Issue 45

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
Online Editor
Flossie Easthope - flossie@bidolito.co.uk
Designer
Luke Avery - info@luke-avery.com
Proofreading
Debra Williams - debra@wordsanddeeds.co.uk
Subeditor
Ryan McElroy - online@bidolito.co.uk
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