Issue 85 / February 2018

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PREVIEWS GIG 47Soul 24 Kitchen Street – 16/02 47Soul Pioneering ShamStep collective 47SOUL have infused their self-styled ShamStep genre with the history and traditions of the region they represent. ShamStep is an infectious, cultural and musical homage to ‘dabke’, the renowned traditional celebration music of the Shams: Bilad al-Sham is an ancient province in the Levant that spans present day Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Turkey, a region that the group’s four members identify with. Their debut album, Balfron Promise, is a fizz of synthesisers, electronic guitar, beats and bass, with the four members taking it in turns to rap and sing in Arabic and English. Their message of embracing people and cultures that transcend territorial borders is an empowering one, and makes for a blistering concoction when paired with their high-octane, dance-friendly performance. GIG Ezra Furman Arts Club – 04/02 Chicago singer-songwriter EZRA FURMAN is bringing new album Transangelic Exodus to the Arts Club stage, with newly-named backing band The Visions in tow. Inspired by America’s recent political and cultural conversations, Furman treats the new album as a diary of sorts, dubbing the LP as a semi-conceptual “queer outlaw saga”. Shot through with a new glam feel, Transangelic Exodus is an intense, dramatic projection of Furman’s narrative vision. Perpetual forward motion is a mantra that Furman has always stuck to, and this is an example of an artist operating at their peak. Ezra Furman GIG Aviator St Bride’s Church – 10/2 AVIATOR return to Liverpool for a winter warmer of a gig in the hallowed surrounds of St Bride’s Church. The brainchild of Pete Wilkinson (formerly of Shack, Cast and Echo & The Bunnymen) and producer Mark Heaney, the band are taking a break from recording their fourth album of psych-folk melodic wigouts to bring a set hewn from all four records. Expect a special appearance from MICHAEL BLYTH, whose album the band are also recording, and whose work follows in the songwriting tradition of Lee Hazlewood. Opening on the night is PAUL CROWE (ex The Aeroplanes and City Walls) with his first gig in over two years. Tickets are a tenner a pop and include a 4-track AV8 Records sampler. EXHIBITION Warhol To Walker The Atkinson – until 10/03 If your taste for pop art has been whetted by the Tate’s popular Roy Lichtenstein exhibition, then this show at The Atkinson will be the perfect follow up. Focusing on the greatest American printmakers, WARHOL TO WALKER studies a range of work that encompasses contemporary practitioners alongside heavyweights from the movement’s 60s heyday. The show contains 200 works by 70 artists, from Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg to modern pieces from Kara Walker and Jim Dine. The free exhibition is brought to the Southport arts hub in partnership with the British Museum, and assesses the works’ impact on pop culture, music and everyday life over the last six decades. GIG Beth Orton Arts Club – 07/02 Beth Orton Hailed as one of the most unique voices in British music, BETH ORTON is rounding off an impressive run of her most recent album, Kidsticks with a string of UK tour dates. Constantly changing her musical style, Orton will be bringing her new electronic venture to Arts Club. With a career spanning over 20 years and an impressive back catalogue to bolster the new material, Orton’s folk and rock ‘n’ roll-influenced tracks will no doubt be carefully selected to please fans old and new. You can expect that the introduction of keyboards alongside acoustic guitar will be perfectly piloted by a musician who oozes craft. CLUB Cream Classical Ibiza Anglican Cathedral – 16/02 and 17/02 The Balearic vibe comes to the Anglican Cathedral for the latest slice of enlightenment from Cream. The clubbing institution has been taking the party to the White Isle for the last 25 years, and they’re now bringing it back home for an Ibiza edition of CREAM CLASSICAL. A 50-piece Philharmonic Orchestra ensemble will join some of Cream’s famed DJs in performing live versions of quintessential hits in the grandest of settings. The all-new show will feature a brand new tracklist which has come all the way from the hedonistic party island itself, including tunes that have defined the dancefloor from Ibiza to Liverpool. Cream Classical 36
GIG Kelley Stoltz 81 Renshaw – 25/02 It can be a precarious balance to strike between quality and quantity for the bedroom pop auteur, but that’s not something that KELLEY STOLTZ struggles with. His songwriting is razor sharp, allowing him to bend all genres to his will, from synth-pop to disco glam, while still maintaining an air of Brian Wilson. Having released previous LPs through Third Man Records, with new album Que Aura Stoltz now resides alongside fellow Bay Area musical nuts Oh Sees and Fresh And Onlys on Castle Face Records. Having played guitar in the Bunnymen’s touring band, his affiliation with Liverpool runs deep, furthered by the decision to take THE PROBES out on tour with him across the UK in February. GIG The Lost Brothers Leaf – 02/02 With the release of their fifth record Halfway Towards A Healing, THE LOST BROTHERS are bringing the warmth from Tucson, Arizona, where the album was recorded, to a cold February night in Liverpool. The Irish duo came together in 2007 after their previous bands slowly slipped away, but The Losties have found their own niche and have developed a bit of a soft spot for Liverpool (and the city them). Their exquisite harmonies and knack for a heart-rending story have been bolstered by working with Irish songwriter and actor Glen Hansard, with whom they co-wrote three songs that appear on the new LP. GIG British Sea Power O2 Academy – 16/02 After their most recent album Let The Dancers Inherit The Party was entirely funded by pre-sales from the band’s loyal fanbase, BRITISH SEA POWER are set to play a huge show at the Academy. Their windswept British rock sounds a little like the band are eternally situated in the 80s, and new single Keep On Trying (Sechs Freunde) displays some remarkable flexibility and has a brighter disposition than usual BSP fare. Those keen fans who inked themselves in the crowdfunding cause of the band’s seventh album get free entry. EVENT Ed Byrne Floral Pavilion – 24/02 Is life that bad or have we good reason to complain about it? Are we filled with righteous anger at a world gone wrong, or are we all just a bunch of whiny little brats? In short, are we spoiled? In his new Spoiler Alert show, ED BYRNE takes this question, turns it upside down and shakes it until the funny falls out. One of the warmest observational comics on the circuit, Byrne’s caustic wit and restless energy results in a set that rarely lets up, with gags coming faster than you can register them. Go on, spoil yourself. Ed Byrne GIG Jorja Smith Invisible Wind Factory – 08/02 Jorja Smith Walsall born and raised, JORJA SMITH made an immediate impact on British pop when she uploaded Blue Lights to SoundCloud two years ago. Now having been nominated for a MOBO and recognised at the Brits with the Critics’ Choice Award, Smith has gained fans in megastars Drake and Stormzy. Awash with musical influence from all genres, Smith cites Lily Allen, Amy Winehouse and Nas as artists who inspired her. A debut album is due for release in 2018, by which time her Brit-centric RnB may well have propelled her to the big league. GIG The Night Café Arts Club – 03/02 A sense of yearning infuses the polished, indie-flecked post-punk of THE NIGHT CAFÉ, and it resonates with people right across the country. Not many emerging Liverpool acts in the past decade have been able to sell out shows across the UK on their first headline tour, and rack up over five million Spotify plays, but The Night Café have not only managed this but taken it all in their stride. February’s Arts Club show will be an emotional homecoming for the band, who host fellow local artists PARIS YOUTH FOUNDATION and CHEAP THRILLS as support. The Night Café FILM + GIG Mugstar – Ad Marginem Live Soundtrack Philharmonic Music Room – 07/02 Ad Marginem Bido Lito! members are in for a real treat with this month’s special event, as psych drone legends MUGSTAR dust off the reels of their 2012 film Ad Marginem. The band will provide the live soundtrack to the production which was written and directed by Liam Yates along Mugstar’s guitarist Neil Murphy. Shot around Merseyside, the film was made in response to the music created by Mugstar, rather than the usual process of a soundtrack reflecting the action in a production. The black and white film, as well as the accompanying soundtrack EP, are bleak atmospheric affairs and described by the band as “a meditation on isolation and loss.” Tickets for this rare performance are shifting fast, so head to bidolito.co.uk or The Phil’s Box Office to secure yours. PREVIEWS 37
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 85 / FEBRUARY 2018 NEW MUSIC
Page 3 and 4: BACK TO OUR ROOTS BACK TO THE HEART
Page 5 and 6: 25 Parr St, Ropewalks, Liverpool, L
Page 7 and 8: CONTENTS New Music + Creative Cultu
Page 9 and 10: EDITORIAL 62 Falkner Street “Spec
Page 11 and 12: DANSETTE Jamie Backhouse, Austin Mu
Page 13 and 14: album out of it, present it as it i
Page 16 and 17: 16 MEHMET
Page 18 and 19: “Arts engagement should not just
Page 20: “The bands loved the venue as did
Page 23 and 24: NADINE SHAH The artist behind one o
Page 25 and 26: Just £7 per month Become a Bido Li
Page 27 and 28: E V E N T H I G H L I G H T S JOIN
Page 29 and 30: Box office: 01704 533 333 Website:
Page 31 and 32: KING HANNAH Hannah Merrick is revel
Page 33 and 34: Join the Student Society Contribute
Page 35: Get The Blessing FESTIVAL Liverpool
Page 39 and 40: Pier Head Exhibition (Rob Battersby
Page 41 and 42: Alfa Mist + Remy Jude 24 Kitchen St
Page 43: Soft Machine Jason Rebello Get The
Page 46: SAY THE FINAL “We want the Bido L

Issue 85 / February 2018

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