Issue 15 / September 2011

Issue 15 

September 2011 

Outfit 

Vasco Da Gama 

Loved Ones 

Wooden Shjips 

Outfit by Jacob Chabeaux 

www.bidolito.co.uk 

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Editorial 

As Bido Lito! goes to press, the embers of the nation’s riots are finally burning out, but different tensions 

begin to build as the blame game and the rationalising begins. We’ve all got our own opinions as to 

whether the scenes that played out during mid-August were anything to do with youth disillusionment, 

poverty or a disenfranchisement with the ruling class, and the social post-mortem has a long way to run. Yet 

the resulting challenge to British music has come from a few different angles, both literal and ideological. 

I fear that we will not feel the real impact of the fire at the Sony/PIAS warehouse for months, possibly 

years to come. With labels such as Rough Trade, 4AD, XL, Full Time Hobby, Angular, Brainfeeder, Domino, 

Jagjaguwar, Memphis Industries, One Little Indian, Sub Pop, Warp and Young Turks losing as much as 90% 

of their physical stock in some cases, the implications will be further reaching than the obvious short 

term cashflow and insurance claim problems for the affected labels. As the record industry evolves in the 

digital age, the role of vinyl and that of the unique artefact has been 

repositioned in the process of selling music. Digital bundles will be 

given away and sold off cheap, in order to entice fans into purchasing 

the deluxe, physical versions. Losing all that physical stock, which will 

still need to be paid for, completely blows out the business model 

for existing campaigns. And without the funds accrued from the 

PIAS Warehouse 

existing campaigns, the amount of money the labels will then have 

to finance new projects and take risks on new artists will be drastically depleted. This will then drip down 

quickly, impacting independent record shops, press companies, radio pluggers, music magazines, indeed 

every facet of the recorded music family. The independent sector is the incubation ward of British music 

and, as a community, we need make sure the power switch is kept on. Smaller labels, such as Angular, who 

don’t have the reserves of the likes of the Beggars Group, may well be wiped from the musical map. Take a 

look at the list of labels and artists that have been impacted upon by the blaze at recordlabellove.com and 

pay to download a selection of their records today. We need to pull together. 

Another way in which we need to pull together is to address the ideological assault against music and 

wider youth culture that has become to inflame after the riots. Mirror journalist Paul Routledge decided to 

run a column in his rag that declared that ‘the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music’ was at the root 

of the unrest. He said that rap music ‘glorifies violence and loathing of authority, exalts trashy materialism 

and raves about drugs. The important things in life are the latest smart phone, fashionable jeans and 

trainers and idiot computer games.’ He then went on to call for a ban on ‘poisonous rap music.’ 

Where do you start?! Providing a run through a history of intergenerational misunderstanding when it 

comes to pop music would be an option. The key thing, however, that old Routledge has got so, so wrong, 

is one of pop music’s key defining principles: music is a vehicle through which young people express 

themselves. It is a method through which young artists talk about the worlds they live in, the issues around 

them and the troubles they face. It was the same in 1968, it was the same in 1981, and it’s the same in 2011. 

Banning music (which is clearly fucking ridiculous) would only result in the political class removing a key 

way of understanding what is going on in the lives of young people. If they spent twenty minutes listening 

to the music of our cities’ streets, they may well have seen the whole thing coming. Take a look at the root 

causes, find out where the anger comes from, because by the time it’s found its way into music, and is 

being expressed in song, it’s way too late. 

Craig G Pennington 

Editor 

Bido Lito! September 2011 3 

Bido Lito! 

Issue Fifteen - September 2011 

bidolito.co.uk 

Bido Lito! 

Static Gallery, 23 Roscoe Lane 

Liverpool, L1 9JD 

info@bidolito.co.uk 

Editor 

Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk 

Assistant & Reviews Editor 

Christopher Torpey - reviews@bidolito.co.uk 

Photo Editor 

Jennifer Pellegrini - photos@bidolito.co.uk 

Designer 

Luke Avery - info@earthstudios.net 

Words 

Craig G Pennington, Christopher Torpey, Helen 

Weatherhead, Samuel Garlick, Phil Gwyn, Philip 

Gofton, Michael Pinnington, The Glass Pasty, Nik 

Glover, Richard Lewis, Lisa O’Dea, Bethany Garrett, 

N. Philip, Emma Weston, P. Lee 

Photographs 

Jennifer Pellegrini, Jacob Chabeaux, Javier 

Horcajada, John Johnson, Keith Ainsworth, 

Phil MacDonald 

Illustrations 

Ameé Christian, Charlie Hope 

Proofreading 

Debra Williams - debra@wordsanddeeds.co.uk 

Adverts 

To advertise in Bido Lito! please contact Another 

Media: bidolito@anothermedia.org 0151 708 2841

Features 

8 

10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

UNDRESSING OUTFIT 

In a world of knowing everything, perhaps all we need to know is something. Perhaps that something is OUTFIT. 

WOODEN SHJIPS 

Their prototype bedrock beat has morphed into a cool pulse, and the frenzied cat-scratch guitars replaced by a swirling hum of fuzz. 

LOVED ONES 

The latest in a spate of innovative bands from Liverpool, with a brilliant, world-spanning potential. 

ASHES TO ASHES, POWDER TO POWDER 

POWDER documents a band’s rise from nobodies to acclaimed stars, driven by the lead singer’s pain and torment. 

VASCO DA GAMA 

Vasco are an act who strive for the unconventional: just as soon as it gets predictable, they slap you back into obscurity. 

ATALONIA: A DESCENT TO CENTRAL EARTH 

The Kazimier has gone from strength to strength with ever more ambitious events, conceived by a creative collective. 

STATIC Autumn 2011 

16 September Harvest Sun Promotions Present 

JEZ KERR 

(A Certain Ratio) 

ticketline.co.uk 

23 September Band In A Box Present 

Silent Cities, Northwalk, Babylon Leaf, The Reveres, 

Sheerwater 

29 September Mercy and AND Present Spectres of Spectacle 

FOREST SWORDS 

1 October Static Gallery Present 

VASCO DA GAMA 

seetickets.com 

8 October Static Gallery Host 

mUmU 

residentadvisor.com 

Regulars 

8 NEWS 20 

RANTS/COMMENT 

22 

PREVIEWS/SHORTS 

24 REVIEWS 

4-26 November Static Gallery Present 

Part exhibition, part experimental gig space and part shop, Terminal 

Convention Liverpool will present a rolling programme of art and music 

events, including live link-ups with artists, DJs and VJs in international 

art spaces and clubs. 

Full list of artists, musicians and programme to be announced shortly. 

Facebook: Terminal Convention 

statictrading.com 

Static, 23 Roscoe Lane, Liverpool, L1 9JD

News 

Edited by Helen Weatherhead - news@bidolito.co.uk 

Edited by Helen Weatherhead - news@bidolito.co.uk 

#Labellove 

In the aftermath of the Sony/PIAS warehouse fire this month, Sean Adams, editor of 

DrownedinSound, has kindly put together a spreadsheet of all the affected labels that now 

need our support. Show some #labellove by checking it out and (legally) downloading some 

tunes, and/or keep your eyes peeled for local benefit gigs rumoured to be taking place in the 

city. recordlabellove.com 

Forest Swords @ A.N.D. Festival 

Forest Swords, aka Matthew Barnes, will be playing a rare gig in the city as part of this year’s Abandon 

Normal Devices festival. The festival runs from 1st September until 2nd October with Matt bringing his 

Wirral-landscape-inspired electronic/dub, in the form of an installation, to Static Gallery on 29th September. 

“My commission takes the form of three recorded pieces, inspired by no longer existing Liverpool places, 

which have been pressed onto fragile, self-destructing ‘x-ray’ vinyl”, he said. forestswords.co.uk 

Acoustic Sessions for Allerton 

Ex-Idles man Dan Nolan has teamed up with Lazy Genius Promotions to set up free weekly 

acoustic sessions, to take place every Sunday afternoon in one of Allerton’s coolest watering 

holes. The Hair Of The Dog sessions will host a mix of regular guests and new local talent, and 

will take place at San Tracuba bar on Allerton Road. For more information and to find out how 

to get involved, e-mail Tom: tom@lazy-genius.co.uk 

Mojo Tribute Nights 

COMPETITION! 

FUELforFIRE are looking for local musicians to get involved with a series of tribute 

nights at MOJO. The first celebration is of the legendary Johnny Cash, taking place on 17th 

September, and will feature the MOJO house band, guest speakers and Cash-inspired 

screenings. To support the house band with your own take on Cash’s tunes, e-mail Doug: 

doug.wood@fuelforfire.co.uk 

Happy Birthday Circus 

CIRCUS is fast approaching its ninth birthday and the vastly popular club night is planning an allstar 

birthday extravaganza to celebrate. 24th September will see the Masque play host to a stellar 

line up, even by Circus standards: Breakbeat/House fuser James Zabiela will be joined by Yousef, 

Chris Liebing, Davide Squillace, Maya Jane Coles, and Circus residents Lewis Boardman and Scott 

Lewis. Tickets are available at £15 through 3Beat Records. Balloons are optional. circusclub.co.uk 

This month we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the re-launch of Eric’s club on Mathew 

Street. The lucky winner (and a mate) will get to celebrate the grand unveiling of the 

venue on 10th September, with a special performance by British electronic artists 

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Liverpool electro act Kids On Bridges will also be 

performing. To be in with a chance of winning this super awesome prize, just answer the 

following question: 

Which of these acts did not perform at Eric’s between 1976 and 1980? 

a) The Sex Pistols b) Ian McCulloch c) Dolly Parton 

To be in with a chance of winning, email us at competition@bidolito.co.uk. The closing date is 5th September. The first 10 

correct answers will be placed into the big pink hat, the winner picked at random and notified by email. Good Luck! 

Bido Lito! Dansette 

Our pick of this month’s 

#labelloving wax wonders... 

Washed Out 

Within & Without 

SUB POP 

Since Ernest Greene’s early releases, 

the chill-wave set have enjoyed a richly 

critiqued time at music’s top table. Two 

years on, his debut LP under the WASHED 

OUT moniker finally lands, amid a haze 

of topical beats and distantly soothing 

synths, that are like curling up in a 

warm blanket of electronica. 

Diagrams 

Diagrams 

FULL TIME HOBBY 

RECORDS 

DIAGRAMS’ 

eponymously-titled 

debut EP was released in July, 

and it’s the ultimate listen if you 

need a bit of headspace. It’s what 

I imagine it’d sound like if Gruff 

Rhys or The Gentle Good’s Gareth 

Bonello decided to sing me to sleep 

using minimalist electronics, a cello, 

and some bells. Aah. 

Team Ghost 

We All Shine 

SONIC CATHEDRAL 

It takes a talent verging on genius 

to harness all the lushness of 

droning shoegaze, ice-cold waves 

of electronica, and bruised, breathy 

vocals. Thankfully for us, Nicolas 

Fromageau’s new vehicle TEAM GHOST 

carries all this off and more. Chapeau. 

SBTRKT 

SBTRKT 

YOUNG TURKS 

RECORDS 

The swampy bass swells of Wildfire 

and the minimal tribal wash of Hold 

On have been busy shredding dub 

dancefloors for months, and now 

that those lovely folks at Young Turks 

have commissioned a full SBTRKT LP, 

the mainstream consciousness has 

finally caught up. 

www.bidolito.co.uk

8 

Bido Lito! September 2011 

Undressing 

Outfit 

Words: Craig G Pennington 

Photography: Jacob Chabeaux 

We live in a world where everyone knows everything, yesterday. We know 

everything now and we’ll know everything tomorrow. Sure as hell, we’ll know 

everything next week as well. But, what happens when something comes 

along of which we don’t know the intricate details, we haven’t seen it before 

and we can’t really find much out about it? In fact, all we have is it, and it is 

accompanied by the enthusiastic declarations of a select band of those ‘in the 

know’. And what happens when that something is artistically arresting, abstract 

and enthralling? Well, you get excitement, you get fervour, you get OUTFIT. 

So how did it happen? How did the band set the blogosphere ballistic and find 

themselves in NME’s best 50 bands of 2011 after playing just two shows? Tucked away 

in a field of wheat on the Wirral coast, just off Heswall beach, Thomas Gorton (keyboard/ 

vocals/samples), Nicholas Hunt (guitar), Christopher Hutchinson (bass), David Berger 

(percussion/production) and Andrew Hunt (guitar/vocals/keyboard/samples) help shed 

the light on their ascent as we look to undress the mystery behind Outfit. 

“We spent a lot of time thinking about what we wanted it to be and how we 

wanted to present it before playing any shows,” Andrew tells me, in his soft, 

relaxed tone. “It didn’t come from nowhere. It’s a life’s work.” But surely there 

was a deliberate decision made about the way in which the band presented 

themselves, a veil of mystique which was consciously draped? 

Thomas: “It wasn’t a tactic or anything, but there was a real desire not to give 

people extraneous information about the band that, in a sense, wasn’t interesting. 

We only wanted to present ourselves to people with what mattered - and that 

was the conscious decision - rather than deliberately holding things back.” 

What mattered then, as is still the case now, was presenting the group’s work 

in a way that was cohesive and complimentary, their online visual presence 

providing an additional life and a sub-plot to their music. As Andrew asserts, 

“We’re all really into the internet, but we prefer to use it in a creative way rather 

than a constantly commercial way.” 

Right from the outset, the band have looked to embrace the positive nodes 

of interconnectivity, the tools at their disposal, to present their work in an 

interesting way - much like a painter envisaging the world of opportunities that 

could be created using his brush, rather than being infatuated with the brush 

itself. Which is, perhaps, a pit that some bands, namely WU LYF, may have fallen 

into; a situation where the nodes of image and creation of mystique become 

more of a focus than the music. 

Andrew: “We’ve just made a new website which we definitely see as a vehicle 

www.bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! September 2011 9 

to push our whole aesthetic. Somewhere you can listen to our music, but also 

where you can get an idea of our visual identity and a sense of how we relate 

to things like the internet.” 

Nicholas: “And that’s not hidden, it’s not held back, it’s not like we don’t want 

anyone to know anything about us, that’d be a disaster. In a way, it can be a 

trap; I think WU LYF struggle with their image; eventually you have to play a load 

of shows, you can’t constantly be the guys in masks.” 

If you visit Outfit’s website you will immediately become aware of what they 

mean. True, you can listen to the music, but the visual allure of the space is clearly 

constructed to compliment the band’s sonics. It’s hard not to wonder if both 

aspects are born at once, or whether the visual element is created as a reaction 

to the music? “Both of them developed in tandem really,” confirms Andrew. 

“Nicholas and I started to mess around with video and we stumbled upon a style 

that was kind of our own at pretty much the same time as we’d started getting 

this band together. I see a relationship between some of the subtle hues of the 

pictures and imagery we work with, and say Outfit’s keyboard sounds. It’s natural 

for there to be a relationship, as we’re making it all at the same time.” 

Outfit’s debut physical release featuring Two Islands and Vehicles lands 

this month on transparent 7” vinyl, courtesy of Double Denim. As a label, they 

provide a perfect option for the group, with previous releases by Christian 

AIDS, Palmistry and Celestial Shore sitting very comfortably alongside Outfit’s 

offering. The label’s aesthetic drifts between a milieu of bleeps and twisted 

pop, a kind of extension and development of the (slightly clumsy) chill-wave 

moniker. For sure, artists such as Washed Out or Ariel Pink and their mixing of 

lo-fi guitars and ambient electronics are viable reference points to Outfit, but is 

that movement something with which the band feel an affinity? 

Nicholas: “In terms of the fusion of ambient electronics and guitars, those types 

of bands certainly are responding to their technological surroundings. We play a 

lot on themes of isolation and loneliness, and also loneliness through things like 

media saturation and the internet. The fact that ambience is starting to play into that 

makes perfect sense. That sound works nicely with things that have a sense of the 

vague about them. I think a lot of the Double Denim stuff has that to it. It’s a strong 

aesthetic to the label. I don’t know how well we fit into that but I enjoy a lot of it.” 

Throughout their recorded output thus far, and certainly present in their live 

shows, is an emphasis on the rhythmic. In a similar way to Fools Gold or Wild 

Beasts, there is a kinetic spine to the band’s work. Do they see this as a central 

element to what they do? 

David: “We all like dance music. Techno. I guess that’s a big influence; music 

that works purely on rhythm and has an effect on people through that but with 

little melody. We all enjoy that kind of thing.” 

Tom: “Techno, even with no lyrics or emotional signifiers, can still be lonely and 

alienating. That driving rhythm is something that we certainly are influenced by.” 

And in that you can again see the relationship between all the elements of 

Outfit: the lonely disorientation of the filmic, fused with the driving, spacious, 

yet ambient nature of the musical. On the Two Islands and Vehicles split 7”, the 

band have managed to condense these elements in their most arresting and 

accessible way thus far. So, is this indicative of the way the group are moving 

forward as a band and how their song-writing is developing? Andrew believes 

so: “I think we hit our stride a few months ago. We’ve written some more tunes 

and taken things in a slightly different direction. So yeah, I think those songs 

are indicative of where we’re heading.” 

As well as veering into new areas musically, Outfit are also drifting somewhere 

else physically. By the time you’re reading this article, the band will have uppedsticks 

and left Liverpool, moving en-masse down to the smoke. Cynics may 

accuse them of chasing the industry, jumping down to London at the drop of 

a hat as soon as the sniffs have started. But, as the band animatedly confirm, 

that couldn’t be further from the truth. “Moving to London was something we’d 

decided to do before even making Outfit,” Nicholas protests. “It’s something we 

all just want to do as people, the change is important. Liverpool has been great. 

Going to Useless on a Tuesday night when we were, like, sixteen was just the 

highlight of the week. The bands there were all doing things that were weird and 

unusual and certainly got me thinking in terms of different ways to make bands 

and songs and whatever. It’s definitely been an important part of my life.” And 

with that we escape from our perch in the wheat field, scrape down a river bank 

and meander back towards an access road across the west Wirral marsh. 

Outfit are a band at the forefront of a new wave of critically well received artists 

from Liverpool, a band completely comfortable with, and indeed embracing, the 

possibilities of the modern world to provide an overall context and artistic aesthetic 

to their work. Luckily, they also have the tunes to boot. It will be enthralling to 

see them develop into an essential band of the indie-avant-garde, a position that 

I believe they are destined to achieve. In a world of knowing everything, perhaps 

all we need to know is something. Perhaps that something is Outfit. 

everynightidressupasyou.com 

www.bidolito.co.uk

10 


Words: Philip Gofton 

Illustration: Ameé Christian 

Back in 2003, Ripley Johnson (singer/guitarist) hatched a shrewd plan. 

Entranced by the monotonous scuzz of The Velvet Underground’s Sweet 

Sister Ray bootleg, and the minimalist drone of classical composers 

Terry Riley and La Monte Young, a cast of ‘non-musicians’ was sought 

and assembled whose unblemished primitivism would both propel 

Johnson’s descent into the hypnotic vortex of rhythmic repetition whilst 

securing a launch-pad to fire-off his sheet-metal guitar eruptions. This 

first incarnation of WOODEN SHJIPS lasted long enough to spawn two 

self-released (predominately instrumental) singles, Dance, California 

(2006) and Shrinking Moon For You (2006) before it too, slipped into 

the vortex. Whilst these offerings remain fizzing forays in avant-garde 

experimentalism and Stonehenge-thuds, an inevitable glass ceiling 

was reached. Retaining Nash Whalen (keys) and integrating the more 

seasoned rhythm-section of Dusty Jermier (bass) and Omar Ahsanuddin 

(drums) resulted in 2007’s Loose Lips 7” and with it a sea-change in 

mood and texture. Their prototype bedrock beat morphed into a cool 

pulse; the frenzied cat-scratch guitars replaced by a swirling hum of 

fuzz; and Johnson’s vocal delivered half-whispered, fully echoed and 

as blissfully detached as Morrison at his most nonchalant, conjured 

the vamp lustfully eyeing you across a crowded room. The bitch who 

cracked the bullwhip had lost her dominance. Now with new label 

Thrill Jockey throwing their weight behind them, Wooden Shjips release 

West, their strongest and most accomplished album to date. 

Previous LP’s Wooden Shjips (2007) and Dos (2009) had their flaws. 

Notwithstanding individual flashes of brilliance, (Shine Like Suns and 

For So Long posses the power to trigger acid flashbacks), the ragtag 

collection of ideas and influences mirrored the erratic flight-path of the 

fly rather than the linear one of the crow, while at times they appeared 

so entrenched in metronomic grooves (Motorbike), poor melody was 

left sulking in the corner. However, there are no such grievances here: 

West harnesses and channels every zenith moment that Wooden 

Shjips have attained thus far and more; it’s cohesive, thematic and 

panoramic in scope and... it flows. 

Like Nevermind/Loveless/The 

Stone Roses, West has its own sonic idiosyncrasy, a unique textural 

identity saturating the record from start to finish. “It’s the first time 

we entered a ‘real’ studio,” explains bassist Jermier. “Working with 16 

tracks instead of 8 and recording analogue allowed us the freedom to 

really experiment, re-tracking all these ethereal spooky sounds and not 

having to discard any of them”. Couple that with Phil Manley at the 

helm (“having another engineer run the show was pretty nice”), and 

mastering by dexterous wizard Sonic Boom (Panda Bear/MGMT), and a 

portal to a 3D landscape is opened, where the listener is free to roam at 

will. This is most evident on Flight, a creepier, phantasmagoric Maggie 

M’Gill that grooves and drifts in slow motion before hitting a dense 

flock of delayed wah guitars and tremulous organ licks, all perfectly 

interweaving, darting and overlapping each other. It must have been 

an absolute nightmare to mix; Manley gets it bang on. Lazy Bones is 

another tour-de-force that sees Wooden Shjips’s footsteps crunching 

virgin snow. “That was a fun one; that’s probably the fastest song we’ve 

done,” remarks Jermier proudly. Hurtling like a bullet-train as Johnson 

dispatches lines with ice-cool aplomb (‘I wanna feel your eyes crawlin’ 

over me’), and dripping with the liquid-chrome guitar that percolates 

through the whole album, it would soundtrack Cassady’s road-trips if he 

was around today. Previously Wooden Shjips would use their myriad of 

influences as building-blocks to create their sound, with West they’ve 

infused them into the cement: they’re still apparent - the singular 

minimalism of Suicide, the spatial freedom of Tangerine Dream, the 

cyclonic space-rock of Loop and the glutinous fuzz of The Stooges - 

but it’s now undeniably a Wooden Shjips record. If your pre-ordered 

copy of the vinyl was rendered to wax in the PIAS blaze, you can still 

purchase it directly from Thrill Jockey records; I’m still waiting on mine 

with infantile impatience. 

6th September sees Wooden Shjips joined by fellow San Franciscobased 

musical-chameleons THE FRESH & ONLYS to co-headline The 

Kazimier. With the creative output of a Henry Ford factory (four albums 

in three years), current EP Secret Walls finds them in lush form with 

Wash Over Us spearheading the melodrama. Instrumentally, it’s as 

orchestrated and sweeping as an Ennio Morricone score, burrowing 

spindly guitars and trickling keys amalgamate to create a world thats 

cavernous yet claustrophobic. Invoking a decaying gold-rush town 

where phantoms walk amongst the living, Tim Cohen delivers his 

lament with such fractured dread (‘we are puppets and our bodies are 

painted on, that waters gonna wash all of us’) one can sense there’s 

one standing right beside him. 

In booking this gig, Harvest Sun Promotions have pulled off a real 

coup (local drone favourites MUGSTAR are also on the bill with records 

from scouse-podcast-king BERNIE CONNOR) and reinforced their 

position as one of the city’s leading promoters. I’m already there. 

woodenshjips.com 

www.bidolito.co.uk

12 


LOVED 

ONES 

Words: Phil Gwyn 

Photography: Javier Horcajada 

Unambitious and derivative. Those are charges to which Liverpool’s musicians 

have been held in the past decade. Generally, this absurd assertion is supported 

by an ungainly mention of The Beatles, which is expected to be swallowed 

as concrete evidence. Yet, over the past year, even the most sceptical music 

journalists have had their heads turned by a flurry of undeniably inventive 

music from Liverpool; the latest in this spate of innovative bands with a brilliant, 

world-spanning potential being LOVED ONES. 

Loved Ones were birthed last year when Nik Glover (of the eccentric 

Liverpudlians The Seal Cub Clubbing Club) and Rich Hurst (of prog-rock insanity 

cases The Laze) got together to pen some soothing folk melodies for Nik’s 

newborn nephew. Even for these two unconventional musicians, I can imagine 

this being quite a unique reason to start a band. The result is nuanced, ambient 

folk music which, produced via their slightly warped musical minds, has 

its languid experimentalism only slightly tamed by a vein of pop accessibility 

that runs through their work. Loved Ones have produced some of their collective 

careers’ most immediate music. 

Their growth has thus far been completely natural. “We did a track on the second 

Seal Cubs album called Old World… It just grew into the fact that we could do it 

ourselves, so we wrote it, recorded it and produced it,” says Nik, with each stage 

of recording rolling from his tongue as if breathing is more of a challenge. At one 

point, when asked what the motivation for the project was, Rich turns towards 

us and simply utters “necessity”, as if politely asking what else is there to do with 

life except create music. This is a view shared by Nik, who declares at one point 

that he has always wanted “to make music for a living, because it just means that 

I can make more music.” Cumulatively, the passion that these two have shared for 

music over such a long period makes it unsurprising that Loved Ones’ sound is so 

well informed, so fully formed, and so adept, deep and intricate. 

After a couple of lonely shows consisting of just Rich and Nik, Loved Ones 

was expanded into a live five-piece. “When you’ve got just a singer and a violin 

on stage, it always feels a bit empty,” explains Nik. But the admiration that 

they have for each other suggests that the expansion of the band is far more 

significant than the filling of previously empty space. Nik relentlessly praises 

Mother Earth, before revealing that their drummer’s moving meant that Jay 

and George (former Mother Earth members) could be commandeered by Loved 

Ones. Jay then refers to Dave as their “hero” in a heart-warming, almost paternal 

moment, and Dave replies by saying that the whole project has been so easy 

because he “just wanted to work with great musicians”. Suddenly we feel like 

we should sprinkle rose petals over the table and make a swift exit before we 

witness something deeply psychologically damaging. 

With the album, recorded in Rich’s West Kirby studio and entitled The 

Merry Monarch now boxed off, I ask what their intentions are for releasing it. 

According to Nik, “the initial plan was to do a limited release ourselves, and 

see if a label wants to pick it up”. The fact that record labels are even on their 

minds hints that they’re aware, even tentatively excited, that this project has 

the potential to unfurl itself into something impressive. I point out that it would 

be more than cruel if Loved Ones didn’t make it, given the number of groups in 

which they have previously featured that almost did. They laugh, either out of 

modesty or because they’re unable to look at their own music objectively; but 

it really would be unjust. 

Nevertheless, Loved Ones are aware of the element of luck involved, noting 

that “it’s chance really, to get picked up by the right person”. As they point out, 

bands that make it are often in their second or third incarnation; and why should 

that not be the case with Loved Ones? Nik’s lyrics have never been so wrought 

or poignant, and their collective melodies never more affecting. They finish by 

telling us that, “most of the time, we’re staring at the walls in the studio, like 

‘fucking hell, this is going to take hours’.” But by now we’ve learned their selfdeprecation, 

because as much as they might try to play it down, they’re a far 

more inspired, talented and rare a band than that. 

soundcloud.com/lovedones 

www.bidolito.co.uk

What’s on 

at Liverpool 

Philharmonic 

Jimmy Cliff 

Thursday 1 September 7.30pm 

£28.50, £33.50 

Folk Double Bill 

Martin Carthy & 

Dave Swarbrick 

and Lau 

Thursday 29 September 7.30pm 

£17.50-£25 

David Crosby & 

Graham Nash 

Monday 3 October 8pm 

£45-£60 

Soweto 

Gospel Choir 

Thursday 4 October 7.30pm 

£20-£30 

Pink Martini 

Saturday 15 October 7.30pm 

£20-£35 

Tindersticks 

Tuesday 18 October 8pm 

£18.50, £24.50 

Liverpool Irish Festival 

The Irish Sea 

Sessions 2011 

Friday 21 October 7.30pm 

£17.50-£26 

Liverpool Irish Festival 

Breabach 

& Calan 

Sunday 23 October 7.30pm 

St Georges Hall Concert Room 

£17.50 

James 

Friday 28 October 

SOLD OUT 

Friday 28 & Saturday 29 October 7.30pm 

£17.50-£25 

John Mayall 

Thursday 3 November 7.30pm 

£23-£30 

Toumani Diabate 

Thursday 3 November 7.30pm £20 

St Georges Hall Concert Room 

Zappa Plays Zappa 

Monday 21 November 8pm 

£10-£33.50 

Anoushka 

Shankar 

Saturday 26 November 7.30pm 

£20, £26 

Box Office fi 

0151 709 3789 liverpoolphil.com

14 


Ashes to Ashes 

powder to powder 

Words: Christopher Torpey 

Photography: John Johnson 

In days gone by, Ye Cracke’s War Room was the 

tucked-away corner of the pub where Boer War 

veterans were banished so they could carry on 

their reminiscences unabated. Today, as I sit in 

the same room opposite Kevin Sampson, one half 

of Red Union Films and the man behind the cult 

classic Awaydays, I can’t help but recall a scene from 

his novel currently undergoing the silver screen 

treatment, POWDER. Sitting at the very tables where 

The Grams and their manager Wheezer plotted their 

route to success, it somehow makes them all feel 

a bit more real. “Agreed,” says Sampson. “This room 

where we’re sitting, this is where it all started.” 

The journey of Powder the novel, an ‘everyday 

story of rock ‘n’ roll people’, to Powder the film, 

released later this month and starring Liam Boyle, 

Alfie Allen and Stephen Walters, echoes the cathartic 

journey of the film and book’s lead character, Keva 

McCluskey. Charting the trajectory of The Grams, 

the band fronted by the melancholic Keva (Boyle), 

Powder documents the band’s rise from nobodies 

to acclaimed stars, and how this is driven by Keva’s 

pain and inner torments. Whereas the book is a fastpaced, 

rollicking tale of the band clambering through 

the murky workings of the music industry, the film 

focuses its glare solely on Keva’s redemptive story 

and personal battles. The madcap trappings of fame 

and popularity that make the book’s version of The 

Grams so exciting are lifted (directly and indirectly) 

from Sampson’s anecdotal remembrances of his 

time in the ‘music business’, as a writer for NME and 

The Face, and as manager of The Farm. Drug-fuelled 

excesses, deviant sexual escapades and scenes of 

self-abasement in wardrobes have been cut from 

the script, with the film version delivering a slowerpaced 

and more personal documentation of one 

musician’s transformation through his art. 

With initial reaction to screenings going “pretty 

badly to be honest,” Sampson could be forgiven 

for feeling nothing but trepidation for the release. 

“I find it quite enjoyable in a way!” he laughs. “If 

you’re gonna get a kicking you want it to be brutal.” 

Though the press screening in London suffered some 

technical issues, I ask whether the antipathy for the 

early versions of Powder stems from something else: 

not so much that it doesn’t tick the right filmic boxes, 

but more an element of the press and critics being 

disheartened that the film is devoid of the industry 

cut and thrust that drives the book? “Could be. I mean 

that does happen when there is something with a 

devoted following which people are passionate 

about. You’re always kind of asking for it when you 

do a film version of a book cos no-one ever likes the 

film version the same as they like the book.” This is 

true of many classic novels that have not travelled 

well from page to screen, and was something that 

was a bit of a disappointment for many hardcore 

fans of Sampson’s previous adaptation Awaydays. “I 

think that’s because the relationship between a book 

and a reader is purely a one-on-one thing,” explains 

Sampson, “and everybody is imagining it differently to 

the next person. And when that comes up on screen, 

there is no ambiguity or room for manoeuvre.” The 

fact is that the film stands on its own as a piece of art, 

separate from the book, and far more credible than a 

straight-up companion piece would be. 

The Liverpool settings that provide the book with 

a vivid backdrop are also used in the film to add 

some authenticity; the regular city centre reveller will 

easily be able to pick out Korova, Parr Street Studios 

and the O2 Academy in various scenes, and eagleeyed 

viewers may also spot Hope Street Hotel and 

Knowsley Hall as locations. I ask Sampson if it was 

important to keep the film tethered to these roots by 

using some of Liverpool’s most easily recognisable 

locations: “Oh yeah, definitely. You stand or fall on 

the authenticity that you can offer. So many of the 

buildings and panoramas in Liverpool are matchless, 

and I think Liverpool comes across beautifully.” 

Keeping the vistas and characters of Liverpool 

underpinning the action is a consequence of 

Sampson having an input into all aspects of the 

production. Red Union Films, the independent film 

company he set up with friend and collaborator 

David A. Hughes in order to bring his books to 

screen, enabled him to stay with the project of 

shaping his original ideas in to the final product as 

an executive producer on the film. “That really is the 

joy of doing it,” confirms Sampson. “We wanted to 

get our hands dirty, for better or for worse, and to 

be involved right to the end in terms of moulding 

it and making sure we got this release that was in 

tune with our philosophies as a company.” In true 

independent style, and sticking with the courage 

of their convictions, they seem to have pulled it off. 

“We thought, if we love it then other people will too. 

That’s the philosophy in a nutshell.” 

Powder is released in cinemas on 26th August

VASCO 

DA GAMA 

“We do things where even I think we’ve played it wrong. You have to 

sometimes twist your brain a little bit.” John Crawford (vocals/guitar) 

Words: Samuel Garlick 

Photography: Jennifer Pellegrini 

www.bidolito.co.uk

Meeting up with VASCO DA GAMA 

proved two things to me; firstly, that 

their music is just as vibrant as they 

are, and secondly - perhaps most 

importantly - that their hearts are fully 

invested in what they’re doing. These 

four mavericks pit themselves against 

the ‘realm of the ever-same’ by creating 

razor-sharp musical conundrums 

through abrasive instrumentation. 

There is no romance-drenched story 

that details their beginnings, merely 

them just being in the right place at 

the right time and sharing a mutual 

eye for talent. It’s quite fitting really, 

considering how down-to-earth these 

guys are: “to begin with, directly and 

indirectly, we all knew each other 

and knew that we were good at what 

we do” states John Crawford (vocals/ 

guitar); 

“it was all a really 

natural process” 

agrees 

John 

Still (bass). 

Vasco’s music recalls the visceral 

eclectics of The Mars Volta, whilst 

smoothing the edges with grooveindulged 

hooks. “I wanted to start a 

band like The Dismemberment Plan 

and Faroquet” confirms Chris Lynn 

(guitar). They are an act who strive for 

the unconventional: just as soon as a 

melody starts to get predictable, their 

music slaps you back into obscurity 

courtesy of a jilted rhythm or howling 

vocal line. In a genre where the guitar 

riff is king, they bring to the forefront 

the powers of unpredictability by 

utilising rhythm instruments like 

drums as if they were on the same 

level. “I learnt a lot from Latin-American 

drumming and try to involve that as 

much as possible”, states David Kelly 

(drums). This Latin element within 

their music is integral, 

not only to 

their 

songwriting, 

but 

to 

their entire 

identity, 

as 

they 

inject 

cultural stimuli into a style of music 

that is notoriously impermeable to 

deviation. 

Various sub-genres have been 

bandied about regarding their style: 

post-hardcore, alt-prog, but most 

prominently is the phrase ‘mathrock’, 

a term that, for all of its allure, 

isn’t the most accurate of definitions. 

John C complements this statement 

by saying, “genre classifications are 

always refining, and because there are 

a few more people playing math-rock, 

it’s almost become a dirty word.” The 

main problem with this classification 

is its connotations; “it implies that 

you’re thinking, but I much prefer the 

idea that you’re not trying to think” 

states Chris. “Math-rock suggests that 

it’s very calculated and contrived, 

which is the opposite for our music,” 

agrees John C. That’s not to say that 

they’re against this sentiment, just 

that the boundaries that are applied 

to genres are often misleading. “Even 

if everyone is pigeonholing it, at least 

there’s several different pigeonholes 

being thrown around,” comments 

John S. “We try to come up with 

new genre names, but have had 

no success as of yet.” Just as soon 

as these words are uttered, Chris 

suggests, “Latin spaz-math?” 

Like all intricate music, familiarity 

is key to its understanding: the 

more you listen to Vasco’s complex 

melodies, the more they make 

sense, as the supposedly fragmented 

elements come together to take 

one synchronised form. This theory 

of ‘learning to like’ is essential to 

their sound. “It’s funny what you can 

make catchy in your head, even with 

familiarity you’d expect the opposite 

result,” explains David. “We take 

something that we hear straight at 

first and slowly chip away at it, adding 

little kinds of weirdness all the time.” 

How they have managed to remain 

such an underground phenomenon 

I will never understand, but with an 

EP as imminent as another tabloid 

phone scandal, I would be astounded 

if they didn’t get the attention that 

they quite obviously deserve. 

Unfortunately, this time of evolution 

has turned into a juncture, as they are 

soon to lose their bassist, John S, to 

Holland. Some bands would react 

in a negative or defensive manner 

when approached with this subject, 

for Vasco it is quite the opposite. “It 

couldn’t have happened at a better 

time, we’ve just recorded something 

that is a really good reflection of 

the past year and half’s work on the 

songs and gigs. I feel that it reflects 

the positive process, ‘the Still-era’,” 

says David. 

John C concludes by 

declaring, “It would have been a 

record of the past, but this gives it a 

bit more poignancy. It bookends it 

quite nicely.” 

myspace.com/vascoband 

www.bidolito.co.uk

18 


Atalonia: A Descent to Central Earth 

Words: Michael Pinnington 

Words: Michael Pinnington 

Illustration: Charlie Hope 

The rain is cascading down Hardman Street, but it’ll 

all be worth it. I’m on my way to meet The Kazimier’s 

Venya Krutikov, to chat about their eagerly awaited 

new project, so far kept under wraps - a strategy 

regularly employed by the arts/performance group as 

a means to build expectation and encourage audience 

engagement. 

I arrive at our 

agreed meeting 

place, 

Mello 

Mello, 

and 

order a coffee. 

With The Pixie’s 

Surfer Rosa for 

accompaniment, 

Venya (born in 

Moscow, 

he’s 

spent his adult 

life in the UK) 

doesn’t 

keep 

me waiting and 

soon gets to 

talking all things 

Kazimier. 

What 

comes 

across 

immediately 

is 

his 

undiluted 

passion 

and 

enthusiasm 

for the project, 

which began as 

a touring company, but settled in Liverpool more 

than three years ago, after it became apparent a 

permanent venue was required.. 

In this period, The Kazimier has grown from 

strength to strength, with ever more ambitious 

events and performances conceived by what is 

essentially a collective: Venya describes them as 

“operating along the lines of a Socialist utopia... 

sometimes this works and sometimes not.” I put 

it to him that perhaps, as they continue to grow, 

there’ll need to be some kind of hierarchy: “...maybe, 

but this method has worked fine so far. Should we 

need to change things, we’ll look at it again.” 

Conversation turns to their fine reputation as 

a venue (known in many quarters as the place 

to catch some of the hippest bands around), and 

how this was “purely incidental, arising as more 

promoters approached us, and it made sense, the 

space was only ever used when we had a show on, 

the rest of the time it was basically dormant.” 

www.bidolito.co.uk 

This combination of self-produced shows and the 

ability to host gigs means that The Kazimier is all at 

once at the centre of a growing arts-led community 

in Liverpool, whilst also occupying its own plot 

of the cultural landscape. It has become a crucial 

aspect of a burgeoning scene, the importance of 

which should not be overlooked. 

Around this point of the interview, however, 

I begin to think I’m being given the run-around 

about the new show; that rather than using this 

as an opportunity to promote the forthcoming 

extravaganza, perhaps the intention all along has 

been to keep us hanging that little bit longer. A 

different interviewing approach is necessary: my 

gambit is to discuss the change of venue – The 

old Pilkington’s building situated in The Baltic 

Triangle has been secured for the show’s run (26th 

September – 1st October). Breakthrough! “We’re just 

finalising the details on what will be a very intimate 

show,” Venya confides, going on to say, “it will be 

something of a different direction from what we’ve 

done in the past; this time around, we’re dealing 

with Sci-fi.” 

“Wow, that’s great!” I exclaim (as much to do 

with the fact of me landing a scoop as my genuine 

excitement at this foray in to Sci-fi!). The info is 

coming thick and fast now, as if Venya, having finally 

let the cat out of the bag, can’t stop himself. The 

show will be based on the premise that the Earth 

is hollow and, beneath its surface, there exists a 

parallel universe. 

Featuring a high level of audience participation, 

productions 

will take the 

form of tours 

on a journey 

to the newly 

discovered 

realm. As such, 

though there is 

a much bigger 

space to play 

with, audience 

numbers 

will 

be kept to 

a strict forty 

(outnumbered 

by cast and 

crew); any more 

than that and 

things 

could 

get tricky – you 

don’t 

want 

to lose any 

stragglers to a 

pool of magma, 

for instance. 

While ‘Atalonia: A Descent to Central Earth’ (the 

title was only confirmed following our interview) is a 

step-up, Venya was quick to point out that “no infinite 

budget exists, but this informs the way sets are built, 

it forces us to work harder with what we have to 

hand.” Indeed, he estimates that 80% of materials are 

recycled, but this lack of means has never stood in the 

way of The Kazimier before, their ambition seemingly 

more than a match for financial constraint. 

A fascinating premise then, and a new genre for 

this most creative of teams to get to grips with; 

one can’t help but be excited at the prospect of 

following them to the centre of the Earth, a journey 

this writer is certain new and existing fans will be 

more than prepared to embark upon. 

All aboard! 

Runs twice daily from 26th September – 

1st October 

atalonia.com

20 Bido Lito! September 2011 

Rants/Comment 

The Glass Pasty 

Battle cry from the Cultural Abyss Post Riots 

Battle cry from the Cultural Abyss Post Riots 

“Tough on Gerard Depardieu, tough 

party, car keys still dangling, always 

on the causes of Gerard Depardieu” 

the bridesmaid, never the bride. As I 

peer out through the cracks of broken 

Readers! As the nights start to 

Britain and survey the aftermath my 

draw in and autumnal showers stain 

ears are still ringing with the sound 

our memory of a short lived summer, 

of be-hooded youths violently texting 

we found ourselves off stage left 

and abusing both Blackberrys and 

in Britain’s orgy of looting. Back up 

social media. Two things, as regular 

vocals and tambourine, we were 

readers will be aware, that are close 

Linda McCartney in Wings. 

to my pastry encased heart. 

As I scribble this inarticulate drivel 

from my makeshift Toxteth bomb 

Why Pasty? 

shelter, hemmed in under a DIY wasp’s 

We search in vain for answers like 

nest of fibre glass, broken bottles 

a LIPA kid for authenticity, fumble for 

and the burnt purple bin juice of a 

clichés about a decaying moral fabric, 

neighbour’s wheelie bin, I can’t help 

inappropriate policing, cuts, greed, 

feeling sorry for those other great 

expenses, phone hacking, political 

cities that missed out on the action, 

correctness, twitter, stop and search, 

Sheffield, Leicester and er .. Preston. 

national service or even hip-hop 

Yes, like the fat one at a swinger’s 

and the bling culture. Forget your 

Nik Glover 

high minded notions about mass 

unemployment, rising inflation and 

a divided society of have and have 

nots, look no further than one man, 

a man who embodies the very spirit 

of rebellion and revolt that brought 

this fair isle to its knees:- Gerard 

Depardieu 

A history of provocateurs such as 

De Sade, Celine, Camus and Cantona, 

its fair to say the French have brought 

us many great rebels through the 

ages but step aside mere mortals, 

enter:- Le Conc. 

Depardieu’s Aviation Urination 

Violation 

The Gallic heartthrob was 

reprimanded on board a flight from 

Paris to Dublin this month for peeing 

into a bottle as the plane was about 

to take off, hemmed in by stringent 

seat belt procedures, the star of 

The Three Musketeers and Bergerac 

whipped out his Jean Pierre Thomas 

and relieved himself in front of a 

gobsmacked cabin crew. However 

once other disgruntled passengers 

got a whiff of that garlic like urine they 

too wanted a piece of the action and 

an orgy of mindless urination ensued 

causing major delays and bringing air 

traffic to a near standstill. That’s how 

easy it can spread gentle readers! 

I for one think we should bring back 

national service for Gerard Depardieu 

or at least ban him from all forms of 

social media. When peace is finally 

restored I will return to my study 

search through my DVD collection 

and then proceed to burn my copy of 

Green Card with anti-ageing heroine 

Andie McDowell, yes I’ll miss it but 

lessons need to be learnt. 

Keep a clean nose and stay in 

school …. 

I was going to write something 

about the recent looting that has 

broken out across the nation, but it’s 

all too dispiriting. Instead, I’ll write 

about a 15th Century Lantern Cross. 

If you travel almost as far South 

and West as you can in England, 

leaving the motorways behind and 

striking out towards Land’s End, pass 

Falmouth and negotiate the mess of 

lagoons and forest-banded beaches 

westwards. An island lies off the coast, 

achievable via a narrow, frequently 

deluged sea wall. 

From the mottled summit of St 

Michael’s Mount, Marazion town 

stretches out to the North. Tramp your 

way around the island’s neck and 

you can watch the Channel shipping 

lanes to the South. The clutter of 

buildings which crown the tiny island 

have been constantly added to and 

supplanted over a thousand years 

of development. If you dig away 

the mediaeval and the Victorian you 

would read the faintest ley lines of 

Iron Age settlement. Humans have 

lived here on and off since the dawn 

of civilisation. 

The castle keep and slate-roofed 

chapel rest at the end of a winding 

path of jagged flagstones; the halfburied 

boulders that litter the grounds 

are given folkish names, ‘The Giant’s 

Tooth’, ‘Odin’s Finger’. They are useful 

reminders of the decades around the 

first millennium when the victory of 

Christian over pagan was nothing like 

assured. 

The lantern cross is from a 

much later, more confident age of 

Christendom. Erected in the 15th 

century, it stands just over the 

threshold of the chapel, and is 

roughly the size of an old post box, 

with the head of a Victorian London 

lamppost, and a scene depicted on 

each of its four faces. Facing West, the 

Virgin and Child; East, John and Mary 

at the Crucifixion; South, an Ecclesiast, 

possibly the mount’s prior; North, 

Edward the Confessor. 

What we tend to forget as one 

generation passes into another is that 

the things that impacted on us, the 

tides of prejudice, oppression, great 

discoveries, technological advance, 

famous criminal or political events, 

disasters; each is only preserved by 

media, and in the minds of those 

who lived through them. There is no 

genetic pool of human experience, 

and the son does not automatically 

inherit the wisdom of the father. 

The media image, like theatre, is an 

imperfect mirror. It does not reflect 

the moment exactly. Freud called it 

‘afterwardsness’, the distortion of a 

memory in the act of recollection, and 

it prejudices every belief system and 

inspires every act of violence outside 

polar bear attacks. 

It is the responsibility of everyone 

older than the London, Liverpool, 

Birmingham and Manchester looters 

to show them that the world they live 

in, of state support for all, healthcare 

free at the point of service, and 

relative luxury, is not an opportunitystripped 

wasteland, nor an endlessly 

flowering benefactor, but the result of 

thousands of years of climbing, and 

can be lost as easily as balance by an 

ill-timed step. 

www.bidolito.co.uk

A6 Bold St Fest Front 02.pdf 18/8/11 19:40:35 

’

22 


Previews/Shorts 

Edited by Richard Lewis - middle8@bidolito.co.uk 

LOVE INKS 

Texan melodeers LOVE INKS come to Liverpool amidst a swell of enthusiastic 

proclamations. Their drum machine aided guitar pop hooks remind us of Kisses. 

Think Best Coast, but very, very stoned. Straddling the border between throwaway 

and repeat-play, the verdict may well still be out. But we certainly dig. Do you? 

Williamson Tunnels - 24th September - Tickets through Probe Records 

JUNGLE BROTHERS 

Following last year’s excellent Sugarhill Gang fixture, vintage hip-hop 

returns to The Masque with THE JUNGLE BROTHERS. Creators of groundbreaking 

house/hip-hop mash-up I’ll House You, the band have a strong reputation 

live. Collaborations with fellow innovators De La Soul and A Tribe Called 

Quest make the group a seminal part of the hip-hop movement. 

The Masque - 10th September – Tickets through ents24.com 

JIMMY CLIFF 

Evol Summer Love 

With the gig circuit having taken a bit of a rest over the ‘summer’ months 

(ahem) normal service is resumed in September. Back with a bang for the autumn 

season, Evol host four gigs over one weekend in September. A deluge of superior 

shows by SLOW CLUB, METRONOMY, MALE BONDING and THREE TRAPPED TIGERS 

are spread across The Shipping Forecast and The Kazimier. 

First up, THREE TRAPPED TIGERS return to the ‘Pool following their time at Sound 

City. The instrumental noise-rock/math-rock trio deliver intense live shows and are 

set to rock subterranean gig parlour The Shipping Forecast on 22nd September. 

The following night, boy-girl duo SLOW CLUB bring their winsome melodicism to 

The Kazimier. The delicate beauty of the pair’s harmonies have started to win over 

many with their second LP Paradise due to hit the shelves in early September. 

Hot on their heels on the 24th, lights-on-chests types METRONOMY bring their 

icy electronica to The Kaz’. With recent LP The English Riviera a big success a few 

months back, the venerable theatre will undoubtedly be rammed. Completing the 

quartet, MALE BONDING round off proceedings with a show at the ‘Forecast on the 

26th. One of the few UK bands to feature on legendary grunge label Sub Pop, the 

noise-pop punkers will doubtless turn in a bracing set. 

evol-liverpool.tumblr.com 

Arriving on the world stage via 1972 cult Jamaican movie The Harder They Come, 

Jimmy Cliff is one of reggae’s greatest vocalists. Many River to Cross and You Can 

Get It If You Really Want are just two of his songs in a twenty album career. The 

superb acoustics of The Philharmonic will showcase his voice sublimely. 

The Philharmonic – 1st September - Tickets through Ticketline.co.uk 

SARABETH TUCEK 

NYC singer-songwriter Sarabeth Tucek, is touring her acclaimed Get Well Soon 

LP. An inspiration to Laura Marling, the folk singer’s work with Bill Callaghan and 

The Brian Jonestown Massacre have brought her to a wider audience. Support 

comes from one of Liverpool’s finest folk acts, THE RANDOM FAMILY. 

St. Bride’s Church – 3rd September – Tickets through Ticketline.co.uk 

SERIOUS SAM BARRETT 

Solo Leeds troubadour Sam Barrett, exponent of raw roots music, has been 

dubbed Yorkshirecana. Mixing the open road with the grittiness of Northern life, 

he draws inspiration from blues masters such as Blind Willie McTell, country from 

the iconic Carter Family and a dose of the British folk tradition of Ewan McColl. 

Wolstenholme Creative Space - 23rd September - Tickets OTD 

Musical Settings Part 2: Into The Deep 

Mainstays of the Liverpool alternative music scene, a.P.A.t.T. are staging an 

audacious event at Liverpool’s World Museum in the form of their Orchestra, 

one of the many diverse projects originating from this unusual musical unit. 

The second installment of the Orchestra’s four part concert series, Into the Deep 

explores concepts of distance, vastness and isolation, using the unique spaces 

of the setting to provide fitting environments for these unique performances. 

The a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra will be collaborating with fellow musical iconoclasts EX- 

EASTER ISLAND HEAD for the event. To celebrate the display of a real ex-Easter Island 

Head in the Museum, E-EIH have composed a new piece which will be performed 

around the statue itself, featuring the members of the a.P.A.t.T. Orchestra. 

Moving down into the deep ocean, and drawing on the links between music and genetic 

evolution that has created the vast array of fish that will surround this performance, a 

piece by local composer Ben Fair will invite the audience to focus on the fish tanks. 

The final piece will see a unique musical performance set to the visuals of 

the Museum’s Planetarium. Playing pieces by Philip Glass, a.P.A.t.T. will recreate 

the minimalist composer’s music. 

Places are extremely limited, so please email 

apattorchestra@apatt.com to guarantee a seat, specifying your preferred performance. 

Liverpool World Museum – 11th Sept – 2pm onwards – Free entry apattorchestra.com 

www.bidolito.co.uk

24 


Reviews 

STEPHEN FRETWELL 

Fly With Vampires – Cold 

Shoulder – Thomas J Speight 

Evol @ The Kazimier 

Acoustic was the dish of the night 

and a generous helping of it was 

served up by a myriad of artists to 

those both seated and standing in the 

Kazimier. THOMAS J SPEIGHT kicked 

things off with Willow Tree, his smooth 

tones and moving vocals partially 

ensnaring the audience, but struggling 

to hold their attention. He came into 

his own with a jangled guitar solo 

in Journey, faring better with a toe- 

tapping, country vibe, but when the 

energy and thus the dynamics began 

to dip, he let the audience escape, and 

clawing them back was too much of 

an impossible task. 

As The Kazimier’s standing tiers 

began to fill up, and those seated 

were starting to squirm restlessly in 

their seats, COLD SHOULDER came on 

to ramp up the tempo a bit. A slightly 

bushy, dishevelled appearance, Cold 

Shoulder had a charming Scouse wit 

and banter that was impossible not 

to warm to. Chunky basslines, riproaring 

lyrics, tribal drums and neat 

melodies made for a gritty, raw and 

unbridled sound, with No More for You 

a standout tune. 

FLY WITH VAMPIRES were on form 

with a blistering energy, and articulated 

themselves through chiming 

melodies and throbbing basslines. 

The synchronised harmonies on Time 

And Tide were perfection, exuding 

stage presence and charisma. Puppet 

Master, with its intimate vocals and 

pounding drum beats was a testament 

to their song-writing skills, as it rose 

to a forceful crescendo. Supporting act 

maybe, but an animated performance 

which had the audience’s focus firmly 

fixed to them. 

When the instantly recognisable, 

red-headed troubadour that is 

STEPHEN FRETWELL took to the stage, 

an eerie silence descended, somehow 

uniting the cross-section of impossibly 

hip hipsters, indies, middle-aged men 

and modsters. Opening with Run, 

taken from his debut album Magpie, 

Fretwell was both captivating and 

heartrending, creating an airtight 

bubble that he used to seduce, and to 

lay bare his soul in equal measures. 

The flesh stripped away, leaving only 

the bones of his vocals and simplistic 

melodies; the juxtaposition of his 

gravelly voice against the intimate 

narrative was breathtaking. 

Darlin’ Don’t invited the audience 

into his self-imposed solitude, then 

kicked them back out when he forgot 

the words mid-song. An amused and 

Stephen Fretwell (Jennifer Pellegrini) 

jubilant audience only cheered further 

when he resumed. It was the magical 

vibes of San Francisco Blues, taken 

from the album Man On The Roof 

(recorded in New York) where the 

subtle tones of Americana were most 

notable. A demanding ‘encore’ chant 

forced Fretwell back on stage and 

he rounded off his set with the more 

upbeat and character-driven New York. 

Poignant, frank and indulgent, but 

not over-done, the performance left me 

feeling as though my heart had been 

stolen; in Stephen Fretwell’s hands, 

I’m convinced it was in safekeeping. 

Lisa O’Dea 

THE LOST BROTHERS 

The Sundowners – S J Downes 

The Company Store @ Zanzibar 

Returning like the prodigal son to 

his rightful home at the forefront of 

all that is roots, rhythmic and a-rockin’ 

in our humble city, The Company Store 

opens its famous doors to the general 

public once more for a summer special. 

Not since their EP launch earlier this 

year have electrifyin’ and testifyin’ 

hosts The Sixteen Tonnes graced 

us with the delights of their fine 

whiskey and finer tunings, and this 

long-awaited homecoming sees them 

invite Irishmen THE LOST BROTHERS to 

the realms of the Zanzibar after their 

lengthy stateside spell in Tennessee’s 

sun-soaked capital. 

Bearded balladeer S J DOWNES 

opens the night solitary on stage, 

bearing his soul with only his guitar 

to accompany his haunting renditions. 

While early birds tiptoe around tables 

draped in gingham so as not to disturb 

his gospel-tinged, finger-picking blues, 

you begin to wonder why, when a 

man as talented as he can obtain 

the hushed respect of a room full 

of revellers, that same reverence 

and recognition cannot be gained 

by musicians such as himself from a 

corrupt and increasingly meretricious 

industry. With that thought still 

lingering, he, humble and honest, 

thanks his audience before the usual 

round of blues classics and lost 

treasures are played by clued-up DJs, 

in preparation for THE SUNDOWNERS 

to make their Company Store debut. 

With harmonies from their two 

female vocalists that could rival any of 

Spector’s beehived and doe-eyed 60s 

girl groups, The Sundowners fill the 

room with a spectrum of impressive 

melodies and a synchronised stage 

presence. Explosive guitar solos break 

up the nature of each song seamlessly, 

bringing a fresh element to the often 

imitated jangly, Scouse pop that we 

all know and love. Set highlight, the 

expertly crafted Hummingbird, 

a 

wistful number of sweeping twists 

and turns, exhibits the strength of 

the vocals which envelop another 

kaleidoscopic solo, visibly captivating 

an approving audience. 

Tonight’s farthest travelling act 

comes in the form of duo The Lost 

Brothers, who bring their gentle tones 

to the Mersey shores all the way from 

the Emerald Isle via Nashville. An 

acoustic twosome, comparisons to 

Simon and Garfunkel are inevitable, 

though a mellifluous lullaby version 

of the Baker Knight-penned classic 

Lonesome Town demonstrates an 

efficient ability of making something 

very much their own. Playing songs 

from their full length debut Trails Of 

The Lonely (Parts I And III), their original 

numbers documenting fleeting 

www.bidolito.co.uk

Reviews Bido Lito! September 2011 25 

moments, lazy days and love lost to 

city girls are all dextrously delivered, 

with the clean whistles of Wake Me Up 

a focal point in the set. 

Hosts The Sixteen Tonnes epitomise 

the feel of the evening on the rousing 

Blue Tears, which like The Company 

Store itself brings a home-grown slice 

of world class Americana to Seel Street 

and proves you’ll find no better replica 

this side of the Atlantic. 

Bethany Garrett 

HOT LIGHT FIESTA 

The White Widows – Sheerwater 

The Zanzibar 

Tonight’s line-up (to pastiche an 

old cliché) is as varied as a box of 

chocolates, boasting sub-genres 

from all of rock’s furthest reaches, 

accommodating for even the 

vvgreediest of musical connoisseurs. 

First out the box is SHEERWATER, a 

piano-driven classic rock act whose 

music wouldn’t be out of place in a 

1980s American sitcom. Their marque 

of basic, yet quintessentially engaging 

songs are a complete oddity in the 

local live circuit; whereas most acts 

strive to break the rules, Sheerwater, 

ironically, achieve true character from 

abiding by them. It’s all there: the gruff 

Americana vocal timbre, the pounding 

drum rhythms, the all-encompassing 

power chords; the only thing missing 

is a touch of originality. 

Guitars drawn close to their chests, 

skinny jeans at crotch-crippling 

tightness and shoe-gazing stance at 

the ready, THE WHITE WIDOWS portray 

all the worrying signs of an identikit 

indie act. However, the marriage of 

Kiernan Oates’ outstanding voice 

and the subtle flavour of his acoustic 

guitar create a match made in heaven. 

Two Month Itch is a prime example of 

this coupling, merging the familiar 

realm of conventional song structures 

with captivating overtones and clever 

instrumentation. This is blue-collared 

lad rock at its best, and the audience 

agree, eating up their Kasabian-isms 

in a performance that is sure to 

turn heads. 

With many math-rock bands, their 

affinity for the obscure overrides 

their ability for the appealing, HOT 

LIGHT FIESTA not only supersede this 

superstition, they craft their own sonic 

vocabulary, riddled with elements 

from all of rock’s pseudonyms. Bracing 

expansive moments of post-rock guitar 

with surface-level pop traits, their music 

recounts the graceful vibes of Foals 

moulded around the complexities 

of Minus The Bear. Opening their set 

with the downtempo undertones of 

Lay Me Down is a risky card to play, 

and despite the audience’s subdued 

reaction, it is a decision that displays 

not only their confidence, but also 

their maturity. This is not especially 

immediate music, it requires patience, 

but when reaching its crescendos the 

results are satisfyingly cohesive. The 

highlight of their set is the fantastic We 

Tried, a song that serves up sumptuous 

vocal melodies while seasoning 

them with shimmering instrumental 

overlays courtesy of four very skilled 

virtuosos. Their compositions espouse 

an unerring authority and, although 

they may not be bona fide architects 

in their field just yet, a great ambition 

and a ton of potential means that they 

are not far off. 

Samuel Garlick 

JEFFREY LEWIS & 

THE JUNKYARD 

The James Canty Band - 

Lou Lu And The Boy 

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kick off this heavily anticipated soirée, 

with a bluesy folk set incorporating 

vocal harmonies to die for, and 

brilliant atmospheric percussion from 

drummer Roy Turnham. For a band 

who’ve played only a few shows, Lou 

Lu And The Boy boast a confidence 

that even the most experienced artists 

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overall catchy and uncompromising 

sound have that world-weary feeling 

that suggest they’ve been around 

the block more than a few times, and 

have been shaped by rather a few 

lovers’ tiffs. 

Next up is THE JAMES CANTY 

BAND, a six-piece who are heavily 

influenced by bluegrass, and who 

sound like they’ve just been plucked 

from around a campfire in the 

Midwest after a hard day’s work. Their 

entertaining commentary throughout 

is somewhat wasted on the crowd; 

however this doesn’t dampen the 

band’s enthusiasm and they deliver 

a blinding hoedown of a set full of 

fiddles, with even a few bin lids for 

good measure. 

An excellent opening line-up 

did little to fire the audience’s 

enthusiasm but when JEFFREY LEWIS 

AND THE JUNKYARD took to the stage, 

it seemed as though all those who 

were packed in to various corners of 

the venue all came together to create 

a spectacle which was fitting for the 

godfather of anti-folk himself. It was 

refreshing to witness a crowd that 

not only knew every word to every 

song but laughed out loud at the selfdeprecating 

humour they’d probably 

heard a hundred times before. 

An evening with Jeffrey Lewis 

wouldn’t be complete without some 

type of comic strip amusement 

apparent, and tonight’s crowd wasn’t 

left disappointed on that score: a 

documentary of the French Revolution 

complete with Lewis’ very own 

amusing cartoon chronology was the 

highlight. Gems like Slogans, Roll Bus 

Roll and personal favourite Broken 

Broken Broken Heart saw the mix of 

folk and punk get the crowd tapping 

their feet, with even a small minority 

thrusting their hips too. 

All in all for a night that was 

advertised on the basis of a lyrical 

genius taking centre stage, it’s 

pleasing to say that the local bands 

supporting definitely gave the 

fella from across the pond a run for 

his money. 

Emma Weston 

CLOUD 9 FESTIVAL 

Love Lane Farm, Cheshire 

CLOUD 9 is not just a day festival, 

it is an education on how to cram as 

much music as possible into your ears 

in just twelve hours. Game on. 

Holding six tents/stages and a 

few food and other miscellaneous 

stalls (Vajazzle Area anyone?) on the 

normally-sleepy Love Lane Farm in 

Congleton, the tiny space contains 

an amazing array of artistic talent. 

The first tent you stumble upon 

houses The C.A.L.M Stage, from the 

admirable charity of the same name. 

This is the scene of one of Cloud 9’s 

highlights: despite not singing a 

note or playing a record, the DJ set of 

Happy Mondays’ groovester BEZ cooks 

up an atmosphere that is practically 

tangible. Even though he spends the 

whole time bug-eyed and pogoing 

about, his ‘performance’ is still vitally 

effervescent. If you missed him, you 

missed a treat. 

Heading to the Eskimo Mojito Tent 

high on Bez euphoria, I want and 

expect big things of ONYX AND CRAKE 

with their experimental DJ and mixed 

vocal performance. Unfortunately 

their own over-inflated sense of their 

music ruins what could be a great 

act. Teaching this duo how to make 

an appearance on this stage is MARK 

ABBOTT as he busts out an Electro/ 

Jazz/Swing DJ set, with his song 

Slippery When Wet the pinnacle. Take 

note Onyx and Crake: this guy was 

the shit. 

Next door in The Dome tent, 

MEDICINE 8 are a surprisingly lovely 

discovery, getting everyone moshing 

around just in time for the sun to pop 

its head out of the clouds. SCRATCH 

PERVERTS take control of this stage a 

little later and make it hard to leave 

- too much talent and, sadly, not 

enough time. 

The Headculture Tent, representing 

another worthy charity, brings a nice 

change of pace to the raving from the 

other tents. The whiskey-swilling LUKE 

BROXBURGH is the name to remember 

from this stage’s performances, if only 

for the fact that his fan base fills the 

tent to the brim. His flawless cover of 

Gym Class Heroes’ Cupid’s Chokehold 

proves that no one should be wary 

of performing a well-placed cover 

at a festival. Aside from Broxburgh’s 

fans, this is still the festival’s busiest 

tent, and not without good reason: 

Headculture pulled out all the stops 

to bring something extra to the bill 

of chilled-out acts, with face-painting 

and a giant game of Connect4 adding 

Jeffery Lewis (Phil MacDonald)

Reviews Bido Lito! September 2011 27 

a bit of fun that drew in the crowds, 

and helped to raise some muchneeded 

awareness for the charity. 

Credit to the festival organisers 

with the main stage set-up, as it 

is definitely the best place to soak 

up Cloud 9’s offerings, be it rain, 

intermittent flashes of sun, or the 

acts on show. Earlier on when there 

are rays to catch, THE MINX and THE 

PARIS RIOTS are easily the stand 

outs. As night draws in, the bigger 

names begin to dominate. Leeds’ 

THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND put 

in a good performance, but it is topbillers 

THE FUTUREHEADS who prove 

the most entertaining, and entirely 

deserving of their headlining spot. 

Making time for some crowd banter 

and bursting with personality on 

every tune, they are (unsurprisingly) 

brilliant from start to finish. The rain 

falls harder and harder, but high 

energy tunes like Struck Dumb and 

Robot make sure that no-one’s spirits 

are dampened. If any in the crowd 

were unfamiliar with these Mackem 

indie stalwarts beforehand, Hounds Of 

Love makes sure that no-one present 

will be forgetting them anytime 

soon. Without doubt the highlight 

of their set, if not the entire festival, 

the band’s usual crowd involvement 

antics are the perfect way to bring a 

grinning end to a headline set. 

How do you follow that? The 

Euphonic Stage, which has been a 

non-entity all day, comes into its own 

as the last port of call for festival 

revellers as the site of Cloud 9’s closing 

silent disco. Quite simply, you need not 

associate yourself with anything else, 

because this is the best way to finish a 

festival, day-long or otherwise. Fact. 

N. Philip 

PROFESSOR YAFFLE 

The Hummingbirds - The City Walls 

Acoustic Air Raid @ St. Luke’s 

Bombed Out Church 

A dreary morning of relentless rain 

threatened the existence of Harvest 

Sun’s annual summer fest, but the 

clouds parted just in time for the 

sun to come peeking through and 

illuminate the ACOUSTIC AIR RAID in 

the ruined splendour of St. Luke’s. 

Populated by a mixture of the young, 

the older and the elderly, with a 

smattering of children, this was 

clearly a diverse event keen to cater 

for all ages and leaning towards a 

family and friends vibe. Half seated/ 

half standing, with fold-out chairs 

and picnic blankets strewn about, 

there was always a constant stream 

of people flowing into the church. 

First up was duo THE CITY WALLS, 

who immediately set the tone with 

laid back, acoustic-driven ambience 

that would continue through the 

afternoon. With a multi-instrumental, 

folk rock sound and sentimental and 

emotive lyrics accompanied variously 

Cloud 9 Festival (Keith Ainsworth) 

by mandolin, banjo and violin, it 

was hard to believe that there were 

only two people creating this sound. 

Robert Taylor’s violin created the 

most effective harmonies, allowing 

melancholic undertones to drip from 

their music. A highlight was Wild 

Flowers, its powerful yet sombre 

tone serving only to emphasise Paul 

Crowe’s vocal. 

THE HUMMINGBIRDS kicked the 

tempo up a few notches with their 

energetic and uplifting set. The fivepiece 

acoustic ensemble, who are 

essentially five lads and a box, infused 

a rock sound with an unconventional 

folk and blues twist. Jay Davies 

(vocals/guitar) - sporting the tightest 

jeans known to man - possessed a 

raw and emotional voice that showed 

he was able to back up his cocky 

swagger and arrogance. Upbeat but 

at times anguished - mostly when 

his circulation was threatened - the 

lyrics were not the deepest or most 

profound, but were impossibly catchy, 

and not unlike extended ditties with 

their repetition and punchy diction. 

The obvious influences of bands 

such as The Coral and Oasis were 

hugely evident in the music, style 

and crowd interaction. Synchronised 

and extremely rhythmic melodies 

were interwoven with the bluesy 

hints of harmonica, lending them a 

retro feel that fits perfectly with the 

surroundings. John Doe, with its simple 

lyrics but infectious beats, had plenty

28 


Reviews 

of toes a-tapping and the enthusiasm 

was potent, while Bankrupt Blues had 

most in the audience on their feet, 

with its sizzling lyrics and jangling 

guitar riff seeping into the grounds of 

the church. Commanding and on form, 

it’s easy to see why they are a massive 

crowd favourite. 

As the afternoon started to spill 

into the evening, PROFESSOR YAFFLE 

were on hand to impart their folkdriven, 

psychedelic pop sound. An 

eccentric bunch with an array of 

musical instruments, they produced 

a beautiful sunshine-suffused groove, 

combining intelligent lyrics and an 

upbeat tempo. A hugely characteristic 

band, they are haunting without 

being morose and possess a dynamic 

that made for relaxing listening in the 

lengthening shadows. 

Lisa O’Dea 

CRYSTAL STILTS 

Spectrals – Lucky Beaches 

Static Gallery 

On a night when two other venues 

in Liverpool are hosting long sold-out 

shows from acts at different ends of 

the musical spectrum (Ed Sheeran 

and Blondie), it is refreshing to be 

faced with a well-thought-out line-up 

and mix of music, each support act 

complementing the main event. 

LUCKY BEACHES is the hidden gem 

of the current scene, and furthermore, 

offer proof that the spirit of Lennon 

can be put into song without 

sounding clichéd or false. Opening 

with a stomped-up version of the 

wildly infectious Jenny Mo, crisp and 

melodic recordings are delivered with 

more of a crunch and bluster that is, 

at first, surprising. Not fall-to-the-floor 

shocker admittedly, but the delivery 

carries more T. Rex about it than is 

at first apparent in their recorded 

material. This is not, as if it ever needs 

to be said, a bad thing. 

After a short recess, it’s the turn of 

Leeds prospects, SPECTRALS. Overall 

they deliver a set reliant on groove and 

feeling rather than strong song and 

melody. With elements of bands such as 

New York Dolls and Black Lips coming 

out in parts, they provide a welcome 

introduction to tonight’s main event. 

CRYSTAL STILTS wrap song-writing and 

melodic principles of the Spector era in 

a dark and cosmic psychedelic shroud. 

JB Townsend’s guitar creates a howl 

and distorted rumble that provides a 

solid bed for vocalist Brad Hargett’s 

(at times) thoroughly convincing Tom 

Verlaine impression, and the result is 

something darkly all-encompassing. 

From the groove and shake of 

the opening number, to the classic 

pop of the Shangri-Las, hidden deep 

beneath the fuzz and reverb on songs 

such as the immaculate Precarious 

Stair, Crystal Stilts’ influences shine 

through. Rather than studying and 

emulating too closely one sole era 

or vantage point, different times and 

genres are represented here each to 

Crystal Stilts (Keith Ainsworth) 

an even degree. There is as much New 

Romanticism and Punk involved in 

their sound and delivery as there is the 

influence of The Ronnettes, Darlene 

Love and The Crystals. The easiest 

comparison to make in current times 

is with The Horrors: both are purveyors 

of repackaged retro sounds, while 

avoiding many of the niche elements 

and clichés which overcome all too 

many of their peers. 

At times tonight it can be argued 

that Hargett’s effortless drone loses 

elements of the melody which sets 

them apart from these peers, many of 

whom are cheap imitators. However, 

the melody is designed to, on the 

whole, play second fiddle to the overall 

sound, which is clearly illustrated by 

the fact that their recorded material 

shares these values. Both Alight of 

Night (2008) and In Love With Oblivion 

(2011) are given sufficient airing tonight, 

however it is the material from the 

latter which provides the more constant 

highlights. The song-writing on songs 

such as Shake The Shackles, Sycamore 

Tree and Blood Barons is simply better, 

a fact which is not lost in live delivery. 

Overall, first class psychedelia, and 

a splendid example of a band on an 

upward trajectory. A trajectory which 

will hopefully ensure that it’s not 

too long until they return to the city; 

and which will give them top billing 

when they do. 

P.Lee 

KENDAL CALLING 

Lowther Deer Park, Cumbria 

The sun is baking down, the deer 

have been shooed away for the 

weekend and another, now extended 

capacity, Kendal Calling Festival rolls 

onto the hills of Lowther Deer Park. 

The first band we catch are KITTY, 

DAISY & LEWIS; their vintage 50s rock 

n roll family affair is given a ska twist, 

courtesy of guest trumpet player 

Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton. Recent 

single Messing With My Life, with 

its almost disco hook, goes to show 

that there’s more to this group than 

straight up Buddy Holly trad. 

With a full band experience, HOUSE 

OF PAIN seem comfortable with their 

position of festival party novelty 

act. And when they play that 

song, 

it completely goes off, the natural 

amphitheatre setting of the main stage 

proving a stunning spectacle as a mass 

of 5,000 limbs contort in unison. 

CHASE & STATUS on the other hand 

confirm their status as the Status Quo 

of Drum & Bass (thanks Sam!). These 

are to Roni Size what Bonkers was to 

Andrew Weatherall and provide hard 

evidence of what happens when a 

movement has reached its bloated, 

commercial radio addled death. 

NIGHT OF SEVENS’s Primal Scream 

inspired scratchy bleeps and BJTM 

drone, fused with singer Chopper’s 

impressive presence, result in 

something close to a Geordie Dead 

Skeletons. These have been away for

September 

Milapfest presents Music for the Mind and Soul: 

Tarang 

13:00 Saturday 24 September Free 

Gwilym Simcock Trio 

19:30 Thursday 29 September £15 

October 

Olivia Moore’s Unfurl 

19:30 Tuesday 04 October £10 

Liverpool Irish Festival and 

The Capstone Theatre presents 

Tommy Smith’s KARMA 

The World Premiere of 

Gerry Diver’s The Speech Project 

19:30 Saturday 08 October £15 

19:30 Thursday 20 October £15 

Roger Eno and Dom Theobold / 

Joanna MacGregor’s Mozart 

For All Mankind (Screening) 

Piano Concerto Series 

19:30 Tuesday 11 October £15 

19:30 Sunday 23 October £10 (£8)* 

Ceremony Concerts and Penguin 

Fraser Fifield and Graeme Stephen 

Café presents Arthur Jeffes – 

19:30 Tuesday 25 October £10 

Sundog 

19:30 Thursday 13 October £16.50 

The Solid Air Band: 

Robert Mitchell 3io 

19:30 Wednesday 19 October £12.50 

The Songs of John Martyn 

20:00 Saturday 29 October £10 

Milapfest presents 

Music for the Mind and Soul 

13:00 Sunday 30 October Free 

November 

Liverpool’s innovative 

performance venue 

The Cornerstone Festival 

Oysterband and June Tabor 

19:30 Thursday 03 November 

presents Kathryn Tickell: 

Northumbrian Voices 

£17.50 

19:30 Friday 25 November £15 

Blazin’ Fiddles 

Milapfest presents 

19:30 Wednesday 09 November 

Music for the Mind and Soul 

£17.50 

13:00 Saturday 26 November Free 

Piano Music from the 

The Cornerstone Festival 

Ambient Century: 

presents Joanna MacGregor’s 

Dianne O’Hara 

Beethoven Piano Sonata Series 

19:30 Thursday 10 November £10 

19:30 Friday 02 December £10 (£8)* 

Portico Quartet 

19:30 Sunday 13 November £17.50 

The Man with the Luggage 

(by Lizzie Nunnery) 

19:30 Tuesday 06 December £12 (£7)* 

Milapfest and The 

19:30 Wednesday 07 December £12 (£7)* 

Cornerstone Festival 

presents Nirmanika 

19:30 Saturday 19 November £10 

50 Songs: 

The Music of Ian McNabb 

20:00 Friday 09 December £15 

time being 

– Harold Budd / 

(Evening1) 

The Necks (double bill) 

20:00 Saturday 10 December £15 

19:30 Monday 21 November £15 

(Evening2) 

www.thecapstonetheatre.com e-mail: creative@hope.ac.uk 

Box Office: Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, Hope Street, Liverpool L1 9BP. Tel: 0151 709 3789 

Venue Address: The Capstone Theatre, 17 Shaw Street, Liverpool L3 8QB. Tel: 0151 291 3578 

FRI 30th SEPTEMBER 

FOOD 

IAIN BALLAMY & THOMAS STRØNEN 

TICKETS £16 (£15) 8pm CABARET 

FRI 16th SEPTEMBER 

LOGICAL TRAMP 

THE SPIRIT OF SUPERTRAMP 

TICKETS £15 (£14) 8pm STANDING 

THU 6th OCTOBER 

UNFORGETTABLE 

THE HITS OF THE 50s & 60s 

TICKETS £18 (£16) 7:30pm RAKED 

SAT 17th SEPTEMBER 

DOUGIE MACLEAN 

TICKETS £16 (£14) 8pm CABARET 

THU 22th SEPTEMBER 

THE ANIMALS 

WITH STEVE CROPPER 

ALL TICKETS £25 8pm RAKED 

SAT 8th OCTOBER 

LIVERPOOL MOZART ORCHESTRA 

DIAMOND JUBILEE CONCERT 

TICKETS £15 (£13, £5 STUDENTS) 7:30pm 

(6:45pm PRE-CONCERT TALK) RAKED 

FRI 14th OCTOBER 

FROM THE JAM 

ALL TICKETS £20 8pm STANDING 

SAT 24th SEPTEMBER 

LED ZEPPELIN TRIBUTE BAND 

MOTHERSHIP 

TICKETS £10 (£8) 8pm STANDING 

SAT 15th OCTOBER 

THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS 

TICKETS £15 (£13) 8pm CABARET 

WWW.PACIFICROAD.CO.UK 

0151 666 0000 

PLEASE NOTE, FOR PERSONAL CALLERS THE BOX OFFICE IS LOCATED AT: 

FLORAL PAVILION THEATRE, MARINE PROMENADE, NEW BRIGHTON, WIRRAL, CH45 2JS.

30 


Reviews 

a while, but have certainly been busy 

THE CRIBS position as festival 

in their absence. Very impressive. 

THE CHARLATANS, and their ‘acoustic’ 

set, could not however be described in 

such a way. They manage to stomp 

their way through their collection 

of various (occasionally classic) hits, 

with the subtlety of a brute. The Only 

One I Know is slowed within an inch 

of its life, before North Country Boy is 

given the barnyard stomp treatment. 

Complacent. 

For those of you unfamiliar with DAVID 

J ROCH’s previous guise of Little Lost 

David, don’t worry, absolutely nothing 

has changed; his aching delivery and 

vocal gymnastics are still intact. His 

recent inclusion as an accompaniment 

on So You Think You Can Dance goes to 

show that he’s one fucking awful tune 

away from being James Blunt or Jack 

Johnson and I sense he’s got the taste 

for it. Lost cause. 

A quick scuttle across the festival 

is necessary for us to catch the first 

of THE LA’S secret performances. The 

Houseparty Stage provides exactly that, 

it’s like having the band in your front 

room, a rare and special treat! Mavers 

is accompanied by Gary Bandit on bass 

as they plough through the contents of 

the group’s eponymous LP, alongside a 

cover of My Generation. Mavers seems 

relaxed, cracking smiles and even 

enjoying himself despite technical 

headliners just goes to show the 

benefit of the slow burn, as the band 

have built themselves, LP by LP over the 

past decade. There’s no getting away 

from the fact that this is punk-pop by 

numbers, but when the tunes are good, 

there’s nothing wrong with that at all. 

They are very Yorkshire, but at the right 

end of the ‘Oh Oh Oh Oh Oh’ crowd 

singalong spectrum that The Pigeon 

Detectives are very much at the wrong 

end of. Tonight’s reception is a crowning 

confirmation of their achievement. 

Over on the Calling Out Stage, the 

curious case of THE SUZUKIS continues, 

with an added twist. The group’s long 

awaited LP is about to land and it’d be 

fair to say that the initial reception has 

been lukewarm, but it seems that it 

may be a monkey off the band’s back, 

as today’s set is assured and confident, 

the shackles are off. With new material 

on show, building further on the groove 

led approach of Reasons For Leaving, 

there may be a new chapter in them 

yet. To be continued. 

THE RED SUNS are certainly the most 

embryonic of the Liverpool acts on 

show. Technically they’re impressive, 

creating a tightly textured, interweaving 

post-punk mass, but they do seem 

a little like rabbits in the headlights. 

Perhaps following The La’s second 

performance was a bit of a tough ask, 

glitches, a state of mind that continues 

during their second set on the Calling 

Out Stage the following day. We’re not 

going to tempt anything, but seeing 

Mavers on this form does suggest the 

group are working towards heightened 

activity. Rumour mill....GO! 

putting them right under the telescope. 

Still promising mind. 

After an unsuccessful trek across the 

site to find Hatcham Social, only to be 

met with a chubby kid playing Lady 

GaGa covers, we refuel on warm cans of 

Stella and take our place for BLONDIE, 

The La’s performance initiates 

which is the perfect closing to a sunkissed 

something of a scouse royalty exchange, 

as we make our way down to the Main 

Stage for ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN. 

weekend. Festival moments 

are often those accompanied by a 

signature artist, with an unabridged 

Every time McCulloch announces 

open singalong, and Kendal Calling 

Killing Moon as the “best fucking song 

in the world” I believe him a little bit 

more! After the drab, conservative 

performance of The Charlatans earlier, 

The Bunnymen’s performance shows a 

classic, era defining band still pushing 

themselves musically and growing 

into their position. UNCUT and MOJO 

covers await. 

have taken the biscuit with this, as the 

band just knock out classic after classic 

to the largest crowd of the weekend. 

Kendal Calling has blossomed into a 

vital festival of the summer, with the 

perfect mix of new and old, family and 

fuck-up, excess and beauty. See you 

next year in the fields. 

Craig G Pennington 

A Tribute To Sam Jones 

By David J Pichilingi, Liverpool Sound City 

Photograph by Mark McNulty 

Since the last issue of 

Bido Lito!, Liverpool has 

lost one of the greatest 

music legends that it 

has spawned in the past 

20 years. Sam Jones 

died recently in tragic 

circumstances and he was 

buried on a very sad day 

in the company of literally 

hundreds of people who 

turned out from all over 

the region and wider UK to 

pay their last respects. The word legend is often misinterpreted and overused 

but in the context of Sam it is absolutely appropriate and correct. 

Sam Jones was a music promoter in every sense of the word. From a very 

early age he cut his teeth promoting dance music aftershow parties for his 

friends in ‘The Groovy Garage.’ This was his mum’s garage in Formby. These 

parties were usually a follow up from what was to become Liverpool’s 

first serious weekly dance music night Smile. These weekly events have 

now become part of the folklore for the development of the 80s dance 

music scene in Liverpool. Sam and partner Paul Myers were responsible 

for bringing Back2Basics and Flying Records to Liverpool for the first time. 

Smile is widely regarded as a pre-cursor and massive influence on the start 

up of Cream. In fact, Sam was involved with the set up of Cream. 

After Smile, Sam moved to work with his partner Claire on Voodoo. 

Through his input, energy and vision he turned Voodoo into one of the 

most widely regarded Techno events in the UK and Europe. It became part 

of the very fabric of Liverpool and UK nightlife. So much was Voodoo a 

part of peoples lives that many members of the audience engraved their 

bodies with Voodoo tattoos and others even chose it as the venue for 

their wedding receptions! 

I was privileged enough to work alongside Sam on several occasions. 

The first time was when we set up Voodoo Records together. We released 

several EPs under this moniker. It has to be said the strength of the 

Voodoo brand that Sam built up was the main reason why we did so well 

in terms of sales and media recognition. 

In recent years Sam had been at the helm of the O2 Academy Liverpool. 

In this role he made it his business to bring some of the biggest 

household names in rock and roll to the city (including one-off shows 

from Paul McCartney and Snoop Dogg) as well as ensuring the best up 

and coming local acts got the chance to play on a big stage in front of 

large audiences. 

Sam was so full of life. He was gentle and quiet but had the most 

wicked and dark sense of humour. He was generous in every way and 

always went out of his way to assist and help others, particularly young 

people, for whom he always had time and patience to offer guidance. 

Sam was a fantastic dad to two beautiful children. He was a friend to 

many more. He is going to be deeply missed and Liverpool is a poorer 

place now he has left us. 

www.bidolito.co.uk

Issue 15 / September 2011

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