Issue 49 / October 2014

Bido Lito! October 2014 13
shows. “We've had some incredible free shows when you
look back: Florence & The Machine in Korova, Friendly Fires
in Bumper and Wild Beasts in Alma de Cuba to name a few.”
This edition sees The Kazimier stepping up as the festival’s
hub as it hosts seven shows in as many days. The itinerary
caters to everyone’s palette, from the gritty post-punk of
EAGULLS to the boggling scree of HOOKWORMS. LIARS
will conclude the series with a special Halloween closing
party hosted by The Quietus, a close encounter of the
experimental kind if there ever was one. With The Kazimier’s
sterling reputation for accommodating an all-encompassing
programme, the venue will demonstrate what the Liverpool
live experience is capable of: an introduction for some, and
a reminder for others. But this part of the programme is just
one voice in the hubbub clamouring for your attention.
One thing Liverpool Music Week isn’t always given due
credit for is the scope of innovative commissions it has
hosted during the last few instalments. This year sees
Bristol producer VESSEL collaborating with the exhilarating
IMMIX ENSEMBLE, a pioneering collective of forwardthinking
musicians from across the North West. Liverpool
AV promotions collective SYNDROME are also part of this
collaborative process, conjuring up a backdrop of visuals
in the beautiful Leggate Theatre at the University of
Liverpool (22nd October). Given Vessel’s obsessive nature
for highly detailed sounds, the result promises to be an
intriguing blend of electronic and classical themes, and
Deane sees the success of these commissions as being
the beginning of a new initiative: “With these events as
a stepping stone, the programme will continue to grow
as the festival continues in future years.” The soil already
seems fertile enough for London label Hyperdub Records,
who’ve chosen to host a tenth anniversary showcase as
part of the programme (KODE9 and COOLY G, 30th October
@ The Kazimier).
But, while there is a spectacular array of choice for you
to ponder over, Deane now stresses the importance of
restricting the number of shows during the festival’s run,
contrasting with the 2009 edition where twenty-eight
venues were running at the same time. This now means that
punters are not overwhelmed by choice and each event has
the best attendance possible. Here, going to see as much
as possible doesn’t mean zigzagging from one event to
another and accumulating a lot of stress along the way.
Just as you’d expect from anything to come out of
Liverpool, the sense of community saturates the festival’s
genes. “In my years as an industry professional, I’ve not
known a more exciting time for Liverpool,” confesses
Deane. “The city is buzzing right now with hard-working,
risk-taking individuals and collectives, gaining international
recognition for themselves and the city as a whole.” The
return of Liverpool Music Week will stand as testament
to the tenacity of its contributors in devising such an
imaginative and embracing series of events – and that’s
even before the music starts playing.
Liverpool Music Week runs from 22nd October to 4th
November across a variety of venues.
liverpoolmusicweek.com
Wild Beasts
Caribou
Liverpool Music Week Closing Party
The only tradition within the LMW Closing Party is its celebration of
all styles, dipping toes in to new waters in pursuit of artistic vision; the
rest is up for grabs. “I think that’s the appeal of it,” organiser Mike Deane
states. “For the last one, we had a dozen stages across five floors of the
Contemporary Urban Centre in the Baltic Triangle. It’d never been used on
that sort of scale before, and it's going to take something pretty special
to top that, but we think we've lined up something that could do the job.
We want it to be an 'expect the unexpected' vibe with a solid programme
of quality and varied music.”
This year’s event will spread from Camp and Furnace to engulf the whole
of Liverpool’s Baltic Quarter. From the pinpoints of the infamous Triangle
to the more unfamiliar hideaways of Constellations and 24 Kitchen
Street, if you can name it then you will likely find it on the programme.
Though only a short ramble from the main city centre, the Baltic Quarter
still invokes a mysterious amour among its visitors, making it the ideal
setting for Liverpool Music Week to bow out; it encourages you to explore
the event in a physical manner.
Mercury Prize nominee NICK MULVEY (Constellations) and Glaswegian
headliners CHVRCHES (Camp and Furnace) will both be making their
Liverpool debuts at the party. For the latter in particular, considering the
astonishing rise of the synth pop sensations, it is shocking that it has
been this long coming. Having toured extensively since the release of
their acclaimed 2013 debut, The Bones of What You Believe, this may
be the last time to catch them before they retreat to plot out album
number two. Following this is an electronic spectacle at 24 Kitchen
Street headed up by Ellesmere Port’s EVIAN CHRIST, who cuts a dark path
through alluring ambient sounds. This same showcase will also feature
bewildering electro dazzler SOPHIE, and punk disco leader EMA.
Elsewhere on the bill, BLACK LIPS (District) pair raw garage rock with
radical theatrics. Seventh effort Underneath The Rainbow continues that
journey down the path of well-orchestrated chaos, and you’re guaranteed
to leave the party with numerous stories to divulge. Unsurprisingly, a
crème de la crème of local talent adorns the roster too, with perhaps
the most enticing showcase coming at The Blade Factory as VEYU host
MOATS, HOOTON TENNIS CLUB and LIVES for another of their quasi-
Factory I/O happenings. And over at the Scandinavian Church there’s the
chance to get reacquainted with old mates ALL WE ARE, STEALING SHEEP
and LAURA J MARTIN.
You might dare argue that there is too much to cover at the Closing
Party, but this is hardly a bad thing in this instance. You need a bit of
frenetic madness when going out with a bang; if you want to take in the
whole range you’ll just have to go along yourself.
1st November / Baltic Quarter (various venues)
CHVRCHES
bidolito.co.uk