
wonderfully refreshing Persian perspective. Many countries
have grappled with political aversion but few have done so in
a time of economic growth and with the heavy weight of history
on their minds. These Iranian artists did just that and produced the beautifully diverse
music on this album.
Stylus host a weekly vinyl fair and listening event every Sunday at Arts Club, starting at
midday. Check out their amazing podcasts too, at soundcloud.com/stylus-liverpool.
After the engineered fireworks and a creditable
last-minute public relations programme featuring
comment from the independent label community
it desperately wants to assuage, Apple Music is live.
Customers can try the new platform free for
starters, during which time artists will be paid
for the use of their products. Apple is effectively
gegging in on Spotify’s cocktail and sucking up
a percentage of the users it already has to make
an easy buck.
And this is why, in the list of things that are
happening right now, Apple Music does not
matter. Maybe it’ll change your listening habits a
little, but if you’re one of the multitude that signs
up for your free trial and never bothers to leave,
you’re really doing little more than switching one
branded T-shirt for another.
On Wednesday 8th July, something much more
important to your future artistic consumption
happened. It didn’t happen in a blank white
office space in Silicon Valley, but in a dilapidated,
deteriorating chamber in Westminster. That
something was the Chancellor’s maiden Budget
speech to the first majority Conservative
government in almost twenty years.
While we’ve all grown accustomed to austerity,
and while a large majority of the country has
actually voted in support of it (whether in its Red
or Blue guise), fewer of us have painful stories to
tell. This is largely because local councils across the
country have managed, so far, to restrict the outward
appearance of budget cuts to a few outsourced
contracts or closed libraries. And all those public
sector jobs that have been lost, of course.
Musicians rely overwhelmingly on arts
funding. Alongside direct funding from Arts
Council England (which estimates its own budget
reduction at 36% since 2010), aspiring musicians
aged 21 and under who do not work and who
claim Jobseeker’s Allowance will no longer be able
to claim housing benefit. This, supporters claim,
is a push towards promoting independence. It is
also likely to raise the rate of youth homelessness
and restrict the time the young can devote to
rehearsing and thereby realising their artistic
ambitions. Most musical ‘training’ does not take
place in educational establishments – it is band
practices, private rehearsal time and songwriting.
Bar jobs all round then.
The end result of austerity is becoming
apparent. Firstly, there will be a tide of service
closures. How high a tide will depend on the
Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, when he
will announce how much of the burden local
government will shoulder. In all likelihood,
libraries, museums, children’s centres, arts
companies and venues will close. Live venues,
recording and practice studios and record shops
could, as we have already seen in Liverpool, face
precipitous rises in their business rates as local
councils try desperately to balance their books
and continue to fund the services they are legally
required to fund – predominately social care.
Musicians also face a tougher task finding
inspiration, which sounds kind of vacuous until
you consider that the internet and commercial
vendors could become the sole reserve of cultural
capital. The BBC is looking at a “re-distribution”
of a chunk of its budget to cover over 75s’ licence
fees – one Cassandran former trustee claims this
could mean the end for BBC Three and Four, digital
radio and the World Service.
The Lost Arts website (lost-arts.org) has been
charting the disappearance of grassroots culture
throughout the recession and beyond. Survey their
map of the UK’s arts cuts, which more and more
resembles a bed of decapitated roses, and you
start to get an idea of where we are, and where we
stand to go. It’s not just musicians fighting for life,
it’s writers, sculptors, choreographers and directors.
If all this sounds gloomy, it is. Like it or not, the
election resulted in a clear message: people in
England are signed up for deficit reduction.
In five years’ time, Apple Music may well have
evolved into something wholly new, and wholly
relevant. It could be another shining light in the
company’s museum of quantum machinery, or it
could be an irrelevance. Whatever happens, it will
not have resulted in an improvement in hyperlocal
arts. The next ‘big’ band, the next genius
graphic artist or dancer will not be discovered
because Apple got into streaming. It’s just a
global sideshow that you can carry around in
your pocket.

THURSDAY 27th AugUST 2015
St Georges Hall, LIVERPOOL
“The Revolution will be Live”
a tribute to Gil Scott-Heron
FEATURING LIVE PERFORMANCES BY...
TALIB KWELI
ASWAD
THE CHRISTIANS
Craig Charles
(BBC Radio 6)
MALIK & THE O.G’S
(FT. CLEVELAND WATKISS & SOPHIA BEN-YOUSEF)
Ndaba Mandela
Grandson of Nelson Mandela
(Africa Rising Project - Mandela Project)
and very special guests of honour...
Rumal Rackley
Gil’s Son (Administrator of the Estate
of Gil Scott-Heron)
TICKETS: WWW.TICKETARENA.CO.UK WWW.TICKETQUARTER.CO.UK INFO: 0151 706 8045
Doors open 6.30pm.