Issue 53 / March 2015

FREE 

Issue 53 

March 2015 

Hooton Tennis Club by Nata Moraru 

Hooton Tennis 

Club 

A Lovely War 

Mothers 

tUnE-yArDs 

Open Mic 

Culture

4 

Bido Lito! March 2015 

bidolito.co.uk


5 

Bido Lito! 

Issue Fifty Three / March 2015 

bidolito.co.uk 

Static Gallery 

23 Roscoe Lane 

Liverpool 

L1 9JD 

Editor 

Christopher Torpey - chris@bidolito.co.uk 

Editor-In-Chief / Publisher 

Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk 

Keith Ainsworth 

WORDS ARE WIND 

Editorial 

Some of the greatest political debate in the land takes place our in pubs and music venues, fuelled as much by a sense of indignation as 

by a couple of pints of Erdinger. Gassing off about how we think things should be run is natural, and should be encouraged in all instances – 

even from those idiots we’d rather not hear much from, and certainly not just during Question Time. Having said that, I do find it amusing to 

watch the Twitter spike on Thursday night when QT is in full flow, while David Dimbleby is doing his best circus ringmaster routine. Even then 

most of the armchair politicians settle for cramming their once-weekly rants in to 140 characters, and are happy if they just get a couple of 

retweets. Any contribution to political discussion is welcome, of course, no matter what the means of expression, but what does it all lead to? 

There was a time when people would be so moved by their political views that they’d arrange meetings with like-minded individuals and 

act on their shared beliefs. Marches were staged, protests dreamt up, and the prospect of bringing about change was real. This was an era in 

which self-made fanzines and flyers, not social media, were the primary methods of expression. Nowadays our digital activists will only take 

to the streets if the cause has an accompanying hashtag. 

Bido Lito!’s humble beginnings can be traced back to that zine culture of pouring your heart out on to a page, backed only by the conviction 

to stand beside what you believe in. We all want everyone to agree with us (mainly because we all think we’re the only one who can see ‘The 

Truth’), and the idea of sharing your dearly held views with whoever will listen is as old as time itself. This democratic approach is a key pillar 

of our society. Whether you tweet it, Facebook it, Instagram it, or write it down in a letter that you send to your MP, it is your right as a citizen 

to give a shit and make sure everyone knows about it. 

With this year's general election – on 7th May – taking on more importance as each day passes, we thought it was high time we started 

addressing the wider issues that could ultimately affect the independent creative culture that is our cocoon. Starting with Emma Brady's 

comment piece this month (The Final Say, page 46), we are going to be having our say – and we want you to join us in this debate. 

The dingy, smoke-filled bar rooms and basement clubs of yesteryear were not only places where political debate was fermented, but also 

places where ideas came to fruition. Open Mic culture has long been a backbone of music communities across the world, serving as the ideal 

place for our would-be musical heroes to cut their teeth. The ubiquity of Open Mic nights means we can sometimes take them for granted; 

but, as our feature this month shows, Open Mic nights are an institution we must cling on to, for the raft of opportunities such nights throw 

up. Personally, I've never stepped up at an Open Mic night and bared my soul in front of a room of musicians, but I can only assume it's a 

terrifying experience; give me the interval quiz to read out any day of the week. But to all those of you who do get up, week in and week out, 

we salute you. 

Moving on; it’s been a long while since we had a mention of Tranmere in these pages, so I thought I’d bring you up to speed. The Palios 

regime is now in full flow, with Micky Adams leading the team away from the foot of the table, point by hard-earned point. Iain Hume is 

back home too, after a stint playing cricket in the Indian Premier League (at least I think that’s what he was doing). Things are steady if 

unspectacular, but at least they’ve sorted the hot dogs out. I just wish they’d have a similar revolution with the half-time music. 

We'd also like to say a huge thanks to Jack for stepping in for Luke this month on design/layout duties. It's been a pleasure working 

alongside him on this issue – I just hope my obsession over apostrophes hasn’t been too much of a burden! 

Christopher Torpey / @BidoLito 

Editor 

Reviews Editor 

Sam Turner - live@bidolito.co.uk 

Designer 

Jack Ehlen - jackehlendesign.com 

Proofreading 

Debra Williams - debra@wordsanddeeds.co.uk 

Sales And Partnerships Manager 

Naters Philip - naters@bidolito.co.uk 

Digital Content Manager 

Natalie Williams - online@bidolito.co.uk 

Words 

Christopher Torpey, Craig G Pennington, Phil Gwyn, Paddy 

Clarke, Richard Lewis, Jennifer Perkin, Paddy Hughes, 

Dan Brown, Josh Potts, Josh Ray, Sam Turner, Emma 

Brady, Maurice Stewart, Dave Tate, Alastair Dunn, Laurie 

Cheeseman, Naters P, Howl Rama, Christopher Carr, Chris 

Hughes. 

Photography, Illustration and Layout 

Jack Ehlen, Nata Moraru, Robin Clewley, Adam Edwards, 

Mook Loxley, Lucy Roberts, Nick Booton, Oliver Catherall, 

Keith Ainsworth, Jack McVann, Mark McNulty, Paul 

Hitchmough, Glyn Akroyd, Gaz Jones, Aaron McManus, 

Stuart Moulding, Christian Davies. 

Adverts 

To advertise please contact ads@bidolito.co.uk 

Distributed By Middle Distance 

Print, distribution and events support across Merseyside 

and the North West. 

middledistance.org 

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. 

bidolito.co.uk

6 


Words: Phil Gwyn / notmanyexperts.com 

Photography: Nata Moraru 

Holed up in front of a fire near their hometown of Little 

Sutton, a suburb sandwiched incongruously between 

Ellesmere Port’s industrial spires and the bucolic village 

of Willaston, HOOTON TENNIS CLUB, the Heavenly-signed 

next great hope for gloriously shambolic guitar music, are 

trying to explain what it is that makes them sound so 

distinctly like themselves. “You always want to struggle 

against your ineptitude,” offers James (Guitar), which 

sees his band-mates dissolve into laughter. Unperturbed, 

he continues, “That said, perfect’s boring. Perfect’s dull. 

It’s always the little mistakes that make it good.” Harry 

(Drums) has another explanation: “We have an old Tascam 

8-track. It’s got character, you know. It’s got limitations.” 

Having been friends since secondary school, the 

quartet (completed by frontman Ry and bassist Cal) 

have that tendency of old friends to alternate between 

completing each other’s sentences and laughing at each 

other’s explanations, but both James and Harry’s ideas 

make a lot of sense. Having been in bands together 

before disbanding and heading to Uni, they returned and 

began Hooton Tennis Club almost by chance. “We had a 

free house, and that’s where the drums were, so we could 

make loads of noise. So we thought, let’s get some food, 

get some beers, and just make some music.” As perfectly 

disarming as mission statements come, that ramshackle 

charm easily slipped into their early tunes. “Those 

songs got played by Dave Monks [on BBC Introducing 

Merseyside] really soon after we recorded them.” For all 

of those rasping imperfections, maybe amplified by their 

battered old 8-track, their harmonies were unmistakeable 

enough to not be missed by at least one listener to that 

radio show. 

“I remember Carl [Hunter, bassist in the Farm and 

creative director of The Label Recordings, the not-for-profit 

record label run by Edge Hill University] saying he had 

a load of tracks and was trying to sift through them all 

to find the two bands he was going to release. They’d 

already decided on one, but he was struggling to find 

another, so he went home on the Friday kind of deflated, 

then he heard our session on Dave Monks, and he went 

in on the Monday and said, ‘Right, I’ve found them!’” That 

was January 2014, and it was just a few months later 

that The Label Recordings released Kathleen Sat On The 

Arm Of Her Favourite Chair, a lethargic ode to travelling 

around Europe, cloaked in fuzz-saturated guitars and 

a raw intimacy that made a mockery of manufactured 

perfection. 

The wider world agreed; support slots for Childhood 

and Night Beats cemented their reputation in Liverpool, 

before Carl Hunter’s enthusiasm rubbed off on Heavenly 

Recordings’ (Manic Street Preachers, Stealing Sheep) boss 

Jeff Barrett, who signed them to his label in September. 

bidolito.co.uk


7 

It’s the sort of meteoric rise that could overwhelm a young 

band still discovering themselves, but new single Jasper 

is proof of a band galvanised; it’s their most personal, 

effusive and infectious work to date. Crucially, it was 

conceived and recorded in the way that all of their other 

tracks have been – an initial spark of inspiration fleshed 

out in snatched hours, before battering out the whole 

thing on their trusty old Tascam 8-track in their bedrooms. 

Although the track seems like a strangely euphoric 

eulogy from the first line of “we lost a great, great man 

today,” Ry insists that “it’s really a celebration of life. 

Basically, my granddad passed away maybe a year ago 

now. I was really sad about it because I was really close 

to him, and then that song just came along. He was called 

Jasper when he was at school – I wanted to write about it, 

but I didn’t want to write something that was depressing.” 

True to their intentions, Jasper has a melancholic edge, 

but its dreamy melodies and rapturous guitar parts have 

their own lethargic energy, and they’re rightly proud of 

it. Ry continues: “The take went really well, it was just 

one take! It was one of those moments when we were 

all waiting for the last note to die, and when we pressed 

stop on the old 8-track we were just like ‘Yes! That was 

amazing! Is this really happening?’” Backed by the dense 

fog of Standing Knees – all stormy guitars and worldweary 

delivery worthy of Parquet Courts – it makes a 

strong claim for the city’s first great single of the year. 

So, how do they follow it up? A boundary-pushing collab 

with electronic auteur and part-time Yeezus-producer 

Evian Christ, who James has let slip was his next-door 

neighbour in the musical mecca of Little Sutton? Evidently 

not; instead, the band have been trekking up to the other 

end of the Wirral to seek the wisdom of Bill Ryder-Jones 

after a stressful visit to Parr Street Studios. As James says, 

“I don’t think we were ready to go into the studio proper; 

we didn’t know what we were doing. The version of the 

next single [a punchier version of Kathleen…] that we did 

there wasn’t very good, so Bill was more than happy to 

re-do all the guitars at his place. Everyone can relax a bit 

more, instead of being in this big studio where you’re 

wasting everybody’s time.” 

But, as Ry interjects, this is exactly what you’d expect 

of a band who only released their debut single within the 

past year: “I remember Bill saying that we needed to go 

through that, to go to a professional studio and realise 

that that’s not what we needed to do at that time. I think 

we’re still finding out what we want to sound like.” That 

said, there’s already an emerging Hooton Tennis Club 

sound that’s perfectly encapsulated by the next single 

that they’re plotting (Kathleen..., backed by the swampy 

dissonance of a cut entitled New Shoes), even if they’re 

still exploring the outer limits of their sound and how 

best to get there. 

Asked if they’ve got further plans to record, they become 

surprisingly quiet for a quartet who can talk for hours 

with minimal encouragement. Eventually comes Ry’s noncommittal 

response: “In March we’re going into the studio 

with Bill. We’re going to be putting down tracks to maybe 

make a thing longer than an EP...” A piece of work formerly 

known as the Long Player? “Well, we’ve got thirty tracks to 

go into the studio with...” 

Despite the band’s youth and their ongoing search for 

the boundaries of their capabilities, they already seem 

like they’ve developed a depth that warrants an album. 

Crucially, they seem to want to actually say something, 

even if their message is as indistinct as their soaring 

melodies. Take the middle passage from Standing Knees, 

on which they sigh over furious, biting guitars: “Working 

every hour/ I’m not sure what I’m meant to do anymore/ 

This feeling’s so heavy/ it might hit the floor.” Coming as 

it does straight after Jasper, their interrogation of death, 

(the sobering second line that follows the news is “it’s 

just another Wednesday”), I ask whether it would be too 

much to describe the heart of Hooton Tennis Club as that 

grim mid-20s existential angst where the discovery of 

mortality comes in uncomfortable proximity to the slow 

realisation of the mundanity of parts of modern life. “It’s 

that existential crisis down to a tee,” comes the reply. 

“It’s a huge question. But we’re trying to draw the line 

between being cheeky and chirpy and being ‘serious 

artists’ who wear black clothes and sunglasses inside.” 

“Someone might listen to Kathleen... and think it’s 

just about swimming on a nice day, someone else 

might think it’s about the nature of things. It’s all down 

to taste. We can’t comment on what it’s about once it’s 

out there; whatever people think is right,” says Harry in 

summation. Whatever conclusions you draw from their 

uncomfortably relatable lyrics, though, the point is that 

there is something there, however you choose to interpret 

it. Taken as a whole, wrapped in their towering washes 

of guitar and their impassioned lethargy, it’s an infinite 

variety of relatable messages that prove impossible to 

ignore. And with that, they might just have pipped Evian 

Christ to the title of Little Sutton’s most exciting musical 

export. 

Jasper b/w Standing Knees is released on 23rd February on 

Heavenly Recordings. 

hootontennisclub.tumblr.com 

bidolito.co.uk

8 


C H I B U K U 

Words: Jennifer Perkin / jenniferperkin.com 

Illustration: Oliver Catherall / olivercatherall.co.uk 

In a just world the Arts Club Theatre in full CHIBUKU swing – DJ 

and audience bouncing in beautiful unison – will take its place 

alongside the Cavern in Liverpool’s musical lore. Our city might be 

globally synonymous with jangly guitar music, but its lesser-known 

status as a hub for dance music has been, and remains, firm. Chibuku, 

along with Cream and Circus, are examples of Liverpool clubs done 

good, and have set the stage for the emergence of newer clubs like 

Abandon Silence, Waxxx, mUmU, Motion and Freeze. 

Fifteen years since its inception, Chibuku is ready to embrace this 

well-earned status in the only way it knows how: with a massive 

fourteen-hour party. What’s more, in a fast-moving, often fickle 

industry, the club night has achieved – if not the impossible – then 

at least the very difficult: not only is it still going strong, but it is also 

still cool. Says veteran DJ Annie Mac, who will be headlining the 15th 

anniversary celebrations on 14th March: “I’ve had some of my best 

nights out ever in the Theatre at Chibuku, both on the dance floor 

and on the stage. I’ve been attending the club night for over ten 

years and it’s still as exciting and atmospheric as ever.” Similarly, 

DnB don Andy C told us that he can’t wait to get stuck in to the 

anniversary show. “Chibuku throw some of the best parties around, 

and the energy from the crowd is guaranteed to be on fire. I always 

look forward to playing there.” 

From its humble beginnings right up to the present day, the lineups 

have remained on-trend without being trend-led, and have 

covered an incredibly wide remit within the dance genre, limited only 

by the criterion of being good. This is the kind of uncompromising 

passion for music that you can’t fake, and the kind that earns true 

affection and loyalty. Affection and loyalty from some pretty high 

places. Head Promoter Sean Stephenson has been working on 

Chibuku for longer than he cares to remember, and believes part 

of its longevity has been down to its forward-moving ethos. “Being 

able to anticipate what is going to be musically successful has been 

key to Chibuku over the years. Sometimes an artist takes off and 

sometimes they don’t, but we’ve broken many a DJ over the years 

and we’ve always been able to be ahead of the musical curve.” 

It probably has something to do with the fact that, although the 

club has spread its wings, it has still stayed close to its roots – as 

Sean says, Liverpool will always be the club’s “spiritual home”. But 

it’s also that the club has stayed true to the reasons the founding 

friends of Chibuku got together fifteen years ago: to hold the kind 

of party they would want to go to, free of the “Lycra and kebabs” of 

mainstream clubbing at the time. As Sean says: “If you want to go to 

an event which has lasers, ice cannons and enormous production, 

then you’ll inevitably be drawn to that type of event. If you want 


to go to an event which focuses a little bit more on the music and 

is less about the bells and whistles, then you’ll go to that event 

instead.” 

The organic growth of the club is well known: graduating from 

a too-full room above a pub, to the intimate Lemon Lounge on 

Berry Street, through to its most famous home – what is now the 

Arts Club, formerly known as the Masque and the Barfly. It’s at this 

venue that none other than the much-missed John Peel played a 

now-legendary show for Chibuku’s 4th birthday celebrations, which 

he went on to describe as “just one of the best nights ever”. 

The magical combination of Chibuku and the Arts Club is one 

that clubbers and DJs alike have waxed lyrical about, but what is 

it that makes it so special? “Probably because the Theatre has to 

be one of the most intimidating main rooms in the UK,” explains 

Sean. “Looking out to a one thousand-strong swell of people going 

mad at 2am in that room with that special Liverpool vibe has got to 

be pretty scary. Only a handful of DJs can successfully handle that 

room, but those that do reap the rewards!” 

Fifteen years in and the club is gearing up to celebrate the 

milestone in style, but in no way is it winding down. In fact, 

Chibuku is looking towards the future with the injection of new 

blood, with Sean recently instated as partner and head promoter. 

Although Sean is relatively new to the role, he is in no way new 

to the Chibuku family, having started out by flyering and postering 

for the club, before gradually working his way up through the 

ranks. “My first ever Chibuku was in late 2003 when I moved to 

Liverpool for university,” he remembers, the memories seared in to 

his consciousness. “I walked into the Theatre at the old Barfly and 

was greeted by UNKLE playing In A State and I’ve been hooked ever 

since.” 

Under Sean’s direction the club will continue to do what it 

does best – show people a good time while confounding their 

expectations. The club has already featured on such renowned 

stages as Global Gathering, Parklife, Hideout Festival and Fabric, 

as well as more unusual locations on boats, trains and in barns in 

remote woodland. Sean says, “We want to spread our approach to 

parties as far and wide as possible over the coming years”. Chibuku 

will be hosting a stage at Parklife Festival in Manchester for the third 

time this year, and Sean says to look out for similar collaborations 

in the future. 

Chibuku will also continue their legacy of throwing a hell 

of a birthday party, with the three-part fifteen-year celebration 

scheduled to be their biggest yet. It will start with the main event 

at Camp and Furnace featuring three stages of typically Chibukueclectic 

programming headlined by Annie Mac (Furnace stage), Four 

Tet (Camp stage, with Abandon Silence) and Benji B (Blade Factory 

stage). At 10pm the festivities will move over to the Arts Club (where 

else), for a famous Chibuku after party. Those who are still standing 

can head to the after-after party at the Magnet from 4am. Though 

he won’t divulge the Arts Club line-up – “too big to be announced” – 

Sean promises big things. “You know we mean business when it’s 

got a nine-hour warehouse rave warm up.” 

When asked to sum up the club in a sentence, Sean pauses to 

consider his response. When he finally comes back with “expect a 

minor riot”, you know you’ve got no choice but to believe him. 

Chibuku’s 15th Birthday event takes place on Saturday 14th 

March, at Camp and Furnace (2pm – 11pm) and Arts Club (10pm 

– 4am). 

Head to bidolito.co.uk now to read an exclusive interview with 

one of the event’s performers, DJ Craze, and a series of guest mixes 

from Chibuku residents. 

chibuku.com

idolito.co.uk

10 


MOT HER S 

parental involvement. “I think if Oasis ever reformed, the only way he wanted us to have a fight,” Lewis explains with glee. “Me and 

Words: Dan Brown / @danbrownnn 

Photography: Adam Edwards / @AdamEdwardsFoto 

I’d ever end up liking it was if all their mums re-joined the band 

with them.” 

Mothers may initially seem like a classic MTV2 noise rock act 

Jack went to primary school together and once had a fight in the 

playground because I stood on Jack’s Beyblade. That’s stuck with 

him for life and he thought that I was finally going to go down for 

through and through, but at heart their songs illustrate a stellar it… I think one thing we’d all hate is to make a cheesy video where 

In contrast to the psychological intricacies of artists’ self-portraits, 

bands giving a description of their own work is often clunky and best 

avoided all together. In the case of Widnes-raised, Liverpool-based 

act MOTHERS, the self-penned tag “noise rock power-trio” actually 

suits them down to the ground, and has survived a recent name 

change. Jack Evans (Guitar), Roanne Wood (Guitar) and Lewis O’Neill 

(Drums) had previously been going under the name Aeroplane Flies 

High, but felt strongly for a long time that a shift in emphasis was 

needed. “We kinda got sick of the whole Smashing Pumpkins thing,” 

says Lewis of their old name (also the title of a Smashing Pumpkins 

song). “Also, when we told people what we were called they’d just 

be like ‘…what? Ha!’ So we wanted something short, sweet and 

snappy.” 

The trio are signed to London-based label Snaketown Records, 

with whom they released an EP – Honey – in 2014, in a relationship 

that came largely from their rapidly-expanding reputation in alt.rock 

circles. The group’s fuzzy brand of US college rock draws inspiration 

from the likes of Mudhoney, The Breeders, Electric Wizard and METZ, 

but one of their key influences is perhaps a more unlikely one. “We 

wouldn’t be here without our mothers. We definitely miss our mums 

the most on tour. Well, mums and dads really,” a sentimental Lewis 

tells us. “We called [the band] Mothers as a tribute to the fine ladies 

that all brought us here… Most of the time all our mothers are at 

the rehearsals. There are actually four guitar tracks in our songs and 

two drum tracks. My mum plays drums as well as me, and Roanne’s 

mum and Jack’s mum play guitar with them. That’s why it sounds so 

big.” Flights of fancy like this, where a joke is stretched to madcap 

lengths, are a regular occurrence of sitting down and talking with 

Mothers. Their attention spans aren’t suited to serious interviews, 

and it seems as though they’ve no inclination to resort to chinstroking 

musings on something they find to be an enjoyable way 

of spending their time. Lewis, in particular, can’t let go of the idea of 

ability at being able to pile on all the fuzz without losing sight of the 

amazing melodies buried underneath. “I think there will always be 

a bit of a doom or stoner-rock element to the music that comes from 

our influences,” Lewis explains, “but we also like fast, nice, happy 

pop songs. The two just kind of intertwine and make sweet, sweet 

love.” 

When it comes to recording, the trio have a bracingly simple 

approach which plays to their strengths. “No metronomes or 

nothing, we just get in there and play our songs as if we we’re 

playing them live.” While hardly revolutionary, this method of 

recording ensures that the group don’t sacrifice the energy that 

made the tracks so great in the first place, as they feel that recording 

each component in the track separately would result in more a rigid, 

robotic feel. Lewis: “As much as we like big-sounding songs, we’re 

all for a bit of sloppiness and being a bit lo-fi… I sometimes think we 

sound better live than on recordings, so we just try and capture a bit 

of that in the studio." 

Their live performances can best be described as genuinely brutal, 

but that’s not to say that the band aren’t tight and disciplined; Lewis 

tells us that they still feel that their greatest strength lies in their 

live act. “Jack’s a really good performer and his voice is amazing 

for a heavy rock band. Jack and Roanne are both really passionate 

actually. It’s funny because I’m there sat at the back of the stage 

on drums but we just click as a three-piece.” A communal approach 

to all aspects of their work ensures that there are no egos in the 

band, which Lewis believes is for the greater good. “One of the 

kind of unwritten rules is if there’s one of us who isn’t happy with 

something then it doesn’t go ahead.” 

With care not to have their tongue lodged too firmly in cheek, 

the group’s low budget, almost DIY way of making videos has both 

incredible and disarmingly hilarious results. “We were filming the 

video for Honey dressed up as bees and the director said at the end 

the band acts all moody, with misty effects and sitting around being 

all arty-farty.” 

As well as avoiding the expectations of a tired genre, Mothers 

aren’t afraid to just get out there and play their music to new 

audiences, so it’s common for the band to simply organise their own 

tours. “It’s funny when you tell people at home or at work that you’re 

going on tour and they’re like ‘Ohh, hotels! Tour buses!’” says Lewis. 

“But it’s actually an old postman’s van and we just sleep on people’s 

floors with no heating on. But it’s the most amazing holiday you’ll 

ever have. Most people, when they hear the aggressive music, will 

think it’s all smoking dope and partying; but for us a party is just 

pizza and adventure time.” 

Their next stint on the road in the postman’s van is coming up 

in June, in the form of a six-date tour with their current labelmates 

Stilts. “They’re definitely one of my favourite underground bands. 

The four guys in Stilts are all super-nice dudes,” Lewis tells us, 

evidently excited about getting out on the circuit again. Prior to 

this (5th April), the band have a date with Stilts closer to home, at 

Maguire’s Pizza Bar. Maguire’s is a venue that the group are fond 

of for its very hands-off approach to its events. “It’s all very DIY and 

you get the freedom of setting-up your own gear and doing your 

own lighting. I know it sounds weird, but when you can choose the 

bands who are on with you and run your own night, it’s much easier 

and much more enjoyable… and, of course, there’s pizza,” explains 

Lewis. 

It could be said that Mothers are making noise rock fun again, 

by striking the balance of making great tunes whilst not taking 

themselves too seriously. With a full length album due out by the 

summer, if anyone should be taking the band seriously, it’s us. 

facebook.com/motherstheband 

bidolito.co.uk

THE MAGNET 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

THE SHIPPING FORECAST 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

11.05 THE POP GROUP 

22.05 THE VACCINES 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER 

KAZIMIER

12 


Words: Josh Ray / @josh5446ray 

Illustration: Mook Loxley / mookloxley.tumblr.com 

In 1927, Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung had a vision of 

Liverpool in a dream that would go on to forever reshape the 

psyche of a city he’d never actually visited. Recounted in Memories, 

Dreams and Reflections, Jung describes “a broad square dimly 

illuminated by street lights, into which many streets converged.” 

His attention was drawn to a magnolia tree on an island in the 

centre of a pool, which “stood in the sunlight and was at the same 

time the source of light”. Jung’s companions – seemingly oblivious 

to the magnolia – were scratching their heads as to why one of 

their Swiss friends had settled in Liverpool, given the abominable 

weather. Taken by the beauty of the flowering tree, Jung noted, “I 

know very well why he has settled here.” Then he awoke. 

That’s the thing with synchronicity: some people are more 

amenable to it than others, and it was no coincidence that Jung 

dreamed of Liverpool. When the book ended up in the hands of 

local entrepreneur Peter O’Halligan, it quickly became apparent 

that the city was more than willing to buy into the idea of 

synchronicity, the collective unconscious and the Liverpool dream. 

It was a bleak time for the area: the recession gripping the rest 

of the country particularly resonated in a Liverpool yet to recover 

from the blitz and the “Four Lads Who Shook the World” had 

left little behind; the shortsighted council had even filled in the 

Cavern. 

The Bootle dream merchant wasn’t going to need any help from 

the council, however, far from it. Taking to where Mathew Street, 

Rainford Square and Temple Court meet – the place he interpreted 

Jung’s dream to be – Peter leased an old fruit warehouse in 1974 

and moved in with his cousin Sean. The modern incarnation of 

Jung’s Liverpool dream was born and, long before the Sex Pistols 

declared there to be “No Future”, the first signs of punk started 

to emerge – not the trouser-obsessed punk of London but a very 

scouse, DIY ethos in the face of an obtuse and oppressive council. 

Lack of opportunity no longer became a limitation as the city’s 

youth began making their own and O’Halligan’s warehouse soon 

became a hub for free thinkers. With a thick stench of patchouli in 

the air, Aunt Twacky’s offered up a response to Kensington Market 

and, upstairs, O’Halligan’s parlour-cum-café became a meeting 

place where unemployed dreamers and schemers could mill 

around over one pot of tea all day. “It was a space where you could 

talk, dream and think the impossible,” recalls Larry Sidorczuk, who 

moved into the parlour soon after Peter. “Just having a cup of tea 

and a sandwich became an event,” explains Deaf School manager 

and co-founder of Eric’s Ken Testi. “It was served in a nautical 

fashion because the O’Halligan boys and Charlie Alexander were 

all wearing Swiss navy uniform.” 

When faced with opposition, the response was often surreal. 

Called into court for refusing to pay business rates on the 

warehouse, Peter O’Halligan appeared at the stand dressed in his 

finest prison garb, complete with ball and chain. Unfortunately 

the judge didn’t have a sense of humour – not even cracking as 

much as a smirk when Peter pleaded not guilty… So O’Halligan 

faced six weeks in Walton prison. When he returned, however, the 

debt was wiped. And as his warehouse parlour became THE place 

to go for cutting edge poetry, music, art and comedy, it became 

known as the Liverpool School of Language, Music, Dream and 

Pun. 

“We pretty much moved in on Peter’s invitation,” recalls Enrico 

Cadillac, frontman of the seminal Deaf School. “It became our new 

rehearsal place and general hangout.” These rehearsals became 

gigs in their own right and it was there that the band struck their 

lucrative deal with Warner Bros. “Derek Taylor sat on a wooden 

THE LIVER 

ue, Mic Language, Music 

chair in front of us with tears in his eyes,” Enrico explains. “I guess 

[it was] because he fell in love with Deaf School right there but 

also because of the street we were in, maybe [it was] his first time 

back there since his Beatles days.” 

There definitely was a sense that something had been 

reawakened on that street, particularly on 6th June 1976. On a 

blisteringly hot morning, Peter and Sean married Jeannie and 

Lynn before a plaque was unveiled which read, “Liverpool is the 

pool of life C.G. JUNG. 1927.” A bust of the man himself was atop, 

naturally. The Mathew Street Woodwind Ensemble, the Mathew 

bidolito.co.uk


13 

POOL DREAM 

, Dream and Pun ue, Mic 

Street Brass Band, Deaf School and Yachts then took to an outdoor “It was all so postmodern it was untrue; it was Monty Python, 

stage set up on the street. This was the first of three annual it was the League of Gentlemen,” remarks Chris Bernard. “Peter 

Jung Festivals that brought the idiosyncratic shenanigans of the O’Halligan is the funniest fuck that’s ever walked the streets of 

Liverpool School out onto Mathew Street. At the final festival in Liverpool when it comes to surreal, avant-garde comedy.” It was 

1978, the Bridewell Studio’s Charlie Alexander jumped from a fifthfloor 

loading bay into a giant can (painted skip) of Bird’s custard. in Liverpool and set up the Science Fiction Theatre, making 

towards the end of the summer of ‘76 that Ken Campbell arrived 

Chris 

stage manager. They would go on to create “the most remarkable 

play staged on Planet Earth”, but that’s another story for another 

day. 

Even though there was an incredible will to push art to 

its limits, there still needed to be some money coming in and 

a certain bank manager – now on the board at the Everyman – 

proved key. “Everybody who was sensible enough banked at the 

same NatWest at the time. You’d never on the whole planet find 

a bank manager like Mike Carney, he’d back virtually anything,” 

explains David Knopov, recollecting the time he paid off his 

overdraft with a piece of artwork. 

Now, Jung would have been the first to tell you that as all this 

was happening, the idea had entered the collective unconscious, 

so it is highly imaginable that similar creative pockets were 

springing up across the world. However, you need only take a look 

at the school alumni to see that there was something particularly 

special about this place. From Bill Drummond to Ian Broudie, Holly 

Johnson to Jayne Casey, everyone who frequented the warehouse 

seems to have found some kind of divine inspiration and it wasn’t 

just in the arts either: one resident, Andrew Chamberlain, went 

on to become a renowned palaeontologist/archaeologist at 

Sheffield University. 

Even more profound however, was the influence the Liverpool 

School had on the city. “There’s always a spin-off. Each one 

spawns the next,” Urban Strawberry Lunch’s Ambrose Reynolds 

explains. “I would have never dared to do the Bombed Out Church 

thing, but when I saw O’Halligan saying ‘We wanna do this – if 

the council don’t like it they can fuck off’, it sparked something 

in my mind.” 

Taken over by Martin Cooper (now head chef at Delifonseca), 

O’Halligan’s parlour became the Armadillo Tea Rooms and took 

on a new life. “The Armadillo, Probe and Eric’s were like the 

Golden Triangle of Liverpool punk,” notes Bernie Connor, whose 

early years were shaped by his time in Aunt Twacky’s. “At an age of 

discovery it was just incredible; I learned more there in a fucking 

afternoon than I did in five years at secondary school.” 

Move forward to the early eighties and Kif Higgin’s Urban 

Stress and Earthbeat carried the baton for the Liverpool School 

but in a much more politicised way; healing many of the scars 

of the Toxteth riots with music, community work and fervent 

activism. Comparisons between the Liverpool School and 

MelloMello would be more than superficial, too. When Ken 

Campbell’s carpenter, Greg Scott Gurner, dreamed up the idea of 

a multi-hub café, he was instructed to come to Liverpool by the 

late great playwright. When MelloMello closed in 2014, it was only 

a matter of months before a new creative space in Water Street 

was revealed. And that’s the thing: no matter how hard it gets 

squeezed, the Liverpool dream never relents. The city continues 

to attract those with an insatiable desire to create something, 

and the punk, DIY ethos born in O’Halligan’s warehouse still 

permeates almost every corner of the city’s creative underbelly 

today. 

Go to bidlito.co.uk now to see a gallery of Larry Sidorczuk’s 

photos from the Liverpool School Of Language, Music, Dream And 

Pun. 

bidolito.co.uk

14 


VFor Threshold 

SECRET SOUNDS 

feat. Natalie McCool / D R O H N E / Silent Cities 

Words: Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts 

Hark, what beast comes to drag our neighbours through the gates of 

spring into joyous pastures? Why it’s only the fifth annual THRESHOLD 

FESTIVAL, an event that’s becoming something of a trendsetter in 

Liverpool, a three-day celebration of our smartest grassroots creatives 

and an excuse to legitimately knock back enough craft beer to 

permanently curl a moustache. Last year’s sci-fi theme had its moments, 

but this time the organisers are letting the line-up speak for itself, 

broadening the reach of their enviable tendrils to ensure our dynamic 

locality is more present than ever. This home-cooked confection of 

music, art and performance, spread across half a dozen venues in the 

Baltic Triangle, announces the festival season before anyone’s had the 

chance to shake off those winter blues. So start shaking! Here are a few 

of the highlights you can look forward to . . . 

MUSIC 

With a mightily impressive roster of local artists packed in to the 

bill, headline status at Threshold V falls to a few pesky out-of-towners. 

AKALA (pictured) is sure to be a major draw for the casual urbanite and 

anyone else with a penchant for smart, tongue-boggling hip hop. Having 

long ago trashed the label of Ms Dynamite’s brother with his emotional 

intelligence and amazing freestyle skills, the London-born rapper is 

now a pillar of the UK scene. His 2013 album The Thieves Banquet was a 

cogent attack on the evils of dictatorship and political hypocrisy without 

sacrificing his famed lyricism, while his follow-up, a graphic novel/ 

performance hybrid, was nothing less than a trawl through entire aeons 

of societal corruption. 

Another big name making their mark will be NUBIYAN TWIST, a 

twelve-piece mash-up of musicians and DJs walking a thin stylistic 

tightrope through jazz, Latino and Caribbean-inflected funk. Fronted by 

the timelessly effervescent Nubiya Brandon, their raison d’être borrows 

from so many corners of world music that you’d be forgiven for checking 

your passport stamps before turning up. Luckily, Nubiyan Twist are just 

too damn to be ignored, since they’re practically unable to turn in a show 

that doesn’t leave people grinning like loons. Of course, if you’re a true 

regional patriot, LIMF Academy Ones To Watch SUB BLUE and SOPHIA BEN 

YOUSEF will be knocking out their neo-soul arsenal as they’re fixed ever 

closer by the bright eyes of stardom, just as ETCHES and MUTANT VINYL 

hope to further their rise to the top of the city’s musical chain. Elsewhere, 

VYNCE, BLUE SAINT and the uncategorisable PADDY STEER offer depth and 

assurance to a busy programme. 

Words: Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts 

VISUAL ARTS 

Because bashed livers and eardrums are not everything in this world, 

Threshold V is giving our peepers a bit of a treat, too. The new Liverpool 

Craft Beer space will be hosting work from some of our finest local 

artists, including ROBERT FLYNN’s ongoing Metamorphosis series. Having 

dabbled in a number of solo and group shows in the past, Flynn’s current 

muse resides in our modern anxiety with body image and the thankless 

quest for perfection. His photographs tap into the surreal quality of 

transcending one’s physical form as the demons of insecurity nip at our 

backs. Meanwhile, RADAR COMMUNICATION, or Mark Chapman to the 

alias adverse, will be returning to exhibit his latest digital collages. As 

Flynn interprets hidden desires of the mind, Chapman turns his attention 

outward, finding accidental beauty in what many would consider prosaic. 

Inspired by creative renovation in warehouses and bygone industrial 

spaces – a perfect match, then, for Threshold’s pop-up mentality – his art 

is swamped with texture, symmetry, and abstraction, filtering materials 

through the eyes of someone in love with urbanity. For the Threshold 

crowd, that might just be a lens we already share. Heartily recommended. 

FILM 

As if Threshold’s chest-beating wasn’t loud enough, it’s roped in 

someone else to do it for them. Brett Gregory’s third documentary in 

his Beyond… collection, Liverpool – Beyond The Beatles, aims to hold a 

spotlight to Liverpool’s music scene as it stands today, combining talkinghead 

interviews, lush panning shots of that distinctive waterfront, and 

discussions about whether bands are still trying to live up to You Know 

Who. Rest assured that the soundtrack, video footage and interviewees 

will all be top notch (look out for Bido Lito!’s very own Craig G Pennington 

in full pontification mode). After its well-received premiere, those who 

missed out can expect a portrait of the familiar from the inside, spliced 

with the same affection Serious Feather Productions imparted on 

Manchester and Iceland in other cinematic scrapbooks. 

Threshold Festival takes place between 27th and 29th March across a 

variety of venues in The Baltic Triangle. Full line-up and ticketing details 

can be found at thresholdfestival.co.uk. 

What do you get when you combine an acclaimed solo artist, 

a pair of ambient electro-heads, and one of the most purely 

gorgeous songwriters to come out of Liverpool in a decade? Fuck 

knows. But this collaboration, taking place in an undisclosed 

venue, has got us seriously excited. Since our hands would be 

hacked off and fed to monkeys if we said any more, we asked 

NATALIE MCCOOL if she could spill the proverbial beans. 

Bido Lito!: Obviously there’s an element of secrecy 

surrounding exactly what’ll go down at this gig, but can you 

give us any clues? Will it be improvised or rehearsed diligently 

beforehand? 

Natalie McCool: An element of both, I think. We'll be having 

a few rehearsals to lay the groundwork for sure, but it's always 

good to keep things fresh 

BL!: When did you first come up with the idea of 

collaborating? 

NMcC: It was Sally Nulty who initially approached me to 

collaborate with D R O H N E and I thought that would be a 

really great experience. Then [festival organisers] Chris and 

Kaya approached myself and Simon [Madison, Silent Cities] – 

they heard about our collaboration on the Daydream track and 

really wanted us on board for Threshold, too. 

BL!: I’m interested to know what can be gained from 

combining all of your different styles – D R O H N E, for example, 

are quite separate from yourself on the musical spectrum. 

NMcC: I think collaboration is really important – I actually 

think we are all very different from each other and I think that 

will really work. It's good to experiment as much as possible 

outside of the sphere of your own project, and to be versatile in 

that way. I believe it opens more doors of possibility. 

BL!: Would you agree that Threshold’s laid-back, communal 

atmosphere is something special for performers to witness? 

NMcC: Threshold is a fantastic event – it's unique because 

it combines arts with music, which attracts quite a wide 

audience. Last year's show was brilliant – I played solo, which is 

something I really enjoy because it enables me to connect with 

the audience in a different way. There was a great atmosphere, 

which goes across all the Threshold events I've attended. 

BL!: In the spirit of the piece, tell us a secret… 

NMcC: I used to speak about myself in the third person when 

I was a baby, calling myself “the baby”. When I woke up in my 

cot I would stand up and shout down the stairs: "COME AND 

GET THE BABY!"

2015 HIGHLIGHTS 

THE UNTHANKS 

Sunday 1 March 7.30pm 

– 

RUMOURS OF 

FLEETWOOD MAC 

Thursday 5 March 7.30pm 

– 

‘A CURIOUS LIFE’ 

& LEVELLERS - 

(acoustic) 

Friday 6 March 7.30pm 

– 

DR JOHN 

and the Nite Trippers 

Monday 9 March 7.30pm 

ONE MAN 

BREAKING BAD 

performed by Miles Allen 

Tuesday 24 March 7.30pm 

– 

CALEXICO 

Friday 1 May 8pm 

– 

DYLAN MORAN 

Saturday 2 May 8pm 

– 

THE FULL 

ENGLISH 

Tuesday 5 May 7.30pm 

REGINALD 

D HUNTER 

Sunday 10 May 8pm 

– 

STEWART 

LEE 

Tuesday 2 June 8pm 

Wednesday 3 June 8pm 

– 

ELVIS 

COSTELLO - 

DETOUR 

Monday 15 June 8pm 

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall 

Box Office 0151 709 3789 

liverpoolphil.com 

Image The Unthanks 

bidolito.co.uk

To take A LOVELY WAR on face value is a deceptive approach. Shy, 

understated and purveyors of the kind of post-Belle & Sebastian 

blend of self-effacing indie pop so often maligned as twee, it’s easy 

to place them firmly amidst that tedious huddle of the gratingly 

timorous – the kind of artificial ‘alternative’ concocted by a satchelwearing, 

ironically-bearded 44-year-old charged with sucking any 

hint of personality from Renault’s latest ad campaign. This fourpiece 

are profoundly not so. Rather, their early recorded work and 

embryonic live performances show signs of an assertive zealousness; 

an enthralling absorption of left-field musical tradition from Bush to 

Bowie to Banhart, distilled into a firm individualism that’s anything 

but imitation. 

In short, there aren’t many bands that sound much like A Lovely War 

– in their native Merseyside, essentially none – and on the subject of 

their contemporaries the band are more naturally drawn to discussing 

what they’re not. “Well we’re not really indie rock, are we?” muses 

guitarist Chris Keogh on the subject. “[The music] is in opposition to a 

Words: Patrick Clarke / @Paddyclarke 

Photography: Robin Clewley / robinclewley.co.uK 

bidolito.co.uk

lot of the Liverpool scene.” 

“I don’t think we’ll ever be singing about the Liver 

Birds,” says bassist Patrick Hughes on their place as a 

‘Liverpool band’, “but I think you do get a lot [from the 

city] subconsciously; as opposed to just singing about 

the city, you pick up a lot just from being here. There’s 

always music, there’s always gigs in Liverpool, always 

things to see; you can have Africa Oyé, then you can go 

out and see metal gigs. You pick it up.” 

The result on record is in a sense indefinable; on 

their debut EP proper – November’s self-titled fourtrack 

effort – the group careen from synth to accordion 

to frenetic, vaudevillian stretches and off-kilter hits to 

the heartstrings, and they themselves struggle for the 

catch-all adjective. “It’s quite poppy, but it’s not pop…” 

offers Patrick. “The influences are quite mixed,” his 

brother and drummer Liam adds. Ultimately it’s singer, 

keyboardist and chief-songwriter Sean Keogh, brother 

to Chris, who makes the best stab at it. “I think we just 

want to be weird. Different. There’s no point in not 

doing that musically… When we started I just wanted to 

be doing something I thought was interesting.” 

Interesting is certainly the word, and the group are 

unafraid when it comes to flexing their offbeat muscles. 

In their younger days Patrick, Sean and Chris were 

members of a live ska group, and cut their teeth across 

a series of inconsequential toilet-circuit gigs. “We were 

all fairly young at that point; we were all under 20. We’d 

have to sell X amount of tickets and pay to play. Thinking 

of it now it was crazy; they were just taking advantage 

of us as we were so young.” The long-term results have 

still impacted on their sound, however, particularly in a 

ska-influenced offbeat tone to a lot of the tunes. “With 

Autumn Leaves Us Blue [lead single from the recent EP], 

the time signature is just… weird. Sean’s played it on his 

own a few times and people have got up to dance, and 

they’ve just not been able to. I like that, though; there’s 

gotta be some sort of confusion,” remembers Patrick. 

The sense of idiosyncrasy surrounding the group 

doesn’t dent their passion for their peers either. As if 

their sound wasn’t indefinable enough, there’s the 

potential of the group hooking up with a local hip 

hop artist; though at the moment it’s a collaboration 

that’s in its formative stages. “We’ve been talking about 

getting involved with him,” says Patrick of the potential 

plans, “maybe jam with him. Just jamming, then we’ll 

see what happens. I think it’ll be quite interesting with 

our poppy kind of sound and his vocals. That’d be kinda 

nice.” 

It’s fair to say the group have come a fairly long 

way since those early days of ska. Now with a couple 

of gigs as a full band under their belts, the group are 

fast ascending to the top of the local radar. “It’s good to 

have recorded the music, got the buzz and then started 

playing it live as opposed to what we used to do in 

Liverpool,” points out Patrick of their approach. “We 

spent a lot of time doing these crappy gigs – they were 

good fun but just in front of our mates. We’d play them 

every week and nothing would really happen.” 

Until university scattered the group, the two pairs 

of brothers had spent almost their entire lives in each 

other’s company. “All of us were into music; we all 

played in different bands. We all played different gigs 

together but people went to uni and stuff and the 

bands just stopped,” recalls Patrick. Time passed, shortlived 

student bands came and went, until, as Patrick 

continues, “There was this time when we were all in the 

same place and we started A Lovely War. We did some 

gigs together, just me and Sean. It was really good fun 

but we needed a band – it felt like there was a lot more 

we could do – so it was really good to get Chris playing 

guitar and singing, and Liam on drums.” 

The fortunes of A Lovely War are undeniably on the 

rise, yet the group still retain an animosity for the state 

of Britain’s cultural opportunities for unestablished 

artists. “Music and art isn’t treated as a commodity like 

any other job is, and that’s a problem,” says Sean on 

the subject. “We put so much work into this band, and 

people can assume that that somehow doesn’t count,” 

agrees Patrick. “We’re making money for other people, 

and somewhere along the way it’s become acceptable 

that that’s just the way it is.” “It’s sold to the bands as if 

they’re being given all these opportunities, rather than 

‘you’re making us money’,” his brother adds. 

“It’s so much easier now to record yourself and get 

yourself out there; that’s changed things a lot,” Liam 

continues, and it’s a state of affairs that’s helped 

immeasurably with his own outfit. It was the video for 

Autumn Leaves Us Blue that saw ears initially pricked, 

even though they barely had a finalised line-up; since 

then, their EP has become a fast favourite for all of 

an alternative sensibility, representing the quartet’s 

steady rise. As a live backbone begins to assert itself, 

we can only hope that ascent is a long and continued 

one for these understated instigators of the kind of 

individualism this city sorely needs. 

soundcloud.com/alovelywar 

bidolito.co.uk

18 


GIT 

Award 

2015 

Now in to its fourth year, the GIT AWARD is set 


to once again applaud the cream of Liverpool’s 

latest musical exports, while also shining a light 

on some of the city’s lesser-known gems. Behold, 

on the page opposite, the twelve nominees who’ve 

been shortlisted for the 2015 Award. Ahead of the 

ceremony – set to be held at The Kazimier on 4th 

April – we catch up with a few of the accolade’s 

national judging panel, to find out how the 

city’s current musical crop are perceived outside 

Merseyside. 

By way of celebrating what has been another fine 

year of musical creativity on Merseyside, the 2015 

edition of the GIT Award has left no stone unturned 

in compiling its final shortlist. These twelve nominees 

represent a fine cross-section of where they city is 

at right now, and the list boasts some pretty major 

players. And it took a crack team of judges, with both 

local knowhow and national expertise, to finally decide 

on who would be in the GIT Award 2015’s dirty dozen. 

As a member of the sixteen-strong judging panel this 

year, let me assure you that it was far from an easy task. 

When I joined the panel – as a local judge alongside 

head judge and Award chief Peter Guy, Mike Deane 

(Liverpool Music Week director), Victoria Smith (Arts 

Club manager), Yaw Owusu (LIMF creative director) and 

Words: Christopher Torpey / @CATorp 

Steve Miller (EVOL and Sound City booker) – I thought I 

had a pretty good idea of what was going on and who 

I’d likely be voting for. But even I was surprised at the 

strength and breadth of the two hundred-plus long 

list that was circulated around the judging panel as a 

starting point for our deliberations. And I wasn’t the 

only one pleasantly surprised. 

“The sheer diversity on display in Liverpool is 

incredible,” says Clash Magazine’s Deputy Online Editor 

Robin Murray, one of the Award’s national judges. “Truly, 

there's little I can say to do it justice. The breadth and 

depth of talent is intimidating and I just hope that we 

– as the judging panel – can give the wider world a 

flavour of what's going on in the city.” Award-winning 

music journalist Simon Price was also impressed by 

the variety of music presented to him on the long list 

this time round. “I didn't realise there was such a strong 

scene [on Merseyside] for hip hop/R&B/grime until 

I got involved with this process. A lot of my favourite 

nominees came from that side of things.” 

Having attended the GIT Award Final for the last 

couple of years and been “passionate about its ethos”, 

journalist, blogger and Amazing Radio show host 

Shell Zenner was delighted to be part of the judging 

process this year, and has been heartened not just 

by what she’s heard, but also by the platform the GIT 

Award has become. “The process to me has solidified 

the confidence that it's not where you're at, it's the 

potential you have, too – whatever the genre, whatever 

the type of music or artist you are,” Shell tells me, 

evidently brimming with enthusiasm. “You will be heard 

and considered. This year we've pitched commercially 

viable artists against leftfield heroes, and even those 

taking their tentative first steps into the industry. It's 

seriously heart-warming and exciting to see what will 

happen in the future.” 

Music journalism has come a long way in the past 

decade, and regional stereotypes – in terms of sound 

at least – are gradually becoming a thing of the past. 

The erosion of the idea that certain regions only 

produce certain types of musicians is a welcome one, 

with Merseyside a prime example. “I don't think there's 

any one dominating flavour in Liverpool's music scene, 

which is partly why it's so creative,” agrees Robin 

Murray. “It feels like right now the city is a great place to 

make music, with musicians supporting one another in 

whatever bizarre concoctions they dream up. Sure, The 

La's and The Coral were great bands, but there's more 

to Liverpool than that.” Shell Zenner agrees, and is 

proud of the final shortlist that the judging panel have 

settled on. “To say all the artists from the area sound 

like [The La’s and The Coral] is completely incorrect: 

Circa Waves are a stadium indie band in the making; 

Låpsley is an electronic genius who’s carrying the 

electronic torch forward from last year’s winner Forest 

Swords; Esa Shields is completely far-out and it fills me 

with excitement to see his live show; and then you've 

got the stunning sound of the incredible Jane Weaver, 

whose latest album topped the Piccadilly Records 

album of the year list in 2014. Liverpool and its music 

are not to be pigeonholed!” 

Dot Levine – Head of Campaigns and Communications 

at UK Music, which represents the collective interests of 

the UK’s commercial music industry – has got to know 

Liverpool pretty well over recent months, thanks to her 

dad (record producer Steve) setting up his new home 

in the city. Her experiences judging this year’s process 

have instilled in her a renewed vigour for a region that’s 

always been proud of its musical chops. “Liverpool is 

a city full of music lovers and music makers – people 

who are always trying to listen for something new and 

exciting, and music makers creating something new 

and exciting. Liverpool’s scene breathes life into the 

industry – it’s full of people who are the lifeblood of 

our vibrant and diverse UK music industry,” she reveals. 

From my own point of view, selecting the final 

twelve artists to be shortlisted has been a satisfying 

experience. I’m as convinced as anyone else that this 

city is as good as any other at creating and nurturing 

musical talent; what the GIT Award nominees for 2015 

show is that we have deep reserves of high-class skill 

in our midst, and we’re right to praise it. Now we’ve just 

got to pick a winner. Any ideas? 

The GIT Award final ceremony takes place at The 

Kazimier on 4th April.

Circa Waves 

Circa Waves have marked themselves 

as one of the UK’s biggest music 

sensations, with a nomination for Best 

New Band in the 2014 NME Awards. 

D R O H N E 

A subversive mystique adds a dissonant edge 

to the work of this electronic duo, who have 

signed with O Genesis Recordings and supported 

Factory Floor in the past twelve months. 

All We Are 

The lithe, rhythmic grooves on this 

trio’s debut, self-titled LP have not 

only won them a legion of fans, but 

also heaps of international praise. 

Esa Shields 

Gulf 

Hooton Tennis Club 

An acid pop polymath who has long been 

a fixture of Liverpool’s underground music 

community, Esa Shields’ experimentalism 

is finally getting the praise it deserves. 

A quintet with the music world at their 

feet, Gulf ’s light-as-a-feather cosmic pop 

has had the music press and industry 

buzzing about where they’ll go next. 

Close friendships and swaggering, 

lo-fi warmth are part of the fabric of 

this quartet, who are signed up to the 

respected label Heavenly Recordings. 

Låpsley 

Jane Weaver 

Roxanne L Jones 

Widnes-born Jane Weaver has found 

her groove with sixth solo album The 

Silver Globe, which meshes celestial 

shoegaze with a touch of krautrock. 

Holly Låpsley Fletcher’s sparse, dubby 

compositions have seen the Formby 

teenager sign with XL Recordings and win 

the inaugural Blog Sound award for 2015. 

A bold, sassy delivery typifies the 

approach of this Toxteth-born singersongwriter, 

who fuses vintage soul 

sensibilities with contemporary pop. 

We Are Catchers 

The Sundowners 

These five Wirral musicians channel a 

vintage, summery vibe in their hip-shaking 

rock revivalism, which has seen them 

play Glastonbury’s Introducing Stage. 

The Domino-released debut album 

of melancholic Scouse troubadour 

Peter Jackson is a wistful collection of 

Beach Boys-esque yearning pop. 

Xam Volo 

Twenty-one-year-old Sam Folorunsho 

is a fast-rising star soul star whose selfproduced 

EP Binary In Blue showed a 

flair for super-slick hip hop beats.

20 


bidolito.co.uk


21 

“…Expect Surprises…” 

Words: Paddy Hughes / @paddyhughes89 

Illustration: Lucy Roberts / lucyannerobertsillustration.co.uk 

The stately setting of the Anglican Cathedral is preparing for a 

riot of colour on Friday 6th March, when Merrill Garbus brings her 

Day-Glo outfit TUNE-YARDS for a party that seems at odds with 

the venerable building’s sombre atmosphere. Being at odds with 

things is Garbus’ default setting, however, so it would actually 

seem like the perfect setting. Ahead of this show, which comes in 

the middle of a massive UK tour, the New England experimentalist 

took time out of her busy schedule to talk business. 

Bido Lito!: When did tUnE-yArDs start and were you in other 

bands when you were younger and growing up? 

Merrill Garbus: I had actually been thinking recently about 

those old bands. tUnE-yArDs started in about 2007. In about 

2006 I started writing songs on a ukulele, songs which I was 

originally using for a puppet show because I was originally a 

puppeteer. So I was writing these songs with just me and a 

uke, and then tUnE-yArDs sort of grew out of that. Before that 

I used to live in Vermont and I was in a number of bands with 

lots of different people. I was the back-up ukulele player, if 

that is even a thing, in a Vermont reggae band called Baked 

Earth. Eventually I moved from Vermont up to Montréal and 

from there I took music a bit more seriously, touring round 

the country with lots of different Montréal bands and, yeah, 

that was basically the start of me wanting to make music my 

full-time job. 

BL!: You mentioned that you’re a puppeteer… Are there any 

crossovers with that and your current role in tUnE-yArDs?? 

MG: First of all, for me both jobs are about being a performer 

and that in itself is its own career type. A lot of musicians come 

into music without having a lot of experience of being on 

stage but you can really tell when you see the ones that do. It 

makes you really pay attention to the visual side of things and 

that is how we build our shows, with a connection between 

performance art and music. In the first tUnE-yArDs gigs I did in 

Montréal, there was always other stuff going on besides the 

music, but no puppets at that point. Now I realise how much I 

have learnt from my puppeteer mentors who taught me about 

being on stage and how to approach performance, and I feel 

that have carried all of that with me. Whether it be on small 

stages or whether it be in the big festivals that we get to play 

these days, it’s all about a performance-based experience for 

me. 

BL!: Who were your influences when you were getting into 

music? 

MG: Early on, Deerhoof were a band that I felt were doing 

something that was really connected to performance art. As 

much as I have also grown up listening to The Beatles and 

The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, they are the bands that 

everyone has heard of; whereas Deerhoof and other bands 

really connected personally to what I was doing and what 

I could be doing, and they gave me a new view on rock and 

roll. Dirty Projectors were defiantly one of those bands too 

who were also just experimenting with rock music; you know, 

doing weird and out-there things? But whenever people ask 

this question I know that I have a lot of influences but I never 

know what to say. I actually think that the first tUnE-yArDs 

album had a lot of Cindy Lauper and other 80s stuff as well 

as rock and roll. It helped create that kind of lo-fi sound, you 

know? 

BL!: Can you explain a bit more of how you go about 

creating your music? 

MG: The truth is that the music is always changing and 

it’s all a big mess. I wish there was a formula that worked 

every time but it’s usually just some sort of rhythm that 

starts everything and then that’s when I know we’re starting 

something… A lot of it basically starts with how I want to 

move to a song. With Water Fountain it began with the 

chorus. I had that tune in my head and had to get it out. It’s 

like little shards, little tiny things that need to be put into a 

bigger place. The lyric “No water in the water fountain” was 

a clue to the rest of the song and I followed it. At that point 

Nate Brenner, who also writes the songs, usually comes in 

and reflects what I have been working on, and I’ll say “this 

is going to work”, to which he’ll say “what about this?”, and 

we’ll go back and forth. One thing that puppeteering gave 

me was the sense of a world that you are trying to create, so 

the big question for me is always “What kind of world am I 

trying to create?” 

BL!: So you mention performance and space. How are you 

approaching the show at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral then? 

MG: These days people should expect a lot of bright colours, 

which is really fun. I think also a dynamic feel, and we’re 

going to bring a tonne of energy, which doesn’t just come 

from the musical performance. We are going to be theatrical 

and all-encompassing. I’ve really been enjoying making our 

performance something that people can lose themselves in, 

you know? People should come to the show and forget about 

their normal lives. What more do we want than to forget our 

normal lives for an hour a week? But it isn’t about numbing 

out; it’s about feeling different and changed. Maybe that is a 

really pompous thing to say, but it is what I think. 

BL!: Is it a different experience for you playing in the UK 

compared to the US? 

MG: Oh yeah. The UK has been one of our strongest allies, 

in the way that UK audiences are so open to different types 

of music and strange stuff. It’s hard to shock UK audiences. 

I also think that if you smash a performance and are clearly 

committed to your music, UK audiences will be right there 

with you with their energy and spirit. I think there’s a strong 

musical culture, especially in Liverpool, that has been going 

for a long time so people are very excited about new work. I 

love Liverpool and it’s an honour to be playing there. 

BL!: Festival season is also on the horizon. Do you enjoy 

doing lots of musical festivals or do you find them hectic? 

MG: Oh, both. It is a shit show in so many ways. You have 

to be ready for this whole new style of “one, two, three, go!” 

instead of a sound check and prep for the show. It can be very 

panicked and last minute but that adds to the energy and 

electricity that’s part of the performance. It isn’t the easiest 

thing for your system to take on but it is always rewarding 

for us. It feels like being in a new band sometimes, as you 

have a little bit more to prove in festivals, but that’s always 

a good thing for us. 

BL!: Your most recent album, Nikki Nack, seems to have 

been really well received. Did you approach this album 

differently from the other ones? 

MG: Well, we had more resources and I was a little more 

fearless with what I could try and get away with. There was 

room to go a little bit bigger with the sound for this album. I 

really wanted to challenge myself and to write differently, not 

just write songs on a looping pedal like the previous albums. 

So I tried to write longer and more composed pop songs. I 

also wanted to leave a lot of room for other elements that we 

had never used before to come alive within the record, and I 

think we achieved that with the record. 

BL!: Do you have a clear plan for what you want to achieve 

next? 

MG: I have no idea. If I knew, I would tell you. I want 

surprises; I want to keep surprising myself. We’ll be on the 

road till the end of the summer and then who knows? It 

could be anything. I literally have no idea… but surprises are 

good. Expect surprises. 

tUnE-yArDs play Liverpool Anglican Cathedral on 6th March. 

tune-yards.com 

bidolito.co.uk

22 


bidolito.co.uk

pass 

the 

Illustration: Nick Booton 

Words: Richard Lewis 

/ bruisedstudio.com 

Photography: 

Keith Ainsworth 

/ arkimages.co.uk 


23 

rediscovering 

open mic culture 

in liverpool 

While a plethora of new technology has provided fledgling 

musicians with the opportunity to get their material out into 

the world over the past decade, what has this meant for the 

grass roots mainstay of the humble Open Mic night? In times 

gone by, these simple but celebratory affairs would be the 

first platform on which embryonic artists shared their creative 

labours; they provided an invaluable role in celebrating and 

nurturing new talent. It seems that Liverpool, thankfully, still 

has a particular fondness and insatiable appetite for the 

form, as on any given weeknight scores of events take place 

in venues scattered across the city centre and out into the 

suburbs. 

The movement today builds on the tradition immortalised 

at cult New York hangouts The Bitter End, Cafe Wha?, Gerde's 

Folk City and, perhaps most famously, The Gaslight Cafe, and 

is the world depicted in the Cohen Brothers’ 2013 film Inside 

Llewyn Davis. Liverpool is no different; our music culture 

is rooted in coffee houses and jazz clubs and their open, 

collaborative, silo-like nature has helped create the music 

scene we love today. Contrary to popular belief, Open Mics 

are not synonymous with endless off-key renditions of Stuck 

In The Middle With You and ill-advised Ed Sheeran warbling; 

this is a dynamic, creative subculture and one which has 

flourished over recent years in Liverpool. 

Longest serving of the current nights, Out Of The Bedroom, 

hosted by Johnny Sands at Leaf, has run on Tuesday evenings 

for the past half-decade (Rufus Wainwright famously attended 

the evening following his performance at the Philharmonic a 

few years ago). The night has flourished in to a stalwart of 

the Open Mic scene, and Johnny, with his inimitable hosting, 

has become somewhat of a flame-bearer for the form. Out Of 

The Bedroom is now joined by his weekly Saturday afternoon 

session at Heebie Jeebies Courtyard. “There was a bit of a 

stigma with Open Mic, the kind of ‘It’s a gig for a musician 

who can’t get a gig’ attitude,” Johnny states. “I wanted to take 

Open Mic out of what was a pub – covers, kinda anything goes 

– and make it into a more London-type setup. The first thing 

was to set out a load of rules of how I’d run the night: original 

material, make sure the PA was the equivalent of any good 

gig. In London it was the same principal but it was far more 

high profile, people were getting up and singing their songs 

and record industry people were watching them.” The singer 

also curates a sister event to Out Of The Bedroom, which is 

held every couple of months and is more of a showcase. 

“The performers at Maison Johnny are cherry picked. 

Everyone who’s either played at the Heebies Acoustic Club 

on a Saturday afternoon, or Leaf on a Tuesday, they go on 

hat 

there.” 

“Over the years of doing it you see people progress from 

being an aspiring musician to an accomplished player; you 

can see them get that feeling of ‘this is what I want to do’,” 

he continues. “Because not nearly as many acts are getting 

signed and lower-level musicians aren’t given a chance, the 

local scene has become even stronger. Liverpool’s probably 

the best city in the country for this kind of scene, the way 

all the venues are close together. When I lived in Newcastle 

there were tonnes of bands in practice rooms but there were 

“Liverpool’s probably the best 

city in the country for this 

kind of scene, the way all the 

venues are close together.” 

johnny sands 

no venues. Nowhere to play and only one open mic while I 

was there.” 

Over at The Brink, as part of the organisation’s 

accompanying events programme an Open Mic night has 

been run in-house by David Barnicle for the past two years. 

“It’s an integral part of the musical landscape,” David states, 

not just of the Brink’s Thursday night sessions, but of Open 

Mic culture in general. “When you have songs coming out of 

their initial conception and you just want to go somewhere 

and get a bit of stage time and perform it, you use the stage 

as a means of practising. It’s essential to have that means 

of performing. Not everyone who plays at an Open Mic is 

gonna get to a great level, but it can be important for people 

who start there to learn basic skills. It’s not as if the music 

scene wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for Open Mics, but it’s 

part of that organism.” 

“The Open Mic is a reflection of the way the whole place 

works, it’s not just people in recovery,” David emphasises 

of The Brink, which is a recovery social enterprise, meaning 

that all profits go directly back into the community to fund 

support for those who have suffered through alcoholism and 

addiction. “Out of all the people who come to our Open Mic, 

there are probably more people who aren’t in recovery that 

those in it. People who may be in short-term or long-term 

recovery who don’t want to play anywhere else, they only 

come and play here. Because we do the young musicians 

showcase here for under-eighteens, and because we’re a 

dry bar, they find their way to the Open Mic as well. To be in 

people’s minds you only get that through continuity, that’s 

what gives it the profile.” 

Newly revived Slater Street landmark The Jacaranda, 

meanwhile, has recently inaugurated a night dedicated to 

Open Mic in the basement of the pub. “Some of the acts 

who get invited down to play will play a half-hour set,” Thom 

Morecroft – who hosts and runs the event alongside Joe 

Maryanji on Thursdays and Sundays – explains. “No-one’s 

got up and played Wonderwall so far, and it’s not like we’re 

going to say to people ‘Can you only play stuff from this really 

cool list of tracks’, because that would defeat the object of 

an Open Mic. Some nights will be in very hushed tones with 

people sat round sipping pints listening to music; others 

are more frenetic and everyone will get up and play three 

songs. Some of them go on until half-one in the morning.” 

Thom also believes that musicians raised in the digital age 

aren’t afraid of descending in to these basement venues, 

even when it might be outside their natural comfort zone. 

“SoundCloud – and the internet generally – has given a lot 

more confidence to the bedroom musician and has made it 

more likely for them to emerge from the house. However, the 

internet, in its infinite wisdom, hasn’t been that kind to the 

bar scene. You’ve got to be a bit more creative – not just for 

Open Mics, but if you’re putting on gigs. I think SoundCloud 

culture and Open Mics are natural allies.” 

An accompanying venture to the Jacaranda session is held 

at Parr Street Studio 2. “The Parr Street Acoustic Sessions is 

held once a month on a Wednesday. It’s a lot more formal 

than The Jacaranda; it’s free entry but it’s always the case 

that we’ll have eight acts on who’ll play twenty minutes 

each and the audience has to be silent. It’s more of a 

showcase.” Warming to the theme, Thom goes to say: “There 

are now way more Open Mics in Liverpool than there were 

bidolito.co.uk

24 


“perseverance 

ten to fifteen years ago. People will play a good 

Open Mic – even if the 

connotations of that are ‘Oh, it’s an Open Mic’ – 

rather than play a crap gig. A good Open Mic scene 

helps people avoid doing rubbish gigs.” 

The Bridewell, off Duke Street, has held an Open 

Mic night since November 2013, run by Iain Morley and Ben 

Singleton of The Buffalo Riot. “We didn’t realise there was 

that much of a scene out there, that people wanted it,” 

Iain explains. “Edgar Jones came down when we started 

to help kick it off. What we found was there were a lot of 

people booking acts, which isn’t really an Open Mic. We try 

and make it so that people know where you are; a constant 

every week to try and build up a community. Perseverance 

is the key,” the singer states. “People might go to an Open 

Mic night and realise it’s not for them; it’s all relative. It has 

to exist as a conduit for people playing acoustic music to get 

feedback, or even for someone to do it and say ‘this isn’t for 

me’. In between shows you’ll get singers from bands coming 

to Open Mics, and we’re even getting people from the first 

year of LIPA coming to perform. What we understood when 

we started doing it was that there’s already a community 

of people doing the Open Mics, and the more people the 

better.” 

At the other end of the city centre, the Monday Club has 

been a fixture of The Cavern Pub’s programme since 2011. 

“The Cavern came to me almost four years ago and asked 

if I wanted to do an Open Mic in the Cavern Pub and gave 

me a six-week slot,” organiser and host Ian Prowse recalls. 

Observing a strict ‘no covers’ policy – “I don’t wanna hear 

covers of Wonderwall or Sex On Fire ever again,” Ian 

grimaces – the emphasis on musicians’ own material steers 

the event away from being a tribute to the band who once 

played at the street’s most famous address opposite, and 

has become a key platform for nurturing emerging new 

talent. Millie Courtney, the Liverpool teenager who enjoyed 

a meteoric rise to top the country charts in Nashville 

last year, cut her teeth at the Monday Club. And the 


“the internet has given a lot 

more confidence to the bedroom 

musician and has made it more 

likely for them to emerge from the 

house. I think SoundCloud culture 

and open Mics are natural allies.” 

thom morecroft 

is the 

key” 

comparison with New York also recurs: “We’ve had loads of 

people come over who’ve done the Open Mic scene in New 

York and said it was a similar thing,” Ian notes. 

Elsewhere, The Magnet is the newest arrival on the circuit, 

establishing an Open Mic night alongside evergreen citybased 

promoters Mellowtone. Hosted by Dave O’Grady 

– alongside a rotating gabble of storied musicians – the 

setup is so new the night is still only a few weeks old. “Dave 

McTague at Mellowtone got me down to play at the first one 

with a view of hosting it maybe once a month, but it turned 

out well [and is now weekly],” Dave O’Grady explains of the 

venture. Hosted “upstairs” (i.e. the street level bar of the 

venue) on Wednesdays from 8pm, Dave thinks that “Open 

Mics are the only avenue for young singer-songwriters to get 

in to the scene. No-one’s gonna come and book their first 

iain morley 

headline gig for them before they’ve got their shit together.” 

Nipping around the corner from Hardman Street onto 

Hope Street, you find the Bistro of the venerated Everyman 

Theatre, location for A Lovely Word, an Open Mic night that 

caters exclusively for spoken word and poetry. Taking place 

on every second Monday of the month and run by Bido 

Lito! contributor Paddy Hughes, the night continues the 

lineage of the Liverpool Poets (Henri, McGough, Patten et 

al), whose 1967 anthology The Mersey Sound became one 

of the bestselling poetry collections ever released. “I think 

diversity of Open Mic nights is crucial; they give people the 

chance to put themselves outside of their comfort zones 

and express themselves in front of a crowd,” Paddy states. 

“Everyone has different ways of expressing themselves, be it 

through singing or be it through spoken word.” 

With “verse, sonnets, spoken word, rap and beat poetry,” 

all represented on a typical night’s line-up, Paddy thinks that 

the aim of any Open Mic night “shouldn’t be a platform for 

the host to show how great he is, instead it should be a safe 

plinth for experienced and inexperienced artists to thrive 

and grow. It is vital to learn from others in order to progress 

as an artist. Liverpool is a hub of creative talent so it would 

be crazy not to tap into it.” 

Bido Lito! will be out and about across Liverpool’s 

Open Mic scene this month. Keep up to date by following 

@BidoLito and share your Open Mic experiences with 

#OpenMicLiverpool.


25 

bidolito.co.uk

26 


MARCH IN BRIEF 

ABANDON SILENCE 5.4 

The penultimate event of a five-part fifth birthday celebration sees ABANDON SILENCE notch up a truly earth-shaking double billing. Novel Sound label 

boss LEVON VINCENT (pictured) has a New York upbringing to thank for his raw brand of dubbed-out beats, which have been refined in his new home of 

Berlin. One of Vincent’s staunchest fans, CRAIG RICHARDS, joins him in the main room for this stellar night. Richards has realised worldwide recognition 

for his quirky, abstract style due to the wild successes of his fabric residency in London. 

The Kazimier / 6th March 

BC CAMPLIGHT 

Proving that hidden gems don’t need to come from the distant past, BC CAMPLIGHT returns from a psychologically bruising seven-year wilderness with 

one hell of a story to tell. His third LP, How To Die In The North, feels more like a spiritual re-birth, veering from blue-eyed soul to haunting piano balladry 

with all the charm of Harry Nilsson. Released by Bella Union in January, the album documents Brain Christinzio’s relocation to Manchester from the fertile 

pastures of Philly, and shows that “the man who blew it” still retains a few of the old tricks. 

Leaf / 11th March 

DUKE SPECIAL 

The UK’s answer to Rufus Wainwright, DUKE SPECIAL brings a cerebral edge to his typically Vaudevillian style of piano balladry. The Belfast-based musician’s 

theatrical style, which often sees his live sets incorporating the sounds of old 78s played through a gramophone, is steeped in the warm romanticism of 

music hall tradition. Since completing a year-long residency at Belfast’s Empire Hall, Duke has been running a Pledge Music campaign to help bring his 

new album, Look Out Machines!, to fruition. Now complete, March sees him hit the road to bring the record to life for the fans who helped him create it. 

Arts Club / 13th March 

FRANCESCO DI FIORE 

Italian pianist and composer FRANCESCO DI FIORE has been performing as a concert pianist since the mid-90s, but his more recent work has seen him turn his eye 

towards abstract performance of his own compositions. VISUAL PIANO is a multimedia project that Di Fiore has developed with his partner, the visual artist Valeria 

Di Matteo, which weaves shape-shifting visuals around the live performance of contemporary and classical pieces. This fascinating collision of worlds is part of the 

Capstone’s Contemporary Piano Series, which brings a host of world-class performers to the venue this spring. 

The Capstone Theatre / 5th March 

GORGEOUS BULLY 

A stalwart of the tremendous indie label Art Is Hard, GORGEOUS BULLY is the work of musician Thomas Crang. Since moving from the south coast in 2013, 

Crang has recruited a full band to help flesh out his grungey self-loathing ditties, and the results have been mightily impressive. Now based in Manchester, 

Gorgeous Bully have followed up their gorgeously clattering EP Nobody Hates You As Much As You Hate Yourself with a string of tour dates with Cymbals 

and Joanna Gruesome. 

Maguire’s Pizza Bar / 12th March 

HAPPILY EVER AFTER? 

Prepare your flask of strong coffee and dust off that side-reinforcing corset: Impropriety’s annual IMPROVATHON is back. The theme for this year’s thirtythree-and-a-half-hour 

bout of non-stop, improvised comedy – Happily Ever After? – comes with a fairytale slant to it: so expect weird twists on those wellworn 

childhood stories, as the action flits from enchanted forests to troll-infested bridges and God knows what else. Step inside the wickedly strange 

imaginations of some of the UK's best improvvers in this brilliant exploration of storytelling. 

The Kazimier / 21st and 22nd March 

IAN MCCULLOCH 

Even in a city with a music history as storied as Liverpool’s, musical icons don’t come much bigger than IAN MCCULLOCH. Famed for his laconic wit 

and dismissive attitude to most other music makers, Mac’s embodiment of the post-punk spirit made him a magnetic character during one of the most 

culturally important periods in the city’s recent history. His contribution to rock music’s pantheon of great hits will be on show here, with stripped-down 

versions of both his Bunnymen and solo material taking centre stage. 

Floral Pavilion / 19th March 

bidolito.co.uk


27 

KILL IT KID 

Supping pints of Stella with music-biz legend Seymour Stein and hanging with Jack White, discussing the finer points of Blind Willie McTell, is 

all part of the life for KILL IT KID these days. The four-piece draw on a mean range of American deep South influences in their rootsy blues rock – 

Woody Guthrie, Johnny Cash, My Morning Jacket – blending them in to the kind of stadium rock anthems that’ll keep even Black Keys fans happy. 

Third album You Owe Nothing is their first release on Seymour Stein’s Sire Records, showing a grittier, more muscular edge. 

O2 Academy / 30th March 

LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC FESTIVAL 

As a celebration of rootsy, acoustic-based music, the Unity Theatre’s ACOUSTIC FESTIVAL has a fair few highlights away from the headline performances 

of the multi award-winning MARKETA IRGLOVA (pictured), and THE LOST BROTHERS. Workshops and masterclasses take place across both days of the 

event, allowing curious minds to get advice on subjects like songwriting from the festival’s performers. A record fair and a seminar series complete the 

programme, alongside a healthy showcasing of Merseyside’s finest roots musicians on the Liverpool Acoustic and Liverpool Live TV stages. 

Unity Theatre / 20th and 21st March 

OXJAM CALLOUT 

Do you love music and want to make a difference? Well you can do so by becoming an Oxjam Takeover Manager and leading a series of fundraising 

events which culminate in a festival-style musical takeover of the city. The annual Oxjam takeover events have raised over £1m for Oxfam over the past 

eight years, helping to make a real change in the lives of people living in poverty across the world. If you want to be a part of a team responsible for 

delivering these stunning multi-venue celebrations, you must apply by Sunday 1st March at bit.ly/theoxjamtakeover. 

RYAN ADAMS 

North Carolina’s alt. rock/country godfather swaps the red carpet scrutiny for his own bit of flashbulb exposure as he tours the UK in February and March. 

Fresh from an album that saw him serving up some introverted acoustica alongside his trademark radio-ready thumpers (2014’s self-titled effort), RYAN 

ADAMS has alleviated any fears that a three-year period of inactivity would see him return ring rusty. Alongside this fourteenth studio album comes an EP 

titled 1984, which shows that Adams’ gobbier punk leanings are alive and well, too. 

Mountford Hall / 1st March 

SLEAFORD MODS 

What do Miles Kane, Oasis, Kasabian and Madchester dance trio Candy Flip have in common? They’ve all copped some rather eloquent flak from SLEAFORD 

MODS’ gobby lyricist Jason Williamson on Twitter. This lyrical wit is a feature of Sleaford Mods’ 2014 record Divide And Exit, accompanied by Andrew Fearn’s 

spiky beats. What stops the whole thing from descending into John Cooper Clarke-fronting-The Streets territory is the sharply observational nature of 

Williamson’s vitriol: the broken and bleeding country he sees himself wading through. 

The Kazimier / 3rd March 

SOUND CITY LATEST 

LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY’s new home of Bramley Moore Dock looks set to have a fine introduction to action over the long weekend of 21st-24th May, with 

a line-up that’s already causing our mouths to water. THE VACCINES have been confirmed as headliners alongside BELLE AND SEBASTIAN and THE FLAMING 

LIPS (pictured), while UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA, DUM DUM GIRLS and FUCKED UP also join the line-up. The Flaming Lips’ WAYNE COYNE will also be 

delivering a keynote address at the Sound City conference, where he’ll join former Slits guitarist VIV ALBERTINE and arch droog JULIAN COPE. 

liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk 

THE UNTHANKS 

Taking the rugged British folk of their native Northumbria as a starting point, sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank approach their music as a way of bringing 

to life the oral traditions of storytelling that have passed down over the generations. THE UNTHANKS have crafted an astonishing body of work since first 

appearing as Rachel Unthank And The Winterset in 2004, which includes a Mercury Prize nomination and a place on both Uncut’s and The Guardian’s list 

of best albums of the last decade. Their latest effort, Mount The Air, is another fine addition to this catalogue. 

Philharmonic Hall / 1st March 

YOUNG FATHERS 

As part of the Get It Loud In Libraries programme, Mercury Award-winners YOUNG FATHERS open up their 2015 touring programme with a special show in 

Skelmersdale Library. With old school hip hop acts still popular on the gig circuit, Young Fathers’ neo-soul touches bring a finesse to the genre that’s as refreshing 

as it is compelling. Shortly after receiving their Mercury gong, the Edinburgh-based trio hopped over to Berlin to record their follow-up record to 2014’s Dead, so 

expect this set to showcase some of their newer material. 

Skelmersdale Library / 13th March 

bidolito.co.uk

28 


Reviews 

Julian Cope (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk) 

JULIAN COPE 

The Epstein Theatre 

First of all, apologies are due to Urthona. 

Owing to phone difficulties I miss what I’m 

sure is a twisty half-hour of considerable 

noise. The West Country outfit were billed 

to play Atlantis?, their newest conceptual 

drone piece, and from what I can gather the 

performance has left people in an amiable 

mood; everywhere, fathers and sons are 

cracking wise in old tour shirts, bending to 

their neighbours, awash in the proximity of 

the 1980s. It’s hard to find a seat and, though 

it’s hard to see this kind of crowd ruining the 

upholstery, you’d imagine they did once, and 

are keen to be reminded of it. This, JULIAN 

COPE knows. He trades his entire shtick 

on the troglodyte factor of rock n’ roll, the 

primitive urge to beat our brains in the night. 

For some, his Jeff Bridges/Axl Rose getup 

would be as subtle as a beard in a Vice 

exposé, fossilising his Dude credentials 

whilst nodding towards his hellraising 

leadership of iconic Liverpool troupe The 

Teardrop Explodes. The setting, and his 

opening confession to weaving out of 

several traffic accidents to make it here on 

time, suggest this will be more in the vein 

of An Evening With Julian Cope than your 

standard show. On this front, he delivers. 

“I’m not one for reunions,” he says, “but I’m 

a solo artist now. If Kate Bush can get back 

together, so can I.” 

He is droll and self-deprecating, but also 

effortlessly able to enliven the stories of 

his back catalogue. Whether reminiscing 

about Ian McCulloch’s fondness for stitching 

acid tabs to his belt, taking the piss out of 

his 1984 album Fried (the cover of which 

has Cope zonked out in a tortoise shell), or 

introducing a track with research titbits from 

his bestselling history book, we are never far 

away from another touching insight into the 

twilight of cult stardom. 

Predictably, old favourites get the most 

attention. Sunspots bounds along on a 

shore of grateful voices, and Soul Desert 

resurrects the spirit of caravan philosophy, 

unashamedly aping the mysticism of 

West Coast psychedelics. Grizzled and 

gregarious, Cope can afford to let us wait 

for the big moments – his fascination with 

his former Merseyside home has long been 

documented, and he moves between eras 

like an attentive uncle keeping relatives up 

to date on his mischief. When he observes 

that rebellion makes him either get lost “in 

a rustic, bucolic haze” or look at a penis, 

it’s strangely liberating: here is a man who 

covets the mind as much as anybody, able to 

slip into the role of leather-panted guru and 

ask ‘How did this happen?’ 

Inevitably, a lot of his post-90s material is 

only lifted by the flippancy of its execution. A 

long preamble to Cunts Can Fuck Off doesn’t 

disguise the song’s rather deliberate lack of 

bidolito.co.uk


29 

bidolito.co.uk

30 


Reviews 

substance; likewise, Psychedelic Revolution 

sounds like a dated new-age bonding 

weekend, all but implying a campfire on the 

featureless stage. Cope’s current mandate 

to release an album name-checking his 

drinking spots around the UK is reflective of 

his ‘been there, done that’ attitude, and why 

shouldn’t it be? As a rock star, he has snorted 

his share of success, and as a monument, he 

is in full control of his legacy. We’re invited 

to think of a funeral – “a casket” in particular 

– then throwing ourselves on top. Who 

wouldn’t enjoy the right to say that? 

night run at The Kazimier, it's clear that the 

creative minds of the future have come to 

hear what PEACE have to say. 

Before that we have THE VRYLL SOCIETY, 

who open with what can only be described 

Peace (Gaz Jones / @GJMPhoto) 

as a squall of feedback that morphs into a riff 

(bearing more than a passing resemblance 

to Avon by Queens Of The Stone Age) which 

hangs over the audience like a muggy cloud. 

Their version of what I imagine they call psych 

is more 1989 than 1969, with crisp, Maniesque 

basslines propelling them forward, 

and a baby Bobby Gillespie on vocals. While 

it appears that all of their inspiration went on 

picking a name, this passionate – if limited – 

performance is well received by their peers. 

Peace have inspiration to burn, and are 

keen to bring a sense of occasion to this 

opening night of a massive UK tour. Singer 

Harry Koisser descends the stairs to the stage 

like a debutante, and is greeted with by the 

kind of screaming Harry Styles still hears in 

his sleep. 

“First night of the tour… anything could 

happen,” he coos as he straps on his guitar. 

As you'd expect from a show that sold out in 

hours, elbowroom is an alien concept. A sea of 

heads are already rising and crashing as one. 

It's clear that this band have all the necessary 

tools for promotion to the big leagues: every 

song has a natural launch pad for abandon, 

arguably none better than Higher Than The 

Sun, with its muscular drum breaks and 

soaring chorus. And in Float Forever Peace 

have a bona fide festival weapon, a fact that 

will certainly be proved later in the summer. 

New song Someday – from the band’s 

latest LP Happy People – is pretty standard 

balladry, most remarkable for the DayGlo 

Danelectro guitar Koisser chooses to wield 

for its live debut. Koisser dominates the 

stage, but he's not the only member worthy 

of our attention. Guitarist Doug Castle plays 

the starring role in the swirling, eight-minute 

epic that is 1998, while Harry's bassist brother 

Sam is Alex James reborn – hopefully without 

the cheese obsession or hosting parties 

for Diamond Dave Cameron, but more as a 

Josh Potts / @joshpjpotts 

Your Bag? 

Catch Ian McCulloch @ 

Floral Pavilion on 19th March 

PEACE 

The Vryll Society 

EVOL @ The Kazimier 

So this is what the Zeitgeist looks like. 

I’ve seen many packed shows over the last 

eighteen months, but it's been a while since 

we've been confronted by such youth. On 

this opening night of an unprecedented two- 

Peace (Gaz Jones / @GJMPhoto) 

bidolito.co.uk

foppish palm tree swaying left of stage while 

effortlessly controlling the tempo in harness 

with drummer Dom Boyce. Sam's moment 

in the sun arrives during the breakdown 

of incendiary closer World Pleasure, where 

his bass solo comes amid a clumsy stage 

invasion. 

Peace may ultimately sound like an 

amalgamation of all of our favourite 90s 

bands – a dash of Suede, a dollop of Mansun, 

a heavy slice of Blur – but if, as this ecstatic 

crowd suggests, they're destined to be at 

the forefront of British rock for the next few 

years, they have enough about them to make 

it interesting. 

Maurice Stewart / 

theviewfromthebooth.tumblr.com 

Your Bag? 

Catch Glass Animals @ The 

Kazimier on 13th March 

equipment are ironed out, the quintet’s wintry 

missives hit the spot. With recent EP Ruins 

brilliantly capturing the band’s trademark 

approach of being poised at the exact point 

between defeatism and optimism, their 

elegiac minor-key synth pop translates well 

to the stage through spacious arrangements. 

Lyrically well suited to the present season 

of lonely, rain-lashed pavements and street 

lamps reflected in gutters, the deep pop 

of Realise successfully pulls off the same 

sighing ennui live as on record. Two promising 

new cuts make their debut appearance here 

too: Hotel pulses with a more pronounced 

electronic feel than previous material, while 

accompanying flipside Home maintains 

the five-piece’s fondness for a deep-rooted 

melody. With the EP and single formats now 

mastered meanwhile, the appearance of 

the quintet’s debut LP on the horizon will 

hopefully be imminent. 

Richard Lewis 

TEAR TALK 

Death at Sea – Kingsley 

Chapman & The Murder 

War Room Records @ Scandinavian Church 

In the purple-lit glow of the Scandinavian 

Church, KINGSLEY CHAPMAN & THE MURDER 

are brilliantly well suited to delivering a series 

of confessionals, albeit at ear-shredding 

volume. This outfit sees the erstwhile 

frontman of The Chapman Family move into 

more grandiose territory than the seething 

indie rock his previous underrated band 

specialised in. Opening with a vast, theatrical 

piece that almost touches ten minutes, the 

melodramatic flourishes hinted at by TCF are 

given full reign here. Bringing greater focus 

to the singer’s surprisingly effective baritone 

croon, the dark night of the soul lyrics are 

well matched by the gothic melodrama of 

the music. Draped with see-sawing violin 

accompaniments, the new material has more 

than a hint of Nick Cave’s doomy narratives 

about them; impressive stuff for a band yet to 

commit anything to record. 

Taking to the stage to the strains of indie 

disco classic Rip It Up (And Start Again), DEATH 

AT SEA to some considerable relief have done 

nothing of the sort. Continuing to explore the 

rich seam of US indie rock that prospered in 

the early nineties, the quartet’s alternately 

tight/loose, sloppy/well-drilled sound is in fine 

fettle, despite their long absence from the gig 

circuit. Sea Foam Green, the track that first got 

them noticed back in (gulp) early 2012, opens 

proceedings. With Drag sounding predictably 

wonderful as ever alongside the A and B sides 

of last year’s excellent Glimmer b/w Shy Kids 

single, we have positive proof that Death At 

Sea are on robustly assured form. 

With the congregation at full capacity come 

10 pm, TEAR TALK take up position underneath 

the stained-glass windows. Unfortunately 

beset by technical gremlins at the top of their 

set, once the problems with recalcitrant sound 

Your Bag? 

Catch Rhodes @ Arts Club 

on 3rd March 

SLIMKID3 & DJ NUMARK 

Parkertron – No Fakin’ DJs 

Bam!Bam!Bam! @ 24 Kitchen St 

One thing about the Baltic Triangle is 

that you never quite know what to expect. 

The area is testament to the fact that, quite 

often, not everything is as it seems. Down 

an unassuming narrow entry and through 

the doors of a badly aged building lies 24 

Kitchen St, one of the best new venues 

in the city. It has a raw appearance and a 

vibrant atmosphere, the perfect setting for an 

evening of pure hip hop. 

NO FAKIN’ DJs underpin the night and build 

solid foundations much like those steadying 

this old warehouse. Old school hip hop and 

soul sounds are the main ingredients in this 

potent mix and before long every head in the 

room is nodding. If this set is in any way telling 

of how the rest of the night’s performances 

will sound then, by midnight, we may have 

some neck injuries on our hands. 

Up walks PARKERTRON onto the stage. 

The Fingathing DJ, in a rare solo set, gives 

us a demonstration of his skills on the MPC 

and turntables. There are disparate styles 

in the mix, with trip hop and contemporary 

electronica entering the fray. All of the room 

is captivated by Parkertron’s mixing style and 

eclectic sample palette which makes one 

wonder whether he’s taken inspiration from 

DJ Abilities or DJ Downlow. His talent with the 

MPC is immense and a solo attracts every pair 

of eyes and ears in the room. The set is full of 

raw energy and originality, with Parkertron a 

perfect fit for tonight’s bill. 

It may be easy to forget just how influential 

SLIMKID3 and DJ NUMARK have been in the

34 


Reviews 

Binkbeats (Nata Moraru) 

year and haven’t touched since. Inkarta is sort 

of like that. After months hibernating away, 

the only night to cater to the more esoteric 

dance-but-not-dance makes a stylish return 

in a venue increasingly used for niche nights. 

The (temporary?) move from The Kazimier 

to the Blade Factory is also an interesting 

choice. Whereas the Kaz lends a carnivalesque 

atmosphere to any occasion, the closer, 

sweatier confines of the Blade Factory tends 

to give any event a more… DIY feeling. 

And for Wolverhampton-by-way-of-Leeds 

opening act PAPER TIGER, this works well. 

Their “future bass music” translates live into 

Warp and Ninja Tunes-infused, sparkling posteverything 

electronica. Jazz flourishes? Check. 

Glitchy hip hop beats? Check. Errant MC? Check. 

True to the Inkarta style, Paper Tiger stay close 

to head-nodding and gentle bopping vibes, 

rather than the outright rave zest preferred 

by the venue’s new upstairs residents Haus. 

While conceptually interesting at first, this is 

a case of artists proving more interesting on 

record than on stage; while the music itself is 

good, it doesn’t quite have enough gravity to 

pull through in the live arena. 

The main man, BINKBEATS, is a different 

kettle of fish entirely. Famed of late for tearing 

apart and rebuilding from the ground up 

tracks by other dance-not-dance heroes (from 

Caribou to Lapalux and Shigeto), Binkbeats has 

landed himself a Beats Deconstructed series 

for Boiler Room. Live he uses a dizzying array 

of instruments and equipment to tweak and 

rearrange to giddy effect. Once again, however, 

this proves to be conceptually more intriguing 

than in the flesh; watching a man in a dark 

room hunched over his contraptions only 

works if the music itself moves you in some 

way beyond the intellectual. Previous Inkarta 

visitor Shigeto managed this through heavy 

use of percussive experimentation, but with 

Binkbeats it winds up feeling insubstantial. 

Considering Inkarta’s previous efforts, this 

night winds up a little underwhelming, but 

then they have been away for the best part of 

the year, so we can forgive them the odd wet 

kipper of an event. 

Laurie Cheeseman / @lauriecheeseman 

history of hip hop. Any self-respecting hip 

hop head will surely own copies of The 

Pharcyde’s Labcabincalifornia and Jurassic 5’s 

Quality Control. These artists have released 

and produced some of the most important 

music of their genre. There’s also the fact that 

Slimkid3’s The Pharcyde were collaborators 

with probably the most important figure in 

modern hip hop: the late, great J Dilla. This 

show is happening on the eve of Dilla Day, 

and feels like a monumental tribute to such 

an inspiring musician. 

DJ Numark makes an impact on the 

turntables as he runs through about an hour’s 

worth of hip hop history. His scratching skills 

are a treat, and the guy clearly knows how 

to work a crowd. He drops tracks from artists 

such as A Tribe Called Quest, The Fugees, DJ 

Shadow and, of course, Jurassic 5 and The 

Pharcyde. It is a fevered party as Numark 

makes the whole venue move and, without 

saying a word, has the entire crowd at his 

fingertips. 

Slimkid3 joins Numark on stage, finally, 

and breaks into a fierce spat of conscious, 

effortlessly delivered verses. Tracks such as 

I Know, Didn’t I, Bom Bom Fiya and What 

Are Words For propel the intense energy of 

the crowd. This duo carry a chemistry that is 

brotherly. This is hip hop how it should be: 

raw and honest with the power to unify all 

who listen. Slimkid3 and DJ Numark prove 

that they are masters of their trade in a 

flawless, cathartic show. 

Christopher Carr 

BINKBEATS 

Paper Tiger 

INKARTA @ Blade Factory 

Some things taste better when you come 

back to them after a while away: last night’s 

pizza, that novel you started a month ago, 

whatever album you were raving about last 

PAPERHEAD 

Holy Thursday 

Harvest Sun @ The Shipping Forecast 

It has become something of a recent rarity 

to wander into a venue in Liverpool and 

not be greeted with the familiar strains of 

repetition and effects-laden guitars. Despite 

the neo-psych movement's many pros, it is 

all perhaps becoming a bit much. However, 

in recent months the furore appears to have 

died down slightly, and so it’s with fresh ears 

and an open, willing mind that I head to the 

Shipping Forecast to take in PAPERHEAD. 

bidolito.co.uk

36 

Bido Lito! March 2015 Reviews 

Local four-piece HOLY THURSDAY make for 

an impressive prelude to the headliners. With 

luscious, two-part vocal harmonies laid over 

infectiously rhythmic melodies, and off-kilter 

organ parts, it is hard not to be drawn in. Their 

Beatles-esque vocal parts add a lightness to 

what is otherwise a dark, swaggering sound, 

serving as breaks for the long, cyclical jams. 

She stands out as a good example of the 

band's aesthetic, encapsulating both the raw 

clarity of songwriting and expressive use of 

psychedelic convention (a phrase which may 

seem incredibly contradictory) that has made 

their performance tonight so enjoyable. They 

will be a hard act to follow. 

Considering Paperhead had to cancel a 

show in London the night before due to 

some vehicle difficulties, you’d imagine 

that they would be raring to go tonight. 

However, the band seem somewhat 

subdued and reluctant; perhaps a hangover 

of disappointment still permeates the 

group after having to abandon what would 

probably have been the biggest gig on this 

leg of the tour. This lack of motivation soon 

spreads to the crowd, and there are a number 

of indifferent faces gradually moving towards 

the back of the Hold where they can drink 

and talk without having to pay too much 

attention to the band. Regardless of all this 

the songs still emerge, and there is far from 

anything lacking in the way the Trouble In 

Mind-signees sound. They appear more full 

and aggressive live than on record, with the 

vocals sinking lower in the mix and the other 

instruments gaining prominence. Do You Ever 

Think Of Me? is a well-crafted and engaging 

track that could have been penned by Ray 

Davies, and exhibits the group's well-honed 

songwriting dynamic, as well as their clear, 

musical ability. 

Towards the end of the set things become 

a bit more lively, and those on stage seem 

to be coming to terms with the previous 

night's debacle. It has been a restrained 

but still enjoyable performance, but it’s 

probably reasonable to predict that most of 

the audience will head home with the words 

“Holy Thursday” resonating more in their 

brains than a head full of paper. 

Alastair Dunn 

Your Bag? 

Catch Purling Hiss @ The 

Shipping Forecast on 24th March 

NILS LOFGREN 

Philharmonic Hall 

In the pantheon of rock and roll's great 

backing bands, there are few that can lay 

claim to being as widely respected as the 

Nils Lofgren (Stuart Moulding / @OohShootStu) 

inimitable E-Street Band. Alongside The 

Bad Seeds, The Wailers, The Band and, 

indeed, Crazy Horse, The E-Street Band have 

proven themselves time and again to be 

an indispensable cadre, remaining humble 

in the line of duty and doing their utmost 

to allow the headline act to shine. They 

receive few plaudits from the outside world 

and bask in a slightly more reflective glow, 

but their contribution is undeniable 

As a solo artist, NILS LOFGREN never 

reached the heights of the stages he was 

used to playing alongside Springsteen. 

Beginning his career with Grin and 

continuing to release under his own name, 

he has, over the years, garnered a strong 

and loyal fan base, evidenced by the nearcapacity 

Philharmonic Hall tonight. Opening 

the show at the harp, Lofgren proves 

himself to be a charismatic performer. 

Shrouded in darkness, his ageing – but just 

as strong – voice resonates throughout 

the theatre, complementing his deft harp 

playing. Performing alongside multiinstrumentalist 

Greg Varlotta, Lofgren’s 

show runs through his own musical history, 

all accompanied with anecdotes that would 

impress anyone: the time Janis Joplin got 

him drunk underage; how he shoehorned 

a polka beat into Southern Man aged 17; 

and the story behind his impromptu – and 

now renowned – solo in Because The Night. 

Though a capable enough songwriter in his


37

own right, Lofgren’s real talents lie behind a 

guitar. His liberal use of loop pedals, reverb 

and other various effects belie his lack of 

backing band and the sound fills the venue. 

He has a unique playing style, wringing 

the notes from the neck of his guitar as he 

dances around the stage with the real joy of 

a born entertainer. But, whilst we're on the 

subject of dancing, it would be remiss of me 

to ignore the not one but two tap-dancing 

interludes in tonight’s performance. The 

show so far has not been without its fair 

share of mildly odd moments: the Lynchian 

backing synths, the quasi-awkward 

namedropping and THAT hat, but all of these 

can more or less be glossed over by the 

talent of his guitar work. The tap dancing, 

however, pushes the show into the twilight 

zone. Why anyone, let alone a 63-year-old 

with a hip replacement, would feel the need 

to inject a tap-dance solo into the middle of 

a show is beyond me. I suppose in a way it 

speaks volumes for Lofgren’s capacity and 

determination for performance though – 

two qualities he possesses in abundance. 

Dave Tate 

Your Bag? 

Catch Gretchen Peters @ 

Epstein Theatre on 29th March 

styles employed in the making of this truly 

distinctive album. As the man behind Clap! 

Clap!, Cristiano Crisci, begins the set, there’s 

a palpable air of anticipation in the room. 

From the beginning it’s evident that this 

man is a seasoned live performer: the mix is 

furious and propulsive, where album tracks 

are mixed with fevered beats and abstract 

samples. In an engaging palette of sonic 

delicacies, standout tracks The Holy Cave 

and Conqueror come to the surface. 

Every crowd member in attendance is 

lapping up the dynamics of the set; even 

those who aren’t flailing wildly seem to be 

mesmerised by the mesh of styles. If Tayi 

Bebba proves anything, it’s that the cultural 

diaspora of the human race can be linked. 

Our art, even if geographically unrelated, 

carries an instinctual human murmur. 

Tonight, Clap! Clap! nods his head towards 

just about every musical culture on the 

globe. He puts a tastefully contemporary 

slant on afro funk rhythms and African folk 

music, brings elements of electronica to the 

table and adds a mix of soul, hip hop, world, 

jazz and pop to the mix. Tonight is not just 

an excuse for dancing and inebriation – it’s 

also, in many ways, a musical education. 

The set grinds to an end after a good few 

hours of pure fun. Constellations has just 

witnessed a spectacle. 

Christopher Carr 

CLAP!CLAP! 

Ambionic Being 

Rebel Soul @ Constellations 

Your Bag? 

Catch Al Dobson Jr. @ 24 

Kitchen Street on 7th March 

Constellations offers a welcome pocket 

of warmth on this icy evening as AMBIONIC 

BEING provides an eclectic mix of soul, funk 

and electronica as people file into the room. 

At first it seems that Ambionic is a mere 

house DJ; someone to greet the punters. It’s 

simply the tragedy of being the first act of 

the night: you start by playing to an empty 

room until it inevitably fills. Sure enough, 

when Constellations does start to fill up, 

people respond to the sounds. It’s a solid 

mix and a bold start to the night. 

The following two support DJs (Josh Ray 

and Trueself) follow in the footsteps of 

Ambionic but quicken the standard pace 

and don some new footwear. Odd spats 

of afro funk horn and drum samples enter 

the fray and are poured into the ears of 

the crowd as more bodies contort in front 

of the speakers. A colourful myriad of 

images is projected on to the walls; an apt, 

almost tropical, abstract complement to the 

dynamic mix. Both sets prove to be perfect 

warm-ups for what is to come. 

Last year’s Tayi Bebba LP from CLAP! 

CLAP! offered a conceptual sonic tour of 

a fictional island. The body of work was 

a novel melding of seemingly disparate 

genres: hip hop, pop, world, jazz, funk and 

dubstep were just a few of the musical 

THE 

MIDNIGHT RAMBLE 

Dave O’Grady – John McGrath 

The Unity Theatre 

I love gigs at The Unity. There, I said it. 

In fact anywhere that is also a theatre 

is a great place for a gig, in my opinion. 

Why? Simply because the space offers 

a completely different dimension for 

musicians to perform in. Some can’t handle 

the change of the vibe and others flourish 

and give a more theatrical performance. I 

hope tonight will be the latter. It’s a sell-out 

show, so that’s a good start… 

First up is JOHN MCGRATH, a young Irish 

buck armed with complex instrumentals 

and an array of effects pedals. The few 

songs he trots out from his Lanterns EP are 

intricate and show real skill. If he were to 

lay vocals over a couple of them too, I’m 

sure the harmonies would be delightful. As 

his set continues, it strikes me that we’re 

watching a very talented guitarist, but I’m 

not swept away. In fact, McGrath’s technical 

ability is unquestionable even if his live

40 


The Midnight Ramble ( Aaron McManus / ampix.co.uk) 

performance somewhat lacks heart. And I 

just can’t help but notice how lost he looks 

amongst all of the kit in the background. 

As the night rolls forward to act two, we 

are taken to what feels like the American 

Deep South: it’s DAVE O’GRADY time. The 

Irishman is joined on stage by a couple 

of stellar cohorts, including his resident 

harmony wonder, Mersey Wylie, and Kev 

Mooney (bassist to Bill Ryder-Jones, among 

others). 

O’Grady’s deep mixture of funk/blues/ 

soul is not to everyone’s taste, but it always 

conjures up strong imagery of dusty roads 

and dark New Orleans passageways. Most 

of his songs tonight are from his upcoming 

album, Sister, full of organ-esque backing 

music and Led Zeppelin guitar noise. Keep 

an ear out for Tell Me What I Want if you 

enjoy any kind of sonic rendering of Hunter 

S. Thompson’s unique style. 

As O’Grady and his filthy blues scarper 

off the stage, it’s time for the main event, 

THE MIDNIGHT RAMBLE, who I haven’t 

seen live in over two years. I’m curious 

to see how their performance will have 

changed. The first thing that strikes me is 

their entrance: led on by smoke and music, 

they’re all dressed-up smart in black; think 

Reservoir Dogs without the Ray-Bans. As 

soon as Paul Dunbar (Vocals, Guitar) starts 

up, I relax into his husky voice and let the 

saxophone solo in Something’s Wrong 

carry me into the rest of their Americana 

vignette. 

They look comfortable in The Unity’s 

space, with a performance that is together 

and professional. The audience join me 

in revelling in several tracks from their 

previous album, Sink The Pieces, and their 

upcoming album, The Cruel Blue Sky, in 

a set that produces such a full sound. An 

a capella version of High Time, which 

manages to stay on the right side of 

barbershop quartet, is another highlight. 

South Paw Billy is a guttural gem, and 

Darkest Part Of A Moment, a song written 

for Paul Dunbar’s grandfather, carries a 

heartfelt honesty through its melody. 

If there’s a negative thing to say about 

The Midnight Ramble tonight, it’s that 

the space seems too small for them and 

their Jools Holland-style show. Fellow 

Jools Holland fans will love The Midnight 

Ramble and their mix of rock and boogie 

woogie. 

Naters P / @natersp 

BLACKALICIOUS 

Vursatyl - DJ Format 

Think Tank @ The Kazimier 

Rich in beats and with a verbal dexterity 

that could eclipse any poxy review written

42 


Blackalicous (Glyn Akroyd) 

about them, BLACKALICIOUS are here in 

Liverpool to shake the foundations of 

the Kazimier and promote their fourth LP, 

Emoni. 

The night starts with DJ FORMAT playing 

tracks that have audience members 

grinding, dropping and salivating for 

some live hip hop. Before we’re allowed 

to get stuck in to the main act though, 

we’re treated to an unexpected set from 

VURSATYL, a rapper whose threads and 

spectacles have a distinct look of Stevie 

Kenarban’s Dad from Malcolm In The 

Middle. Vursatyl’s a charming act, a skilled 

lyricist with deep vocals, creating the 

perfect hype for when Blackalicious’ MC, 

Gift Of Gab, carefully makes it down those 

high stairs to an eruption of applause. 

There’s only one way Blackalicious can 

get started and that’s with a vocal aerobics 

exercise: you know it, the one recently 

rejuvenated by a scarred-up wizard on 

Jimmy Fallon. Alphabet Aerobics live is 

likely to leave most with their mouths 

wide open, and as the tempo increases 

they only get wider. So many words, so 

little time – all expertly delivered and 

clearly enunciated. 

Gift of Gab stands more modestly than 

many hip hop acts. He doesn’t pour Wild 

Turkey down fans’ shirts, he doesn’t have 

a swagger that draws attention, just a 

simple confidence that he is going to lay 

shit down and you are going to listen. 

He calls the crowd “Crazy ass Scousers”, 

who love the small recognition of local 

culture, and goes on to tell how “his man” 

Chris (Durham-born Chris Tyler, one of 

the night’s promoters) said “Liverpool is 

ghetto as fuck”. Now, do that in a Geordie 

accent and try not to grin. 

Youthful hype-men Vursatyl and Jumbo 

The Garbageman fill in when Gab takes 

a break, but he’s not all puffed out. Gab 

may not be as fit as he used to be, but 

he’s still able to rock a Freddie-Mercuryat-Wembley 

style “day-oh” intro to fanfavourite 

Deception. 

Make You Feel That Way and Swan Lake 

receive warm receptions before Gift Of Gab 

shows his true genius by launching into a 

freestyle finish, the likes of which will be 

hard to forget. Speaking at a million miles 

an hour, his face jiggling with a G-Force 

similar to what is experienced by fighter 

jet pilots, Gab shows that, for a big guy, 

he’s still lightning fast. 

As the show reaches its climax, the 

group encourage what turns out to be a 

pretty awful stage invasion, cut short from 

the moment it begins for fear of the decks 

getting knocked over. Their hellraising

44 


days may well be behind them, but 

Blackalicious prove that an act that are 

getting on a bit but can still put on one 

helluva show. 

Howl Rama 

THE WAVE PICTURES 

Sugarmen 

Harvest Sun and Bam!Bam!Bam! 

@ The Kazimier 

With their slicked-back hair, leather 

jackets and rolled-up Strummer sleeves, 

you can guess what SUGARMEN are 

all about before they strike a chord. 

They are a coiled spring of a band that 

unleash every ounce of their garage rock 

stormers with unharnessed exuberance. 

Looks-wise, lead singer Luke Fenlon 

is an exact amalgamation of the 

aforementioned Clash frontman and 

a young Bob Dylan – and sure enough 

these are songs which take direct aim 

at ‘the man’ but with enough passion to 

forgive any cringe-inducing lyric. 

While Sugarmen obviously have 

enough commitment and sincerity, there 

is no mistaking where their ambitions 

lie. Every song catches the impressed 

Kazimier crowd with at least a couple 

of sizeable hooks, paired with anthemic 

choruses that are destined to be sang 

back to them from front rows of arena 

crowds. It’s a different story, however, 

when considering tonight’s main event. 

THE WAVE PICTURES have been around 

for six years prolifically churning out 

enchanting, off-beat indie gems which 

subvert genre and are packed with 

imagination and charisma. By rights, 

they should be where Sugarmen think 

they are: Wembley Arena. But they’re 

not, despite loyal commitment from the 

likes of 6 Music aficionado Marc Riley; 

they remain in the shadowy realm of the 

cultish. Their cult following is faithfully 

represented tonight by a mixture of the 

young and decidedly middle-aged. 

It is perhaps The Waves Pictures’ postpunk 

stylings which attract the yonder 

end of the age range this evening, 

but there is much more to love. Their 

latest album – featuring another figure 

who embodies the qualities of cult, 

Billy Childish – is well represented 

tonight. Opener Pea Green Coat piles 

surreal image upon surreal image over 

a wonky garage rock hook; and I Can 

Hear the Telephone (3 Floors Above Me) 

is introduced by singer David Tattersall 

with typical tongue-in-cheek selfdeprecation 

as currently “storming up 

the charts”. 

Bassist Franic Rozycki remains silent 

throughout while Tattersall and drummer 

The Wave Pictures (Glyn Akroyd) 

Jonny Helm exchange engaging 

between-song anecdotes. There’s clearly 

a lot of love in the room for the Londonbased 

three-piece and this is expressed 

most vociferously in the reception for 

Friday Night In Loughborough from the 

2008 debut album Instant Coffee Baby. 

This vignette of small town England 

offers an excellent example of how The 

Wave Pictures fit nicely into a lineage of 

The Kinks, Scritti Politti and The Smiths. 

Helm steps from behind the kits for 

the oddly touching Sleepy Eye in which 

he moves away from the mic and sings 

a cappella – the song fitting into the 

set, Tattersall claims, to demonstrate 

that the band aren’t all about “macho 

rock”. It’s clear The Wave Pictures are 

as comfortable as Tattersall’s ill-fitting 

slacks in their place on the fringes and 

their call of “see you again” is met with 

glee by their devoted cult following, of 

whom I am now glad to be a part. 

Sam Turner / @samturner1984 

Your Bag? 

Catch The Readymades @ 

Leaf on 19th March

46 


DIGGING A LITTLE DEEPER 

with Dig Vinyl 

Bold Street’s latest wax junkies DIG VINYL know a thing or two about the weird and wonderful 

depths of people’s record collections, and each month they’ll be rifling through their racks and 

picking out four of their favourite in-stock records. Keep digging… 

ELIVIS PRESLEY 

ELVIS PRESLEY 

What can we say about this, the record that propelled an exarmy 

private to the first global superstar of rock and roll? The album 

that defined a genre spent ten weeks at the top of the US charts 

and made pop music THE big player in the major labels industry. 

In the year of what would have been ELVIS’ 80th birthday, we’re 

privileged to stock a HMV first UK press of this masterpiece. With a 

sleeve that has been echoed on other album covers for decades, and is as timelessly iconic as the 

man himself, this is a true statement piece that should command a place on any collector’s shelf. 

Long live The King! 

THE 

FINAL 

SAY 

Words: Emma Brady / @emmabraydee 

Illustration: Christian Davies 

On Thursday 7th May our country will be taking to the ballot boxes and polling stations for a 

general election that many are viewing as the most important for many years. Faced with the 

prospect of a hung parliament and five more years of coalition rule, we think the time is ripe for us to 

re-consider the value of our individual voices. Emma Brady gives us her thoughts on why we should 

make our votes count this time round. 

HORACE SILVER 

HORACE SILVER AND THE JAZZ MESSENGERS 

This 1955 Blue Note Records release was an essential 

milestone in the formation of the hard bop style that became 

such an important part of American jazz. The genre had started 

to become exclusively associated with intellectuals and those of 

high social standing, but HORACE SILVER and his quartet played a 

huge part in returning jazz to its gutbucket bar room roots whilst 

still ensuring evolution in a new direction. This bluesy classic is packed full of soul, and is an 

aural delight that will never age. 

STEREOLAB 

ALUMINIUM TUNES 

This double album of EPs and rarities from the post-rock 

pioneers has something for new and hardcore fans alike. 

Cataloguing the band’s early and formative years from 1990 to 

1998, it serves as an ideal introduction to the group’s motorik 

lounge synth sound, and has enough hidden gems to keep 

the most avid listener hooked. Vocalist and keyboardist Lætitia 

Sadier’s French roots weave into STEREOLAB’s sound, one that is dreamily reminiscent of 60s 

yé-yé pop. We love their use of vintage Moog synthesisers too – keeping the old sounds alive! 

THE MONKS 

BLACK MONK TIME 

Retrospectively described as “the first punk record” and “a 

missing link of alternative music history”, this now-legendary 

album is the godfather of garage rock. As American GIs stationed 

in Germany, the group had little need to clean up the record’s 

riotous musical discordance as The Beatles and other commercial 

hits of the time had to after returning home from European tours. 

The result is a hard-hitting and still unique unity of proto-punk power beats, sliding krautrock 

bass and counter-culture sermons delivered by a satanic Beach Boys. Radical for its time and still 

inspiring new musicians worldwide, this sometimes nightmarish, always unpredictable classic 

deserves a place in any collection. 

Head to bidolito.co.uk now to stream the latest Dig Vinyl Podcast, featuring a mixture of new, 

old and half-forgotten classics. 

I have to stop myself screaming every 

time I hear someone say they won't vote in 

the upcoming general election. Every time I 

hear another case of under-excused political 

apathy, I think of our loved ones under NHS 

care: a bandage that won't quite stretch, a 

level of care that falls short of peace of 

mind. I think of children fed from food banks, 

libraries closing down. All the while, the 

older Labour-voting members of my family 

will lament the lack of money in the system. 

But no, there's plenty of money. The bankers 

intermingling far too comfortably with the 

politicians who make these decisions, they 

have plenty of money. It's enough to make 

you incensed. Incensed enough to vote. 

They, the richest in our country, hope 

that we believe this charade, that there's 

no money in the system. They rely on us to 

be dumb. The division between the rich and 

poor, how this appears to be consensus, 

how confounding this is – they're counting 

on us to give up. Meanwhile, emerging leftwing 

parties Syriza and Podemos, in Greece 

and Spain respectively, are the loudest 

voices there. They are heard when they say 

that austerity isn't necessary, isn't working, 

isn't fair. The consternation amongst 

Spaniards is coming from the same place 

in which our own fears lie, but there's little 

emergence of a coordinated leftist response 

in this country – our beautiful, fragile NHS 

is being dismantled and we're not out in 

the streets, right now, shouting about it. 

And that time that we did, the broadcasting 

company we own barely reported it. It does 

feel impossible. But holding government to 

account doesn't stop at the ballot box – it 

turns into paying attention, understanding 

the system a little more, imploring your MP 

to attend parliamentary votes. 

In Liverpool we have our roots in leftwing 

political activism, with a strong social 

conscience. But I checked – an alarming 

number of people voted for Ukip in the 

last European election (they received 

27.4% of the North West vote – from a 

33.5% turnout.) Ukip’s cavalier attitude to 

women’s issues is alarming, even if they 

have now parted company with former 

whip Godfrey Bloom, who wanted to leave 

it up to individual employers whether or 

not they offer maternity leave. It doesn’t get 

much better for the Conservatives, whose 

employment minister Esther McVey, MP for 

Wirral West, was embroiled in a row about 

the link between benefit sanctions and the 

deaths of people like David Clapson, who 

died because sanctions meant he couldn't 

pay for the electricity that kept his insulin 

refrigerated. I sometimes imagine that Ukip 

was created by the Tories to make them 

look good. But they're real, and people 

support their rhetoric that the only way we 

can move forward is to remove that which 

helps the most vulnerable people in society, 

as well as the immigrant population. There 

are people in this country who believe that 

immigrants, not bankers, have destroyed 

their entitlement to comfortable living. So 

you have to vote, because they will. We 

love our NHS, our children, our women, our 

elderly, and our disadvantaged. We have to 

vote, for them. As compassionate people, we 

have to win this election. 

If you’ve not registered to vote in the General 

Election on 7th May, sign up now at gov.uk/ 

register-to-vote.

Issue 53 / March 2015

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