Issue 45

FREE
Issue 45
June 2014
Alan Wills by Jennifer Pellegrini (May 2010)
Mugstar
Bird
Jetta
Parquet Courts
Summer Festival
Guide

Bido Lito! June 2014
3
Editorial
Community is a word we use a lot in this magazine, unashamedly so as far
as I’m concerned. Liverpool, and in particular its mish-mash of a musical world,
functions like one large local community, made up of dozens of interlocking
groups that knit everything together. In this familial network, people, ideas and
passion overlap with each other, creating a sense of togetherness that fuels
creativity. Describing it as a scene just doesn’t work: not only does it conjure up
the image of wanting to be hip, but it doesn’t grasp the harmonious essence that
is at the city’s heart. Yes it’s parochial; but where some see this as being insular, I
see it as being warm and welcoming.
This was something that crystallised in my mind during the tumult of Sound City
2014’s thrilling final night. While people were queuing for queues and catching
up with old mates in Wolstenholme Square, round the corner at The Adelphi there
was another party going on. News From Nowhere’s WeBe40 birthday celebrations
were in full swing by the time I arrived, and showed no signs of letting up under
the stewardship of Bolshy. It was a far cry from the pure hedonism of Jagwar Ma
in Duke Street Garage, and yet it felt just as energising to be part of that audience.
Forty years of trade as a radical bookshop is as good a reason as any to celebrate,
but there was a lot more to News From Nowhere’s festivities than mere book
sales: this was about four decades of growth, nurture, cooperation, fight, free
speech, acceptance and fellowship; this was about community.
From my vantage point, both as a contributor to and an observer of Liverpool’s
music community, the greatest strength of our micro-society is the porous nature
of the constituent groups. People don’t just belong to a jazz scene or a punk
scene, they flit between groups and take inspiration and encouragement from
doing so. This healthy community spirit is something that I see on a daily basis, in
MelloMello, The Caledonia, Bold Street Coffee, Maguire’s, Sound Food & Drink or
Leaf; it’s something that is lit up by the flash bulb of an event that is LightNight,
and is what Sound City is built on; it’s something that lives in every gig, exhibition
and house party, and is incubated in every practice room and studio in town. It’s
something to want to be a part of. And if that makes Bido Lito! the Liverpool music
community’s village newsletter, that’s fine by me.
Deltasonic Records was one of the labels that soundtracked my youth, and
was probably one of the first instances where I realised that a record label could
operate at the level where it had its own distinct style. In many ways it opened
my eyes to the power of being an independent voice in an oversaturated market,
and showed what you could achieve by having courage in your convictions.
Though I never met Alan Wills, the impresario behind Deltasonic, I experienced
his influence in many ways – not just in the great music he helped bring to the
world’s attention, but in that fierce sense of pride and confidence that he imbued
in the musicians he worked with, which seeped in to the feelings of all those they
came in to contact with. His passing was greatly mourned by a city that he loved
and helped to shape.
Alan Wills built a record label around a community he loved, and through
his desire and great skill he turned it in to a dynasty – this issue of Bido Lito! is
dedicated to his memory.
Christopher Torpey / @BidoLito
Editor
Features
6
ALAN WILLS
8
BIRD
10 MUGSTAR
12
14
16
18
20
MAGUIRE'S PIZZA BAR
NEWS FROM NOWHERE
JETTA
SUMMER FESTIVAL GUIDE
PARQUET COURTS
Regulars
4 NEWS
22
PREVIEWS/SHORTS
24
REVIEWS
Bido Lito!
Issue Forty Five / June 2014
bidolito.co.uk
4th Floor, Mello Mello, 40-42 Slater St, Liverpool, L1 4BX
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
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Proofreading
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Subeditor
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Intern - Hannah McEvoy
Words
Christopher Torpey, Craig G Pennington, Dave Tate, Joshua Potts,
Ryan McElroy, Jack Graysmark, Richard Lewis, Josh Ray, Sam Turner,
Alastair Dunn, Patrick Clarke, Flossie Easthope, Maurice Stewart, Rob
Syme, Mick Chrysalid, Laurie Cheeseman, Naters P, Alex Holbourn.
Photography, Illustration and Layout
Luke Avery, Jennifer Pellegrini, Adam Edwards, Emma Bassnett,
Becki Currie, Oliver Catherall, Gareth Arrowsmith, Keith Ainsworth,
Robin Clewley, Mike Sheerin, Aaron McManus, Glyn Ackroyd,
Samantha Milligan.
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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.
T
WOODEN SHJIPS ------------- SPECTRUM ------------- SUUNS ------------- HOOKWORMS ------------- DISAPPEARS
THE GROWLERS -------------- FÖLLAKZOID ---------------- PINK MOUNTAINTOPS --------------- TERAKAFT ---------------
NIGHT BEATS ---------------- ELEPHANT STONE ---------------- MUGSTAR + MANY MORE ----------------------------------------------
6 + 7 JUNE 2014
EindhovenPsychLab.com

News
Settling Family Business
Static Gallery are making you an offer you can’t refuse on 26th June as they host a one-off performance with the man who
played Carlo Rizzi in The Godfather. GIANNI RUSSO, a wildly entertaining actor, singer and raconteur, will be performing a set
of Frank Sinatra classics in his own special tribute to old Blue Eyes, as part of the International Festival for Business Cultural
Programme. Probably not what you expected from a man who starred in one of The Gidfather’s most famous moments, the
‘Today I settled all family business’ scene. Whddya gonna do? statictrading.com
Liverpool Craft Beer Expo
After a sell-out debut last year, THE LIVERPOOL CRAFT BEER EXPO returns to Camp and Furnace between 5th and 8th June, bringing
together the most innovative handcrafted beers from around the UK. With over 200 keg and cask ales on offer alongside an
impressive food menu, the unmissable event takes place across five sessions, with each having its own unique musical flavor.
MelloMello, The Caledonia, A Culture Less Ordinary, The Kazimier and ourselves will be providing the music to drink by, with DJ the
Mighty Mojo manning the decks for us on the Thursday evening. liverpoolcraftbeerexpo.com
Liverpool International Music Festival
The LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL returns in August, playing host to some of the biggest names in the music industry.
Over 200 acts representing 20 countries will wow audiences across Liverpool from 15th – 31st August, and we have teamed up with
GetIntoThis again to host the itsLiverpool stage in Sefton Park on Sunday 24th August. BY THE SEA, VEYU, BALTIC FLEET (pictured),
TAYLOR FOWLIS, SOPHIA BEN-YOUSEF, MIND MOUNTAIN, SUB BLUE and SOHO RIOTS will all perform at the free event, which will once
again be compered by the majestic BERNIE CONNOR. For information see our Summer Festival Guide on page 18. limfestival.com
Brothers In Arms
MISTAKEN FOR STRANGERS follows Cincinatti indie heroes THE NATIONAL on their lengthy 2010 world tour. Front man Matt
Berninger invited his aspiring movie director brother Tom along as a roadie to film the tour cinéma-vérité style; but neither brother,
nor indeed the band and crew, could have predicted what a fraught and often unintentionally funny enterprise it would turn out to
be. A portrait of sibling dysfunction and life on the road, it’s one for The National fans and general music documentary appreciators
alike. A live satellite Q&A with Matt and Tom Berninger will be included in the screening at FACT on 14th June. fact.co.uk
LIV-BCN
Making its debut this summer, LIV-BCN is the first independent festival linking Liverpool and Barcelona, and is a celebratory cultural
collaboration between the public and artists of the two cities. The Liverpool leg takes place on 21st June at The Kazimier and Garden in
three slots, including: a workshop focused on the internationalism of music; performances from Barcelona’s JOANA SERRAT (pictured) and
rising local star DOMINIC DUNN; and live illustration by Catalan artist CONRAD ROSET, set to the music of DJ duo THE CHICKEN BROTHERS.
The event will also feature performances from Liverpool’s BROKEN MEN and ETCHES, and BEGUN and DJ COCO from Barcelona. liv-bcn.com
Bido Lito! Dansette
Our pick of this month's fresh wax cuts...
Orval Carlos Sibelius
Super Forma
CLAPPING MUSIC
Swaying from bug-eyed freakouts
to more pastoral passages of jazzy
baroque pop, ORVAL CARLOS SIBELIUS’
Super Forma LP gets its full UK release
after Europe has already fallen under
the spell of the Parisian’s hazy charms.
Couched in the same kind of traditional
60s psychedelia as Jacco Gardner, Super
Forma traverses Byrdsian celestial
spheres with spectral grace.
Echo & The Bunnymen
Meteorites
429 RECORDS/CAROLINE
It’s been five years coming, but THE
BUNNYMEN’s twelfth studio album is worth
the wait. Mac and Will have put their heads
together on ten new songs that charge
along with a candour that’s as invigorating
as any of the sonic fireworks that form
Meteorites’ backdrop. Lovers On The Run
shows this emotionally-charged work at its
deeply heartfelt and bombastic best.
Sleaford Mods
Divide And Exit
HARBINGER SOUND
COMPETITION!
Merseyrail Sound Station Prize 2014
After a hugely successful debut in 2013, the MERSEYRAIL SOUND STATION PRIZE has returned for a second outing and provides
a fantastic opportunity for emerging local talent to get an invaluable leg up in the music industry. The prize offers an artist the
chance to benefit from twelve months of professional music industry mentoring and recording time, with a free year of Merseyrail
train travel thrown in! Details of how to enter - as well as an exclusive live session with Esco Williams - can be found on the latest
installment of the Sound Station Podcast, available at merseyrailsoundstation.com
The tempestuous, hard rocking and magnificently-bearded NICK OLIVERI is one of those restless Californian musicians
who just can’t stop. Having partied hard for almost two decades in a variety of bands he is now on the road again on his
own headline acoustic tour in support of his new album Leave Me Alone (Schnitzel Records).
Since being fired from Queens Of The Stone Age in 2005 Oliveri has turned out for KYUSS, The Dwarves and Mondo
Generator among others, and he pitches up in Liverpool on Thursday 12th June ready to show us his own solo offerings. We
have teamed up with the event’s promoters HD Concerts to offer a pair of tickets to the show to one lucky reader. To be in
with a chance of winning this great prize, simply answer the following question:
What instrument did Nick Oliveri play in Queens Of The Stone Age? a) Bongos
b) Bass c) Bouzouki
To enter, email your answer to competition@bidolito.co.uk
by 9th June. All correct answers will be placed in a big pink hat, the winner drawn at random
and notified by email. Good luck!
SLEAFORD MODS don’t do bland, and
though their tales-from-the-gutter may
aggravate as many people as they enthuse,
you could never accuse them of being
yet another addition to the beige hordes
that clog up Spotify. With a John Cooper
Clarke-like lyrical spit, Jason Williamson’s
invective is directed at Nottingham’s
seedier characters, and lollops along on
the most primitive of basslines.
Sharon Van Etten
Are We There
JAGJAGUWAR
Aaaahhh SHARON VAN ETTEN, where have
you been? Did you not get my voicemails?
Sorry for pestering, I was just a bit smitten
with the lush swathes of 2012’s Tramp.
What’s this, a new record? Ooh, this sounds
great: the same gorgeous caramel textures
and heart-bursting vocal flourishes are
there, just what I wanted to hear. Will you
return my calls now? Sharon?
bidolito.co.uk

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Fri 23rd May • £3.50 adv
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Weds 28th May • £9 adv
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Sat 30th Aug • £7.50 adv
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Thurs 11th Sept • £17 adv
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Wayne Hussey
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Clean Bandit
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Hawklords
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Lies Down On Broadway’
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Haken
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UB40
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Band Of Skulls
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6pm
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Fri 21st Nov • £14 adv
Absolute Bowie
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30th Anniversary of Hatful
Of Hollow - The seminal album played
in its entirety
Fri 28th Nov • £11.50 adv
The Doors Alive
Sat 29th Nov • £10 adv
The Hummingbirds
Mon 1st Dec • £18.50 adv
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Professor Green
Weds 3rd Dec • £15 adv
Graham Bonnet
Catch The Rainbow Tour
Thurs 4th Dec • £12 adv
Electric Six
Sat 6th Dec • £15 adv
Dreadzone
Fri 19th Dec • £22.50 adv
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Fish
A Moveable Feast Tour 2014
Sat 20th Dec • £18 adv
Cast
Sat 14th Mar 2015 • £14 adv
Whole Lotta Led
Sun 20th July • £28.50 adv
Steven Seagal’s
Blues Band
Thurs 28th Aug • £16.50 adv
St. Vincent
Tues 4th Nov • £16.50 adv
The War On Drugs
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6
Bido Lito! June 2014
On Monday 12th May 2014, Liverpool lost
one of its most inspirational champions.
ALAN WILLS, the enthralling impresario
behind Deltasonic Records, a man who
reinvigorated the city’s music scene, helped
to re-establish its trademark self-confident
swagger and took a crop of young bands
on the most cosmic of adventures, tragically
passed away following a cycling accident.
Bido Lito! founder Craig G Pennington
recounts his first experience of Alan, and
shares the memories of two of Alan’s oldest
and closest friends.
Alan Wills
1962-2014
Photography: Jennifer Pellegrini (taken in May 2010, for the first edition of Bido Lito! Magazine)
Little did I know it at the time but Alan
Wills, through Deltasonic, had a huge impact
on me many years before I sat down to
interview him for the first edition of Bido Lito!
in April 2010. My first involvement with the
music industry was working as a University
Campus Promo Rep for Sony – around 2003-
2004 – and within that promoting the new
records and live shows by Deltasonic groups
The Coral, The Zutons, The Dead 60s, Candie
Payne, The Longcut et al as they came through
the University towns of West Yorkshire.
I adored Deltasonic, the music it
championed, its whole aesthetic. I loved
its true sense of independence – despite
operating within a major label structure – its
unique sonic quip and A&R direction. You
could tell it was fashioned by an individual’s
taste. But mostly, as a young Scouser in exile
in Leeds, it made me fiercely proud of my city.
I loved those few short years working as a
kind of self-proclaimed, satellite champion
for Deltasonic.
When I returned to Liverpool back in early
2010 and started working on what would
become the first edition of Bido Lito!, Alan
was the first person I sought out to interview.
Despite the fact that we had not as yet
published a magazine and he didn’t know
me from Adam, Alan happily spent two hours
on a Tuesday afternoon imparting his wisdom
upon me. His enthusiasm was palpable
and infectious, his opinions forthright and
honest. At the end of our interview, Alan
took me for a drive in his car, playing me the
as-yet-unreleased Butterfly House LP by The
Coral on the stereo, drumming along on the
steering wheel, enthusing that this was the
moment The Coral had become a “truly great
band”.
He encouraged me to get on with the
magazine, that Liverpool needed it, and to
be wary of the “retro bullshit”. He dropped
me back off at Mossley Hill station and I left
enormously inspired. I genuinely believe
the interview took Bido Lito! from a set of
scribbled interviews in a notebook to a living
reality. He also didn’t need to be told where
the magazine’s name came from. Most
people do.
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! June 2014
7
This interview appeared in our first edition, which came out in May
2010. The following extracts provide a fitting snapshot...
Bido Lito!: So what is Deltasonic’s role in the whole [music industry]
process now and where do you see Deltasonic in the future?
Alan Wills: We’re in the business of finding new artists and
developing those artists and we’re quite hardcore with it. It’s like
if you’re playing football, you’ve got to be George Best; if you want
to be an average player you won’t go down in history. If you’re not
aiming at making a truly great record, what’s the fucking point?
BL!:
The Coral have recently re-joined the label. How do you see
their career developing from here?
AW: I remain a huge Coral fan, but I just don’t think they’ve made
an album which is as good as they are.
BL!:
Even the first one?
AW: Even the first two. People who saw the band live at that time
will know that the records, though amazing in parts, aren’t as good
as they were. Don’t get me wrong, The Coral’s debut is a classic first
album, but it’s not quite as good as The Stone Roses first album, yet
the band were every bit as good as The Stone Roses live at the time.
The difference between a really good, amazing band and a truly great,
classic band, is delivering that album. Forever Changes, What’s Going
On, Pet Sounds, Sergeant Peppers, y'know, the album for all time. This
new record by The Coral, Butterfly House, is the moment where they’ll
become a truly great band, as opposed to a really, really good band. The
Coral are the best band in the country yet to release their great work.
BL!: Would you say that Deltasonic is a label for Liverpool? Could
it be from anywhere else?
AW: It’s fundamentally an opinion on music but, the reality is
it’s from Liverpool and based on the early work with The Coral and
what we built on that – even though we’re more inspired by Factory
Records than anything else. There’s a lot of boring, retro nonsense
in Liverpool. Everyone goes on about how amazing The Beatles
were, but they were focused on the future, they weren’t sat around
making Revolver going ‘we want to sound like Buddy Holly’. Listen
to Tomorrow Never Knows: they were constantly moving forwards;
people need to focus on that part of The Beatles’ career and stop
regurgitating this retro nonsense, because it’s bollocks.
BL!: What is it you love then about Factory?
AW: Firstly, Joy Division. Secondly, the artwork. Thirdly, it was the
fact that Tony Wilson could take a band like The Happy Mondays and
get across to people that it was art and wax lyrical about why Shaun
Ryder was a poet. It was the fact that Tony Wilson loved Manchester
and everything he did had a root in the area he was from. I love that
Tony Wilson didn’t have contracts with his bands; even though it lost
him £40 million, I completely admire him. If he didn’t do it, I’d have
been stupid enough to do it. He was a visionary. Tony Wilson and
Factory will be around for a long, long time in popular culture.
BL!: So you share a northern affinity with Factory?
AW: It’s why I like northern bands, it’s my culture and I understand
it more. I guarantee you one thing, if Nirvana were from England
they’d be living somewhere north of Birmingham; that is a fact of
life. The Velvet Underground would have been from the north of
England. You know for a fact that The Smashing Pumpkins would be
from London. You can go around the world: Can or Kraftwerk would
definitely have been from Manchester, Liverpool or Glasgow; [they]
certainly wouldn’t have come from Swindon. It’s a northern mindset
that translates to the rest of the world.
Liverpool Sound City’s DAVE PICHILINGI is one of
Alan’s oldest friends, and has a lot of fond memories
of their converging career paths. Here he recalls some
of those enduring thoughts of his mate Willsy: “We
were both signed at the same time, him with Top
and me with 35 Summers. At the time, all the great
independent labels got all the great bands at the
other end of the M62: The Stone Roses, The Inspiral
Carpets, Happy Mondays and so on, and Al always
used to joke that we were just a bunch of shit bands
who got signed because the majors panicked about
what was going on at the other end of the M62!
“Alan touched everyone. He had so much time for
everyone and was a better man than all of us in that
sense. His skills of inspiring self-belief in people were
absolutely phenomenal, as was his own self-belief.
He had this childlike but absolutely determined and
dogmatic vision. His dedication to his artists knew
no bounds. He would invest everything into them,
shaping and nurturing them from rough diamonds
into something that shone. He had a simple but hugely
effective seven-point plan that would begin with how
tidy a band’s rehearsal room was. He considered this
key as it was their place of work and believed a band
could be measured about how serious they were by
how clean and tidy their place of work was. He was
the last of what might be considered great A&R men.
“More than anything I considered Alan my friend.
Like all great friends we didn’t always agree on
everything. He was very clear in his views and would
try to make you see things his way. I remember being
with him in New York one time not long after 9/11 and
he got into a discussion at Ground Zero with some,
shall we say, patriotic Americans. He was trying
hard to make them see an alternative viewpoint to
the one we had been fed through the mass media.
Suffice to say it did not go down too well and I had
to drag him away quickly. When we discussed it later
he could not understand why they could not see his
point of view. But there was never any malicious
intent. There was just this thirst for knowledge and
looking at life in a more obtuse way. He had this
amazing sense of seeing things in a completely
different way to others. Many people have talked
about him as being a mentor. I think that’s a great
way of describing him. He always had time to talk
to anyone. He would want to understand everything
from global macroeconomics to how a pair of
Japanese jeans were cut and stitched together. As a
consequence of this amazing gift it made him late for
absolutely everything! It is reassuring to see these
traits beginning to shine through in his youngest
child, Sonny. Through the guidance of his mum, Ann
and long-term comrade Joe, I am sure he will pick up
the mantle in the next few years.
“On a personal level his uncompromising advice on
love, life and art have helped me and been a source of
inspiration at many milestones of my life. Like many
others, I will miss him so much.”
After successfully developing Twisted Nerve Records
in Manchester, SIMON DUFFY of Tri-Tone helped Alan
with Deltasonic and signed The Coral for publishing.
He remembers their first encounter vividly: “The first
time I met Alan was when he was the drummer in
Top. I was working as a producer at Amazon Studios
and he came storming into the studio – this bundle of
energy. We recorded three demos and within a month
they’d done a massive deal.
“Alan managed to combine this huge sense of
power and urgency with a sense of control. I think
it was to do with him being a drummer, because
he managed his artists like that also, with so much
power and energy.
“I think of it like Alan was always good at
combination locks, about picking out the right lineup
of numbers to unlock the treasure. It was because
he was a musician and he understood how bands
worked. He was always coming out with football
analogies, building ultimate teams and thinking
up his all-time dream band line-ups from Liverpool
musicians. He had a great sense of the collective
power of things and introduced people, brought
them together. Our birthdays were a week apart and
I definitely think there was a Gemini thing going on,
with him being able to act as a cheerleader from the
front but also help organically bring people together
in the background.
“It was never in a calculated, Machiavellian way
at all. He did it with The Zutons so successfully. He
worked so hard with that band: they gigged every day
for a year and nobody was interested in them, but he
believed so strongly in them. I remember him telling
me they needed a girl playing saxophone in the band,
kind of in the art school, Deaf School kind of world we
were from, and next thing there she is!
“I remember the phone call when he called me
about The Coral. I was living in Manchester at the
time and he rang saying I had to come and see this
amazing new band. It was at midday on a Saturday
afternoon matinée at The Cavern, because all the
band were underage. I was like ‘do I really want to
go over to a Cavern matinée?!’ But there was this
thing with Alan: he always had a great ear. One out of
five bands he suggested always went on to be great,
which is a brilliant hit rate. You’re lucky if you get
close to one in ten! We signed them to Deltasonic
and we went on to do the deal with Sony. The rest is
history, I suppose.
“One thing many people don’t know is that Alan
refused to take the Deltasonic offices to London
when we did the deal. He fought to keep the label
in Liverpool and did so successfully, with the office
on Rose Lane. Majors are like any big corporation,
they want to have you in their buildings, but he saw
how important it was to keep your independence.
He kept the controlling stake in the company, the
creative control and kept true to Liverpool. In the past
Liverpool had a bad reputation for people leaving as
soon as they signed a deal, heading straight down to
London. He wanted Liverpool to have its own Factory
Records and, you know what, in a very different way
he did it.”
Alan Wills passed away on 12th May 2014. He was
52 years old.
bidolito.co.uk

8
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Bird
A moon rising above a fragile lake; a sinister figure on a
A moon rising above a fragile lake; a sinister figure on a
black horse; drums in the deep, and a scream from somewhere
simultaneously callous and beautiful: all images evoked by the
suite of songs that forms My Fear And Me. At last, BIRD have
made good on the promise of recent years: their first album is, at
times, breathtaking.
“I’m running out of words to describe forests,” says Bird’s
vocalist, bassist and chief dreamer Adéle Emmas sheepishly, as
we bring up her obsession with the night. She’s sitting in the half-
darkness of Café Tabac, eyes glistening in an oval face that looks
profoundly, bafflingly spiritual, like a Pre-Raphaelite Madonna.
It’s not often you meet someone who immediately strikes you as
the full package, but here she is. Fantasy and idle talk often melt
into pragmatism during our conversation, a result of Bird’s quick
rise to the mainstream radar since
Bido Lito!
last caught up with
them almost 18 months ago. Back then the band was a three-
piece making decent pagan rock with
of greater aspirations. Adéle’s
the centre of Bird’s gravity, has
lost none of its melodrama;
bidolito.co.uk
glimmers
voice, still
Once Christian was recruited, the group jammed – sorry,
practised loudly – in Lex’s mum’s house to the likely disdain of her
neighbours. Christian’s outsider perspective on bits and pieces of
songs Adéle had kept back for a while was invaluable to turning
those demos into the roaring finished products that form My Fear
And Me, Bird’s debut on Baltic Records, an assured collection
that thrums with spectral energy. Listening to it is an intense
experience – it’s at times claustrophobic, taut and slyly inventive,
unafraid to pursue truly cinematic imagery.
I Am The Mountain
and
Sea Of Trees
delve into an endless well of atmosphere and
textures, with the odd time change or sound effect dropped in
here and there to further muddle the mood.
Blue, in particular,
has a striking opening passage: a radio message from someone
lost at sea, overheard on the boat of a family friend Adéle went
sailing with one day. “It was probably really bad of me, but I
thought ‘this would sound amazing on the album’, like an SOS at
the end.” She shrugs. “So I recorded it.” As well she did, because
those sixty seconds are amazingly evocative, teased out over a
piano and advancing footsteps.
Of course, Bird have always had a fondness for escapism. They
what has changed, however,
admit to “creating a world for people
is the ferocious
to dip into”, yet acknowledge they
and, at times,
downright
heavy
musical
are in some way
the worlds of
interpreting
storm
that
now sweeps
at her back.
Forget the gentle
waves of the past,
this feels like a coming
cyclone, one that the rest
of the country is starting
to notice.
“We felt we’d taken
it as far as it could go.
There were lots of songs
that needed another pair
of hands, so we started
advertising for people.”
Adéle, Sian Williams
and Lex Samata were
certain that a bunch of
demos they produced
last year pointed to a
more expansive sound
than previous EPs Shadows
and Ophelia could contain,
as they went through various
potential members who let other
commitments get in the way of
ideas on the edge of fruition.
Enter Christian Sandford, an easy-
Words: Joshua Potts / @joshpjpotts
going 27-year-old impressed
Photography: GLORYBOX / glory-box.co.uk
by the band’s professionalism after a others.
chat in Leaf. “Adéle and Sian were sat in high back chairs, with a I’m talking
here
clipboard,” he recalls before Adéle nixes the clipboard part, putting about the romanticism and symbols of
an end to a mental image of Dragons’ Den-style interrogation.
She is adamant they had to be careful though: “It’s two or three
months of your life gone for people to fuck you off. We were
asking things like, ‘Are you sure you can fit this into whatever else
you’ve got going on?’ Of course, we’d invite people for a jam too.”
She catches herself at “jam”, a term that drummer Lex apparently
can’t stand; he isn’t here today, so I’ll take her word for it.
deathly transcendence My Fear And Me obsesses over, bringing
to mind the novels of the Brontë sisters, Wordsworth, Shelley,
and numerous touchstones of high Gothic literature. Again and
again the album confronts us with a yearning for annihilation,
the feminine apocalypse spread thin under starlight and the ash
of falling trees. That half of the studio sessions were scrapped
and churned to a darker hue comes as no surprise. It’s what
Christian calls the “big and meaty” side of the group, eternally
in conflict with poppier preoccupations, although I try to argue
it already feels like some common ground has been reached.
Are they scared of the urban influence that increasing touring
demands will press upon their rural soul? “It’s possible we’ve
gotten slightly more industrial,” explains Adéle, “but all the stuff
about nature is still there. We’ve definitely changed. When I listen
to the album now, I get a picture of run-down, broken, urbanised
England. It’s very much a personal thing. Can you see where I’m
coming from? Probably not, because I live in my own head half
the time.”
Bird are by no means political; what they manage to conjure
is a scrapbook of desires pulling in different directions. 2014
has been a seminal year in their evolution, seeing them gain
nationwide exposure from playing the BBC 6 Music Festival, and
further opportunities off the back of supporting Rodriquez during
his European tour. Lauren Laverne is now a fan, as is Rodriquez’s
grandson, a “fat kid who loves being fat”, prone to getting
his head stuck in lampshades to the amusement of others.
Conceptually, the band are broadening their horizons too. The
video for The Rain Song merely shows Adéle getting drenched
in an ungodly amount of water, her upper body resplendent
with rivulets of
running makeup. The
idea
was to start with
something
immaculate
and then ruin
it, or as the
accommodating
Miss Emmas
herself
points
out,
expose “the
other shit that’s
always going on
beneath our exteriors.”
Colour projections made
it into the initial take
but, rather like those
distressed
landscapes
Bird are drawn back to
time after time, it ended
up in black and white.
So, what’s with the
album title, what are
they afraid of? “Dead
birds,” is Christian’s
answer, prompting a
discussion on the perils of
a pigeon-racing grandfather.
Adéle is more succinct: “Fears
and anxieties are universal.
Finding who you are and being
OK with that. Bad leading to
good. I don’t want to put us
across as too much of a heavy band . . .”
That
shouldn’t be an anxiety to have
at this stage in their career. For all their mysticisms, Bird are
genuinely confident and focused enough to make a bid for
stardom. There is a light building at the end of the darkness. The
good is winning.
My Fear And Me is out now on Baltic Records.
soundcloud.com/birdofficial

NEW GIGS
ANNOUNCED
–
CATRIN FINCH
& SECKOU KEITA
Wednesday 8 October | St George’s Hall Concert Room
‘Something quite different, a really intriguing collaboration... it works
so beautifully together – a beautiful album.’ Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2
PACO PEÑA
Requiem for the Earth featuring Sense of Sound Singers
Thursday 9 October | The Metropolitan Cathedral
Flamenco music, drama and dance in a magnificent spiritual setting.
BELLOWHEAD
Monday 10 November | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
‘Dazzling reinvention of tradition.’ The Guardian
DAVE GORMAN
Gets straight to the Point* (*the Powerpoint)
Thursday 11 November | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
The wonderfully innovative comedy mind with a unique blend of stand-up
and visual story-telling. Yes. It’s a PowerPoint presentation.
JOHN GRANT
with the Royal Northern Sinfonia
Saturday 22 November | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
‘Grant’s rich voice dovetails beautifully with the silvery synths.’ NME
ROSS NOBLE
Tangentleman
Thursday 11 December | Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
The king of improvisational comedy makes his Liverpool Philharmonic debut.
Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Box Office 0151 709 3789
liverpoolphil.com
Booking fees Online/Phone Orders £1.50 per ticket administrative fee
applies + 75p per order postage fee (if required).
In Person No fees for payment by cash or debit card. Credit card orders incur
a 2% transaction fee. Cheque orders are subject to a 70p per order charge.

10
Bido Lito! June 2014
bidolito.co.uk
Words: Dave Tate
Photography: Adam Edwards / @adamedwardsfoto
Projections: Sam Wiehl / samwiehl.co.uk

Bido Lito! June 2014
11
In an industry where artists’ entire careers can begin, flourish and die
out in the space of a single album cycle, longevity is a rare and often
undervalued asset. Artists for whom success is accrued, as opposed to
being struck upon, can often struggle to gain the recognition they so
often deserve. While not many would care to
admit it, we're all too often fascinated by the
overnight success stories, forgoing exhibitions
of hard work and determination. MUGSTAR are
a band whose career has charted a trajectory
of measured growth: each album has seen
them develop their unique style of instrumental
space rock, and each show and tour sees their
audiences grow exponentially. They consistently
move from strength to strength, even while
shifting the goalposts. Stylistically the band
draw influence from the most diverse of sources
but every combination is a celestial, out-of-body
experience.
As a band for whom success is a slow build, it can be difficult to
understand just where Mugstar are on their career path. Recently,
however, there have been a number of landmark moments that go some
way to help place them. There are few bands who could support Mogwai
on tour and release a live album alongside musical icon Damo Suzuki,
for example. Even fewer who could do it in the same year, yet that’s what
the quartet have managed over the past six months. Perhaps because of
their experience, however, Mugstar take it all in their stride. "We tend to
go through periods where we're not doing anything, from our perspective,
but people look at us and go 'You're really busy!' and we think, 'I suppose
we are'," says guitarist Neil Murphy.
These collaborations, it should also be noted, seem like particularly
fitting yardsticks of success for a band who have drawn so much influence
from both Mogwai and Damo Suzuki. Stacked up, these are moments
that look a lot more like milestones in an illustrious career than potential
breakouts. Mogwai, in particular, are a group for whom success has also
been rooted in hard work, self-belief and a loyal
fanbase. While it may have taken them longer
than some, this kind of success is rarely fleeting
and has given each band a platform on which they
can continue to experiment with their sound. "It
was pretty spectacular," says bassist Jason Stoll
of playing alongside Mogwai on their recent Rave
Tapes tour. "We've played with them before but
this tour was different. They were playing bigger
venues and it's really interesting to see, for an
instrumental rock band, how big they actually are
and how many different people they can appeal
to." This appeal is something with which Mugstar
are intimately familiar, particularly in alternative
rock circles. Despite the recent vogue for psychedelic music, Mugstar
remain one of the few active bands with a real passion for mind-altering
music. This passion has seen them amass legions of die-hard fans. Across
Europe in particular they are renowned for their fearless, transcendental
psychedelia. “We recently played a gig in Hebden Bridge and after playing
I found there was someone in the crowd who'd flown in from Germany
to see us. If people are making that effort to see a gig I'd feel really bad if
we did a substandard show.” This commitment to performance is evident,
as anyone who is lucky enough to have witnessed their electrifying
performances will attest.
Alongside their blistering live performances the band are intent
on pushing themselves with each studio release. With Cardinal Fuzz
Records re-issuing their excellent album Sun, Broken earlier in the year,
now is a perfect time to acquaint yourselves with their stellar back
catalogue. Their refusal to be pigeonholed, and therefore limited, by the
constraints of any one style or genre has afforded them a broad sound
palette from which to draw. Their mutability ensures each release is as
exhilarating, powerful and challenging as the last. "I like the idea of not
having a predetermined sound that we're working towards," says Neil.
"It's good to be able to work in that way. I think we always enjoy that
element of risk taking. In the studio, someone will come in with a very
basic idea but it's free to go anyway it wants. I'm not sure we'd cope
well with a record label or manager making suggestions about creative
matters. When we're working on new music we just go with what
seems right to us, and ideas of how others will react don't much come
into it. Because we've always released independently, and because our
commercial appeal is limited, we've always had the freedom to let the
music go in the direction we choose.”
Adding to this already impressive back catalogue is the imminent release
of a live album alongside living legend and krautrock pioneer Damo Suzuki.
Recorded at a show in The Kazimier, the album stands as testament to
the strength of Mugstar as performing musicians. Veering through kraut,
prog, psych and jazz, each of the tracks showcases a number of different
strings to Mugstar's Technicolor bow. The show,
birthed in typical Damo Suzuki style, was entirely
improvised. The performance was a chance for the
audience to bear witness to this meeting of minds
first hand. "He actually said to us, 'don't rehearse'.
We met with him on the night, we soundchecked,
and we played. I can't remember the exact
phrase he used but it was something about the
cosmic forces coming together." Listening to the
album – Start From Zero, released on Important
Records this month – it's difficult to argue with the
results. The album stands as testament not only
to the virtuosity of Mugstar as a live act, but how
important improvisation is to the band. This spirit
of adventure and exploration permeates everything the band do.
Mugstar have also shown themselves to be exploratory not only in
content but in context. Alongside their more traditional collaborations they
have explored new forms, as the recent partnership with contemporary
dance choreographer Frank Michelletti proves. Specially commissioned for
the wonderfully titled Kubilai Kahn Investigations, the piece involved the
band playing on stage surrounded by dancers responding to the music
as they played. The project was not only hugely successful as a show
but proved to be an eye-opening experience for the band. "It was really
interesting to see how the dancers responded to some of the intricacies
in our music; the bits that I wonder if anyone picks up on. There were a
few moments where I would, for example, change the bassline a little and
their movements would be altered. It was great to see someone respond
in that way." Spurred on by the success of the performance, the band are
perhaps understandably keen for this not to be the last time they work
in such a way. "We'd definitely be interested in
doing it again. It gave [us] so much energy. To
have people on the stage responding to what
you're doing, it was amazing. Everyone involved
felt their performance just went up a level."
Whether it is dancers, collaborations or live
soundtracking a film about the Red Army/
Popular Front For The Liberation Of Palestine,
Mugstar are a band constantly pushing
the boundaries of their art form. "It's not a
conscious decision to keep going down these
different avenues of working, but I think that,
when we did our own film for Summercamp
last year, it opened up all these opportunities,"
explains Neil. It would be a brave person who bets on where they go
next. What's certain, however, is that it will be as exciting, vital and
interesting as ever.
Start From Zero is out on Important Records on 21st June.
mugstar.com
bidolito.co.uk

12
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Words: Ryan McElroy
Illustration: Becki Currie / cargocollective.com/beckycurrie
What do punk rock, pizza and old-school wrestling have in
common? The obvious answer would probably be “not much at
all”, but the truth is that this is actually the winning formula behind
Liverpool's latest, and arguably greatest, DIY venue.
Nestled among famous independent stores in the heart of
Renshaw Street – the city's alternative shopping strip (to use
TripAdvisor's words) – MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR sprang up seemingly
overnight to become one of the city's boldest champions of
underground bands. Hosting a multitude of events, from doom
metal gigs to stand-up comedy and spoken word shows, as well
as Sunday afternoon wrestling re-runs and Antipop Records' nowfamous
Punk Rock Pizza nights, Maguire's has garnered a welldeserved
reputation for their by-the-people-for-the-people approach
to gigging.
Inside, it's a bit of a hodgepodge of styles, with the bar area
featuring a New York pizzeria-style chequered floor clashed with
green walls that are decorated with a range of vinyl records and
kitsch oddities like a Mexican luchador mask and a framed picture
of David Hasselhoff. Moving through the small door and adjourning
corridor at the far right of the venue take you into the back room,
where things change drastically.
A dark and dank little space furnished only with a couple of
chairs, a folding table, some mouldy old carpet and one or two
frayed extension sockets, the Maguire’s back room doesn't look
like much. But in the full throes of a gig it's transformed into an
electrifying sweatbox where band and audience are pitted against
each other in a thrilling standoff that's both a guerrilla gigger's wet
dream and a health and safety officer's worst nightmare.
So where did the idea for Maguire's come from? Surely a venue
that took off so quickly couldn't have been born on a whim, right?
"Well, it pretty much was," says Helen Maguire, owner and founder,
who explains that it came into being pretty innocently after she'd
run a dance studio in the space upstairs for a number of years. "A
couple of years ago all the squatters and bums got kicked out of
the downstairs part, so I remember sitting in the car and ringing my
fella like 'It'd be nice to have a café style thing down there' and he
said 'Yeah, yeah', so I thought ‘Why not?’"
"I also knew that the back room was massive and I'd intended it
to be a dance studio originally, so I was going to use the front as
a sort of reception, but next door's son's band got double-booked
and came to me and said 'Well, you've got a back room, haven't
you?' and I thought 'Oh shit' 'cos it was just full of old couches, a
pool table and a couple of fridges. It was a total off-the-cuff thing, it
just kind of happened. It brought people in 'cos the first few months
here were really quiet, and then all of a sudden about thirty or forty
people turned up for that first gig and we were on the bar just like
'Oh my God, there are people everywhere!', but it's been boss."
Boss indeed. So boss, in fact, that Maguire's was namedropped
in the Guardian's Liverpool City Guide, in a Top 10 Liverpool Venues
online article in late March. "It's not very punk rock, I guess," Helen
says. "But there are a few places on there that we thought 'Bloody
hell, are we on the same level as them?!' My mum and dad were
very proud and were telling everyone that I was in the Guardian –
it's good for bragging points!"
Let's not forget, of course, that the music is only part of the
Maguire's success story. Their menu boasts an impressive variety
of pizzas and on-the-go bites, including the wonderfully named
falafel and feta cheese-topped Things Can Only Get Feta. "That's the
secret to it," says Helen. "Cheap ale, pizza and letting people use
the back room for whatever they want. The food's good and what
we've found is that people who come here for gigs will pop in later
on to eat. I'm a veggie so I just started making loads of different
veggie pizzas and that's brought a whole new crowd in, especially
the vegan lot, and they're the ones that come more than anybody,
I think. It's somewhere they can bring their friends and they won't
moan; it's not limited by anything."
So what came first, the pizza or the punk? No doubt it's probably
the latter. The demand for a no-frills space with as few bells,
whistles and management hassles as possible has always been
there, bubbling away just below the surface and itching to break
out. All that it's taken seemingly is the right person with the right
attitude, and a gnarly location that can be easily transformed into a
punk rock romper room.
Maguire's represents everything that's so important to the city's
grassroots scene: the room to play, the attitude and openness to
allow anybody to pitch up and make a racket for very little cost, and
the ‘we're all in it together’ camaraderie that fuels a self-sufficient
DIY ecosystem. In Helen's own words: "There's that many people
putting on gigs all the time, a lot of places are expensive to hire
out so people mightn't want to go, and a lot of places have also
stopped putting on punk gigs and that sort of thing for various
reasons. There are so many bands going that need somewhere
to play and people that want to come and watch them, so it just
seems to work."
There are indeed so many bands coming and going, but if the
sky was the limit, who would Helen choose to have on her dream
line-up at the bar? "We'd try and get Andrew W.K. to come and play
a DJ set for definite. We keep inviting him round for tea on Twitter,
so that would be amazing. He's playing East Village in July, so we've
invited him and fingers crossed he'll maybe come round here for an
after-party. Also possibly Less Than Jake or NOFX, somebody punky
but big." And what about Macaulay Culkin's pizza-themed Velvet
Underground tribute band The Pizza Underground, who recently
played a similar pizza joint in London? "We've joked about this on
Facebook, so that would be cool!"
A girl can definitely dream, but while she's waiting for the Party
Hard star's RSVP, where does Helen see Maguire's going in the
future? "The plan I think is to do a bit more to the back room and
get a permanent PA and lights, but a lot of people haven't been sure
'cos they don't want it to lose the DIY-ness. We're also just trying to
get people in to eat during the week; but really just more of the
same. We'd joked about doing another Maguire's on Smithdown
Road, but I don't think I could be arsed with that; I'm not looking
to branch out or start an empire or anything. Well, maybe a miniempire,
so long as it's all within walking distance! It works as it is,
so it'd be good to just keep going."
facebook.com/MaguiresPizzaBar
bidolito.co.uk

14
Bido Lito!
June 2014
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! June 2014
15
The Real Amazons:
Forty Years of
News From Nowhere
Words: Richard Lewis
Illustration: Oliver Catherall / olivercatherall.co.uk
Having successfully weathered “fascists, landlords,
recessions and Thatcherism”, NEWS FROM NOWHERE
COMMUNITY AND RADICAL BOOKSHOP is currently celebrating
its 40th birthday. Founded on May Day 1974, the much-loved
retailer has been resident at its current address at 96 Bold
Street since 1989, and has been a welcoming hub of Liverpool’s
radical community ever since.
A series of events under the banner WeBe40 has been
running since May Day 2014 to acknowledge this landmark
anniversary, casting a light on the varied activities and
campaigns in which News From Nowhere has been involved
since its inception, proving that it’s more than just a bookshop.
Kicking off with the celebratory all-day shindig at the Adelphi,
the WeBe40 festivities continued throughout May with a
month-long exhibition at The Bluecoat, which will also play
host to a Radical Book Fair at the beginning of June. If you’re
new to the News From Nowhere story then the exhibition at
The Hub is a good place to start your journey.
Taking its name from designer/free thinker William Morris’
1890 utopian socialism novel, the News From Nowhere
moniker reflected the principles of the shop’s founders, ones
that are still very much in place to this day.
“The bookshop was started in 1974 by Bob Dent, who
had been a student at the LSE, along with a woman from a
Liverpool Chinese family called Maggie Wellings,” explains
longest-serving member of staff Mandy Vere during a quiet
afternoon in the shop. “They decided to come back to Liverpool
and set up a radical bookshop – at the time there were ones
starting all over the country – so they found tiny little premises
near the Birkenhead Tunnel.”
“At the time you couldn’t have got the kind of left-wing
literature that they were stocking anywhere; the mainstream
shops wouldn’t have stocked it,” Mandy recalls. “In 1977 we
moved to Whitechapel. We were able to expand a bit and one
or two other women joined [the co-operative] and we started
stocking lots of feminist stuff, as we were all involved in the
women’s movement.” The new premises, despite being larger
and more visible, brought some new problems, however.
“We were very cutting edge and seen as very subversive for
years, and during that period – the early eighties – we had a
lot of fascist attacks,” Mandy recalls of a fairly turbulent time,
where Liverpool seemed to be at a stage where the country’s
social upheavals played out on a magnified scale. “It was after
the Toxteth Uprisings, the Falklands War, the Miner’s Strike;
there was trouble on the streets all the time and a lot of
hostility towards any activists, and we were being targeted by
really nasty right-wing fascist groups. They were targeting a lot
of radical bookshops around the country, but we bore the brunt
of it. In a sense it showed how powerful books and information
are, that to the fascists it was something they had to suppress.
We had literally ten to twelve arson attacks at night.”
After bravely enduring this for several years, the decision was
understandably made to relocate. “It was one of the reasons
we needed to move from there: A) trade was going down
and we couldn’t survive financially; and B) all those attacks
throughout the eighties. When we eventually got to move in
1989 to Bold Street, we knew as soon as we got there it was
our spiritual home. It was the bohemian, cultural, creative end
of town and we were absolutely delighted.”
Possibly due to the good karma the organisation had built
up over the previous decade, fate decreed that NfN should
have one of the finest shopfronts in the city centre. “Number
96 used to be a health food shop; they were closing down and
the guy who owned it decided to sell up completely, so we
were faced with trying to raise the money to buy the building,”
Mandy says. “At the time it seemed astronomical, but now
it’s peanuts. For £75,000 we bought this whole five-storey
building. We had to raise that and another hundred grand to do
the place up. Loads of organisations and individuals donated
and gave us interest-free loans. That was phenomenal; that
showed us how much people saw it as their
bookshop: it
wasn’t our bookshop, it didn’t belong to us; it was the people’s
bookshop, and that totally proved it.”
Landladies to a small group of like-minded organisations,
NfN’s adjoining building Liver House also houses venerable
grassroots culture magazine Nerve, Liverpool Pride, Next
To Nowhere social/activist centre and the city centre branch
of Liverpool Methodists. It’s also something of a cultural
landmark on one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares, and a
place where I had the pleasure of interviewing Alexei Sayle in
2011, crammed in to the stockroom after a book signing for his
memoir Stalin Ate My Homework.
Run as a worker’s co-operative where everyone has equal
wages and an equal say, these principles are echoed among
the shop’s shelves. “We lean towards anything progressive,
radical, socialist, feminist, anti-racist, internationalist, anything
that is pro-humanity. We wouldn’t bother making shelf space
for things that are negative and don’t contribute towards
progressive thought,” Mandy says of the shop’s stocking
decisions. “Every bookshop in the world makes choices
everyday about what to stock and a lot of them will make
choices on purely commercial grounds, whereas we make
choices on ethical and political grounds.”
While political and activist-themed writing occupies a
significant portion of the shop, NfN stocks an extensive range
of lesser-known fiction, histories and children’s novels, while
also featuring a music section, tying in with the shop’s Africa
Oyé record stall.
“I think it’s more important than ever that people can come
into an independent bookshop and find things they never
knew existed,” Mandy states. “You can’t do that online. They’ll
tell you, ‘Well you liked that, so you’ll like this’. What is that
based on? It isn’t anything real. Whereas someone will come
in here ask for a book they’ve maybe heard of then discover
something else.”
Highlighting the bookshop’s community aspect Mandy
explains that “We always try to support local talent, authors,
poets and musicians. We see News From Nowhere very much as
a resource in terms of the books we stock and the information
we provide about campaigns and community events and
groups. Where cultural and political issues intersect, News
From Nowhere can be really effective.”
Forty years seems like a good point to take stock of a rich
and vital past, but the News From Nowhere story is far from
reaching its denouement. The upcoming Radical Bookfair
at The Bluecoat will continue their boundary-pushing trend,
featuring book stalls, poetry readings and discussion panels,
including comic actor turned author/activist Robert Llewellyn
(known to millions as Kryten from Red Dwarf), appearing
alongside debut novelist Desiree Reynolds as part of Fiction
As Dissent. “The bookshop’s not just owned financially but
culturally and politically by the people of Liverpool. We feel
like we’re just the custodians who keep it going,” Mandy says.
They say life begins at forty. Let’s all raise a glass to the real
Amazons.
Radical Bookfair takes place on Sunday 1st June at The
Bluecoat.
newsfromnowhere.org.uk
bidolito.co.uk

16
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Jetta:
When
Worlds
Collide
Words: Jack Graysmark / @ZeppelinG1993
Growing up in Liverpool, Jetta John-Hartley had a favourite
wherever I am emotionally that day, and at the time [of writing
spot to sit with friends at the top of Hope Street: surrounded
Start A Riot] I was reflecting on that sense of adventure of starting
by the Anglican Cathedral, the Liverpool Institute of Performing
a journey into music.”
Arts and an array of inspiring, inimitable culture, she would gaze
Jetta’s introduction to music is as remarkable as they come;
across the city and marvel at the possibilities that lay before her.
her mother runs the acclaimed Sense Of Sound Choir and has
“I would watch the sun set over the docks, and think about how
also performed in an a cappella quartet, while her father works
I’ve watched it [the city] develop,” she recalls. “The view over the
as a sound engineer. This unique background shaped how Jetta
Mersey was so inspiring; it gave me that sense of determination
approached the medium: her mother introduced her to artists like
I’ve had since I was a child.”
Joni Mitchell who narrate stories through their intricate rhythms
Now twenty-four, JETTA’s forceful, poppy RnB is imbued with a
and melodies, while her father’s love of T.Rex and The Police
fierce sense of empowerment, which is what ultimately makes
turned her towards the big band sound. Put them together and
her such a striking artist. Whether uplifting or sombre, a sense
the substance is almost overflowing.
of purpose lends a focus to her music, none more so than in the
Her father’s profession also encouraged a deep fascination in
rousing call-to-arms of Start A Riot. “When I was a teenager, I
the technical side of music, namely the feeling of control through
gravitated towards artists who were a voice for their generation,
the level of precision that music production affords. “I love being
like The Streets or Destiny’s Child,” she enthuses. “I write from
able to discover things for myself,” Jetta declares. “I was given a
laptop with Logic for my sixteenth birthday and I spent the whole
summer hidden away writing songs! All my friends were asking
what I was doing, but I had no care for the sunshine; I just wanted
to get stuck into it.”
Jetta’s summer ended with organising her debut performance
in the city centre; stepping out of the isolation, the next move was
all too obvious. “When I saw the positive reactions from everyone,
this bubble burst. I realised the one thing that made me feel
complete was being on stage.” You might anticipate a sense of
pressure considering that her parents were both so engrossed in
the profession, but Jetta assures us that this was never the case.
“It always felt right; I saw it as something positive because people
could relate to it. I was given free range to do what I wanted; it
just happened music was what I wanted to do!”
Having attracted the attention of Paloma Faith’s manager,
she moved to London at eighteen to solidify her reputation as a
backing singer. With her dominant vocal range and strong sense
of direction, it was only a matter of time before the fire started
to burn; now signed to Polydor, it has escalated to the point that
Feels Like Coming Home, an unashamedly strong ballad that falls
as quickly as it elevates you upwards, was chosen for Google’s
Zeitgeist review of 2013. But even this was eclipsed by a call from
her American label last year: Pharrell Williams wanted her to jam
with him in Miami. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“It’s the biggest compliment you can get when someone says they
want to work with you, especially when it’s Pharrell!” she laughs,
the sense of disbelief still evident in her voice. “It was interesting
talking about our different journeys in music.” Pharrell’s influence
in producing her new single Crescendo is evident in its irresistible
swing, but it’s also unmistakeably Jetta. The myriad of vocals give
a nod to the all-encompassing harmonies of the a cappella style,
while the full band sound ensures that no expense is spared; you
can hear the pound in the drums, feel the twang in the bass. Most
importantly, you can hear the honesty in Jetta’s voice.
Crescendo is Jetta’s love letter to her origins, highly intelligent
in its appreciation of Liverpool. The opening lines “They built the
city outside the walls / You and I, we stood and watched it grow,”
nod to how the city is capable of developing itself as an organic
force. It’s this energy that keeps Jetta coming back to her roots.
“Wherever you are in Liverpool, music surrounds you,” she reasons.
“We filmed the music video in the Hope Street area because that
setting was always in my mind when I was writing this track. I felt
it was important to keep that element of truth to it.”
Keeping her message so clear-cut couldn’t be simpler for Jetta:
just tell it like it is. Perhaps this is why audiences instantly identify
with her music. She recalls how a tear-stricken woman came up
to thank her after her performance of Take It Easy at the South By
Southwest festival in Texas earlier this year. “That’s a winner for
me, because although these songs are coming from my place,
the whole point of music is to connect with others. South By
Southwest really is one of a kind because the whole city shuts
down; you can’t imagine it on a normal day!”
Though the Crescendo EP is the main focus, Jetta’s continuous
stream of creativity means a debut LP is always on the mind. “I
don’t believe in stopping writing when you hit that number of
songs for the album. I write songs because I love to. It’s balancing
two states that are at opposite ends of the scale: isolating myself,
getting inside my own brain to figure out what’s going on, and
then emerging to share it with others.” Jetta’s determination sees
her straying from the footpath in a commercial pop field to find
the ripest pickings. First you hesitate at her boldness, then you
follow on.
Crescendo is released on Polydor Records on 24th June.
jettaofficial.com
bidolito.co.uk

18
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Words: Josh Ray / @Josh5446Ray
Illustration: Gareth Arrowsmith / garetharrowsmith.com
Having
just
about
recovered from the
winter barrage, we’re
finally ready to don our sunglasses
and bum bags
and start throwing up tents across the country. As the lakes slowly
turn back into fields the UK is readying itself for one of the biggest
summers of festivals to date, with a few tasty additions stepping
up to compete with the established favourites. Bido Lito!’s Josh
Ray has traversed this year’s mammoth festival calendar, giving
you a pick of the best events on offer on our doorstep, so that you
don’t end up at a drizzly scooter fest in Runcorn like last year.
Festival Number 6
5th - 7th September / Portmerion, Gwynedd
Bido Lito! Highlight:
AWESOME TAPES FROM AFRICA
Aside from its outrageously beautiful setting
in the Mediterranean-styled village
of
Portmeirion, there are countless
reasons to go to this year’s
FESTIVAL NUMBER 6.
Entering its third year,
the
boutique
festival
will
once
again
offer a bespoke
banquet of cultural
delights,
spread
across the village and
into the woods. As well as
headline performances from
BECK and the formidable soulstress
MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS,
the infamous cassette digger Brian
Shimkovitz will be bringing his
AWESOME TAPES FROM
AFRICA to the banks
of the Dwyryd
estuary,
while ALL WE ARE will be flying the
flag for Liverpool. On top of this, the festival boasts a
plethora of industry and literature talks alongside a
side-splitting roster of stand-up comedy whilst housing
you in some of the most luxurious festival accommodation
on offer. festivalnumber6.com
Africa Oyé
21st - 22nd June / Sefton Park, Liverpool
Bido Lito! Highlight: MISTY IN ROOTS
Having recently received the Inspiration Award at the 2014
GIT Award for its service to the community, AFRICA OYÉ returns
to Sefton Park for its twenty-second year this June, armed
with over eighty stalls of arts, crafts and food from
across the African continent and diaspora.
As well as JUPITER AND OKWESS
INTERNATIONAL and WARA, from the
Congo and Cuba respectively, two
big-name British acts will be gracing
the Sefton Park stage: alongside the
trip hop fusion of FINLEY QUAYE, the
legendary Southall reggae outfit MISTY
IN ROOTS will be taking the helm. This
all adds up to one of Oyé’s most eclectic
feasts of world music delicacies to date,
and it’s free admission once again.
africaoye.com
Beacons
7th - 10th August / Heslaker Farm, Skipton
Bido Lito! Highlight: DANIEL AVERY
Bringing a genre-bending line-up to the heart
of the Yorkshire Dales, BEACONS has quickly become one
of the UK’s festival highlights. Marrying hotly-tipped
buzz bands with local grassroots heroes, the quirky,
carefully-curated bill is up there with the best. Where
else would you see Leeds trip hop heavyweight
NIGHTMARES ON WAX feature on the same bill
as THE PAINS OF BEING
PURE AT
HEART?
This isn’t your
typical
muddrenched
swill either,
as Beacons like to keep
things very civilised with tearooms scattered
across the site. Though I’m sure there will be some muddy
moments brought on by the tumult around DANIEL AVERY and
Mark E. Smith of THE FALL. greetingsfrombeacons.com
Astral Coast
19th July / Floral Pavilion, New Brighton
Bido Lito! Highlight: GHOSTCHANT feat. LÅPSLEY
Perched on the end of the Leisure Peninsula, New Brighton is
a seaside town that time nearly forgot. Thankfully it didn’t, and
the newly-regenerated resort now has its own music festival
that reflects the region’s fresh musical verve. Now in its third
year, ASTRAL COAST has assembled its strongest line-up to date,
under the guidance of the Open Door Centre. Domino artists
BILL RYDER-JONES and WE ARE CATCHERS head up a strong local
contingent, and the collaboration between GHOSTCHANT and
LÅPSLEY represents something of a coup. Not to be outdone,
TEMPLE SONGS, THE LUCID DREAM and DAZES give the line-up
some national clout too. astralcoast.co.uk
Gottwood
19th - 22nd June / Anglesey, Wales
Bido Lito! Highlight: CRAZY P SOUNDSYSTEM
Bringing together some of the UK’s finest underground
promoters and collectives in the middle of the woods, it is no
wonder GOTTWOOD has grown to become one of the most soughtafter
electronic festivals on the British calendar. To celebrate its
fifth year, the festival has drafted in the slinky deep disco of CRAZY
P SOUNDSYSTEM as well as the ethereal bass music of MARIBOU
STATE, alongside the usual elaborate art, visuals and designs. The
Panorama Bar’s PROSUMER will also be there spinning some
cutting-edge house grooves, whilst the WAXXX DJs will head over
from Liverpool to give Gottwood a taste of what their old Haus
parties used to be like. gottwood.co.uk
X&Y Festival
11th July / Liverpool Guild Of Students
Bido Lito! Highlight: HALF MOON RUN
If you can’t quite manage a long weekend outdoors
convening with nature then you might want to squeeze your
festival fix in to a single day, and that’s precisely what X&Y offers.
This summer sees them take root in the newly refurbished Guild
Of Students, spreading the live action across the Mountford
Hall and Stanley Theatre stages as well as a courtyard stage of
local artists. Organisers I Love Live Events know what makes a
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! June 2014
19
Liverpool
audience tick, and
have curated the bill
accordingly:
Canadians
HALF MOON RUN proved
popular with the natives when they packed out The
Shipping Forecast last year, while CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN
can boast a sizeable regional following which they’ve built up
over the past eighteen months. facebook.com/XYFestival
Liverpool International
Music Festival
15th – 31st August / Liverpool (multiple venues)
Bido Lito! Highlight: THE LIGHTNING SEEDS AND ROYAL
LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA
2014 is set to be a year of progression for LIVERPOOL
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, as the festival looks to build on
last year’s successful debut by flexing its muscles in all manner
of creative areas. Spread across seventeen days and numerous
venues, the emphasis is on bringing world class performers in
to complement the homegrown talent on the biggest of stages.
Sefton Park hosts the bulk of live action in the LIMF Summer
Jams, centred around the August bank holiday weekend (22nd-
25th August), featuring IAN BROUDIE AND THE LIGHTNING SEEDS
performing live with the ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC
ORCHESTRA. Producer Steve Levine will also host a collaborative
performance at St. George’s Hall that will include TIM BURGESS
and BOY GEORGE among others. limfestival.com
Kendal Calling
1st - 3rd August / Lowther Deer Park, Lake District
Bido Lito! Highlight: SUEDE
With a big name main stage, supported by a number of other
stages, tents and even a house party, there are many different
ways to experience KENDAL CALLING. As well as the music there
are countless market stalls scattered across the festival site
alongside the late-night cinema and the Garden Of Eden, for
those who have partied too hard. With a diverse, albeit quite
populist bill, the family-friendly festival appeals to a wide range
of people: the likes of SUEDE and THE CRAIG CHARLES FUNK
AND SOUL SHOW may attract an older audience, but names like
WOMAN’S HOUR and Liverpool favourite LÅPSLEY should draw in
the younger crowds. kendalcalling.co.uk
Fell Foot Sound
18th - 20th July / Fell Foot Wood, Lake District
well
Bido Lito! Highlight: THAT FUCKING TANK
If you fancy going to the Lakes but you’re not too keen on
Kendal, then FELL FOOT SOUND might be your bag, with a lineup
catering
for a more alternative taste. Back-dropped by
the picturesque Fell Foot woodland glade, which
overlooks Lake Windermere, the eco-friendly
festival’s carefully curated bill this year features a
legend of the Leeds scene (THAT FUCKING TANK) as
as one of its most exciting new bands (GALAXIANS),
not forgetting Scouse-Swiss songstress NADINE CARINA. Splash
out a little more and you can stay in one of the festival’s renowned
yurts, complete with wood-burning stoves. fellfootsound.net
Fire In The Mountain
30th May – 1st June / Isaf, Cnwch Coch, Aberystwyth
Bido Lito! Highlight: MAMADOU AND THE SUPER LIBIDOR BAND
The rustic, almost pagan FIRE IN THE MOUNTAIN has one of the
most devoted followings on the festival circuit mainly because of
its renowned community spirit; the majority of the proceeds are
fed back into the village and farm that hosts the enchanted event.
Festival favourites SHEELANAGIG will be feeding the good spirits,
as will the NUDIE SUITS and LOOSE MOOSE STRING BAND. A familyfriendly
jam tent will be set up for anyone who wants to join in the
music, and a range of local ales and ciders will be on tap to slowly
nudge people towards doing so. Liverpool favourite MAMADOU
AND THE SUPER LIBIDOR BAND will provide some diversity to the
festivities, which culminate in the burning of a giant wooden
figure on the final night. fireinthemountain.co.uk
Best Of The
Rest…
If you prefer your festivals with
a side of sun then Croatia is probably
your best bet this year with a trio of
events taking place on the Dalmatian
coast. And if you like your music with
a hefty low-end then OUTLOOK
(3rd – 7th September) just about
trumps DIMENSIONS and
SOUNDWAVE, with the likes of
DIGITAL MYSTIKZ and Massive
Attack’s DADDY G on the bill. There
are plenty more reasons to stay
in the UK though too: Sheffield’s
TRAMLINES (25th – 27th July) offers
a great line-up at a bargain
price, this year featuring
HORSE MEAT DISCO, whilst the
boutique GREEN MAN (14th – 17th August) will
be bringing the gorgeous strains of WE ARE
CATCHERS and THE WAR ON DRUGS to
the picturesque Brecon Beacons.
Purporting to be “the last
authentic festival”, BEAT-HERDER takes
residence in the Ribble
with JAGWAR MA and
Valley once more
THE 2 BEARS set
to roam round their bespoke site that
features a Chinese fortress,
telephone boxes.
Stay Local…
working men’s club and red
If you’re not one to fly too far from the nest then Liverpool has
plenty to keep you occupied this summer too. New addition LIV-
BCN brings some Catalan flavour to The Kazimier and Garden on
21st June, in an intercontinental exchange that features Barcelona’s
DJ COCO and our own ETCHES among others. LIVERPOOL CALLING
(26th July) splits its action across The Kazimier, Korova and
The Zanzibar amongst others, headlined by
D/R/U/G/S and
THE RIFLES. Meanwhile there’s
the annual
KRUNK FIESTA to look forward
to, as
well as ABOVE THE BEATEN
TRACK and SUMMERCAMP as
part of LIMF. To bookend the
summer
we also
have
the
mighty
LIVERPOOL
INTERNATIONAL
FESTIVAL
OF
PSYCHEDELIA
to
gorge on over 26th
and 27th September,
headed
up
by
Swedish
voodooists
GOAT
and
Canadian
celestialists
SUUNS.
So, all in all, there's a pretty
sizzling summer festival season
is in store. Silly hat? CHECK!
Oversized flag? CHECK! Trolley for
your warm crate? CHECK! And
away we go...
bidolito.co.uk

20
Bido Lito! June 2014
PARQUET CAUGHTS
COURTS
Words: Ryan McElroy
In late August 1973, the BBC debuted a children's TV series titled
Why Don't You? Broadcast from locations around the country,
including Liverpool on numerous occasions, the programme
revolved around a group of kids responding to letters from
viewers who wrote into the show suggesting games, activities
and things for the children to make, with the show's tagline
being “Don't just sit there watching TV, go out and do something
less boring instead”.
For many kids growing up in the early 70s, Why Don't You?
was their first introduction to the nascent DIY culture that was
beginning to well up around them in the dark corners of London
and which would begin to become associated with the first wave
of British punk.
Although it had its roots in punk, DIY culture spread and
intensified during the 1990s, spurred on by the dawn of the
rave movement, the anti-criminal justice demonstrations and
the general anti-capitalist movement. In recent years it's come
full-circle, no doubt rising to prominence and importance again
thanks in no small part to the austerities of the past few years,
where the thrifty, anti-materialist and alternative living bent of
the DIY ethic has reached a wide range of new musicians, artists
and free thinkers.
Enter PARQUET COURTS, one of the most hotly-touted punk
acts to come out of Brooklyn in recent years. Their breakout
LP Light Up Gold was released in 2012 to resounding critical
acclaim and received a five-star rating from the Guardian, while
NME named it as “one of the best debut albums you'll hear
this year”. Mixing bare-boned, razor-edged song structures with
acerbic wit and snappy lyrical tirades, Parquet Courts showed
themselves to be brilliantly grubby, aggressively poetic, and
100% New York.
In addition to writing and recording all their own music, the
band have a hand in everything else that they do, right down to
the creation of their music videos, which unfortunately doesn't
leave much time for respite. It's 11am in New York on a Monday
morning and the band’s guitarist Austin Brown has just woken
up. Instead of having a well-deserved lie-in, however, he's already
busy juggling an interview and coming up with the concept for
the band's latest video for new single Black And White. "I'm just
trying to get my life together, I guess. I'm working on a music
video today, which we haven't even started shooting yet so
who knows, it could all change in an instant. It's kinda in the
fledgling stages but it has to be done pretty quickly so we're all
brainstorming ideas."
It seems like a lot of work for one band, but Parquet Courts
apparently take it all in their stride. After all, according to Austin
they've been doing everything themselves right from the getgo,
including booking their very first US tour all on their own,
with mixed results. "Yeah, we booked pretty much the whole US
tour and we kinda just knew people in every city," he says. "We
know all the bands who are doing the same things as we are
and exist in the same scene that we're in, so they're all up for
playing shows just like we were and everyone was so helpful
with getting us shows."
Sounds alright so far, but what about the negatives? "A lot of
the shows were good but we also played some pretty awful ones.
There was this one show we played in a basement in Kansas City
that was just so bad: it was kinda like a house party and I don't
know if anybody there knew there was a show happening, so we
all played in their freezing basement at sub-zero temperature.
Somehow it was colder in the basement than it was outside and
there was no heat in the house at all. We played for like three
drunk dudes who had no idea what was going on."
Somewhere along the line somebody must have started paying
attention. It can take some bands ages to get off the ground, but
in the space of only four years since the band's inception they've
had three full-length releases, with the follow-up to Light Up
Gold – Sunbathing Animal – due out in early June.
"I would say it's like a progression, or an evolution of our sound
and our songwriting," Austin says, noting that the attention is
once again focused on their lyrics, with the droney instrumental
snarl serving as a vessel for singer Andrew Savage's sharptongued
yelp. "It [the new album] is much more deliberately
forward lyrically, where the music does revolve around what's
being said and the story [being] told. It's all in there, it's all in the
words and the message is definitely there for people to hear and
there's nothing ubiquitous about it. It still has that raw energy
and I think we've just gotten better at communicating that style,
so it's a departure in some ways: it's less making a statement
than it is an evolution."
Exactly how, then, does a band even come to evolve in the first
place in a circuit like New York's, where there's a fresh, hip band
crawling out of the primordial muck every minute? According to
Austin, the key to surviving in such a saturated environment is
to be relentlessly consistent and to just try and get along with
everyone. "There's always somebody to play with and there's a
big community of bands here, so I don't really look at it as a
competitive thing. That said, if I was looking at it as a competition
then yeah I'd think it would be pretty difficult, but really I think
it's good. We always had a show to play starting out, which
is pretty helpful, and even if we played first on the line-up for
several shows, like we did in our first few years as a band, we
made it our thing to never turn down a gig no matter what it was.
We'd then become known as the band who would open every
show and that's how we got noticed."
To the regular Joe in the street, the outwards view of punk
music is still that of flailing limbs in circle pits, spit, chains and
mohawks. Yeah, they're punk, but rather than the caricatures
perpetuated by the media of ill-mannered and leather-clad
crotchfruit who just won't stay off your damned lawn, Parquet
Courts represent something vastly different; their howling
punk assertions are paired with good-willed, socially-conscious
bonhomie, and a can-do approach to everything.
"I guess that kinda speaks to the greater DIY ethic, that everything
we do starts with us. We have agents who book our tours now, but
we do everything ourselves until we get too much to do," Austin
says. Is perhaps the real secret to DIY culture not so much do-itall-yourself,
but more let's-all-do-it-together? Austin concludes: "I
guess everyone pays for it in some way. You let the bands crash at
your place 'cos eventually you'll be on tour and will need a place
to stay, and if a band you like is asking you how to get a show, the
least you can do is point them in the right direction." Who was it
said about getting by with a little help from their friends…?
Parquet Courts play East Village Arts Club on 22nd June. Their
new album Sunbathing Animal is out on Rough Trade on 2nd June.
parquetcourts.wordpress.com
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! June 2014
21
STUDENT
DISCOUNTS
AVAILABLE
BEACONS FESTIVAL
7TH - 10TH AUGUST 2014 - FUNKIRK ESTATE, SKIPTON
DAUGHTER / DARKSIDE / ACTION BRONSON / THE FALL / DIXON
JON HOPKINS / PLUS SPECIAL GUESTS BRITISH SEA POWER
PERFORMING FROM THE SEA TO THE LAND BEYOND
65DAYSOFSTATIC / ANDREW WEATHERALL & SEAN JOHNSTON / CATE LE BON / CHARLI XCX / DAM-FUNK / DANIEL AVERY / DAPHNI
EAGULLS / EROL ALKAN / HOOKWORMS / INDIANA / JACKMASTER / JOAN AS POLICEWOMAN / JOY ORBISON / NIGHTMARES ON WAX
REJJIE SNOW / SUBMOTION ORCHESTRA / THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART / TOY / XXYYXX
AARTEKT / ADULT JAZZ / AUTOBAHN / BEATY HEART / BIGGER THAN BARRY / BODYTONIC / BROTHERHOOD SOUND / BUGGED OUT
CAPUA COLLECTIVE / CHARLIE STRAW / DZ DEATHRAYS / EAST INDIA YOUTH / EAVES / FAMY / FAT WHITE FAMILY / FICKLE FRIENDS / FLUX
GALAXIANS / GIN N JUICE / GIRL BAND / GOLD TEETH / GOLDEN TEACHER / GOODBYE CHANEL / GREG WILSON / JAMES BAY / JARBIRD / JAWS
JOANNA GRUESOME / JOHN WIZARDS / KING CREOSOTE / KULT COUNTRY / MANO LE TOUGH / MAX GRAEF / MELT YOURSELF DOWN / METZ
MENACE BEACH / MONEY / MOKO / MOSCHINO HOE / NADINE CARINA / NAI HARVEST / NIGHT FANTASY NAKED (ON DRUGS) / OSCILLATE WILDLY
PARIS XY / PAUL THOMAS SAUNDERS PAWWS / PLANK! / POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS / SEPTEMBER GIRLS / SERIOUS SAM BARRETT / SET ONE TWENTY
SHAPES / SIVU / SLAVES / SLEAFORD MODS / SPEEDY ORTIZ / SPECIAL REQUEST (PAUL WOOLFORD) / SWEET BABOO / SWAYS RECORDS
TEMPLE SONGS / THE GARDEN / THE HORN THE HUNT THE WITCH HUNT / THE WYTCHES / TRAAMS / VAULTS / VESSELS / VOLTE-FACE
WILL TRAMP / WINTER NORTH ATLANTIC / WOMANS HOUR / YUMI ZOUMA + MORE
ARTS & CULTURE / DIDDY RASCALS KIDS AREA / STREET FOOD & REAL ALE FESTIVAL / NEW HUNTERS FIELD WITH OUTDOOR STAGE / INSTALLATION ART
CURRENT TIER £99.50 / FINAL TIER £109.50 / £25 DEPOSIT TICKETS AVAILABLE: PAY REST IN JULY / £99.50 (+BF) EARLYBIRD TICKETS AVAILABLE:
WWW.GREETINGSFROMBEACONS.COM
1 HESKETH ST
AIGBURTH, LIVERPOOL
L17 8XJ
020 7232 0008
bidolito.co.uk

22
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Edited by Richard Lewis
Previews/Shorts
NIGHT BEATS
Based in Seattle, Washington,
NIGHT BEATS have twisted the
distinctive and oft-imitated golden
sound of 60s Texas psych into
their own hallucinogenic creation.
Switching between spiky garage rock and longform jams, the trio of cosmonauts are joined on
co-headlining duties by revered Californian DJ AL LOVER, noted for his Distorted Reverberations
remixes of Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees and Night Beats themselves.
The Shipping Forecast / 4th June
NICK OLIVERI
A mainstay of the US
underground since the early 1990s
through his time with The Dwaves,
KYUSS, Mondo Generator and most
notably Queens Of The Stone Age,
NICK OLIVERI is venturing out on the road in support of his forthcoming solo album Leave
Me Alone. Performing an acoustic show here, his set features a slew of the sludgy stoner rock
grooves he became best known for as QOTSA’s bassman.
East Village Arts Club / 12th June
Coming with the title The
Play Zone, this meeting of minds
SUN ARAW
between West Coast psych/dub
doyen SUN ARAW and ambient
pioneer LARAAJI is a collaboration
that’s highly recommended to all fans of skewed psychedelia. The alias of Cameron Stallones,
Sun Araw’s recent Belomancie LP draws from the murkier ends of dub and krautrock, while
Laraaji’s zither skills have been put to use in his work with the master of ambient Brian Eno.
The Kazimier / 7th June
Positive Vibration Vol.2
If you’re planning on attending a twelve-hour marathon of music, you’re going to want a healthy mix of
reggae, ska and dub to keep you dancing long in to the night. Promoters Rebel Soul and Audio Voyeur don’t
need telling twice, which is why they’re bringing back their POSITIVE VIBRATION night for a second volume.
A celebration of Jamaican music, food and culture, this time around the event has been expanded to make
use of The Kazimier’s club and garden spaces in what we can only describe as a veritable aural feast.
The shindig commences at 2pm and winds down when the last person stops dancing. The bill
is comprised of some tried-and-tested Merseyside favourites – JEREMIAH FERRARI, BOLSHY, WE THE
UNDERSIGNED – complemented by a smattering of artists from further afield, including EXTRA LOVE, DUB
SMUGGLERS (pictured), GOLTY FARABEAU & THE JAHMADOU BAND and KAYANITES.
The Garden’s outdoor Rat Alley space will also be kept bouncing by a prime selection of selectors: SCHMAME
INDUSTRIES SOUND SYSTEM FEAT. ORIGINAL PRINCIPAL B AND LEO CRUSHER are set to lead the way in keeping
the party going well past the stroke of midnight, with a host of other DJs across the day. Add to this cornucopia
of delights some bespoke set design, art direction and a general theatrical flavour from MR WOLF COLLECTIVE,
and you can see how easily the positive vibrations turn Positive Vibration into a full-on event.
The Kazimier and Garden / 14th June
DJ SPINNA
Boasting a CV that reads as a
virtual who’s who of premier soul
and hip hop talent over the past
twenty years (having worked with De
La Soul, Eminem, Stevie Wonder, Mos
Def and Mary J Blige), DJ SPINNA can claim to be in the top tier of the world’s turntablists. Due
to the New Yorker’s resolutely underground approach, this represents a rare chance to witness
the prodigious talent up close.
The Shipping Forecast / 13th June
CHERRY GHOST
The resurfacing of Bolton’s
CHERRY GHOST comes with the
added bonus of a new LP. Herd
Runners was released to warm
notices earlier this month, showing
that the five-piece – led by songwriter Simon Aldred – have carved themselves a niche as
purveyors of lush melancholia in the vein of Richard Hawley and Doves. Their last visit to the
city was a packed-to-the-rafters affair, so expect something similar this time round.
East Village Arts Club / 20th June
Having made the jump from
Thrill Jockey to 4AD, Baltimore’s
FUTURE ISLANDS
FUTURE ISLANDS finally look like
making good on the breakthrough
promise they’ve shown over a number
of albums and EPs, thanks largely to the crossover success of new record Singles. Synthpop
with soul, or indie rock with bravado, whichever way you look at it their yearning, chestbeating
tunes beg for repeat listening.
The Kazimier / 5th June
Thea Gilmore
If you’d been lauded as “one of the few world class female singer-songwriters Britain has ever produced”
in national press circles you’d imagine that a certain amount of commercial success and acclaim would be
at your door. For THEA GILMORE, any kind of exposure – no matter how modest – is reward enough. Fiercely
independent, the Oxfordshire-born artist has shunned the advice of label bigwigs and A&R gurus to forge
her own path, which makes her steady increase in popularity just that bit sweeter.
Gilmore’s new LP Regardless is her fourteenth album release in fifteen years, and she has improved at
each turn since those precocious early days (debut album Burning Dorothy was released when she was
18). But throughout her career Gilmore has been constantly lavished with praise for her glassy vocals and
biting lyricism, which are married to a very honest approach in songwriting. While the major label and
high-profile dance remix offers have come in, Gilmore has kept her own counsel when choosing who to
work with, and her various collaborations with Martha Wainwright, Eliza Carthy and Mike Scott have all
proved pretty productive thus far.
Having lent her melodic flair to an album of unfinished Sandy Denny tracks, one of which was used
extensively for the London 2012 Olympic coverage on the BBC, Gilmore is ready to expand her repertoire
and show her ever-increasing audience that doing things her own way has been worth the effort.
Epstein Theatre / 8th June
bidolito.co.uk

24
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Reviews
Courtney Barnett (Mike Sheerin / michaelsheerin.photoshelter.com)
Unless you were hidden beneath a rather
large, soundproof boulder, you’ll no doubt be
aware that LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY rumbled
and rambled into town at the start of May. With
its trademark mix of embryonic new sounds,
international icons and local upstarts, hopes
were high that the festival would, once again,
provide Liverpool music’s annual glissando. Bido
Lito! was on hand to soak up the action...
Our first stop of Sound City 2014 is a venue
which has provided one of the biggest talking
points of the weekend: the Black-E, unfamiliar to
many, plays host to Screenadelica’s exhibition of
the finest screen-printed posters around, along
with some pretty exciting bands. The remaining
members of THE AMAZING SNAKEHEADS appear
on stage after a textbook 10-minute solo display
of sheer charisma by frontman Dale Barclay, and
so begins a sublimely hellish, cacophonous
carnival of screams, struts and prowls that finds
the sweet spot between insanity and knowhow,
before punching it in the face. Where Is
My Knife? is a highlight that sees Barclay skulk
amongst the crowd as he lets loose a disjointed,
Birthday Party-esque guitar solo. With many an
old punk bemoaning the lack of true attitude
in modern rock, The Snakeheads are a whiskysoaked
breath of not-so-fresh air.
Over at The Zanzibar it is clear from the start
that COURTNEY BARNETT’s casual, rambling
style is a whole different beast in a live setting.
Avant Gardener is a blistering fuzz that pulsates
throughout, as such a far cry from the wistful
melody it is on record. Barnett embodies each
rhythm, jerking her guitar with a frenzied passion
that never threatens to override her focus
to deliver each track. Before closing the set,
Barnett grins at the audience’s enthusiasm for
more, promising “ten songs crammed into five
minutes.” Instead, we are treated to an intense
History Eraser. A set of five songs is too short,
but it seems nothing can dissuade Barnett; she
is far too content doing her own thing. Herein
lies the charm.
A night with GRUFF RHYS is a reminder of how
much fun it must be to live in his world. Ambling
onstage with a wolf's head for a hat and
audience participation placards under his arm,
the opening chords of Honey All Over persuade
the elbow-to-elbow crowd in East Village Arts
Club to release what breath they have left with
a bellowing cheer. The bulk of the show hangs
on American Interior – the album, film, app and
book based on 18th Century compatriot John
Evans’ search for a lost tribe of Welsh-speaking
Native Americans. Complete with slideshow,
Rhys is the best presenter Blue Peter never
had, and as the story goes into intermission,
“it's time for some trumpet” courtesy of cousin
Bob. Hotel Shampoo favourite Take A Sentence
crackles with understated emotion before we're
led on a hearty singalong through Sensations In
The Dark. Wholesome.
Being neither overweight nor related, FAT
WHITE FAMILY will have to settle for one out of
three. To be honest, they don’t much seem like
a group concerned with achieving top grades
and it doesn’t seem to matter to this sizeable
audience either. It could be the liveliest set of
the evening at Screenadelica and, by the middle,
lead singer Lias Saoudi, sans shirt, has the crowd
tearing at each other. There’s no doubting the
Family’s English-via-American-via-English garage
stylings confuse as well as amaze, but more
than anything they’re fun. And that’s enough
this evening.
Resplendent in feathers and headdress,
NOZINJA is accompanied by a pair of dancers,
one masked and wearing a bright orange
jump suit. On another day, this might be the
costume department for a particularly warped
horror film. Tonight, however, it’s all about fun.
In spite of the 1.30am slot the Kazimier crowd
seems particularly enthused, but it’s easy to
grasp why: anyone familiar with Nozinja or his
former Shangaan Electro group can tell you that
it’s a spectacle without comparison. Indeed,
Shangaan is a genre that defies comparisons
or perhaps even explanation. Sounding like
someone has pushed the tempo slider on a
Casio keyboard all the way to the top, it’s music
built for dancing. But not just any old dancing
– it’s high-paced and frenetic. You’d need the
strongest of hearts, the quickest of feet and
the deepest reserves of energy to keep up.
Fortunately, tonight the crowd are well prepared,
and the first day is danced away.
Matthew Siskin AKA GAMBLES pirouettes
around Leaf’s wooden floor and succeeds where
many have failed: to silence the chattering
crowd. There’s nothing new here – humble
chords, classic Dylanesque leather jacket and
bushy hairstyle combo – but there’s an honesty
illuminated by Siskin’s charisma that turns a
potentially pretentious performance (down from
the stage in the middle of the crowd, completely
unplugged), into a special one. Everyone present
gets a personal performance as he weaves
in and out of the encircled crowd, locking eye
contact with anyone who is engaged. His poetic
musings are accompanied by sparse guitar and
the simple set-up adds to the raw emotion of an
engrossing performance.
ORVAL CARLOS SIBELIUS starts up his mini
orchestra in the bowels of Korova, leading into a
stellar set that encompasses tracks that in some
ways typify the Frenchedelia genre, but in others
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26
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Reviews
Albert Hammond Jr. (Adam Edwards / @adamedwardsfoto)
completely defy it. For starters, the presence of
a trombone amongst the electronica requires
a double-take. However, and quelle surprise,
the mélange of all instruments gives an effect
that is wholly grandiose and totally entrancing.
A cascade of starry hits descends on the
appreciative crowd, who respond with reciprocal
hazy gazes. This is a band that could perfectly
soundtrack a 60s B-movie, and a hot British
summer in one fell swoop. It’s genial, chouette,
and all those French adjectives you learnt in
school and never thought you’d use, until now.
Red smoke and strobe lights set the scene
as Duke Street Garage is transformed into the
seventh circle of Hell for the arrival of ROYAL
BLOOD. Power duos are the latest band fad, with
Drenge and these brash Brightonians forging
the path. Where the standard is drums/guitar,
Royal Blood are unique in featuring just drums
and bass. And what a bass: with cataclysmic riffs
that don't sound as much made by a musical
instrument as wrought from red-hot iron. This is
easily the most packed The Garage has been so
far, with the crowd tight up against the barriers,
whilst those queuing outside try and catch a
glimpse of the band as they hammer and pound
their way through adrenaline-charged tracks Little
Monster and Come On Over. A flock of piss-filled
bottles herald finisher Out Of The Black
before
it's all over, the swathes of stunned fans the only
evidence of Royal Blood's demonic apparition.
ALBERT HAMMOND JR.’s resplendence in a
silk jacket similar to Ryan Gosling’s in a movie
where he hammers a man to death does not
distract from the ample handfuls of ferocious
guitar that seep from the small sonic altar at
the Anglican Cathedral. There are inklings of
The Strokes, sure, but AHJ is starting out anew
and he makes this clear from the first note. The
licks of majestic guitar wash over the crowd,
but enthusiasm soon spreads evenly before
his congregation, as it seems like now more
than ever he is taking things back on his own
terms. The set highlight comes with a virtuoso
performance of Last Caress by Misfits, despite
some of the audience hoping for a communion
with the ghosts of his past.
Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power stand
opposite one another on Nation’s stage with
scarcely a desk and a pair of synths between
them, yet they summon a commotion worthy of
a group ten times FUCK BUTTONS’ size. Amongst
a packed crowd there’s barely a foot that isn’t
moving, but the vibe is entirely spaced-out with
the duo providing the perfect ambience. It’s the
material from 2009’s breakthrough Tarot Sport
that proves the most polished, with Surf Solar
an undeniable highlight; fans of the band can
take for granted that it’s tempestuous on record,
but in a live setting it’s taken to another level,
utilising space, silence and, of course, pure
noise. This band border on the transcendent.
Taehun of HELLIVISION, the second band to
feature in the Kazimier Garden’s Korean Party,
throws out a heavily distorted bluesy hook on
his guitar before a grungy murmur oozes out
of Gunwoong’s bass. Hiding behind a fringe,
drummer Jiwan assaults his ride cymbal,
Fuck Buttons (Kieth Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
bidolito.co.uk

28
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Reviews
Jungle (Charlotte Patmore / @charlottepatmore)
propelling the jam into a chaotic blur. The sinawiflecked
math rock of their second track slows the
pace but the feisty jam band are soon tearing
up the stage again as Gunwoong unleashes
a fierce, rolling bassline. The band continue
this build/break dynamic to devastating effect,
always upping the intensity. Leaping to the front
for one last assault, Taehun looks like a man
possessed as his eyes roll into the back of his
head whilst he furiously strums the guitar. There
ain’t no party like a Korean party. Apparently.
With eight members, three of whom are
drummers, JAZZHANDS are decidedly rhythmic.
The melodic element is supplied almost solely
by tenor sax, their fusion of jazz and hardcore
punk about as unique a thing as you are likely
to witness over this weekend. In terms of
performance, the same rule applies. While six
members remain on stage, going absolutely
fucking mental, two other members are
positioned in the crowd. If Bez was into crack
cocaine and metal rather than E and maracas,
this is the role he would probably be fulfilling. As
the bassist removes his pants, we’re reminded
why the final day of live action at Screenadelica
is always a Sound City highlight.
THE DISTRICTS deal in a kind of brooding
Americana set to the quiet-loud structure
of Pixies’ best work, with frontman Robby
Grote’s irresistible lead guitar line all the more
impressive for the jellied limb performance he
puts on. Throwing himself about East Village
Arts Club’s stage he projects his pained Caleb
Followill-esque howl while wringing countrified
poppy hooks from future favourites Lyla and Long
Distance. The latter finishes with an anthemic
refrain that’s sure to reverberate around festival
arenas in the not-too-distant future. Sound City
memories are galvanised by sets such as The
Districts’ tonight: no riotous moshing or booty
shakin’ but a legion of devotees gained.
With its size alone, the Anglican Cathedral
is enough to overwhelm, therefore it takes a
band of stature to match these surroundings.
Fortunately, ALL WE ARE happen to be one of
the tightest live bands around: laser-sharp
guitar work from Luís Santos bounces around
the cavernous space and the rock solid rhythm
section spirals ever deeper into the hypnotic
groove that is AWA’s trademark sound. Tracks
like Utmost Good and Feel Safe are laced
with enough hooks to satisfy the most ardent
Abba fan and the natural reverb of the venue
adds an otherworldly ambience that suits the
band perfectly. Vocal harmonies and incidental
flourishes take centre stage and prove just why
the band has drawn such superlative praise. If
there is another venue as impressive, All We Are
deserve to be playing it.
You can find JAGWAR MA’s production maestro
Jono Ma chilling in the Duke Street Garage
smoking area before the set. Just flown in from
Brazil, he’s as casual as they get – exactly the
attitude you’d expect from this Madchester-viadown-under
outfit. Yet, for a band that seem as
laid back as the trippy beats that Ma delivers,
there’s also a sense of precision with each track.
From the throbbing bass of What Love to the
mass sing-along during Come Save Me’s main
hook, Jagwar Ma’s psychedelic haze swells in
force within the vast space of the Garage. When
you lean back to take it all in, it’s breathtaking,
but the set rarely slows up to allow this. Finishing
on The Throw, Gabriel Winterfield’s murky vocals
float in a sea of reverb as the track reaches a
glorious, spaced-out finish.
With the queue spewing down to the
bottom of Seel Street, you feel lucky to be part
of the crowd crammed into the Factory. With
limited press, the buzz surrounding JUNGLE is
phenomenal; there’s a palpable excitement
just to see this band in the flesh. Suddenly
darkness descends and we are immersed in
samples of birds twittering and rumbling vocals:
“our friends from the jungle have finally found
a cure.” And what a cure it is: from the Coke
bottles used as percussion to the lush vocals
of the female backing singers, each element
combines to create a dynamic performance that
bursts with attitude in the live setting. Scorching
dance funk number Busy Earnin’ could be Prince
reincarnated. We’ve found our way out of Sound
City only to be lost in Jungle – yet no one will be
rushing to find a way out.
Jack Graysmark / Patrick Clarke / Flossie
Easthope / Maurice Stewart / Ryan
McElroy / Sam Turner / Alastair Dunn /
Josh Ray / Josh Potts / Dave Tate
EVIAN CHRIST
MssingNo – Ghostchant
Abandon Silence @ The Shipping Forecast
Though his name has graced these pink
pages many times since his arrival on the
scene, Joe Cornwell AKA GHOSTCHANT deserves
another mention. Behind the decks at Haus, his
DJ sets demonstrate a keen ear for atmospheric
and melodic house/garage, and tonight this
affinity for lush, melodic textures is ever more
noticeable. In a brief 30-minute slot, he plays
with tempo and dynamics masterfully; his
refusal to keep things chugging along at the
same pace is what catches the ear most and
it’s easy to understand why he’s talked about
as one of the most exciting young producers
in the city.
Prior to the event, it seemed as if tonight
would be one of Abandon Silence’s more
subdued shows of the season. Despite wearing
his grime influences proudly, MSSINGNO’s
material relies on dense melodic textures that
are often intensely melancholic. When other Tri
Angle Records artists such as Holy Other have
visited the city, the crowd has been rooted in
hoods-up, eyes-down mode and I was expecting
more of the same tonight, despite the bombastic
nature of his recent Waterfall EP. MssingNo’s
set focuses largely on his own vocal tracks but
also features a hefty dose of American trap/hip
hop beats. The booming bass kicks that anchor
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these tracks loosen people up effectively, but
it is not until the end of his set that things get
really intense, and the moment many attendees
tonight have been waiting for finally arrives.
Appearing as ecstatic and hysterical (and
perhaps intoxicated) as any member of the
crowd, EVIAN CHRIST emerges to the twinkling
chimes of FACT magazine’s track of the year
2013 – MssingNo’s own XE2 – and a wave of
appreciation through the cramped basement. Mr
Christ reported that on the Dublin leg of this tour,
a grown man broke down in tears as this track
was played. Though such a display isn’t visible
tonight, the reaction is still pretty emotional. I’ve
just been dragged into a crouching position by
a fellow audience member keen to start a ‘Sit-
Down/Stand-Up’ in appreciation of this track,
a form of crowd interaction normally seen at
house/techno events, and though XE2’s drop
doesn’t arrive for at least three minutes, the
sheer volume of the crowd singing back the R.
Kelly sample that makes up the refrain of the
song is powerful and, of the beaming grins that
surround me, the largest is on the face of the
producer himself.
Though it’s tough to follow such scenes, Evian
Christ (aka Ellesmere Port’s Joshua Leary) does
so with some skill. Fuck It None Of Y’all Don’t
Rap sounds particularly heavy and the track’s
stuttering rhythm has increased impact amongst
his more conventionally structured tracks and the
trap beats of Young Thug. Increasingly animated
as the night goes on, Leary revels in leading
the crowd in singalongs to Kanye’s I’m In It
(produced by Leary) and the Hudson Mohawke/
Lunice produced Blood On The Leaves, perhaps
the two best tracks off West’s magnum opus.
Finishing with Kelis’ Millionaire is a curveball
embraced by the crowd, who in turn welcome
Leary among them as he dives off the stage to
crowd-surf (in the Hold!?), spending the final halfhour
dancing as the Abandon Silence residents
bring things to a close.
Rob Syme
KING KHAN & THE SHRINES
Broken Men - Strange Collective
I Love Live Events @ Korova
There’s something about Korova’s shabbiness
and colour scheme that gives an expectation
of 15-year-olds in leather jackets, NME under
arm, but luckily tonight STRANGE COLLECTIVE
are opening proceedings. The Liverpool fourpiece,
drawing influence from the current Westcoast,
garage psych movement in the US, are
a different prospect. Despite some issues with
the sound levels, and a snapped string early on,
they remain unperturbed, determined to deliver
a performance. The songs themselves consist
of simplistic chord progressions and wailing,
effect-laden guitar parts that often start softly,
with an air of restraint, before exploding into an
all-out, riotous assault. Given that they are still
very much in their developmental stage, Strange
Collective are an outfit on which to firmly keep
your eye.
With the amplifiers still humming from
the previous act, local favourites BROKEN
MEN emerge clad in characteristically sharp
suits. Their exhibition of rousing, stadium rock
numbers seems a little ironic given the cramped
setting, but their use of brass and lively stage
demeanour makes it an enjoyable performance
nonetheless.
With the venue now packed full and a rather
giddy atmosphere prevailing, King Khan floats
through the crowd encouraged by cultish
chanting and takes to the stage. Adorned in a
spectacular headdress, he has the appearance
of some Eastern Guru come to enlighten the
drunken throng, and indeed it seems there are
many disciples present.
With the whole group now assembled, KING
KHAN AND THE SHRINES launch into a joyous,
cabaret-esque display of their distinctive blend of
soul, blues, 60s psychedelia and punk rock. The
energy in the room is intense, with barely a still
body remaining as the action unfolds in front of
us. The performance is not confined to the stage
as any perceived boundary between the audience
and the band is swept aside from the first
moments. On several occasions, the keyboard is
passed overhead and King Khan himself spends
as much time on the dance floor as anywhere
else. In between songs, there is much liberal
chest beating from a rather breathless Khan, and
at times his monologues concerning issues of
transgender and such err too much on the side
of mocking. In my experience, Roy Chubby Brown
fans tend not to go to gigs in sweaty basements
to witness bands led by an Indian-American in
fancy dress. But this does little to deter Khan,
and the performance is faultless.
Having been operating since the 1980s and
now in his 40s, the energy and enthusiasm
displayed by Khan is fairly astounding. Looking
around the room as the night draws to a close,
it is apparent that he is the least exhausted out
of anyone. In fact, he looks like he is ready to go
again, which is re-assuring because more people
need to experience the soulful whirlwind that is
King Khan And The Shrines.
Your Bag?
Your Bag?
Alastair Dunn
Catch The Correspondents @
EVAC on 6th June
EX-EASTER ISLAND HEAD
Richard Dawson
The Kazimier
RICHARD DAWSON’s mixture of surreal humour,
mischief and passion for his folk-like craft is a joy
to behold. In the days where people dig up the
past looking for outsider art and artists that may

32
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Reviews
be deemed as odd, surely it can’t be too much
longer before this man gets further scrutiny and
not just appreciation from the leftfield.
The main event this Easter Sunday, however,
is, appropriately, EX-EASTER ISLAND HEAD
performing 2012 commission Large Electric
Ensemble. The Kazimier is no stranger to seeing
musicians numbering more than a dozen
gracing its stage but few collectives have had
more focus and determination to get it right
than tonight’s home-coming heroes. Ben Duvall
and Jon Hering may have put their mallets away
but they continue their minimalist approach,
shaking it up with layers of guitars that bring a
different level of complexity.
Broken up into four sections, eyes are on Duvall
for the subtle instructions that orchestrate the
ebb and flow of proceedings. Seeing this piece
come to life as a spectacle adds an urgency that
the record obviously can’t garner. Two sections
of guitarists, one on the stage and one above,
adds a quirk to the set-up but with that many
bodies there is always a chance of a slip up.
Thankfully, within the opening section the
method is rigid: the drummer’s concentration on
the count central to all changes.
The second movement is a curio, an odd one
out sitting awkwardly within the piece as a
whole, but this isn’t to say it doesn’t have merit
on its own. It makes for truly aerial stuff, with
the toothsome textures resulting in EEIH’s most
washed-out ambient piece to date, where rhythm
takes a back seat to dreamy enchantment.
The third and fourth parts to the piece are
highlights: more immediate with rhythm and
drums back at the centre, and the ensemble really
start to enjoy themselves. The seriousness of
getting it right earlier merges with a playfulness
that never seems to enter improvisation territory,
like some drone/microtonal live music. Happily,
that isn’t their style. They pick up the pace and
get the attentive crowd going, building up to
a climax. After a well-deserved hurrah and big
hand, Ben gives a short, awkward but charming
address to his home crowd. After receiving
praise for the recorded piece by respected music
press, in the flesh it is developed further and the
audience are able to experience the piece as if it
were for the first time. A home run!
CHILDHOOD
Moats - Hooton Tennis Club
Mick Chrysalid
Harvest Sun @ Leaf
It’s not often something steals the thunder
from the awe of Leaf’s mesmerising décor
as you emerge from the staircase, but then
CHILDHOOD are one of those bands that come
Childhood (Aaron McManus / ampix.co.uk)
along once in a blue moon. Or at least, that’s the
hype that has carried them along recently, which
explains the diverse crowd that packs out the
Bold Street venue. And if the cassettes on the
merch stall are anything to go by, Childhood are
quite content with doing their own thing, and
not simply riding on coat tails.
This attitude unites each band tonight: when
HOOTON TENNIS CLUB open the proceedings
with their poppy shoegaze, it’s a decisively
relaxed affair. Before …And Then Camilla Drew
Fourteen Dots On Her Knee, frontman Ryan
Murphy casually invites the crowd to sway along,
after having spent the best part of Spokes curled
up in front of the amp. It’s Slacker meets Scouse
in the best way possible: ending on new single
Kathleen Sat On The Arms Of Her Favourite Chair,
you feel they could easily carry on, lost in their
own fuzzed-out world.
“It’s my birthday today!” raves MOATS frontman
Matthew Duncan, but that’s not the only cause
for celebration. From tonight’s performance, the
buzz surrounding the local four-piece is certainly
justified. Their blistering post-punk style warps
their rendition of You’re The One That I Want
from Grease so that it’s nothing like the original,
making it nothing short of brilliant. The energy
that exudes from the band transforms tracks
like Absorb into rasping, breathtaking beasts.
Finishing on new single Rough, Moats are still
finding their feet as a live act, but they’ve got
plenty of legs to stand on.
With their debut album slated for a summer
release, Childhood use tonight’s set to offer
a taste of things to come. Opening track Blue
Velvet initiates a dreamy, celestial tone to
the set, though the woozy guitars are no less
memorable for it. New release Falls Away
shimmers under the mirror balls, while the
dark, brooding notes of Pinball bounce around
the room, its bombastic key change even more
impressive in the live setting.
The band have picked up a keyboardist
somewhere along the way, and when this
doesn’t drown out the guitars it intensifies
the mystical aura of their music. Frontman Ben
Romans Hopcraft’s low vocal tone draws you in
until you are as lost in the vibes as he seems
to be, with eyes frequently rolling back into his
skull. The set ends on Summer Skies, where the
dreamy psychedelic ambience reaches breaking
point on a dazzling, indulgent outro. It’s on this
final track that the crowd fully join in, swinging
from side to side to the irresistible Northern
Soul beat.
At this stage of the game, Childhood are one
of those bands you are content to stand back
and watch while you try to figure them out.
There couldn’t be a more fitting name for the
band: their music takes the best bits from their
influences into their own unique package; a
welcome balance of the unique and nostalgic.
Though the results aren’t always mind-blowing,
it’s the potential that keeps you interested.
Jack Graysmark / @ZeppelinG1993
Your Bag?
Your Bag?
Catch The Orwells @ EVAC on
2nd June
LUMERIANS
Boogarins
Harvest Sun @ The Shipping Forecast
The poor turnout for tonight’s Easter offering
does nothing to perturb the first act on the
bill, BOOGARINS, who have come all the way
from Brazil. Their Tropicalia-influenced sound
is refreshing to hear and their roots are plain
to see. This means that the songs are pushed
in more interesting and open directions
than you could possibly hope to hear from
the relentless, droning psych that seems to
permeate every corner of Liverpool at the
moment. They produce psychedelic rock that
you could, if you liked, take acid to and actually
have a good time. Though this is obviously no
pre-requisite to good music, it is nice to hear a
band who are playing back to a certain place in
the musical past and enjoy doing so. With some
high-pitched, hooky vocals from lead singer
Fernando Almeida and fuzzy riffs a-plenty they
do not leave the tiny crowd wanting.
bidolito.co.uk

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34 Bido Lito!
June 2014
Reviews
San Franciscan five-piece LUMERIANS have
gained much acclaim in recent months and
their newest LP The High Frontier was a critics'
favourite in 2013. Regardless of this, as is the
case tonight, you still occasionally have to play
to the soundman and the bar staff, but Lumerians
do so with aplomb. Their songs are five-minute
long synaptic adventures with haunting vocals
and cloud-like synths. Everything is slow but in
no way tedious, and each section is careful not to
tumble over the other, but to gradually reveal its
prominence. The repetitive build-ups provided by
the rhythm section are reminiscent of Tago Magoera
Can, promising a climax that is always just
out of reach. Those present are pretty enthralled
and the bar man is having a great time, not least
because of the mesmerising live visuals employed
as part of the band's performance. Images of
bright, globular liquid and fluorescent blood
cells beam across the stage and form a cohesive
mirage with the similarly hypnotising musical
display. Previous comments about droning psych
music aside, there is much to be said for such
sounds when done well, and this is certainly such
an occasion. When repetition is used intelligently
it naturally becomes interesting, and Lumerians
seem to know their way around a two-note song
pretty nicely.
Seeing as both bands have made the trip from
another continent, it is a little embarrassing
that practically nobody has ventured from their
bedroom to catch the show. However, those
of us who did turn up have been given a fairly
unique and intimate performance from two acts
that are making waves in their home countries.
Leaves more for us, I suppose.
COVES
VEYU - Oxygen Thieves
Alastair Dunn
Evol @ The Shipping Forecast
The opening performance for tonight's gig
Coves (Robin Clewley / @robinscamera)
comes courtesy of local noisemakers OXYGEN
THIEVES: a band whose style, while obviously
heavily indebted to Nirvana, provides a
refreshing edge to the two guitars, drums and
bass set-up. Burning their way through the
set, they prove themselves technically able
musicians particularly in their guitar work,
jagged licks and crunching drums. As their set
comes to an end to provide an inviting segue for
the next band, I suspect this is not the last time
I will be seeing them.
VEYU's shimmering atmospherics and
cavernous reverb drench every last inch of the
Shipping Forecast’s Hold. High-fretted guitar
work provides a rhythmic counterpoint to a lush
backdrop and their sound is impressively refined.
They are more than slightly reminiscent of Wild
Beasts but eschew the camp theatrics, mining
a distinctly gloomier vein of influence. At times
their ashen aesthetic borders on colourless, but
there is enough interest in their instrumentation
to excuse a sometimes lifeless performance.
Life is certainly something headline act COVES
attempt to inject into their performance. As a
live act, the boy/girl duo are accompanied by
a drummer and bassist. Projections colour the
back wall as the two front persons dance around
the stage. Amidst all the action it is easy to lose
focus of what the band are playing. I suspect,
however, this is exactly what they want. As the
set progresses, things start seeming a little...off.
Where, for example, is that synth sound coming
from? Why does the tambourine sound playing
over the PA not get any quieter as the singer
moves away from the mic? How is the drummer
struggling to stay in time with himself? It would
appear that the band are playing to a backing
track, but perhaps trying to hide the fact. Now,
for me, backing tracks are not an inherent
problem for live performance, particularly for
those artists whose music is inherently dense
and layered. For Coves, however, I'm struggling
to understand why they couldn't adapt their
performance. The additional parts are certainly
I DESIGN
BIDO LITO!
// LUKE-AVERY.COM
// INFO@LUKE-AVERY.COM
// 07729 308307

Reviews
Bido Lito! June 2014
35
nothing the guitarist couldn't play, and why
have tambourines on the backing track when
the lead vocalist has one in her hands? The
questions raised surrounding live performance
are certainly worth dwelling on, and it all feels
a little weird.
As the show progresses, I begin pondering
on what's happening. From behind the wall of
photographers (literally, the whole first row) the
band certainly look the part. Dashing guitarist
with vintage gear? Check. Attractive female
vocalist? Check. Vibrant colours splashed around
the stage? You betcha. They seem like capable,
if not exactly amazing musicians, but are they
more concerned with looking the part than
playing it? Tonight, it certainly seems that way.
Dave Tate
BOBBY JOHNSON
Mutant Vinyl - Native Kings - Obadiah Jones
Lights Out @ Camp and Furnace
A good song can always be measured by its
barest interpretation. The demands of Lights
Out, Camp and Furnace’s regular new acoustic
showcase, will expose many up-and-comers
perhaps more than they would like as they hope
to show something a little different from the
norm. Despite showing hints of depth, OBADIAH
JONES fails to make a ripple of difference;
banging out cheesy nuggets about relationships
and whatnot. He’s perfectly pleasant, bordering
on facile, neither irritating nor curious. Hauling
pop as pure as Beautiful Someone through a
sodden mush of clichés does little for Jones’
lasting value; the odd playful backing vocal
aside, his set passes like a draught, cold to the
touch.
Hoping to warm things up are three-piece
NATIVE KINGS, who similarly come off more
Eurovision than electric. Lyrics such as “our love
is like an atom bomb” blow up in the company
of overwrought choruses, a cover of Moon River
giving Cameron Warren license to croon and
Mutant Vinyl (Samantha Milligan)
adopt the dreamboat persona he so clearly
aspires towards. There’s just not much maturity
here. As the band ambles along, any sense of
royalty and occasion is lost under their skindeep
capabilities. They are merely efficient, like
a second-hand motor.
Suddenly, we are given a serious treat:
MUTANT VINYL, AKA Edwin Pope, has generated
a fair bit of buzz in the run up to festival season
on the back of spirited, virtuosic live shows,
prepping his blend of dub and funktronica for
the chin-stroking dance market. How interesting,
then, to see a pared down outfit twist the
risible forms of Lavender and Acid Honey into
washed-out meditations of their former selves,
resembling at times the high antics of Floyd
circa 1994 and at others the freewheeling spirit
of a New Orleans jazz club, arpeggios sailing
to the pounding of a drum machine. Pope’s
saxophone cuts through it all and delivers some
beautifully soulful moments, and we are left in
the strange position of truly enjoying the only
band that aren’t playing by the acoustic rules.
It doesn’t matter, for the sublime mood, dare I
say it, improves on Mutant Vinyl’s recordings,
and embodies the philosophy of the evening. A
lull threatens during Just Throw Me A Bone, but
overall Pope and co. are full of surprises.
Many acts would find that hard to follow,
and the traditional BOBBY JOHNSON somewhat
deflates the room, clad in a dour velvet blazer,
alternating between a baritone and shakier,
vulnerable deliveries. He sighs and sounds lonely
and humble up there with a bag of decent tunes
but lacking the delivery to wield them. Kinda
folksy, lacking an acerbic edge, it’s not hard to
see why certain parts of the audience seem to
switch off, involving themselves in conversation.
Sure, if you were stuck for somewhere to take
a date, a coffee shop playing this sort of stuff
would do nicely for background mood setting.
Pints are clinking way too loudly for now, and
it is an average note to close out a mixed
evening.
Joshua Potts / @joshpjpotts
Making Liverpool
sound great ...
call: 0151 707 1050
email: info@parrstreetstudios.com
rs
visit: parrstreetstudios.com
Parr Street Studios: 33 – 45 Parr Street, Liverpool L1 4JN

36
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Reviews
JONWAYNE
Mad Brains
Bam!Bam!Bam! @ The Shipping Forecast
“I’m not a replacement for anything you
already love or hate about hip hop... I’m not here
for your approval.”
Jonwayne, 2014.
JONWAYNE doesn’t compromise. Jonwayne
doesn’t pander to the masses. Jonwayne doesn’t
care about you. And he is one of the most
respected producers in the States – after all he
is on Stones Throw, (home to Doom, Madlib and
Jay Dee); they don’t let any old sort onto their
roster of leftfield rap. Emerging from the depths
of LA’s beat scene of a few years back and
affiliated loosely with such luminaries as Flying
Lotus, Jonwayne has come to be as well-known
an MC as a producer. However, tonight he opts to
neglect his considerable chops behind the mic.
He may not be the most technically tight rapper,
but, by God, he’s fun to listen to, yet tonight he
Gallon Drunk (Glyn Ackroyd)
cuts a lonely figure behind the decks in sandals
and hoody.
Instead of deranged bars, we get lurid beats
and a barrage of teased sound snippets. No
matter what he sounds like on wax, live his time
spent with the Low End Theory becomes more
apparent as snapped snares, helium vocals
and ridiculous low-end rumbles come on at a
languorous pace – languorous yet spasmodic.
We are treated to medieval chants, boilerplate
trap and Jersey Shore Sound (Google it). We can
let him off with the few minor fluff ups too; I
mean, his set doesn’t exactly follow a linear
format; with all those layered polyrhythms and
samples snaking around no one seems to know
quite where we are going. With a severe lack of
dancing, tonight is a backpackers’ dream, with
beard-stroking going on left, right and centre.
Stoned-not-stoned, if you understand.
Bringing up the rear, MAD BRAINS support
with their own brand of classic NY beats, with
a Pharcyde flow and odes to the herb and
girls (and the obligatory name-checking of
heroes). They swerve between clowning around
and getting aggy with the mic, between the
slate-grey skies of NYC and the trap-house of
Memphis, and all the while putting their own
British spin on things. All of this without the
cringe-inducing earnestness about ‘real rap’ that
most of our homegrown MCs produce: good fun,
in other words.
Laurie Cheeseman / @lauriecheeseman
Your Bag?
Your Bag?
Catch Radkey @ The Kazimier
on 24th June
GALLON DRUNK
Man In The Dark - Cavalier Song
Howl At The Moon @ The Shipping Forecast
In the late 80s and early 90s, GALLON DRUNK
were exactly the kind of band you would expect
to find in a basement venue somewhere in
London, manically exhibiting their gloomy blend
of blues, jazz and punk rock to an audience of
alienated, druggy youths. With this in mind, The
Shipping Forecast seems well suited to play
host to James Johnston and co. but, before this
can occur, CAVALIER SONG take to the stage.
The Liverpool-based three-piece perform
quite rarely so it is always a pleasant surprise to
come across them at a show. With incense sticks
burning, they gradually venture into a display of
their atmospheric, experimental meanderings.
The group's performance is particularly dynamicconscious,
with patiently unfolding, looped
guitar layers and sparse drums over intricate
and repetitive bass lines. There are no vocals in
the traditional sense, but instead Fred Walton
samples his own voice through a heavily affected
microphone and utilises it as a distinctive sonic
tool. The climax of their set is met with loud
applause from the rapidly growing audience.
A certain ambience of moody introspection
has now been established; an ambience that
would perfectly suit the arrival of the headline
act. However, MAN IN THE DARK appear instead
and their fairly bland, fist-pumping display of
acoustic rock does not really fit the bill.
That aside, the room is now packed with
expectant, slightly drunk fans who are not
perhaps the disenfranchised teenagers of the
80s, but a healthy crowd nonetheless. With his
slicked-back shoulder-length hair and sharp,
black suit James Johnston bears a rather striking
resemblance to his frequent musical collaborator
Nick Cave. His songs involve the same dark
lyrical content as his Australian counterpart,
and have the same discordant quality that was
the hallmark of The Birthday Party-era Cave.
Comparisons such as these, however, do not do
justice to the unique output of Gallon Drunk,
and tonight's show does much to highlight their
special qualities.
Combining heavily distorted guitars with
contemplative saxophone work and Johnston's
vocals, which switch from spoken-word to
straining moans, the group tear through a set
of songs that span their eight-album-strong
back catalogue. At times the sound is restrained
and almost barely audible, held up by the
rhythm section alone. At others it ascends to
a squealing, indecipherable pitch of feedback
and blaring horns. Johnston is always clearly
in control even when appearing to lose his
shit, and there are several occasions when his
onstage energy almost results in a guitar-to-face
scenario for those at the front of the audience.
This, thankfully, does not happen. Instead the
crowd receives a passionate battering from a
great musical imagination rather than the tail
end of a road-worn Jazzmaster. The response
is predictably appreciative from an ensemble
of spectators that varies from middle-aged
devotees to first-time dabblers. And really, what
better place to lose your Gallon Drunk virginity
than in this sweaty, low-ceilinged basement on
a Saturday night?
Your Bag?
Your Bag?
DON WILLIAMS
Philharmonic Hall
Alastair Dunn
Catch Uniforms @ Maguire’s
on 7th June
With millions of record sales under his belt, a
Country Hall of Fame spot, and his songs having
been covered by Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton and
countless others, DON WILLIAMS is nothing
short of a living legend in his industry. Therefore,
there can be little doubt in the minds of the sellout
crowd gathered in the Philharmonic that this
evening we are about to witness a masterful
performance. Happily for us, Don Williams isn’t
in the mood to disappoint. Following his sixpiece
band on stage to a hero’s welcome, he
wastes no time in launching into a remarkably
slick version of one of his biggest hits, Good Ole
Boys Like Me. His voice is as good as it’s ever
been, the musicians behind him are all at the
top of their game and, as the song’s beautiful
chorus kicks in, three-way harmonies and all,
everything is right with the world.
He doesn’t say much on stage, but when he
does, it’s highly effective. His inter-song banter is
delivered in an achingly low baritone, which just
makes his bone-dry southern wit even funnier.
“We’re just tickled to death that you’re here,” he
tells us in a drawl that would make James Earl
Jones sound like a hyperactive schoolgirl, before
breaking into the foot-stompin’ Tulsa Time.
There are no whistles and bells here – this
is good old-fashioned, straight-up country
music, simply honed to perfection. The songs
are great, the band is flawless, and his lyrical
bidolito.co.uk

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38
Bido Lito!
June 2014
Reviews
Pure Love (Aaron McManus / ampix.co.uk)
craftsmanship is sublime. All the usual country
themes are present in abundance – love, loss,
regret, life and death – but they’re delivered
with a sincerity and earthly wisdom that few
entertainers could muster.
Like most country singers, there’s a great
deal of melancholy infused in his work, but
no matter how forlorn some of his songs may
seem, a closer listen almost always reveals a
positivity and hopefulness that is genuinely
uplifting. Nowhere is this more obvious than in
Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good, the lamentation
of a world-weary troubadour just trying to stay
positive in a world that he finds overwhelming.
It’s understandable that, at 74 years of age,
Williams cuts a pretty sedentary figure on stage,
sitting almost motionless on a plush stool,
gently plucking away at his guitar. But, despite
his lack of youthful exuberance, he has bags
of stage presence, and he seems genuinely
pleased to be here. Indeed, the crowd’s singing
along to the classic You’re My Best Friend leaves
him smiling from ear to ear.
For any country fan, it’s always pretty heartwarming
to see one of the old guard stay
musically active into their twilight years. Some
of today’s country icons weren’t even born when
Don Williams cut his first record, but make no
mistake – the man’s still got it.
Your Bag?
Alex Holbourn / @AlexHolbourn
PURE LOVE
Pup – Severed Lips
East Village Arts Club
The first thing I think when I get into the
room is: “Fuck, I’m too old to be in here.”
Damn my affinity for throaty vocals and heavy
rock. Thankfully, a guy well into his 40s,
maybe 50s, rocks up wearing a leather jacket
(#leatherjacketwatch). Phew! Bring on the
music.
Your Bag?
Catch Linda Perhacs @ Leaf
on 3rd June
SEVERED LIPS are exactly the kind of band
that I loved as a 15-year-old: loud slurry vocals,
a bassist with Zack de la Rocha hair and songs
with the ethos ‘If you can’t mosh to it, then
what’s the point?’ They have earned their place
as first support tonight, but with no audible
skill or stage presence yet, we’re all reminded
that it’s important to mention at least a song
title every once in a while.
After a pointlessly long and rather contrived
sound-check, up pop PUP – all the way from
Canada, as the lead singer points out rather
forcefully, a lot. Again, Pup make me pine to
be in the audience as my 15-year-old self; my
eyes would have brightened at their gratuitous
swearing, too-fast riffs and Bowling For
Soup/New Found Glory style. I warm to their
harmonies though, there are some excellent
vocals in there, and I like to think that with time
and practice they’ll make a better band. But that
may be just my soft spot for Canadians.
Just when I was starting to think about
getting back my skateboard and red highlights,
PURE LOVE step off the stage and change the
game altogether, I’m won over in a jiffy. Frank
Carter is an unbelievable stage man; he does
the entire set standing amongst the crowd.
He encourages circle pits, gets people on his
shoulders, and at one point buys a round of
beers to distribute through the crowd like some
amazing favourite uncle.
I’m expecting Bury My Bones to be the
highlight of the night: a sure crowd pleaser,
dark and breathy, it’s one of their best tracks
from the Anthems album. However, Carter and
crew continue to up their game throughout the
set, blasting out new song Hurricane, which
may well be their last song ever, this show
being part of their farewell tour.
Without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest
surprise of the night is their cover of Huey
Lewis and the News’ The Power Of Love. When
it starts, I’m expecting it to be as popular as
sugar to a scurvy victim, but it gets the best
reception of the night. Rasping and pogoing
his way through the song, Carter’s enthusiasm
is infectious and I’d wager this is probably the
only time that people have crowd-surfed to this
80s classic.
By the time the set is drawing to a close, half
the band are on the venue floor, including the
drummer – giving the sound tech an absolute
‘mare, no doubt. All of it comes across as a
genuine performance: it’s glorious, rather than
awkward. Younger bands of the evening, may
you take Pure Love as your stage role model.
Despite the wonderfully chaotic setting,
there’s a sadness hanging in the air, no doubt
owing to the fact it’s the band’s last Liverpool
show. Leaving EVAC, I hear a girl saying, “That
was the best fucking gig, EVER!” Perhaps EVER
is a little strong, but I’m definitely leaving with a
pang that I won’t see Pure Love live again.
Naters P / @natersp
bidolito.co.uk

LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAl
FESTIVAL OF PSYCHEDELIA
26 + 27 SEPTEMBER 2014
Camp & Furnace / blade factory liverpool
goat. WOODS. SUUNS.
WHITE HILLS. WOLF PEOPLE.
ZOMBIE ZOMBIE. HILLS.
SLEEPY SUN. AMEN DUNES.
THE LUCID DREAM. ORVAL CARLOS SIBELIUS.
SUDDEN DEATH OF STARS. TEETH OF THE SEA.
PURPLE HEART PARADE. PETE BASSMAN (Spacemen 3).
TRANSMISSIONS FROM THE OUTER REALMS
PRESENTED BY
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Full details and tickets at LIVERPOOLPSYCHFEST.COM

@ CAMP
2014
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