Issue 90 / July 2018

LIVERPOOL
INTERNATIONAL
MUSIC FESTIVAL
2018
Stefflon Don, Wiley, Jax Jones, Young Fathers and more are
heading to the magnificent surroundings of Sefton Park.
With summer thus far actually being deserving
of the term and Africa Oyé just passed, the
next major event in the calendar, LIVERPOOL
INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, takes place
on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd July. Set to return to the
magnificent surroundings of Sefton Park, the sixth edition of LIMF
falls a decade after Liverpool was crowned European Capital of
Culture. Known as the Summer Jam in previous years, the shindig
is now under the LIMF banner over two stages and two tents,
meaning the entire affair can now be sampled in one easy dose.
Topping out at 120,000 attendees for the past few years,
the music runs from noon until 9pm on both days and features
an eclectic mixture of genres across a line-up of 70 artists. Here
we take a quick run-down of the big hitters and rising stars at
this year’s event and find out exactly what will be happening
in that park at the far end of Lark Lane (other access routes are
available).
Focusing on the showpiece Central Stage, Saturday sees one
of the UK’s biggest breakout stars of the past 12 months, grime/
dancehall artist STEFFLON DON making her highly anticipated
debut appearance in Liverpool. With last year’s Top 10 charting
collaboration with French Montana Hurtin’ Me to her name, the
Hackney-based artist is beginning to make big waves across
the Atlantic. The first UK artist to ever feature in US hip hop
publication XXL’s annual Freshman Class poll, Stefflon Don
currently stands as UK hip hop’s biggest international export.
With freshly released single Senseless logging in excess of a
million YouTube views in only a few days, further new material
looks set to be aired at LIMF.
JAX JONES – who collaborated on last year’s hit Instruction
with Stefflon Don alongside US pop star Demi Lovato – has
been a regular presence in the upper reaches of the UK singles
chart over the past three years. I Got U with fellow UK producer
Duke Dumont hit number one in 2014, while Breathe (featuring
Norwegian singer Ina Wroldsen) saw him return to the Top 10 at
home and across Europe late last year.
Returning to Merseyside following an incendiary show in
March, grime doyen WILEY will be a huge draw prior to the
headliners. With his 12th album Godfather II landing in April,
the ultra-prolific East London MC shows no slowing a decade on
from his crossover smash Wearing My Rolex. Skilfully keeping
a foot in both the mainstream and underground camps, anyone
who missed the Godfather Of Grime’s sold-out show at 24
Kitchen Street earlier this year is rewarded with his main stage
appearance.
Moving from Bow over to the district of Hammersmith,
Young Fathers
platinum-selling London rapper EXAMPLE & DJ WIRE supply
the headline performance on Saturday. Almost a decade since
his arrival in the mainstream, Example’s first album in four years,
Bangers & Ballads, is due out in July. With a score of tracks that
reached the upper end of the charts, expect the sure fire crowd
pleasers and a score of new cuts from the Londoner’s five album
deep catalogue.
Moving on to Sunday’s menu of merriment: HAÇIENDA
CLASSICAL pays homage to the era synonymous with the
groundbreaking Mancunian club with a headline set on the
Central Stage. Recreating tracks from the Madchester era with
a full orchestra and some yet-to-be-announced guest vocalists,
the venture is the brainchild of original club DJs Graeme Park
and Mike Pickering. Starting initially as a clutch of standalone
performances, the event has blossomed into a successful festival
fixture over the past two years.
A name that leaps straight out of the listings, for our eyes
anyway, is YOUNG FATHERS. The genre-spanning trio are set for
a late afternoon performance on Central Stage. Winners of the
Mercury Prize for their 2014 debut album, Dead, the Edinburghbased
outfit made themselves known in Liverpool the previous
year with an outstanding performance at the legendary Kazimier.
Proving that their first album was no fluke, the experimental
hip hop outfit’s second offering White Men Are Black Men Too
appeared in April 2015 to similar acclaim. Following that with
a Massive Attack collaboration and a support tour with the
Bristolian trip hop icons, the three-piece released their third LP
Cocoa Sugar to across the board praise in April.
Recently returning to the fray with acclaimed second album
Someone Out There, Blackpool born singer songwriter RAE
MORRIS unveils material from the new disc. Balearic beatmakers
BASEMENT JAXX on DJing duties rounds off the acts towards the
top of the bill. A number one seller in her native Norway, singer/
producer AURORA unveiled Queendom – the first single from her
imminent second album – to a sizeable buzz back in May and a
move further into the spotlight in the UK looks highly likely.
A quick journey across the park to the ItsLiverpool Next
Gen Stage is next on the cards, as current and emerging local
talent from this parish steps up to entertain the crowds in L8.
Southport’s finest and Merseyrail Sound Station winner 2016,
singer-songwriter ASTLES and recent Bido Lito! cover star, indie
pop specialist ZUZU, are set to appear. Staying with that theme
another cover star outfit, skiffle/alt.rock/near uncategorisible
melodicists TRUDY AND THE ROMANCE also feature. With
a buzz surrounding them for the past few years now, swirling
psych rock outfit THE VRYLL SOCIETY are due to release their
eagerly awaited debut LP Course Of The Satellite. Due for release
through Deltasonic in August, the quintet round off the Next Gen
proceedings on Saturday for the day with a headline set.
Recently featured on the tastemaking BBC Introducing,
where he recorded at London’s legendary Maida Vale studios,
Washington, DC-born, Liverpool-based soul singer JALEN
N’GONDA headlines the stage on Sunday. Prior to that, one
of the city’s most incendiary live acts, alt.rockers QUEEN ZEE,
continue their ascent, with performances from blues-inflected
RnB vocalist SUB BLUE and rising psych rock quartet PALE
RIDER among the other action.
Moving from the stages over to the tents, the line-up for
TRUE SCHOOL CLUB HOUSE on Saturday sees RnB doyen
TREVOR NELSON heads up the bill which also features Soul
II Soul mainman JAZZIE B and Balearic rave pioneer DANNY
RAMPLING. On Sunday old school hip hop is on the menu as DJ
JAZZY JEFF is topliner, with BBC Radio 6Music stalwart GILLES
PETERSON is bringing his globe-spanning records to the decks.
Let’s hope the sun is shining on this made-for-festival set.
Following a highly successful debut appearance last year,
THE SHUBZ DJ TENT makes its return for 2018. Saturday sees
producer and BBC Radio One DJ TODDLA T at the top of the bill,
while Sunday is rounded off with a set from UK hip hop legend
TIM WESTWOOD.
All these plus a plethora of acts besides, with just under a
month to go, you’ve got ample time to plan out who’ll you’ll be
seeing in the Review Field at Sefton Park come late July.
Words: Richard Lewis
Photography: Mark McNulty / markmcnulty.co.uk
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