Issue 95 / Dec18/Jan19

ISSUE 95 / DEC 2018/JAN 2019
NEW MUSIC + CREATIVE CULTURE
LIVERPOOL
CHELCEE GRIMES / REMY JUDE ENSEMBLE
MOLLY BURCH / BRAD STANK / THE CORAL

Thur 22nd Nov
Limehouse Lizzy
25th Anniversary Tour
Fri 23rd Nov
Stillmarillion
Fri 23rd Nov • 10pm
Foreverland:
Enchanted Forest
Sat 24th Nov
Pearl Jam UK
Sat 24th Nov
Heaven 17
+ Propaganda (GER)
Wed 28th Nov
Natty
Thur 29th Nov
Bars and Melody
Thur 29th Nov
The Damned
Fri 30th Nov
The Doors Alive
Sat 1st Dec
Alabama 3
Sat 1st Dec
Conleth McGeary
Thur 6th Dec • SOLD OUT
Razorlight
Fri 7th Dec
The Lancashire
Hotpots
+ Stu Penders & Spladoosh
Sat 8th Dec
Slade - Merry Christmas
Everybody 45th Anniversary
Sat 8th Dec
CKY (USA)
+ Sumo Cyco
+ Bullets and Octane
Sat 8th Dec
Mountford Hall,
Liverpool Guild of Students
Miles Kane + Cabbage
Tue 11th Dec
Bjorn Again
Fri 14th Dec
Polar States
Sat 15th Dec
Prince Tribute:
Endorphinmachine
Sat 15th Dec
Skindred
Fri 21st Dec
Sex Pissed Dolls
Sat 22nd Dec
Ian Prowse
and Amsterdam
Sat 22nd Dec
Mountford Hall,
Liverpool Guild of Students
Cast
Sat 22nd Dec
The Smyths
Wed 16th Jan
Enter Shikari
Fri 25th Jan • 6.30pm
OMYO
Sat 26th Jan
Mountford Hall,
Liverpool Guild of Students
Kaiser Chiefs
Sat 26th Jan
The ELO Show
Sat 26th Jan
The Maximum Who
Fri 1st Feb
Clem Burke (Blondie)
& Bootleg Blondie (USA)
Sat 2nd Feb
Cash
Tue 5th Feb
The Dead South (CAN)
Sat 9th Feb
Orange Goblin
Wed 20th Feb
White Denim (USA)
Sat 23rd Feb
The Spitfires
Thur 7th Mar
Mountford Hall,
Liverpool Guild of Students
Trixie Mattel (USA)
Sat 9th Mar • SOLD OUT
The Clone Roses
vs Kazabian + Sapho
Mon 11th Mar
Mountford Hall,
Liverpool Guild of Students
Greta Van Fleet (USA)
Wed 13th Mar
The Wailers
Thur 14th Mar
Wille and the Bandits
+ Rainbreakers
facebook.com/o2academyliverpool
twitter.com/o2academylpool
instagram.com/o2academyliverpool
youtube.com/o2academytv
Fri 15th Mar
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Fri 22nd Mar
Liverpool Rocks:
Semi Final
Sat 23rd Mar
AC/DC UK
& Dizzy Lizzy
Wed 27th Mar
Hayseed Dixie
Sat 30th Mar
Liverpool Rocks:
Semi Final
Sun 31st Mar • 6.30pm
Mo Amer
& Guz Khan
Sat 6th Apr
The Showhawk Duo
+ Benji & Hibbz
Sat 20th Apr
Nirvana UK
(Tribute)
Sat 27th Apr • 6.30pm
Liverpool Rocks
Final
Sat 27th Apr
Mountford Hall,
Liverpool Guild of Students
Hollywood Undead
Fri 3rd May
The Bon Jovi
Experience
Sat 4th May
The Amy
Winehouse
Experience…
A.K.A Lioness
Sat 18th May • 11pm
Party With The
Greatest Showman
Club Tour
Thur 23rd May
Glenn Hughes
Performs Classic
Deep Purple live
Sat 25th May
The Icicle Works
Mon 3rd Jun
Mountford Hall,
Liverpool Guild of Students
Anne-Marie
FRI 23RD NOV 6.30PM
THE KAIROS
SAT 24TH NOV 6PM
MORGAN JAMES
THUR 29TH NOV
THE AMORETTES
FRI 30TH NOV 7PM
JORDAN ALLEN
FRI 30TH NOV 7PM
CLEAN CUT KID
SAT 1ST DEC 7PM
THE ALARM
+ RYAN HAMILTON & THE
HARLEQUIN GHOSTS
SAT 1ST DEC 7PM SOLD OUT
THE WANDERING
HEARTS
+ RUSTON KELLY
SAT 8TH DEC 10PM
DANNY HOWARD
– NOTHING ELSE
MATTERS TOUR
+ ILLYUS & BARRIENTOS
WED 12TH DEC 7PM
MONA (USA)
+ OCTOBER DRIFT + BRIBES
FRI 14TH DEC 6.30PM
CHRISTMAS AT ARTS
CLUB (PART 1)
FRI 14TH DEC 7PM
CHRISTMAS DEBUT
ALBUM LAUNCH
PARTY FROM THE
FERNWEH
FT. PEACH FUZZ, EDGAR
JONES, CUT GLASS KINGS
SAT 15TH DEC 6.30PM
CHRISTMAS AT ARTS
CLUB (PART 2)
SAT 15TH DEC 7PM
THE WEDDING
PRESENT
“TOMMY” 30TH
ANNIVERSARY TOUR
SAT 22ND DEC 9PM
HORIZON XMAS
PARTY 2018
FT. STONEBANK, KLUBFILLER,
KUTSKI, RE-STYLE
TUE 22ND JAN 7PM
J MASCIS (USA)
FRI 25TH JAN 6PM
SAT 26TH JAN 6PM
FRI 1ST FEB 6PM
SAT 2ND FEB 6PM
LIVERPOOL ROCKS
– ROUND 1
WED 20TH FEB 7PM
STONE BROKEN
FRI 22ND FEB 7PM
SPINN
FRI 22ND FEB 6PM
SAT 23RD FEB 6PM
SAT 2ND MAR 6PM
LIVERPOOL ROCKS
– QUARTER FINAL
SAT 16TH MAR 7PM
ADY SULEIMAN
WED 10TH APR 7PM
INDOOR PETS
SAT 4TH 7PM
BLANCMANGE
TUE 7TH MAY 7PM
LUCY SPRAGGAN
SAT 18TH MAY 7PM
ELECTRIC SIX
TICKETS FOR ALL SHOWS ARE AVAILABLE FROM
TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
90
SEEL STREET, LIVERPOOL, L1 4BH
PRESENTS
(AUSTIN, TEXAS, USA)
with support from
BC CAMPLIGHT
THE ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM
'PERFORMANCE' OUT NOW
ticketmaster.co.uk
o2academyliverpool.co.uk
11-13 Hotham Street, Liverpool L3 5UF
Doors 7pm unless stated
Venue box office opening hours:
Mon - Sat 10.30am - 5.30pm
ticketmaster.co.uk • seetickets.com
gigantic.com • ticketweb.co.uk
WEDNESDAY 20TH FEBRUARY 2019
O 2ACADEMY LIVERPOOL
11-13 HOTHAM STREET, L3 5UF
£19.50 ADV PLUS BOOKING FEE VIA SEETICKETS.COM a
& TICKETMASTER.CO.UK
7PM DOORS - 14+ SHOW - SUPPORTS TBA
@CLUBEVOL
@WHITEDENIMMUSIC

CLOSED
IS A FUNNY
WAY OF
SAYING
OPEN
WHAT’S ON OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS:
CHRISTMAS HORROR MARKET • BIDO LITO-THE REAL QUIZ • BAR VIBES • SOUL JAM
LIVE MUSIC THURSDAYS • ROAST & RECORDS • CLAIRE HOUSE COMEDY NIGHT
PARTY NIGHTS • THE INDEPENDENT RECORD FAIR • BALTIC XMAS PARTY
SOUL TRAIN • ADULT CHRISTMAS NATIVITY • LDF-BOXING NIGHT
303-NYE • MOUVEMENT • GOOD LIFE • GIN FEVER FESTIVAL
CONSTELLATIONS 5TH BIRTHDAY • SOUND CITY
35-39 GREENLAND ST, LIVERPOOL, L1 0BS

What’s On
December
Saturday 1 December 8pm
Laughterhouse Live
Sunday 2 December 8pm
Music Room
Máire Ní Chathasaigh &
Chris Newman’s Celtic
Christmas Strings show
Monday 24 December 11am & 2pm
It’s A Wonderful Life
Monday 31 December 7.30pm
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
New Year’s Eve: You Can’t
Stop the Music
Saturday 8 December 2.30pm
Family Concert
The Nutcracker and I,
by Alexandra Dariescu
Sunday 23 December 8pm
Music Room
Baked A La Ska:
Ska of Wonder
Box Office
0151 709 3789
liverpoolphil.com
LiverpoolPhilharmonic
liverpoolphil
liverpool_philharmonic
Principal Funders
Thanks to the City
of Liverpool for its
financial support
Principal Partners
Media Partner
Image The Nutcracker and I, by Alexandra Dariescu

MEMBERSHIP
THE ALL-NEW BIDO LITO! COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP
Bido Lito! has always been about supporting and championing Liverpool’s new music and creative
culture. Through our team of community writers, photographers, illustrators and creative minds we’ve
charted our city’s vibrant, do-it-together creative ethos since 2010. This community spirit is central to
what Bido Lito! has become, and it’s something we’re committed to expanding upon.
A new global movement towards community journalism has emerged in recent years, and we see
Bido Lito! playing a key role the movement’s continuing development. As traditional media organisations
face existential threats to their business models and their moral authority, community journalism
harnesses the energy and passion of local people, creating a powerful, independent media voice free
from advertorials and clickbait.
With this in mind, we are making some changes to our Bido Lito! Community Membership.
Bido Lito! Community Members will still receive the latest edition of the magazine in the post before
anyone else, along with exclusive download and playlist content from Liverpool’s most exciting new
artists. And, members are still invited to come along to our monthly Bido Lito! Social for free.
But - and most importantly - Bido Lito! Community Members will be at the heart of shaping the
content of the magazine itself; whether it be recommending features, providing insight into live events,
curating playlists or suggesting artists for our Bido Lito! Socials, our members will be at the centre of
everything we do.
We still believe strongly in the editorial integrity of the magazine, so Bido Lito! Editors will have the
final say on commissions; but the voice of Bido Lito! going forward will be shaped by our community
members.
If you are passionate about supporting and championing Liverpool’s new music and creative culture,
join the community media revolution. Become a Bido Lito! Community Member today.
For more information go to bidolito.co.uk/membership

“Community journalism
harnesses the energy
and passion of local
people, creating a
powerful, independent
media voice free from
advertorials and clickbait”

A YEAR IN NEW MUSIC + CREATIVE CULTURE
The limited edition coffee table annual distilling
12 months into a beautiful 128-page publication.
Available online at bidolito.co.uk
and selected outlets while stocks last.

New Music + Creative Culture
Liverpool
Issue 95 / Dec 2018/Jan 2019
bidolito.co.uk
Second Floor
The Merchant
40-42 Slater Street
Liverpool L1 4BX
Publisher
Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk
Editor-in-Chief
Christopher Torpey - chris@bidolito.co.uk
Media Partnerships and Projects Manager
Sam Turner - sam@bidolito.co.uk
Features Editor
Niloo Sharifi - niloo@bidolito.co.uk
Live Editor
Elliot Ryder - elliot@bidolito.co.uk
Digital and Social Media Officer
Alannah Rose - alannah@bidolito.co.uk
Design
Mark McKellier - mark@andmark.co.uk
Branding
Thom Isom - hello@thomisom.com
Student Society Co-Chairs
Daisy Scott - daisy@bidolito.co.uk
Sophie Shields - sophie@bidolito.co.uk
EDITORIAL
What’s in a word? Perhaps not very much,
especially if it’s a word contained in one of the
500 million tweets sent each day, or one of the
two million-plus new book titles published this
year. How about the Oxford Word of the Year, a sort of annual
temperature-check of general global conversation? Yeh, that
should be fairly reliable – so long as it’s not an emoji (again). For
2018, it’s ‘toxic’ – the word that the good people of the Oxford
English Dictionary selected that best sums up “the ethos, mood
or preoccupations of the passing year”. Of the top 10 words it has
been used alongside (‘collocates’, if you must know), the three that
stand out as the most revealing of 2018’s view of toxicity are the
following: masculinity, environment and culture. Oh dear.
While this certainly doesn’t represent all
conversation, ‘toxic’ in indicative of the general
tone of online debate. You only need to look at
comments below the line on Twitter, YouTube
and Reddit for evidence of this, where there’s
always someone willing to offend/be offended,
or someone desperate to apportion blame.
This has been exacerbated by the twin ills
of Brexit and Trump, but the well of public
discourse had been poisoned long before that
nightmarish 2016 double-whammy. Instead
of making conversation more wide-scale and
democratic, the internet has polarised us all.
Words are weapons, and we’re only just coming to terms with how
dangerous these weapons are in both the real and online worlds.
In his book Breaking News, sibtitled The Remaking Of
Journalism And Why It Matters Now, Alan Rusbridger looked
back at his 40-year career in the newspaper industry and made
this assessment – which I think chimes well today: “From the
distance of 2018 maybe the world is a bit more attuned to the
dangers of creating a monoculture of simplicity. The politicians
FEATURES
“The world doesn’t
need any more
toxic debate: it
needs more of a
people-centric
conversation”
who succeed in it are sometimes the ones with the simplest
messages. Populism is a denial of complexity.” Katharine Viner,
who took over from Rusbridger as the Guardian’s Editor-in-Chief
in 2015, recently wrote an article celebrating the newspaper’s
reader funding model, in which she praised and thanked the
one million-plus Guardian readers who had pledged financial
support to the title in the three-and-a-half years since she
assumed control. “We are living in dangerous times when dark
ideologies flourish, and it’s no surprise that people feel anxious
and confused. I know it can sometimes be tempting to turn
away from news coverage. But I’m sure you feel, as I do, that we
have to understand the world if we’re going to have a chance of
making it better for everyone.”
We’re often accused of being too
positive in what we write in Bido Lito!, of
not sticking the knife in often enough. I’ve
always felt that that particular argument
misses the point of what our main role is –
and it also misses the genuine critique that
hides between the lines. I see Bido Lito!’s
role more as a documenter than an acerbictongued
critic, and I maintain that what we
choose not to talk about is important as
what we choose to talk about.
The world doesn’t need any more toxic
debate: it needs more nuanced reporting
that adds feeling, clarity and transparency to a story; more of an
uplifting conversation that’s people-centric and understanding;
something that can be both global and hyper-local. I hope that
the publication you have in your hands represents that to you –
because it’s yours as much as it is ours.
Christopher Torpey / @CATorp
Editor-in-Chief
Proofreader
Nathaniel Cramp
Cover Photography
Patrick Gunning
Words
Christopher Torpey, Sophie Shields, Sam Turner, Niloo
Sharifi, Dan Astles, Elliot Ryder, Craig G Pennington,
Amber Akaunu, Varaidzo, Joel Durksen, Ailsa Beetham,
Ian Abraham, Richard Lewis, Julia Johnson, Jennie
Macaulay, Joe Holyoake, Conal Cunningham, Glyn
Akroyd, Cath Bore, Lee Fleming, Paul Fitzgerald, Del
Pike, Ken Wynne, Megan Walder, Ellis Williams, Tammy
Reynolds, Day Mattar, Zena Davine, Esme Davine.
Photography, Illustration and Layout
Mark McKellier, Patrick Gunning, Niloo Sharifi, Sarah
Vincent, Mr Marbles, Varaidzo, Richard Haywood, Kelly
Giarrocco, Michael Kirkham, John Johnson, Mook Loxley,
Brian Slater, Brian Sayle, Stuart Moulding, Molly Norris,
John Middleton, Lucy McLachlan, Glyn Akroyd, Darren
Aston, Keith Ainsworth.
Distributed by Middle Distance
Print, distribution and events support across
Merseyside and the North West.
middledistance.org.uk
The views expressed in Bido Lito! are those of the
respective contributors and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the magazine, its staff or the
publishers. All rights reserved.
12 / CHELCEE GRIMES
“It was like I had a point to prove to go back to the same label
and prove I could be a success there.”
14 / THE WORLD IN ONE
POSTCODE
“A relentless, fervent dedication to community through
creativity is an L8 tradition.”
18 / REMY JUDE ENSEMBLE
“You’re trying to enjoy your music so people can feel that and
enjoy it themselves.”
20 / LIVERPOOL AS A UNESCO
CITY OF CULTURE
“Through collaboration, conversation and hard work, this could
be the start of a really special time in Liverpool’s music history.”
REGULARS
10 / NEWS
30 / SPOTLIGHT
35 / PREVIEWS
24 / GIANT STEPS?
“We need to move into the next chapter of our city’s story;
where Liverpool is lauded as centre of cultural production, as
well as one of the world’s great playgrounds.”
22 / CONTAINER
“Who knew a two-hour strobe examination could prove so
metaphorical, so scathingly political?”
26 / KIARA MOHAMED
“I realised a lot of people are hurting and sad, so I gave them
something I wish I had: someone else’s kindness.”
28 / BLACK HISTORY FOREVER
“Black History Month has now ended, but our attempts as a
city to educate ourselves on our past should be year-long.”
34 / MOLLY BURCH
“Even when I was a child I was always drawn to the deeper
voices… so I really tried to hone in on it and make it my own.”
42 / REVIEWS
60 / ARTISTIC LICENCE

NEWS
Sound City’s Loyle Following
British hip hop saviour LOYLE CARNER is among
the names announced for the 12th edition of Sound
City taking place across venues in the Baltic Triangle
in May. As well as the Mercury-nominated rapper,
noughties RnB star MABEL will be topping the festival
bill on the Saturday night. The second edition of the
festival since its return to its city centre venue roots
follows the success of last year’s sold-out event and
will host a wide range of artists from a variety of
genres. This is demonstrated by names announced
this month which include LOUIS BERRY, BENIN CITY
and SOPHIE & THE GIANTS. The perfect opportunity
to discover your new favourite band.
Loyle Carner
Grey Skies Clearing
The bold and strident voice of ASTLES continues to improve,
as evidenced by the songwriter’s new song, Grey Skies. “It’s
about the ups and downs you face in life and making sense
of them all,” Astles says of the song, which is full of Beach
Boys-meets-Lennon melodicism. “Sometimes it feels like
the rain won’t ever stop but it does. I’ve learnt to try and
make the best of myself during these low points.” The song
is the first one to be taken from the 20-year-old artist’s new
EP, titled The Things I Know To Be True, due out in early
2019. It was recorded and mixed by Matt Freeman at Fresh
Goods Studios. You can listen to the single now premiering
on bidolito.co.uk – and read Astles’ thoughts on Liverpool’s
UNESCO City Of Music status in the feature he wrote for this
issue (page 22).
Astles
Dooley Day
Dooley Day
Honouring the life and work of homegrown artists is a vital part
of our cultural heritage, as pointed out in Niloo’s brilliant ode to
L8 on page 14. The Florrie is doing its best to make sure that
the prodigious talents of ARTHUR DOOLEY aren’t forgotten, by
marking 17th January 2019 as Dooley Day – what would have
been his 90th birthday. Arthur was the artist behind the iconic
Black Christ statue on the exterior of the Princes Park Methodist
Church, and the day will be marked by the opening of a special
exhibition that pays homage to Arthur’s work as both an artist and
an activist.
Seeking Characters
In the new year we are launching CHARACTERS, a monthly celebration of
extraordinary people. Is there someone in your life who you think everyone
should know about? It could be somebody who is worth celebrating,
whether it be for their kindness, their humour, their unpredictability, their
strength, an incredible tale they were part of, or any of the other ways
people are great. Merseyside is brimming with authentic and genuine
characters who all of us could learn from, and we think you shouldn’t
have to be a musician or an artist to be profiled in our magazine. Who
deserves to have an article written about them? Help us to find characters
who matter to you. Send nominations along with your reasons to niloo@
bidolito.co.uk with ‘Character Nomination’ in the subject line.
Inbound From un_bound
UN_BOUND is a new platform for art criticism which is
seeking new voices for its launch initiative. The platform
is looking for responses to art from people based in
Liverpool that encourages thinking outside of the traditional
boundaries of art criticism. A call-out for submissions
for alternative, text-based responses to art is now open,
and runs until 16th December. If you’d like to submit
something that fits within this brief, email the organisers on
un_bound@outlook.com. Submissions should be kept to a
maximum of 300 words, and be in an A5, freeform layout.
Tired of the conversation? Twist it your own way.
Bido Lito! Arts + Culture Podcast
Sharing stories from the city is the tagline to a brand new and massively
exciting podcast from us at Bido HQ. Hosted by writer and critic Laura
Brown and Bido Lito! Editor-in-Chief Christopher Torpey, the podcast
focuses on some of the more interesting stories that lurk just below the
surface of our vibrant art, music and culture scene. The monthly show
will use mini-features to unpick some narratives that maybe haven’t been
widely heard, and offer some alternative viewpoints from invited guests.
The first show features a conversation between Jayne Casey and Bryan
Biggs about The Bluecoat’s extensive archive, taking in Ronald Reagan
and the end of the Cold War along the way. Download from wherever
you get your podcasts, or from bidolito.co.uk/podcast.
10

DANSETTE
Producer and electronicist LUNA
gives us a peek inside her record
bag to reveal some of the sounds
that inspired her new single, 5am.
Kllo
Potential
Good Manners
Raring For Haring
An exhibition celebrating the work of 1980s
icon KEITH HARING showing at Tate Liverpool
in June 2019 will be the first major show of the
artist’s work in the UK. Haring’s bold, vibrant
paintings engaged with vital political issues
such as racism, homophobia, AIDS awareness,
capitalism and the environment and the artist’s
style became synonymous with New York’s
hip hop scene of the era. Haring, who publicly
came out when homosexuality was still taboo,
became one of the century’s most prolific
artists and worked with the likes of Andy
Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. More than
85 works of Haring’s will be on display for the
eponymous exhibition.
2018 Digested
Keith Harling ‘Untitled’
Tyrannosaurus Wrexham
Wales’ premier metropolitan music festival FOCUS
WALES have announced a mouth-watering lineup
for their 2019 edition. Maverick troubadour BC
CAMPLIGHT tops the bill alongside cult Welsh acts
BOY AZOOGA and THE LOVELY EGGS, for a festival
which promises to capture the imagination of all those
who descend on Wrexham in May. Elsewhere on
the line-up there is euphoric experimentalism from
ISLET, introspective electronica from ART SCHOOL
GIRLFRIEND and watery shoegaze from Toronto’s
TALLIES. As well as over 200 live sets, Focus Wales
also includes a conference element with panel
discussions, keynote talk and industry advice. The
conference programme, along with more live acts, will
be announced in due course.
It’s turned out to be another bumper year for music, and we’ll all have our favourites from the past
12 months that will have stuck out. But, how do you put together a comprehensive list of 2018’s
best albums and essential tunes? We decided to turn to our Bido Lito! members to give us their
selections, compiling an extensive – and essential – soundtrack to the year. To find out if your
favourite made the cut, and to discover some hidden gems, head to bidolito.co.uk to find out what
our members picked. We’ll be releasing more of the selections throughout December, including
picks from artists we’ve featured this year. You’ll also be able to hear more of our members’ insights
next year with our monthly Members’ Mixtape series. If you want to share your picks with us, tweet
us on @BidoLito – or join our Community Membership revolution!
I’ve always been a huge Kllo
fan ever since I stumbled
across them at Sound City in
2015, so I was super excited when they released Potential
earlier this year. The piano hook got me immediately –
having grown up playing piano, it’s always how I start
off writing my songs. In 5am, the opening piano was the
first thing I wrote and then just kind of sung words over it.
Everything else came later on in production, but the bones
of most of my songs start on the piano.
Tei Shi
How Far
Interscope Records
When I wrote 5am I was
losing myself in a destructive
relationship, which is where
the song came from. At the time, I had this track on repeat.
Tei Shi sings of a similar situation, so I related to it heavily
and found solace in it. Unlike 5am, this song has shitloads
of sass with her killer vocal range and groovy bassline – it
helped to reassure me that I was going to get through this.
Four Tet
Rounds
Domino
SISU
SISU On The Ones And Twos
Are you an aspiring DJ? Are you a woman? Would you like to hone
your skills and learn from some expert practitioners? If so, SISU have
the perfect opportunity for you. The collective have been running DJ
courses for women for a while, proving hugely popular right across the
country. Their latest five-day course in Liverpool is due to take place at
24 Kitchen Street between Monday 10th December and Friday 14th
December, 12pm-3pm. The SISU course aims to teach the skills needed
to DJ from scratch, with an especially hands-on, practical approach.
Each session runs for three hours, covering theory-based knowledge
and hands-on practice of mixing, cueing, beat-matching, waveforms
and EQing. Check sisucrew.com for more details.
Out of all of Four Tet’s albums,
this one is my favourite. I just
love the dreamy soundscapes he creates and it blows
my mind that the whole album is entirely comprised of
samples. It inspired me to mess around with samples
myself, which is tentatively demonstrated in 5am where I
chopped up some of my lead vocal and sampled it later on
in the instrumental break. I’ve used samples more heavily
in other tracks off my upcoming debut EP, such as the
Bollywood vocal in Fire.
John Maus
Hey Moon
Upset The Rhythm
The Bido Lito! Journal
Our 2018 Bido Lito! Journal has landed and it’s an absolute stunner.
Documenting a year in Liverpool’s new music and creative culture,
the deluxe, 128-page book is the ideal Christmas present for the
music-lover or culture vulture in your life. You can now pick one up in
some of our favourite spots round town – just in time for Christmas.
Pop into News From Nowhere, Dig Vinyl, Jacaranda Records Phase
One, British Music Experience, Open Eye Gallery or Tate Liverpool
to get yours before they go. Printed in a limited edition run, the
Journal curates a selection of exclusive commissions and reflections
from artists and stories we’ve covered throughout 2018. In there
you’ll find extensive features on Bill Ryder-Jones, Sonic Yootha and
The Zanzibar, among others, as well as a selection of this year’s best
live photography and artwork. If the internet’s more your thing, you
can always grab one online from bidolito.co.uk.
I think my world stopped
turning for a minute or
two when I first heard this song. There’s something so
comforting about it yet so painfully sad at the same time; I
can’t quite put my finger on it. I wanted to capture a similar
feeling with 5am – it embodies pain and loneliness, but I
also want it to comfort anyone else who may be listening to
it and going through the same kind of thing.
soundcloud.com/sheislunamusic
5am is out now, and Luna’s full debut EP is set for release
in spring 2019.
NEWS 11

The Scouse pop star shows that her bouncebackability
is as formidable as her skills as she prepares an
assault on the upper echelons of the charts.
Liverpool is, still, a city that is famous for its music and football. The birthplace of one of
the most popular groups the world has ever seen, and home to two of the biggest football
clubs in Europe, Liverpool doesn’t mess around when it comes to producing top talent
for the stage and the pitch. There are few people from the city, however, who can boast
to scoring goals and chart hits, yet CHELCEE GRIMES is one of them. Born and bred in Liverpool,
the 26-year-old has grabbed all the city has to offer by the scruff of the neck and run with it, quite
literally, with a football in one hand and a guitar in the other. Why pick one when you can do both?
Chelcee, a self-professed pop lover and huge Liverpool FC fan, not only plays professional
football for Fulham Ladies, she also pens pop hits for chart-toppers, putting her name to many a
Dua Lipa track. She also has credits on Kylie Minogue, Kesha and Olly Murs songs and recently
lent her vocals to the track Wild for Jonas Blue’s new album. Most people would be content with a
back catalogue as impressive as that, but, this year, Chelcee has dropped two singles of her own,
I Need A Night Out and Just Like That, which have racked up nearly 500,000 streams on Spotify
collectively in their short life spans. Let’s not forget, she does all of this while knocking in a couple
of goals for Fulham on weekends. I’m exhausted just thinking about it.
Sitting across the table from Chelcee in the back of a pub a couple of hours before she takes
to the stage at Arts Club for her first hometown headline gig, I can tell I am in the presence of
someone special, someone about to make Liverpool very proud. Aptly, the football is on in the
background, a perfect setting as she delves into how her football and music careers began. “I
started playing football because it was the only thing I could do if I wanted to play out,” Chelcee
recalls. “Everyone in my street was a lad, and if I wanted to play out, I would have to play football.
I started getting better than the lads and I started thinking that maybe I was onto something.”
Thrashing the lads at football ultimately turned into getting spotted at the Ian Rush soccer school
and working her way up the ladder. “I didn’t even have my own pair of footy boots, I was playing in
my trainers. [But] I signed for Liverpool FC at the age of 10 and played up to the under 16s, then I
was at Tranmere and the Everton Centre of Excellence with England player Fara Williams.”
“As for getting into music, obviously with women’s football you usually have to have a second
CHELCEE
GRIMES
job because the pay isn’t the same as the men’s, so I went into music, which also takes up a lot of
time. I couldn’t do it part time, so I had to give up football. By the age of 18 I was fully into music,
but five years later I got back into football and now I’m playing at Fulham. It’s definitely different,
when people ask, ‘So what do you do?’ and I’m like, ‘I’m a singer and a footballer’, they go ‘Oh, OK…’
and I’m like ‘No, I actually am!’”
She makes playing professional football and making music sound like they are the easiest
careers in the world to get into, but then again, she’s a Scouser: football and music are embedded
into our culture. As she casually reels off her impressive CV, we talk about how her journey up to
this point hasn’t always been easy after getting dropped from her label at the age of 16. “It’s kind
of like football,” she muses. “To use a football analogy, if a new manager comes in and you’re not
really his signing or you’re not on his team, you might get dropped or sold somewhere else, it just
happens.”
“It was crushing but it was almost like a rite of passage, you’ve got to pick yourself up. That’s
where 90 per cent of people stop and actually the people who you see on the TV, they are the
minority of people who have said, ‘OK, water off a duck’s back’ and gone back out again and done
it. It was just one of those things, which again football has instilled in me – like Liverpool in the
Champions League Final, you can be 3-0 down at half-time but still come back and win. That was
my little half-time.”
Parting ways with her label allowed Chelcee to explore the world, mature into who she is today
and keep writing songs in her spare time. She cites her biggest influences
as the “ballsy pop females who have more to say than just standing there
looking good” – think Beyoncé, Pink, Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga, the
latter of which she claims inspired her to start writing music in the first
place. “I love pop music, I grew up on it… when I got dropped, I thought,
‘You know what, I’m just going to write a few more songs, keep writing
every day and see what happens’.” After throwing out some lines and
messaging as many people as she could, Danish music producer Cutfather,
who has worked with the likes of The Pussycat Dolls and Kylie Minogue,
got in touch. “He asked me to come down after hearing the songs I had
done and asked if I would be able to write anything for Kylie. I was like,
‘How am I going to write for Kylie? I’m just this Scouser!’ We wrote a song
that day, sent it to her, she replied, ‘I love it’ and recorded it the next day.”
“It was crazy, all my family are big Kylie fans so when they saw on the
list of credits, Pharrell, Sia, Chelcee Grimes, they were like, ‘OK, she’s actually
in music’. Things changed for me after that song.” In a surprising decision to
re-sign with her original label, RCA Records, she recalls how her unfinished
business made her want to go back. “It was like I had a point to prove to go back to the same label
and prove I could be a success there,” which she has definitely done. Ten years later she has gone
from playing football with the lads to playing for Fulham Ladies and moved on from uploading covers
of Lady Gaga songs on YouTube to writing for the biggest people in pop and releasing her own
songs – a point has definitely been proved.
After having so much success in writing for other people, I was curious as to why she had now
decided to release her own material. “I thrive being on stage,” her face lights up at the thought of it,
“it’s where I come from. I’m not very good at just sticking to one thing, hence why I still play football.
I thought, ‘Let’s have another go and put some records out’. I think I’ll always do it, writing songs for
me will be something I do until the day I die.”
“Music is so important to me, it’s the one place I can really be myself. I can remember reading
a quote from Lady Gaga, she said, ‘Music is never going to wake up one day and tell you it doesn’t
love you’, and I love that. I don’t live with my family anymore, I’m in London alone. I moved there
when I was 21 and when I was hungover or heartbroken or happy, I would always pick my guitar up
or run over to the piano. It’s like putting a memory in a jar and keeping it, but it’s in a song for three
minutes. I don’t think anything else in the world can do that.”
You can tell when Chelcee talks about music that she is living and breathing it, yet football also
plays an important role in her life. So, if she had to make a choice between her two great loves,
would she go for football or music? She laughs with a sly smile like she has a secret ready to burst
out. “I mean, if we stay talking until next year there might be something I can reveal to you, but I
think for me now, the focus is music and writing, that’s where my brain is at. But when it comes to a
Sunday or in training, as soon as that whistle goes, it’s football. Also, for my mental health, football
is so good for me to be able to switch off for 90 minutes three times a week and just forget about
work, it’s really good to have something else going on.”
Chelcee’s relationship with music and football goes way back to when she was young so it’s
easy to see why both of them are intrinsic to her life now. “One of my first and fondest memories
of music and football together was when I heard You’ll Never Walk Alone at Anfield, that was
something I’ll never forget, and it will always inspire me.” It only seems appropriate then that
Liverpool will play host to one of her biggest headline shows yet and I stuck around to see what all
the fuss was about.
If I can say one thing, when she said she thrives being on the stage
she wasn’t lying. She is at home in the loft of the Arts Club, as a large
group of girls who loyally turn up to all of her gigs fight for her attention
from the front row; everyone wants a piece of her. Working her way
“It was like I had a
point to prove to go
back to the same label
and prove I could be
a success there”
through a collection of her own songs and a few she has penned for
others, she also throws a stripped back version of Wheatus’ Teenage
Dirtbag into the set which strangely isn’t out of place on her pop
crusade. Not once does a smile leave her face and, in that moment, she is
Chelcee Grimes the musician.
What I love most about what Chelcee is doing is how much she is
championing women in football and pop music, being a role model for
young girls and proving that women can actually do it too. “There are so
many girls that I get messages off saying how they’ve never had a girl in
music and football [to look up to]… I think as long as we keep on pushing
as one it’s only going to get better.”
I also don’t think pop gets enough credit in Liverpool; overwhelmed
by the plethora of indie bands in the city, it doesn’t really get a look in but
Chelcee has proven that it is something we should definitely be paying attention to, particularly when
one of our own is leading the charge. “It’s like Liverpool [FC], I know we’re going to win the league, it
just hasn’t happened yet, that’s how I feel about my music,” she laughs. “You never know, next year
might be the year.” !
Words: Sophie Shields
Photography: Patrick Gunning / patrickgunning.com
@ChelceeGrimes
Chelcee Grimes’ new single is out now via RCA Records.
FEATURE
13

THE WORLD IN
ONE POSTCODE
L8 is an area where community
is not just a buzzword, it’s the
backbone of a society. Niloo
Sharifi’s ode to L8 explores
how the area has weathered
an uprising, been continually
demonised and resisted the
steady creep of gentrification
– and is now the envy of topdown
civic regeneration
schemes the world over.
The bustle of Lodge Lane fills my spirit: my favourite fruit
and veg shop, Manchester Superstore, with its colourful
displays to cheer me; Tiber Square, a clearing among
the clustered cars and people designed by young local
architects, with a sign that reads ‘Loving Lodge Lane’; the words
LOVE and PEACE painted onto the bricks on Coltart Road. I am
walking to Yank Scally’s house, a vegan commune in L8. The
prolific electronic musician and producer spends most of his time
in this huge complex, made up of two three-storey houses with
the wall between them knocked through. The place is home to
young and old: families, hippies and crusties, two turtles, five
dogs and a coop of hens who roam around freely in the back
garden all day. This is Yank Scally’s production base, and a
honey trap; these chipped hallways have hosted the likes of MC
Nelson, Niki Kand, Remy Jude, The Blurred Sun Band and Simon
Jones’ Chillout Donk Experience in private performances and jam
sessions. Bill Ryder-Jones shot his last two music videos here.
The house adheres to socialist values and democratic processes;
there are house meetings and rotas. This is just one very new
example of people in L8 making the best of the spaces available
to them, and creating a community that fosters creativity.
Yank Scally grew up in L8, on Warwick Street. He describes
it to me in his typically concise, vivid way: “I could see the river
every day. It was touched with crime, it was everywhere – drugs,
stolen cars, police chases. A lot of misdirected, working-class
energy going into the wrong efforts. Mostly good people in bad
situations. There was always amazing graffiti at the end of my
road.” When I talk to Hazel Tilley, a founding member of the
Granby 4 Streets Community Land Trust, she is also taken with
the area’s street art. “Art isn’t new in the Granby area. [There’s]
great graffiti by the Methodist Centre. Where you’ve got a lot of
dereliction, it invites graffiti art, and if there’s a lot of it, you start
to get some of great quality.” She sees graffiti as a democratic art
form, often political, which cheaply beautifies forgotten places
and invites all to participate. The ethos behind graffiti is an apt
metaphor for what the multitudes of L8 creatives and activists
are achieving; turning derelict places full of potential and talent
into thriving centres of life.
Hazel has been involved since the beginning in L8’s peopleled
regeneration. “Our project started 27 years ago as the Granby
Residents Association, to stop the demolition of what is and
always has been a very vibrant, multicultural, mixed economy
area.” L8 is hugely diverse compared with the rest of the city;
Liverpool on average is made up of 86.3 per cent white people,
but in L8 this figure drops to 48.8 per cent. L8 was home to the
oldest black population in Liverpool, a centuries-old community
that has resided there since Liverpool’s port days. Today, the
area’s cheap rent and proximity to the centre continues to make
it a popular arrival point for first-generation immigrants. This
mixture of new immigrants and families who have been here for
generations is what makes the area so diverse (and so maligned
by a racist majority). The cultures that thrive here each bring their
own creative and commercial practices, making it a comparatively
varied and hyper-creative postcode. “That diversity is what
14

makes the area exciting, and is the reason we fought for the area.
It wasn’t about keeping the houses, it was about keeping the
people.”
The Granby 4 Streets CLT is now a multi-enterprise
organisation, working with a host of others in the area for
collective benefit. Their Winter Garden is now open to the
public, a testament to a movement that started with planting
seeds. Hazel was part of the initial grassroots campaign to stop
the demolition of L8’s most important areas under the Housing
Market Renewal Pathfinders programme. Streets including a
privately owned mosque were marked for demolition, people
were being emptied out, lead was stripped from the remaining
houses and basic maintenance to the area was reduced. “Empty
houses on each side have such a detrimental effect,” she tells me.
“Empty streets are appalling to walk through. [Children were]
watching rubbish being dumped on the way to a school that
leaked. How a council can treat the children within its care in
the disrespectful way they have done for years and then pile on
degradation, is beyond me.”
The government’s inattentive treatment of L8 on this side of
the millennium is a sanitised reflection of the other; L8 has been
underfunded and over-policed for centuries, and it seemed the
council wanted to give up on the area altogether. “They dubbed
us a twilight zone, so it was up to us to take things into our own
hands. Crap environments invite crap teachers, so everything
becomes depressed and disinvested, and the most public thing
you can do is plant a flower. And that’s what we did.” A group of
started as a table sale grew into the monthly Granby Market, an
absolutely unreal event I would personally recommend; vintage
clothes, delicious food, music, arts and crafts all gather on Granby
Street on the first Saturday of each month. Since then, L8 has
begun to transform, and media perceptions are shifting. Many of
the area’s buildings have been painstakingly restored; a street in
Granby won the Turner Prize; and the arts continue to thrive. This
year’s Resilience Garden in Granby was one of the only Biennial
shows to garner praise from The White Pube’s searing review.
Despite the plethora of creativity and craftsmanship that has
resided in the neighbourhood since the Edwardians designed it,
the art world has often ignored L8. “The first Biennial had bugger
all to do with us. There was very little traffic through the place.”
This started to shift after the art collective Assemble won the
Turner Prize in 2015 for refurbishing a group of houses in Granby.
The community-led project spawned the Granby Workshop, and
greater enthusiasm from the wider institution. “Art has to be
people-led,” Hazel believes. “We were only noticed because of
the Turner Prize – the art was already there but people started
to look at it. Art becomes personal if you can become immersed
in it. People say you become immersed in Rothko, but you can
fuck that for a bag of soldiers, cos I don’t.”Hazel finds everyday
art more exciting than the solitude of galleries. “Art is not just
a picture on a wall, it is life.” When I asked Yank Scally earlier
why he makes art, he looked at me like I just asked him why he
eats. “I don’t know, I’ve been doing it for too long. But it feels
great. It feels really good.” Hazel, a decidedly more verbose
“A relentless,
fervent dedication
to community
through creativity
is an L8 tradition”
women, sick of looking at debris, began sweeping and gardening
the vacant streets. “We were like demons. It was like we were
possessed, because suddenly [everything] was swept and there
were flowers everywhere.”
“It was hard fucking work.” They wanted to save the area
from what they saw as disenfranchisement rooted in racism. “I do
believe Liverpool continues to be a racist city. I personally don’t
believe there’s been a massive change in the police; there’s a
change in the language,” Hazel says, “it’s deeply embedded in the
council. Decisions are made where people become secondary.”
She saw disinvestment in the area make it “one of the most
impoverished areas in the UK”, driven by the uprisings of 81,
when the community fought back against a racist police force
that treated people of colour like criminals. The media coverage
of that uprising has shaped popular perceptions ever since, and
been used to justify underinvestment; before then, the area was
usually referred to as L8. “Toxteth came out cos it’s got a ring
to it – it’s got an x in it, like Brixton. And uprising, not riot,” she
corrects me. “Language is important.”
Once governments changed, the scheme to redevelop ‘failing
housing markets’ was scrapped and the threat of demolition
passed, but the spirit of resistance was reignited. That initial
drive to do what the council wouldn’t, and invest their time into
undoing the wreckage of Thatcher’s 80s, was a catalyst. Hazel
tells me that people began to frequent the planted streets. The
group began to paint empty houses, inviting artists to install
projects and contribute in any way they could. Then, what
figure than the former, pins it down: “This is a fundamental
right of humanity, to express themselves in the most joyous and
pointed way possible.” The art institutions’ renewed interest
in L8 is something to celebrate; it has brought investment and
opportunity for creativity, especially where artists have followed
Assemble’s model in putting people first.
This was the approach adopted by Invisible Flock, Quicksand
and FACT in creating AURORA, the breathtaking, immersive
multimedia installation that filled the disused Toxteth Reservoir’s
vast space. Catherine Baxendale of Invisible Flock tells me that
“it was important to us to work against the cliché of putting
an artwork somewhere without responding to the site”. I am
reminded of The White Pube’s critique of Lara Favaretto’s The
Stone (2016), a huge granite block with a slot for donations
installed on Granby’s Rhiwlas Street. They called it “a giant,
patronising money box which went on to only raise £1224 for
local charity Asylum Link”. According to the Biennial website, it
was meant to “testify to the temporary nature of all monuments,
and the impossibility of memorialisation”. Apart from this
sounding like it was written by a bot parodying cocaine chats
between some art school’s jaded board members, it probably cost
more money to install than it collected. I wish memorialisation
was indeed impossible – I’m sure we’d all love to forget it.
AURORA, on the other hand, has been a hit locally as well as
in the press. The creators ran four workshops over two months
with local children, whose musical performances formed part
of the final, 40-minute track which accompanies the gleefully
disorientating display of water, ice and lights. Catherine says
working with the reservoir’s fiercely protective trustees was
sometimes challenging, but they succeeded to please everyone
eventually, and this trust-building is a key point of praise for
locals. “It’s absolutely amazing,” Hazel says, “and there’s also that
appreciation of the building.” Everything L8 has today was gained
by people fighting for their own community; it is understandable
that they should hold outsiders to the same high standards
that they have been held to by circumstances. Nothing would
work here without a stringent insistence on treating people and
buildings preciously.
Tom Calderbank has been a community activist for three
decades, and he has been on the frontline of this battle against
dilapidation. He has been involved in the regeneration of three
buildings; Toxteth Town Hall, The Florrie and The Belvedere.
“Toxteth Town Hall was absolutely the launch pad for the other
projects,” he says, reminiscing about how he used to sign on
for the dole there and think, “What a beautiful building – if only
someone would sort it out.” Little did he know that he would
come to be a key part of the community that made it happen.
They campaigned to raise money and restore it to its original
purpose when it was built in 1865, as a place for the community
to turn to.
“It’s thriving now,” says Tom. Aside from its beautiful function
hall and Winter Garden, the building contains a number of
organisations offering services to the community. There is a
Citizen’s Advice Bureau, The Whitechapel homelessness charity,
FEATURE
15

a weekly family games club, a beautiful spacious garden and Sola
Arts, an arts charity. I have met Adele Spiers, who runs Sola Arts,
and she is a remarkable woman, economic with her time to the
point of being brusque, because her schedule is split between
helping innumerable people. Apart from running art groups and
organising Festival 31 (a celebration of refugee and migrant art,
greater every year) she offers social support and a listening ear
as an art psychotherapist. The halls of Toxteth Town Hall are
spilling over with people like Adele, and as a network they have
created a safety net which the state has never provided.
Tom was a trustee at the Town Hall for nearly 20 years before
moving on. He also helped restore his childhood youth club on
Miles Street, now affectionately known as The Belve, to a wellused
community sports activity centre. “Doing that gave us the
wherewithal and knowledge to go and do the big one, which was
The Florrie. She’s my girl.” The Florrie is a Grade II listed building
erected as the Victorian equivalent of a youth centre in 1889. I met
with Tim Tierney, who works at The Florrie now, and the place is
a huge, fully functioning complex of high-ceilinged rooms put to
use for more than 30 hours of programming a week. He shows
me their schedule, which is crammed: art, yoga and photography
classes; support groups for addiction, literacy, dyslexia; fitness,
drama and local singalongs. I meet today’s art teacher, Andy
Crombie, a staunch leftist who sees art as an empowering force
for his students, several of whom are elderly beginners. The class,
like many of their services, is free. “Everybody deserves stuff, it
doesn’t matter if you’re out of work,” Tim says. “Everybody should
building and the police would donate clothes. And here we are,
150 years later, and we’re still doing the same job. It’s almost like
nothing has changed for 150 years.” If we don’t shake the Tories at
the next election, things are set to get more difficult. With austerity
measures and privatisation continuing to disproportionately
impact the poorest, and the roll-out of Universal Credit, places like
the Toxteth Town Hall, the Belve, The Florrie and Granby Market
become all the more precious, and their resources stretched.
Underpinning all of these people’s actions is a deeply held
belief in collectivism and mutual responsibility. “People are so
greedy,” Hazel observes. “Capitalism has to become kinder. There
has to be an economic shift.” Her voice takes on an imperative
urgency over the phone: “It’s you, the young people. You have
to do something and you’ve got to do it collectively.” These
organisations rely on volunteerism to flourish. Tom says The Florrie
took hundreds of hands to revive. People like Tim, Hazel, Adele
and Tom have worked many an unpaid hour well into their careers;
as Tim puts it, “I’d like well more of me. I would like to never have
to say we’re too busy.” L8 is peppered with stories of eye-watering
resilience and rare success, more than can be profiled here. “I think
everybody needs to be more engaged. I think everybody thinks
their time is too precious,” says Tim, but concedes that “in the last
year or so, people have been getting more engaged, and that’s
all we need.” As he points out, organised demise is everywhere.
If regeneration is to happen without gentrification, communities
must unfortunately fight tirelessly for themselves.
Today, mass migration increasingly polarises global politics,
“Community
doesn’t really exist
anymore to a large
extent, but it does
round our ways”
be included in a community building.”
Tim was part of the Stop The Rot campaign that raised nearly
seven million pounds to save The Florrie. The building became
disused in the 80s, and a fire destroyed most of the roof in 99.
“You don’t realise how important places are until they’re gone,”
Tim reflects. “Without it, where are people going to escape social
isolation?” He describes how economic changes create loneliness;
“In Kensington, before, there was everything from a greengrocer
to a hoover shop. Now, all of a sudden, you go to Tesco and stand
at a self-checkout and don’t talk to anyone.” Now, the Florrie
provides somewhere to talk. Restoring it was a remarkable feat
against stacked odds, as Tom Calderbank recalls: “The city fathers
said it could never be done. I remember someone said, ‘God love
you, mate. But you’re beating your head against a brick wall,’ and I
said ‘Well, it’s my head, and it’s my wall.’ [That’s] the never say die
attitude of Liverpool 8.”
This relentless, fervent dedication to community through
creativity is at this point an L8 tradition. The Florrie is using its
growing platform to celebrate the prodigious artists and activists
who have emerged from the area over the years. 17th January
2019 will be ‘Dooley Day’ at the Florrie; they will honour the
remarkable life of Arthur Dooley, the artist behind the iconic Black
Christ statue on what would have been his 90th birthday. But as
Tom points out, the longevity of L8’s proud tradition of resistance is
evidence of its necessity, and repeated institutional failures. “When
Toxteth Town Hall was opened, one of the services it offered was
‘services to the destitute’, so if you had nothing, you’d come to our
and L8 is a particularly old and rich case study for this most
relevant of issues. Tom tells me Jeremy Corbyn visited Granby in
September and praised its present-day state as a model for other
communities. “It’s an example of how multiculturalism can work.
We just crack on.” In Tom’s voice, I detect the same note of pride
and love common to all these activists. Ian Ellington of Catalyst, a
multimedia production house based in Toxteth TV, speaks fondly
of the same dynamic. Catalyst was set up in 1984 by a group of
black kids from L8 who felt shut out by the white middle class art
world, and they won the Echo’s Arts and Performance Award this
year. Decked out with a studio that attracts artists from across
the country, they have worked with artists like Blue Saint, Ste
Two and Dorcas Seb for years. In October, two Catalyst singers
reached Robbie Williams’ house on The X Factor. Besides all this,
Ian’s team continues to engage people of colour and migrants
in free activities. He describes the results of a musical workshop
for migrant schoolchildren struggling with English as a second
language: “It was amazing, y’know, tracks with five different
languages on it!” This is testament to what Tom told me earlier:
“When we had the Capital of Culture we had the tagline ‘the world
in one city’, and I don’t know about that so much, but I do know
that we’ve got the world in one postcode.”
Toxteth TV is a huge complex containing more exciting stuff
than I could reasonably give the attention they deserve here.
There’s a fully-equipped TV studio, the VHS store and cinema
VideOdyssey, filmmakers, game designers and dance studios,
an artist management agency and more. Every occupant of this
creative hub is to some degree engaged in community work and
local artist development. Historically, L8 has been ignored or
actively oppressed; as made famous by the cover of celebrated
Granby councilor Margaret Simey’s book, The Disinherited Society,
Liverpool job postings were not long ago stamped with “no one
from L8 need apply”. Tom Calderbank decodes this: “That’s: if
you’re a person of colour, you can fuck off. The racism was that
overt.” Now there is an entire building full of technology in L8,
making itself open to the creative vigour that has always existed in
L8’s demographic.
I ask Tom whether he wishes the rest of Merseyside would
contribute to the centuries-old, ever-growing fight for L8 to
prosper. “It’s not about us catching a break off the rest of the city,
they just need to look at our example.” Areas like the Baltic Quarter
are often hailed by the press for rejuvenating creative traffic, but
gentrification seems to rear its head before anything can really
pop off. “Regeneration is the most abused word in the English
language. Around here, it’s a dirty word; it’s something that’s
done to you. But the very best is community-led regeneration.
All the buildings we have talked about there, they have all been
community-led projects, and there’s lessons there for us all.” In this
confusing time, where the technological explosion seems to have
made us hyper-connected but socially isolated, L8 is a unique
place. “Community doesn’t really exist anymore to a large extent,
but it does round our ways, doesn’t it?” !
Words and Photography: Niloo Sharifi
16

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FEATURE
17

18

REMY JUDE
ENSEMBLE
The six-piece band may be new on the scene, but they are by no means newbies; this is an indie jazz
super-group, encompassing already established musicians in an effervescent commingling of talent.
The first time I see the REMY JUDE ENSEMBLE at Anti-
Social Jazz Club’s Aerie loft party, I have that rare feeling
of discovering something before the rest of the world
does. Although this was only their fourth performance,
playing to a crowd who was largely unfamiliar with them, it
felt like everyone was there to see their favourite band. Their
laid-back, jazz/hip hop fusion is warm and energetic enough to
get everyone dancing and sweating, pressed right up almost toeto-toe
with them as they exchange thrilled glances and dance
with the audience. The six-piece band is comprised of Remy
Jude’s acerbic bars, Amber Kuti’s effortlessly powerful voice, and
virtuosos Sam Jones, Max O’Hara, Simon Dale and Conor O’Shea
on drums, keys, guitar and bass respectively. The Remy Jude
Ensemble are something like an alt-funk-jazz super-group.
The group mostly met through other musical endeavours:
Max and Amber toured up and down the country last year with
their other project, Galactic Funk Militia; Sam organises events
and drums for the Jam Scones Quartet; and Simon just released
his first solo single, I Don’t Mind, on Spotify ahead of his EP
release. Remy’s star has also been on the rise; he even recently
secured an inspiration of his, Loyle Carner, as a mentor.
A single venue, Frederiks, seems curiously central to the
story of this band getting together. Most of them met there, in
a roundabout way. Sam describes how Parr Jazz’s residency
there brought together guest artists every Tuesday: “They’d do
two sets, and the third set is a jam open to all musicians. It was
at those jams that we would see each other’s musical abilities
and go, ‘Ooh that’s nice, I want some of that’.” The Remy Jude
Ensemble’s seed was sown in those exchanges. These energetic,
connected individuals are evidence of the scene’s current fertility.
As Amber puts it, “Everyone does so many different things. That
brings quite a different element into it. It’s kind of busy, it’s kind
of focused.” The Remy Jude Ensemble’s members remind me of
bright-eyed pupils, bubbling with a wholesome, hungry energy.
“You’ve got to take it seriously,” Remy tells me. “If you don’t
take it seriously, no-one else takes it seriously. That’s the golden
rule.” He recounts his early forays into musical entrepreneurship
in his hometown of Hitchin in Hertfordshire: “I was trying to
create a little music scene, and not many people were there. We
had to cut a live demo for £80, and you’d have to make, like,
100 CDs and force people to buy them all at school to make the
money back. Off the back of that you try and do a show, and if
you got everyone in the school to come then you sold out Club
85.” Those of them that moved here from the uphill struggle of
tiny scenes are perhaps even better placed than Scousers to
appreciate what Liverpool has. Max describes his attempts to
marshal a local funk sextet in the Lake District; the nightmare
of trying to get six 14-year-olds in a room when everyone lives
40 miles away from each other. For these two, coming to a city
overflowing with the same drive was life-changing.
Opportunities to play are abundant here, and this group
is not afraid to take advantage of them. Remy’s enterprising
adolescent spirit has endured into adulthood, and encapsulates
the band’s modus operandi: “A musical CV is not something
to shy away from, or just for wankers,” Remy asserts. In the
culmination to the Merseyrail Sound Station artist development
programme, they performed in Liverpool Central station as part
of BBC Music Day, a prestigious addition to any musical CV.
“Now, you’re able to say to people – we played Central Station. A
portfolio of playing live is important to have.” Each member’s preexistent
portfolios meant that the Remy Jude Ensemble found
themselves, upon their debut performance, in a position to play in
front of “fucking loads of people”.
When they start talking music, it’s hard to keep them on task.
The six of them become almost unmanageably excited, talking
over each other in a cacophony of praise and discussion. Over
the course of the interview, they pretty much shout out every
Liverpool artist Bido Lito! has ever covered, and they even start
mapping out the logistics of a theoretical all-dayer encompassing
Eggy Records, The Blurred Sun Band and the Hushtones while
the Dictaphone is still rolling.
For these ambitious, perpetually busy musicians, Liverpool
is the ideal playground. As Remy points out, the cost of living
here makes it easier to survive as an artist. “All you’ve got if you
go back is a little town north of London and it’s bare expensive,
and if you go back you’ll have to get a nine-to-five job and
settle into the local thing. This city allows you to breathe a
little bit, I suppose.” The close proximity between all the major
venues makes socialising more effortless than in other cities big
enough for a thriving music scene. “It’s a nice size,” says Amber,
comparing it to her years living in London. “I love the fact that you
can walk into town and there’s always gigs going on that aren’t
fucking miles away. There’s so much culture, food and music
and art, and it feels compact.” She found London comparatively
isolating, compared to Liverpool’s condensed set-up. Here,
the ‘music scene’ is a tangible place that is far more open and
democratic than the increasingly conceptual ‘scenes’ that seem to
operate on social elitism and exist only on Instagram. “If I want to
go to a gig and there’s no one in my vicinity to go with,” she says,
“chances are I’ll bump into someone I know there.”
The group has watched Liverpool gaining momentum as an
artistic hub over the last few years. “I feel like the music scene
has got better,” Remy observes, “the nights have become more
regular, and better attended.” Max postulates that we are seeing
a positive reaction against the recent decline we’ve seen with the
closure of places like The Kazimier: “People are actively going
out of their way to appreciate music
venues.” There is a growing culture
of investment in our musicians, from
which the group has directly benefitted:
“The Merseyrail project was brilliant,
how they empowered a few local
people was boss,” Remy tells me. He
expresses a passionate belief in a
self-sustaining musical economy. “You
have to know the people, man, and you
have to care about what the people do.
There’s nothing shitter than someone
who is trying to be in a music scene,
and is not going to other people’s gigs.
It’s pointless, and that’s how scenes
die. This one is picking up because
people are starting to show an interest
and making other people’s gigs a priority. They’re giving up their
time. People have to choose to do it together, and motivate other
people to do that.”
There is much to be said for relationships formed on the
assumption of regularity; consider the reckless abandon with
which we said farewell to our classmates at school, knowing we
would see them again whether we chose to or not. Although,
as Sam jokes, this can be a double-edged sword, ultimately the
certitude of time spent together creates trust and understanding
between people. “You’re not always just gonna hop into
someone’s house or rehearsal space and say, ‘Alright, let’s make a
band today’, d’you know what I mean? Gotta speak with people,
gotta drink with them.” Simon agrees: “You make connections
like this one.” As Remy describes, alliances emerge naturally
in the context of this ‘free-for-all’: “Everyone’s got their head
screwed on, and you just fucking get on with it. It’s not hard,
because everyone’s got that base level of trust, I suppose, or just
acceptance and no fear.”
The Remy Jude Ensemble are a standout example of the
serendipitous convergences generated in this spirit of playful
craftsmanship. The combination of honed musical talent and
frequent collaboration makes things effortless. “There’s a lot of
trust there,” Max tells me. “I can say to Sam, ‘Play that groove
that we like’, and we’re like, ‘Yeh, that’s the one’.” As Remy
suggests, each member’s abilities collude with the others to
produce something greater than the sum of its parts. “One of
the most important parts of what the whole thing does is the
different roles that people play. There’s only a certain amount of
rhythmic, semi-melodic rapping you can do.” Songwriting is a
team effort extending beyond the band, and beyond Liverpool.
The track Where U From? was written by Liverpool artist Moon,
and Band Bak 2Geva came from Remy’s old schoolmate from
Hertforshire, the musician WoodKing. Max finds this process
freeing: “Taking it from track to live, there was quite a lot of
space to get creative and change shit.” The band’s identity is by
no means fixed. “I think there’s even more space for vocals in
a melodic way to come through in the project,” Remy says. For
Amber, this easy-going mentality keeps things fun. “Everybody
is doing ten different bands or solo projects but the common
ambition is similar, and it’s an enjoyment when we’re in the same
room – it’s really open to anyone bringing their own ideas. I have
“It’s powerful when a
band locks in. You’re
trying to enjoy your
music so people can
feel that and enjoy
it themselves”
been in bands where you are insignificant or the butt of the joke.
Or you have a band sometimes that is like, ‘This is how we’re
going to play it’. Which is fair enough, that’s the job, but being
part of this one there is more room to play. Remy’s very open
to people trying out different things.” With mutual respect as a
foundation, possibilities for experimentation quickly expand.
“Yeh, there have been multiple times where Remy has tried
to change the name, but we have none of it,” Simon reveals. But
although they go by the Remy Jude Ensemble, their melodies are
more than a backing track for Remy. “With Where U From?, it’s
reinterpreting music that people have made, and I think that’s the
power of the band we are in. The musicians are so talented. To
hear something and reinterpret it that quickly is something that
I wouldn’t be able to do. That’s a power I haven’t been privy to
before, playing in a band.” As an MC, Remy works in a medium
which closes the distance between performer and audience
by nature, and the others show a touching appreciation of his
prowess as a frontman. “See, this is what we mean when we say
that Remy just talks really nicely,” Sam’s eyes light up. “‘Power
I haven’t been privy to before’ is just
such a lovely sentence.” Amber chimes
in: “Every sentence is like a beautiful
poem.” Simon goes on: “Yeh, he kind of
just talks in rap, and it carries through
onto the stage. He gets the entire
audience on his side, and when he
needs a bit of reciprocation, they’re
just straight in there.” Amber sums it
up: “Charming.” Remy chuckles slightly
uncomfortably, but he knows how
to take a compliment: “Isn’t that the
dream, to be a bit charming?”
At the core of this project is a cool
savviness combined with a genuine
interest in the musicians around them.
“Being ambitious is one thing, but
thinking in a competitive rather than collaborative, or rather just
loving way, is quite damaging,” Max reflects. “When I see a sick
pianist, I would rather think ‘That’s amazing’ than think ‘Oh, I’m
better than that’. You won’t improve that way.” The rejection
of egotism helps to maintain a sustainable momentum, where
everyone’s skills are utilised for the common good. Simon’s
description brings to mind Marx’s phrase ‘From each according
to his ability, to each according to his needs’: “Max is absolutely
amazing at arranging; I produce; Sam produces; we all have beats
that we’ve made at home and collaborated on. We bring them all
together in this melting pot, and we’ve all got our hands in.” Sam
goes on: “Remy is the person you’ve got to be attentive to during
the gig, but it’s conglomerative, its collective.”
This collectivism energises the music and the audience
who listens to it. As Conor says, “It’s not very self-indulgent.
We do play for ourselves, but it’s not for ourselves – we’re just
expressing what makes us feel good, and what makes us go.”
Remy sees this as key to the band’s on-stage dynamic. “The most
recent gig we did [at Aerie], man, we’re all in it, we all felt it. I
think it’s a powerful thing when a band does that, because when
you lock in, you’re not trying to appeal to an audience to like your
music. You’re trying to enjoy your music so people can feel that
and enjoy it themselves.” The warmth that flows between those
watching and the band at that gig is testament to the power of
joyful music born of equal parts graft and love. “The dream is to
take that to different places around the country in the next year,
and different countries.” Hardworking, focused and clearly in love
with their craft, the manifestation of dreams feels like a simple
matter of time for this band. Connor recalls a platitude that aptly
summarises their ethos: “You’ve got to walk the dream with
practical shoes.” !
Words: Niloo Sharifi
Photography: Sarah Vincent / @scruffyonionphotography
Make-up, Styling and Creative Direction: Alex Clark /
goldenaxemakeup.com
Bido Lito! is delighted to present the Remy Jude Ensemble’s first
official release, Live At The Aerie, a visual EP recorded in October.
Head to bidolito.co.uk now to watch.
FEATURE
19

“Through collaboration,
conversation and hard
work, this could be the
start of a really special
time in Liverpool’s
music history”
LIVERPOOL
AS A UNESCO CITY
OF CULTURE
Liverpool musician Dan Astles shares his experiences of playing shows in
Germany and France, and muses on the possibilities of opening up even more
exchange opportunities as part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network.
In 2017 I received an email from Alice Moser, the Coordinator
of Hanover’s Culture Bureau, inviting me to play a festival
in her city. The idea described to me was that an artist
from each European UNESCO City Of Music (a status that
Liverpool and Hanover share) would travel to the city, where they
would stay for a week in a house with musicians from all over
Europe. When I arrived, the situation I found was pretty special:
a beautiful house in the suburbs of Hanover surrounded by long
green fields, filled with art and with an out-of-tune piano in the
corner. I had my own room in a sprawling house, which was my
home for the week alongside musicians from Poznań, Rouen and
Glasgow.
The aim of the project was for us musicians to collaborate
over the seven-day period we were together, to play each
other’s songs and to generally learn from each other. The city of
Hanover kindly gave us access to the MusikZentrum, a multipurpose
music space in the city centre which houses the offices
for those organising Hanover’s biggest music events, as well as
containing rehearsal spaces, a venue and a recording studio. I
worked alongside Roland Loy, a local vocal coach and musician,
whose advice made sure that I left a better musician than when
I arrived. Throughout the week we spent time chatting, jamming
and sharing both music and stories, which was really enriching
on a musical and a personal level. I spent a lot of time with The
Sharkettes and Popping Hole from Rouen, who both learnt
and covered my songs at the festival at the end of the week, as
did Hanover’s own Emerson Prime; I reciprocated by covering
Popping Hole’s track No Matter (It’s OK).
The whole trip culminated in a show at Hanover’s largest
music festival – Fête de la Musique. Fête is a really special
event, taking place across the whole of the city, with over 30
stages turning Hanover into a completely new place for 24
hours. Wherever you walk there is music, whether it be folk
songs played from inside the one-square-metre-area of the
Kröpcke Clock, or Portuguese metal from one of Hanover’s many
international stages just down the road. There’s everything
there, and it’s completely inclusive: free music, everywhere in
the city centre on the same day every year. Fête de la Musique
takes place across multiple cities worldwide, who all engage in
public music performances and festival activity on the day of the
summer solstice. It was founded in France in 1981 by Maurice
Fleuret, who was working as the Director Of Music And Dance in
the French culture ministry. His idea for Fête was to encourage
local citizens to pick up instruments and enjoy music for the
fun of it. One day where the city lives and breathes music. He
described the idea at the time as “the music everywhere and
the concert nowhere”. Now the festival is celebrated in over 120
countries. In Hanover, you wouldn’t want to miss it and, frankly,
you couldn’t.
The way in which the city of Hanover uses its UNESCO City
Of Music status is something I believe Liverpool could learn a
lot from. The idea of creating significant cultural events is not
something Liverpool is shy of: we have world-class, unique
ideas passing through our city more than most of us appreciate.
However, the way in which Hanover acts as a meeting point, a
collaborative place for people from opposite ends of the world to
meet, is amazing. By bringing people together and welcoming
all types of musicians to their city, it creates special memories
and special international relationships that otherwise wouldn’t
exist. The key component in all of this is the city of Hanover’s
hospitality, hard work and desire to make their city culturally
and musically a broader place. This benefits everyone, from the
residents of Hanover seeing a host of international talent on their
doorstep for free, to the musicians who go away with insights
and memories which are unprecedented.
After meeting French band Popping Hole in Hanover, I
instantly struck up a friendship with them through a mutual
love of The Beatles and Djibril Cissé. As soon as I landed back
in Liverpool I was sent a message from the band inviting me to
come to their city and play a joint headline show with them in
October of this year. I was welcomed in Rouen with open arms,
and suddenly through the trips I’d made to Hanover, instead of
being the one-off European shows I had thought them to be, I
was heading off to play a headline show in a city I’d never been
to before! The show took place in Le 3 Pièces, a small basement
venue in the centre of the city. I wasn’t expecting the reception
I received: the gig was so well attended, and some people in
the crowd were even singing the words of my song Grey Skies
back to me, which wasn’t even out at the time! The gratitude
shown towards me for making the trip is something I will always
remember.
I have been lucky enough to travel to Hanover twice now, in
the summer of 2017 and in June this year. The friendships and
knowledge I’ve picked up on those trips have been invaluable
and made me think about what it is to be a musician in a global
music city. I’m planning now to put on a gig for Popping Hole in
Liverpool in April, alongside a line-up of local Liverpool bands.
Meeting in Hanover has not only created a really great friendship
between us but the chance for us both to play in a new city,
which three months ago seemed a million miles away.
It is my belief that Liverpool can take a lot of inspiration from
what Hanover have achieved, and act as an English centre for
international musical relationships. Engaging in artist swaps
will not only benefit the massive wealth of talent in Liverpool,
but also be a way for our bands to play and expand their fan
base elsewhere. As well as offering an exchange to international
bands to come over to Liverpool, allowing them to play a show
and stay in the city for a period of time, this will expand the view
of Liverpool as a UNESCO City Of Music. Wouldn’t it be great if,
when someone came over to Liverpool to see The Beatles Story,
they’d also come to a gig that not only showcased Liverpool’s
new bands, but Europe’s (and further afield) too? Or a festival
in Hanover showcasing multiple Liverpool bands to a new
audience? Events like this have already happened in Liverpool
to great success – one example being a Liverpool International
Music Festival commission called You Are Here, a collaborative
composition between local artists Bill Ryder-Jones, KOF and
John Hering and international artists from France, Russia and
Manchester. The group met in France initially, but collaborated
mainly via the internet to create a one-off, sold-out performance
at the Palm House for LIMF in 2014. It was a prime example of a
cross-border, multi-genre collaboration with Liverpool musicians
at its heart.
It was recently announced that Kevin McManus had been
appointed to the role of head of UNESCO City Of Music within
Liverpool City Council, with the remit of leading the region’s
new music strategy. Kevin is someone who has been known to
optimise Liverpool’s welcoming nature and, as a musician, I’m
really encouraged that he is heading up the city’s new music
offer. When Kevin was appointed to his new role, he praised the
UNESCO Creative Cities network, saying that it “allows us to
make real links with other cities and look for opportunities around
potential collaborations and exchanges… As with everything a lot
of it comes down to individuals and relationships”.
With these relationships being strengthened and the
opportunities that will arise around our UNESCO City Of Music
status, I think it’s time to open our doors to more international
acts. The relationship our city is forming with Hanover is such a
fruitful one: when I spoke with Alice Moser about my views on
the exchange, she agreed that developing stronger connections
between our two cities was mutually beneficial: “There is great
support from both sides to continue this relationship and make
it stronger, especially nowadays. We have done so many great
collaborations – and there will be more.” The Sense of Sound
Choir also performed in Hanover in June 2017, and, more
recently, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s War
Requiem Project saw choristers from Liverpool and Hanover
collaborate on a performance in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral as
part of the WWI centenary.
We should continue to allow our artists to benefit from the
possibilities of Liverpool being a globally recognised music city;
through collaboration, conversation and hard work, this could be
the start of a really special time in Liverpool’s music history.!
Words: Dan Astles / @astlesmusic
citiesofmusic.net
20

NYE - 31ST DEC
A
LOVE
FROM
OUTER
SPACE
(ALL NIGHT LONG)
TICKETS - SKIDDLE
40 SLATER STREET, LIVERPOOL. L1 4BX
THEMERCHANTLIVERPOOL.CO.UK

CONTAINER
Trance sybaritism in a shipping container – Evian Christ pilots a 50-person party through smoke and strobes
that is both communal rave and personal hedonism.
“Who knew a
two-hour strobe
examination
could prove so
metaphorical, so
scathingly political?”
Attempting to decode the failures of Britain’s postimperial
trade policy, those that continue to echo
through the port city of Liverpool, sounds more like a
dissertation thesis than the idea behind a conceptual
rave. To help navigate such a debate, you might expect to find the
likes of David Olusoga, camera in tow, wandering the dock road,
staring longingly at freight cranes glistening in the distance over
Seaforth. It would be an apt starting point for explanation, at least.
When it comes to SEVENSTORE’s approach to the subject
matter – purveyors of fashion dreamed up on the glitziest
subterranean catwalks – it’s unsurprising they’ve attempted to
reroute the debate through the abstract, rather than rest on the
clichés of pre-watershed television. It’s a fascinating concept, one
that leans on visceral emotion as opposed to dry-eyed academic
research. Billed simply as CONTAINER, a series of three parties
held in a secret location within the once industrial Baltic Triangle,
there appears to be an emphasis on an exploration of the
question rather than a quest for comprehensive understanding.
Yet, ambiguity can be a versatile and provocative substance
when drawn from the furnace by a creative pair of hands. In this
instance, SEVENSTORE has acquired the strength of four; those
belonging to EVIAN CHRIST and his audio-visual collaborator
EMMANUEL BIARD. At this phase the idea seems as elaborate as
the Ellesmere Port native’s future-perfect music. But there’s clarity
in the picture, if you take a step back. A narrative akin to the energy
and anguish felt in Rothko’s prosaic brush strokes. In Evian Christ’s
own words, Container will attempt to channel the “history of
containerised global sea-freight” over the course of three secretive,
invite only, raves. Better still, they’ll take place in a shipping
container lined with high spec strobe lighting, an LED wall, smoke
machines and 50 dancers – there to help absorb the 150 decibels
cannoned out by the command of Christ (producer, not the son of
God – though, at times within the container, this is questioned).
For concept alone, the designated mobile phone number
tasked with guarding the secretive whereabouts – and guestlist
spaces – is likely ringing off the hook. For all of the escapist
sentiment, though, it seems like Container is attempting to
take a sincere, leftfield route to realist understanding. An
acknowledgement, at very least, of certain features of our postindustrial
lineage, and the prescribed feelings that can be shared
between an abrasive post-industrial history and an abrasive
170bpm soundtrack. To round off the pre-flight information
for this mission to the next solar flare, Evian adds: “[Container
will follow] the story of a country with an unsustainable and
ever-widening trade deficit; of a city whose industrial sites
were replaced with monuments honouring the speculations
of international financiers; and of a culture which services this
ongoing state of affairs by holding itself accountable to an
unsolvable set of moral values.” All there’s left to do is step inside.
It’s the night of the first event. While the back story offers
more pre-attendance intrigue that your average four-to-the-floor
warehouse rave, there’s no knowing how this storyboard will
be processed; firstly, by Evian and Biard, second, by the sensory
receptors charged with withstanding an intensive, strobe-lit
history lesson focussing on freight trade in neoliberal Britain, and
its socio-economic impacts.
With a prized guestlist spot secured, messages are
passed through the waves by SMS to provide the lucky few
with coordinates to the container, resting in the Baltic. Time of
departure is clearly outlined. Total flight time is only two hours,
22

so prompt arrival is required. There’s to be no easing towards
euphoria. A foot to the floor style seems like the instruction.
Bodies are fluttering in the space surrounding the container.
There seems to be a conjecture of excitement and nerves. What
lurks within remains top secret. The high, rusted walls guarding the
site provide a restless seclusion; 50 bodies together floating in an
outdoor airlock until the hatch is opened. The container does little
to draw attention to itself from the outside. Its monolithic presence
is interrupted only by two Perspex doors which offer a small
glimpse of the toxic green hues glowing within. Aside from that, all
is left to the imagination – for now.
Tension isn’t relieved with the opening of the doors. In we go,
shuffling, as though searching for an unfamiliar light switch kept
in complete darkness. For those hoping for minimal challenges to
the senses, spirits are crushed; the switch is under the controls of
Biard. The French visual artist isn’t renowned for designing lights
for the local switch-on at Christmas. Tonight, he’s here to make
the music as 3-D as humanly possible; music that will be spanning
a spectrum of trap, happy hardcore, trance and gabba. This isn’t
going to be a breezy, Close Encounters-esque optical conversation
with the 50 Earth-dwelling guests. Eyes and minds are going to be
borrowed and contorted.
To start the music is spacey, the lighting warm. Such is the
perceived obscurity of the setting, phones clamber to capture what
they can. Smoke perforates gradually, suffocating all clear vision.
As the music rises, all that can be seen is puppeteered by Biard. It’s
as though kaleidoscopes have been fitted to the eyes. The brain
flickers between weightlessness and anxiety as it tests the waters
of spectral pool in which it’s willingly entered with 50 other souls.
The sound system offers glitchy waves of trap and off-kilter
rhythm as Evian moves into his stride. There’s a chalky smell that
climbs up the nostrils as our own microclimate is filled with an
ozone layer of smoke. When the lights cut, offering momentary
respite, the darkness in which you’re left feels like hours rather
than seconds. It’s an inviting darkness. The cortex proceeds to take
inspiration from the resting light show and colour the emptiness on
its own accord. Ambient intersperses with energetic; the musical
incongruency only adds to the disorientation as the sun beams
strapped to the wall and ceiling reignite. It can only be described
as watching a rainbow-soaked solar eclipse through a pair of
opaque sunglasses. A rush of colour flies past the eye but detail
of the picture is left entirely to the imagination. If the glasses are
removed, the iris will be scorched from your eyes, it seems.
The container is completely packed but it feels like there are
fields of space surrounding every attendee. The lighting has the
ability to transcend the body beyond those dancing inches away.
It becomes introspective; a questioning of not just the psyche, but
humanity (so the note says on my phone… perhaps I’m dazed).
There’s a sort of celestial camaraderie shared among the chosen
50. Not one body aggressively bumps into another, somehow. All
that is telling of another’s presence is the occasion “whoop” or
cheer as Evian grinds the gears of this airborne shipping container.
The soundtrack is warped for the most part: paired with the
light show, it works the mind into an obedient liquid, happily
shifted into whatever shape the colours suggest. It feels though the
eyes are watching the scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey where
Dr David Bowman is hurtling tough the space and time continuum
wormhole, except it’s playing at 10 times the speed and your nose
is pressed against a cinema screen. To close, the set ramps up to
its highest BPM, temporarily transforming the container ravers into
gabba enthusiasts. And with that, the set closes, the lights come
up and smoke billows from the Perspex doors. There as strong a
sense of relief as there is a fading euphoria. We all made it through.
I’m left unsure on whether I understand the UK’s trade
deficit any better. But there’s certainly been hopeful thought
provocation. In many ways we have no idea what’s in these
boxes when they arrive at ports. We have no engagement with
these economic building blocks, they only offer potential intrigue.
We simply look at the words Hamburg Sud, China Shipping and
think nothing more. There’s no inkling that the world’s account
balance is tipping from side to side before our eyes.
The idea of Container breaks beyond the four rectangular
walls which we step inside. It tells the story not of how these
containers are shipped and traded on a daily basis, but how
we, ourselves, reflect the same process. In the post-industrial
city, we are the highly valuable commodity, the commerce. We
box ourselves into self-constructed containers of aspiration,
expectation and anxiety, just because the nature of the capitalist
western economy says so. Dancefloors, nailed to economy, are
no longer an escape. Through placing ourselves in a blinding box
with 50 others, you come to see this.
Who knew a two-hour strobe examination could prove so
metaphorical, so scathingly political? !
Words: Elliot Ryder / @elliot_ryder
Container takes place for the final time in an undisclosed space
in the Baltic Triangle on 15th December. Text SEVEN STORE to
0777 677 0707 to find out more details.
FEATURE
23

24

IMPACTS 18 -
GIANT STEPS?
As our city evaluates the impact of 2008, Craig G Pennington asks
whether we need to rethink the way we invest in culture.
It’s 5th October 2018. A million people have hit the streets
and NBC news are in town. Liverpool, for a moment, feels like
the centre of the world.
I’ll admit to being one of the fence-dwellers when it came
to the subject of our over-sized cousins from across the Channel.
The amount of emphasis and resource poured into the realisation
and the ‘idea’ of The Giants felt overburdening. I was so wrong.
As the sleeping monster rose from the beach at Fort Perch
Rock and made its way across the waterfront at New Brighton –
flanked by thousands of frenzied onlookers of every age and from
every background – I welled up. The looks on children’s faces.
The sense of wonder, imaginations in bubbling effervescence.
My home town was alive again; and it took a 33-foot French
dude powered by 44 rope-dangling Lilliputians to realise it.
Three generations from both sides of the family descended on
our house that day to join the Giant-chasing throng. If the idea of
‘art for everyone’ really means anything, this was it – in glorious,
over-sized action.
With impeccable timing then, Impacts 18 – a conference to
evaluate the legacy of Liverpool’s European Capital of Culture
year in 2008 – rolls into town little over a week later. It is an
opportunity for Dr Beatriz Garcia of the Institute of Cultural
Capital (ICC) to introduce initial findings from the latest chapter
in a sequence of longitudinal studies which have taken place
between 2005 and 2018.
And it is a broad body of work, including analysis of
9,300 press clippings, repeated interviews with over 70 key
stakeholders, consultations with 800 residents per year and
surveys with over 2000 people from across the UK. What comes
through loud and clear is a fundamental repositioning of our city;
a new story has been told.
The most powerful observation is in how Liverpool’s
perceived cultural renaissance has instigated a change in
perceptions of the city and ‘brand Liverpool’. Across both tabloids
and broadsheets alike, there has been a narrative shift from
the ‘city of crime’ to ‘city of culture’. According to the research,
the idea of Liverpool’s ‘cultural renaissance’ has become the
cornerstone to media narratives associated with our city.
In the 1990s, Liverpool was dominantly represented by
the national press as a city ridden by crime, poor health and
low education levels (over 40 per cent of stories focussed on
these topics in 1996, with only 11 per cent of stories dedicated
to culture). However, following 2008, focus on discussion of
Liverpool’s cultural assets grew to 42 per cent of all coverage
across broadsheets and tabloids.
This change has also been evident in the way the city views
itself, with a newfound confidence and a modern incarnation of
civic pride. 90 per cent of Liverpool residents surveyed agreed
that “since 2008, Liverpool is a more creative city”. Whether this
is true or not isn’t the pertinent question; there is a transformative
power in local people believing it to be so. And this is borne out in
the research’s findings around engagement in cultural activities;
in 2018, three quarters (74 per cent) of Liverpool residents are
now interested in going to museums and galleries, compared to
just 26 per cent in 2007.
The research also explores the boom in Liverpool’s tourism
industry, celebrating the fact that we are now the fifth most
visited UK city. According to the LCR Visitor Economy Board,
tourism “supports 49,000 jobs”, and “the total expenditure across
the City Region in 2014 was £3.8bn”.
So far, so good.
Yet despite all this, the ICC research confirms that, “from a
socio-economic perspective, Liverpool still lags behind national
and core city averages across all measures”. Our city was the
most deprived local authority in the country in 2010 and the
fourth most deprived in 2015. It begs the ominous question; if
this is success, what would the city have been like if we hadn’t
successfully landed 2008?
If the celebrated tourism boom is to be developed and prove
sustainable – if this does represent the next chapter in Liverpool’s
relationship with the world – then why is our city still struggling?
How well-paid and high-value are the jobs being created in this
new tourism economy? Is the sector sustainable and what does it
look like without mega events? And are profits being reinvested
in Liverpool’s cultural infrastructure or simply lining the pockets of
well-heeled hoteliers?
On that point, if we are measuring the economic impact of
our cultural offer through hotel bed nights and secondary spend
(even if we shouldn’t be), then we need to rigorously pursue
the idea of a tourist tax; a nominal charge added to hotel room
rates (as is the case in cities around the world) which would
be reinvested in the city’s cultural offer. City leaders will point
to how, currently, the city cannot do this as taxes can only be
set by central government. But, if the idea of devolution means
anything, if this notion of the Liverpool City Region has any
substance, this is the kind of localised policy-making which needs
to be lobbied for and realised.
Yet, as essential as a tourist tax is, it is not the long-term,
transformative solution. If we are to truly embrace the cultureled
regeneration mantra there must be a fundamental change in
perspective, a shift to our view of how we support culture. We
need to re-balance our focus and move from a city of presenting
and showcasing, to a city of creating, developing and producing.
Whatever the art form, we must develop the potential for
high-quality, secure jobs through strategic investment within
the cultural sector, building production capacity. We need to
retain graduates and develop new industries which can embrace
and utilise Liverpool’s perceived position as a global cultural
powerhouse. Much was made of The Giants’ return – and yes, it
was seismic – but having shaped a narrative for Liverpool as a
home for large-scale, public realm artistic interventions, we now
need to produce them here.
This is an area where the arts organisations of the city have
been leading the way for decades. From the Everyman to the
Philharmonic, MDI to The Kazimier (to name but four), we are
home to some wonderful, internationally significant cultural
producers. But these are individual organisations. As a city, we
need to learn from their work and experiences, help to amplify it
and – through a shift in cultural policy – stimulate new production
capacity across the creative sector.
Music is a great example. As we have been arguing for a
number of years, we need music policy in Liverpool that is as
much about developing the music industry in the city as it is
about music tourism. It is as much about developing talent and
reimagining the sector’s relationship with education, as it is about
tackling the challenges facing live music.
The shift from a city of celebration and consumption to a
city of production represents a fundamental re-think and poses
challenging questions for the creative sector and our city’s
cultural leadership. What proportion of finite resources should we
be spending on events and festivals in comparison to investing
in sector development? Should we be bringing The Giants to
the city or investing that resource in developing the capacity to
produce such large-scale, public realm artworks here?
It is not an either-or scenario, but it does require a shift in
priorities. The work of the film office over recent years and the
plans for a new studio complex on Edge Lane are encouraging
evidence of an ambition to move in this direction. We have been
calling for a new sector-led approach to music policy for years
and the (hopefully imminent) arrival of the Liverpool City Region
Music Board can’t come soon enough.
Put simply, the ICC’s research shows the power of
storytelling. Culture has the potential to tell stories about a place
like nothing else can and this was brought into focus again with
The Giants’ latest visit. But now, for the good of our collective
future, we need to move into the next chapter of our city’s story;
where Liverpool is lauded internationally as a great centre of
cultural production, as well as being celebrated as one of the
world’s great playgrounds. !
Words: Craig G Pennington
Illustration: Mr Marbles / mrmarbles.co.uk
“We need to move into
the next chapter of
our city’s story; where
Liverpool is lauded
internationally as a
great centre of cultural
production, as well
as being celebrated
as one of the world’s
great playgrounds”
FEATURE
25

ROOT-ed Zine co-founder Amber Akaunu profiles Kiara Mohamed in a
touching and honest interview ahead of her project exploring African
mythology, which will be shown as part of ROOT-ed’s exhibition at
OUTPUT Gallery in early 2019.
“I was hurting and
sad, and realised a lot
of people are hurting
and sad, so I gave
them something I
wish I had. Someone
else’s kindness”
KIARA MOHAMED is an artist that is shaking up and
rearranging the art world, with love, to represent
everyone. Speaking about her most recent work,
Letters To My Sister – in which Kiara handwrote
personal messages of support in sealed letters – she told me,
“I was hurting and sad, and realised a lot of people are hurting
and sad, so I gave them something I wish I had. Someone else’s
kindness.” This multidisciplinary artist’s work has earned her a
reputation for the ability to formalise compassion; by the simple
power of speaking in her own voice, her work resonates with
the experiences of people of colour in this city. Aside from this,
she has been successful in provoking empathetic responses and
recognition in overwhelmingly white art spaces and institutions.
She is a woman of infinite creativity, who uses whatever medium
will best convey her message. She spreads positivity through
her work in poetry, film, photography, drone photography,
performance art and more.
I met Kiara through ROOT-ed Zine earlier this year – she was
one of the first to answer our call for submissions when we were
making our very first issue. Soon after that, we very quickly and
naturally became really good friends. Kiara has endured more
than the average person, yet she smiles and is more positive
than the average person. The vivid kindness and warmth of her
personality informs the momentum of her artistic enterprise; in
her work, form and function unite. She attains a balance between
creating things that are aesthetically beautiful and having a
strong message.
Over the past year, Kiara has worked on numerous projects.
She made Black Flowers, a short film about Liverpool’s colonial
cultural history, shot by Charlie Granby and edited by me. In
both the subject matter of the film, the place where it was filmed
and the space in which it was first screened, the project is an
exploration of how black artists can intervene in historically
white spaces to shape environments where people of colour are
counted. The film takes place in Liverpool’s Town Hall, which was
built using profit from the transatlantic slave trade. Kiara invited
black people from Liverpool into a historically white and colonial
space and directed several scenes of them taking up space
and being unapologetically themselves. People were walking
barefoot, clothed in African printed cloth and dancing. Kiara
wrote a moving poem that played over the visual she recorded
at the town hall. The poem delves into several issues including
slavery, love and forgiveness.
The problem with underrepresentation of minority artists is
one faced by all artists of colour in the city, and one that we have
been trying to tackle with ROOT-ed Zine. It is a vicious cycle –
when you don’t see people that look like you succeed in a certain
area, it makes you believe that maybe that thing is not for you.
However, if you decide against all odds to pursue that thing, you
face the hard truth that you will not get work as often as others,
be paid adequately, or treated differently in certain settings.
Kiara spoke to me on the challenges she has faced as a black
woman in the arts: “As we all know, the art world is majority
white – like every other space in society. The challenge is to get
work and to be given the same chances as other artists. Often for
marginalised groups, big art institutions use the idea of exposure
in return of labour, and payment is the ‘opportunity’ given. The
challenge is not to be seen as the token black artist and to be
valued all year round, and not just in Black History Month.”
The short film was a community effort, with Anna Rothery
(mayoral lead for equality and race in Liverpool) coming through
to help Kiara with getting the space at Town Hall at no cost. It
has since been shown in Tate Liverpool, the British Museum and
The World Transformed festival. The film really challenges, in
quite a polite and poetic way, institutions to look at their spaces
and see whether they are giving artists of colour space, time and
consideration which is needed for us to move forward as artists.
The drone camera has come to bear a symbolic significance
in her work; Kiara uses the distance and perspective of drones,
which reduces people to little specks in a vast carpet, to consider
compassion itself. Humanscape, another of her exhibitions, was
shown in St John’s Market as part of this year’s Independents
Biennial. In this exhibition, she asks us to look at a series of
Liverpool landscape photos taken from a great height, and try
to consider the people that it is made up of. So often we live our
lives with a great distance placed between ourselves and the
world, allowing us to live without the discomfort of recognising
that things like forced marriage and FGM are happening in
our communities, and to the people around us. Looking at
Humanscape is an exercise in compassion, and this very much
describes Kiara’s mission statement.
As she explained to Bernadette McBride, the Independents
Biennial’s writer-in-residence, her work “humanises the
experiences of minorities and giving them the platform to not
just be heard but to heal”. Vocal political critique is the element
necessary for humanising women of colour to the wider
population, and this certainly describes the public-facing aspect
of her work. However, the other purpose of her art is to heal,
and create a safe space that is not purely about justifying the
existence of people of colour to white people. She achieves
this by radiating unadulterated love, positivity and warmth to
the women of colour around her, and making that the focus of
her work. Young Goddess was a photo series which presented
young black girls as deities. Read politically, we can see how
this project addresses racism by suggesting that black girls,
often historically excluded from representations in religious
iconography, can and should be thought of as powerful and
ethereal beings of light. At its core, though, when you look at the
photos, there is a raw feeling of love and appreciation in how
these women are framed, as Kiara captures beauty and affection
that is clearly an everyday part of her life.
Her most recent body of work fully embodies this impulse
of sincerity and support, perhaps more than any of the previous.
Kiara’s Letters To My Sisters is an interactive and performance
art piece which invites women from all walks of life to take a
letter that has been hand written by Kiara, sealed with wax
and decorated with pieces of flowers, plants and leaves. Each
letter contains something written with the aim to comfort,
encourage and spread love to the woman who opens it. “All my
work is about love and how we can continue to love and change
through art,” Kiara says. “I suppose you can say I’m an artivist.”
Kiara is a shining example of how artists and their work
can create positive social change, especially when collaborating
with others. Whether that change is in one person’s life, a
small community, a city, or universal, this is the type of art that
endures in people’s hearts, because it addresses a desperate
need we all have from art: to feel seen. Despite the alienating
whiteness of the institutional art world, Kiara maintains a deep
belief in the transformative power of art: “I feel that art can
create a revolution because it has the power to inspire. It has
the power to deeply move people; and so, yes, it can light the
spark that creates social change. In the age of memes, I see that
as an art form [too], and it’s changed culture, and has inspired
more art.” !
Words and Photography: Amber Akaunu
@KiaraMohamed1
Kiara Mohamed’s work is featured in ROOT-ed Zine’s exhibition
which runs between 24th January and 3rd February at OUTPUT
Gallery.
26

Words and Illustrations: Varaidzo / varaidzo.com
BLACK
HISTORY
FOREVER
LILIAN BADER
Lilian was born in Liverpool to an Irish mother in 1918. Her
father Marcus was from Barbados and had served in the British
Merchant Navy during WWI. By the age of eight, both of her
parents had passed away and she was raised in a convent where
she was the only mixed-race girl. When WWII broke out, she
was adamant she’d join the British armed forces and joined an
organisation at Catterick Camp in Yorkshire, but after finding out
her father was black they asked her to leave, allegedly because
officials were regarding anyone foreign looking as suspicious.
On the radio, she’d heard an interview with some West Indian
men who had wanted to do their bit for the armed forces but had
been rejected by the army and so joined the air forces instead.
Hearing this, Lilian joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
which was two years before black women in the Caribbean
were permitted to join. She was the first black woman to do so.
Eventually she was promoted to acting corporal and married
a tank driver of English and Sierra Leone heritage. In 2018,
The Voice newspaper listed her as an influential black woman
who changed Britain. What I find interesting about Lilian’s life
is it shows the wildly hypocritical U-turn that British forces
did in both WWI and WWII when it came to accepting black/
Caribbean men and women to serve, and seeing them as part
of the British nation. Honestly, personally I would not have
bothered getting involved if they ain’t want me like that, but
shout outs you, Lilian.
IRA ALDRIDGE
Ira Aldridge was born in New York and educated at the African
Free School, an institution established by abolitionists specifically
for the children of free or enslaved black people. In 1821, six
years before the abolition of slavery in NYC, the African Grove
Theatre was founded by William Alexander Brown, a free black
man from the Caribbean (who had come to New York after
working in Liverpool on a ship for many years). The casts and
audiences were mostly black, and the African Company – the
theatre company that operated out of the African Grove – was
where Ira got his start in acting. However, the theatre failed
because of constant complaints about ‘boisterous’ behaviour,
and making a living as a black actor in racist America was a
struggle. So, Ira moved to Liverpool himself in 1824 with another
actor, and married an English woman that same year. The couple
moved to London and Ira began touring across the country
performing on stage, and eventually became the first African-
American to establish himself as an actor in another country.
The role he is most famous for is playing Shakespeare’s Othello,
and he is one just 33 actors to have a bronze plaque at the
Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
28

Varaidzo illustrates some of the people and stories from Liverpool’s
historic black community that she feels should not just be celebrated
during Black History Month, but always.
Varaidzo is a best-selling writer, editor, podcaster and artist from London. Her essay was featured in the award-winning anthology
The Good Immigrant in 2016, and her words have appeared in the New Statesman, Complex, Dazed and Gal-Dem, for which
she previously served as Arts and Culture Editor. Last year, her mum’s move to Liverpool sparked Varaidzo’s curiosity in our city’s
history. Upon learning that Liverpool was likely home to the oldest black community in Europe, she became interested in researching
the city’s historical black figures. As part of her Instagram project over the duration of this year’s Black History Month – where she illustrated
and profiled the lives and attainments of pre-Windrush black people from across the UK – she profiled five black people who either lived or
were born in Liverpool.
Black History Month has now ended, but our attempts as a city to educate ourselves about our past should be never stop. Liverpool’s
involvement in the slave trade is embedded into the architecture around us, built on the back of the prosperity of those times – the opulence of
St. George’s Hall and Liverpool Town Hall obscures an unacknowledged human cost. Even today, many of our street names honouring slave
traders and anti-abolitionists remain unchanged, with Penny Lane and Rodney Street being just two of the most prominent. This history of
racism has meant that the lives and successes of Liverpool’s black people have often been overlooked and undervalued.
By drawing these figures out of obscurity in the format of the times, Varaidzo offers Bido Lito! readers an education of our city’s past that
should be part of an essential history curriculum. She is now extending her research into the black people of Liverpool’s past and present for
her podcast series Search History, with an episode dedicated to Liverpool scheduled for the early months of next year.
JOHN ARCHER
John Archer was born in Liverpool in 1863 to a father from
Barbados and a mother from Ireland. In his early adulthood he
worked in the Merchant Navy, travelling the world, and ended
up marrying a black Canadian woman named Bertha. Together,
they settled in Battersea at the turn of the century, and John is
said to have worked as a professional singer. He also studied as
a medical student for a time, but abandoned the practice.
He was very involved in radical and early pan-Africanist politics
of the time and, in 1906, John was elected as a councillor to
Battersea borough council as a progressive candidate. Around
this time, he also began to run a small photography studio. In
1913, John was then elected as the mayor of Battersea winning
by one vote. Throughout the election, he was dogged by racist
reports and people casting doubts about his place of birth,
not believing he was really born in England (sound familiar?).
Although not the first black mayor in England – that was Allan
Glaisyer Minns, a doctor from the Bahamas who became mayor
of Thetford in Norfolk in 1904 – John Archer was the first black
mayor in London. In 1918 he became president of the African
Progress Union to work for equality and was a British delegate
for the second Pan-African Congress in Paris, a series of eight
conferences held worldwide to discuss peacemaking and
decolonisation in Africa and the Caribbean. John then gave up
his council seat to act as a Labour Party election agent, winning
candidate spots in 1922 and 1924 with Shapurji Saklatvala, a
communist activist of Indian Parsi heritage who became one of
the first Indians elected to British parliament. Then in 1929, John
won again acting as an agent for the Labour candidate who beat
Saklatvala after the Labour and Communist parties had split
outright.
EMMA CLARKE
Emma Clarke was born in Liverpool and worked as a
confectioner’s apprentice as a teenager. She grew up playing
football on the streets with her sister Jane who also went on to
become a professional footballer. Emma first debuted in club
football with British Ladies in 1895. Their inaugural game was
watched by 10,000 people at Crouch End and is considered to
be the first women’s football match played under association
rules. Emma was then selected for Mrs Graham’s XI, a women’s
team formed by Scottish suffragette Helen Matthews based
in Edinburgh. This team is considered to be the first British
women’s football team
Football wasn’t really seen as a safe sport for women to play,
and Mrs Graham’s XI first match was abandoned because of
violent pitch invasions. However, the team regularly attracted
thousands of spectators for their matches. They toured Scotland,
and Emma would have been paid about 12 pence a week for
that.
CHARLES WOOTTON
Many West Indian shipmen that had been recruited by the Royal
Navy during WWI settled in Liverpool after the war. One evening
in summer 1919, a West Indian man named John Johnson was
stabbed in the face by two Scandinavian sailors because he
refused to give them a cigarette. The next night, a group of black
men led a retaliation attack on the pub the Scandinavian men
frequented, which ended in a policeman getting injured. The
police then arrested several of the black seamen and carried out
raids on many black homes and hostels in Toxteth, though none
of the white sailors were arrested. Protests against these raids
turned violent and a policeman was shot in the fallout. During
subsequent raids this young guy, Charles Wootton, had been
living in one of the raided houses on Upper Pitt Street, although
he wasn’t known to have taken part in any of the brawling.
When he saw the police had come to his yard he climbed out
of a window and ran, but ended up getting chased by a lynch
mob of around 300 white people led by the police. They chased
him to the docks where the mob caught him and threw him
into the water. He tried to swim away, but the mob threw rocks
at him until he drowned. He was just 24. His death was then
reported in local news as ‘suspect found in river’, and so nobody
was arrested for his murder. In the days that followed, mobs of
thousands of white people rampaged through Liverpool burning
places where black people were known to stay, viciously beating
any black people they stumbled across. The police literally ended
up having to detain 700 (!!!) black residents in station cells
because they had no other way of protecting them. Across the
rest of the summer, racially-motivated riots erupted across the
UK in port cities such as Cardiff, Glasgow, Newport and London.
FEATURE
29

SPOTLIGHT
BRAD STANK
Brad sits down with us and talks Jack Kerouac, Marvin Gaye and his
new EP, Eternal Slowdown.
“I’m trying to
become a Buddha
but can’t help but
keep it sexy too”
“Sexistential slow-boy dream-funk, with elements of
devotional and pious massages,” replies Brad when asked to
describe his music. BRAD STANK is very much a solo project. On
his latest seven-track EP, Brad exercises complete creative control,
writing, performing and producing all the songs on the record.
“My first gig was at the MOTH Club in London with Her’s,
so that will always be pretty special to me; but my favourite
venue as a venue has always been the Brudenell in Leeds,” says
Brad. As the drummer for Trudy And The Romance, Brad is no
newcomer to live gigs. I had the pleasure of catching his first
live gig in Liverpool last June at the Shipping Forecast, joined by
an all-star backing band of members (and former members) of
bands like Trudy, The Orielles, Hannah’s Little Sister and Pink
Kink. Brad’s favorite song to perform live is a single he released
back in 2017 – O.T.D. “It means a lot to me,” he says. “It was
written in that time of red-hot new love, and it’s probably my
most personal song, even though it’s like four lines of lyrics in
total.”
Brad doesn’t take much influence from current music. On
Connan Mockasin Brad says, “He’s the main modern influence,
I guess. There are not many artists from the past 10 years that
have influenced me that much.” Brad is much more concerned
with the soul music of the 70s, specifically he points to two
Marvin Gaye albums – I Want You and Here, My Dear, two of his
most laidback and spacious records. You can hear this mellow
vibe weaving all through Eternal Slowdown, especially in the
sublime grooves of Flirting In Space and Take Me To The Crib.
On the track Butte Magic, Brad enlists the South Liverpool
rapper MC Nelson to spit some verses while Brad sings the sultry
chorus in a low drawl. “I wanted to sit back and act as producer
and make a hip hop tune,” he intones. Brad cites D’Angelo’s
psychedelic-soul masterpiece Voodoo as an influence, and this
MC Nelson feature casts the same spell as Method Man and
Redman’s feature on Left & Right.
Beat poetry is a deep influence on Brad both lyrically and
philosophically. “Kerouac, he’s my biggest influence probably,”
says Brad. Butte Magic takes its title from the opening line from
Jack Kerouac’s Mexico City Blues. Kerouac’s interest in Eastern
philosophy also has an impact on Brad. The final track on the EP,
Maithuna, features a dreamy choir of voices chanting the word
“Maithuna”, the Sanskrit word for sexual union. He also points
to the poem Wales Visitation by Allen Ginsberg, a meditation on
the self and nature, which Ginsberg wrote under the influence of
LSD. Brad evokes Ginsberg on Condemned To Be Freaky, with
lines like “Every flower just like a Buddha’s eye/Repeats the story
over and over again”.
“I’m interested in how people deal with the tragedy that is
life; for me it’s writing these silly, sexy songs.” Sure, the Brad
Stank persona is quite tongue-in-cheek. In the music video for
Condemned To Be Freaky you can find him dressed in a bathrobe
and gold chain, singing into a massive flower and surrounded
by four groupies. The music is no joke though, with each track
on Eternal Slowdown transcending catchy slow jams into an
introspective poem on death, love and sex. If Jean-Paul Sartre
was the father of existentialism, saying “man is condemned to
be free,” then Brad Stank is the daddy of sexistentialism, saying
“man is condemned to be freaky.” !
Words: Joel Durksen / @Joeldurksen
soundcloud.com/bradstank
Eternal Slowdown is released on 7th December via Untitled
Records.
30

SMOPH
You may be more used to seeing her behind a drumkit with Pale
Rider, but Sophie Thompson, aka SMOPH’s talent with her guitar
and voice is just as formidable.
If you had to describe your music in a sentence, what would
you say?
Soft as shit: memoirs of a wet flannel.
How did you get into music?
I guess I’ve always messed around with instruments since
I’ve had access to them. I started recording with my mate on
his laptop when I was about 17 and that made me think a bit
more about what I was doing. Around the same time, I was in a
band with three mates from school so I learnt a lot from writing
with them. When I went to uni I taught myself to record, which
allowed me to write independently.
Can you pinpoint a live gig or a piece of music that initially
inspired you?
I remember seeing a lass (can’t remember her name – standard)
covering A Case Of You by Joni Mitchell when I was just starting
to play. I went home and learnt it and I guess that inspired my
guitar playing a lot. From there I got into a lot of Nick Drake, Bob
Dylan and other artists with a similar style.
Do you have a favourite song or piece of music to perform?
What does it say about you?
I think Never Sleeping is my favourite to perform. It’s the only
song that I’ve thought about lyrically first. It’s also quite recent, so
I remember where I was when I wrote it and that it came from a
good place.
How does where you are from affect your writing, if at all?
I’m from Carlisle originally. Live music when I was growing up
was alright, actually, but you had to know what was going on. My
favourite band from home has always been The Lucid Dream, so
they got me onto The Black Angels, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club,
Spiritualized and all that. Clearly that doesn’t influence my solo
stuff, but it definitely does Pale Rider [who Sophie drums with].
I’ve occasionally considered covering some psych on my acoustic
but surprisingly it’s always sounded like dog shit. Who knew?
How useful do you think music is as an expression of your
emotions? Do you ever use it to express things that you’d find it
difficult to say otherwise?
Yeh, 100 per cent. It’s really cathartic to write. Also, it’s quite
interesting to listen to songs you wrote at a different time. It puts
things in perspective.
Why is music important to you?
It makes a lot of sense but it’s not boring.
Photography: Richard Haywood
soundcloud.com/smophmusic
“It’s really
cathartic to write.
It puts things in
perspective”
CHARITY
SHOP POP
Ranging from danceable 80s pop
to lo-fi bedroom productions, this
Ormskirk native’s lush music has
caught the attention of The Label
Recordings, who release CSP’s
debut single in December.
“There’s something special
about music that you
don’t get with anything
else… It just allows me to
express myself in ways
that I can’t otherwise do”
If you had to describe your style in a sentence, what would you say?
‘Bedroom indie pop’ is the usual summary, but it’s rather genreless,
in the sense that one song will sound like an indie pop
banger, and then the next will sound like you’ve got a DeLorean
back to the 80s; but whatever it is, the sound is quite often very
laid-back, because that’s the sort of person I am.
Have you always wanted to create music?
Nope, I wanted to be a car designer up until I was 16. Then after
flunking college, I spent some time thinking about what I actually
wanted to do in life and I kind of naturally fell into writing music
about love and stuff.
Can you pinpoint a live gig or a piece of music that initially
inspired you?
I think probably when I went to see The 1975 back in 2014. The
music was incredible, they were the first band I’d properly fallen
in love with and the fact it looked so cool to be up there playing
groovy indie tunes to thousands of people, I was just inspired to
start making.
Do you have a favourite song or piece of music to perform?
What does it say about you?
I’ve just written a new track in the past few weeks, which is not
the sort of music I usually write, but I love it for that reason. It’s
about partying in the 80s, which is the only music I actually feel
comfortable dancing along to. Because of that, it’s quite a groovy,
80s-sounding song, so I can dance along.
What do you think is the overriding influence on your
songwriting: other art, emotions, current affairs – or a
mixture of all of these?
Mostly I’d say my emotions, like trying to explain my feelings.
Although, I’m kind of branching out of that lately, to give
myself more credibility – I hope – with some more political
tracks referencing Donald Trump and Brexit. Sometimes I mess
around on Photoshop with some visual ideas and then write a
song off the back of that, so I try to mix it up.
Why is music important to you?
It’s important to me, because it just allows me to express
myself in ways that I can’t otherwise do. Even before I was
making it, just listening to music helped me release something
inside, it felt like therapy for whatever I was going through. I
think there’s something special about music that you don’t get
with anything else, it’s hard to put my finger on what I mean
exactly, but it just helps. Whatever you’re feeling, you can
find a piece of music that will help in whatever way you need,
whether it’s a ‘make you feel better’ dance song or a ‘cry along
to’ emotional song. I have a sweater that says, ‘Life without
music would B-flat’ and there’s nothing that more sums up
music for me than that.
charityshoppop.co.uk
Charity Shop Pop’s debut single Always You is released on 7th
December on The Label Recordings.
SPOTLIGHT 31

PREVIEWS
“Even when I was a
child I was always
drawn to the deeper
voices I heard on
record… so I really tried
to hone in on it and
make it my own”
GIG
MOLLY BURCH
Harvest Sun @ Leaf – 05/12
Captured Tracks’ Americana raconteur on moving to
Texas and finding her songwriting voice.
MOLLY BURCH has a voice fit for the silver screen. Her commanding tones come
laden with a smoky aura, the type that would effortlessly hold the attention as a
panning shot poured its eye across the dust bowls of America. The Hollywoodapproved
voice isn’t a coincidence. As the daughter of a producer and casting
director, it’s likely Burch took her cues from the voices holding their own in the sprawling dream
factories of Los Angeles. But it’s not the occupation of her parents that defines her talent. Far
from it. Her sun-kissed brand of poppy Americana mirrors the warming hues reflecting from the
Texas landscape – the geographical muse of her second full length record, First Flower – not the
insincere lights of LA.
With a tour that’s winding its way across Europe before stopping by Liverpool on 5th
December, Elliot Ryder spoke to the Austin-based star about finding her voice, the pace of life and
comfort in creativity.
Hi Molly, how are you? How’s the tour going?
I’m just in Paris, currently. We head to Germany today and we have two weeks left of touring
around Europe before we reach the UK. So far it’s been great. We’ve only done three shows, but it’s
been going really great.
I just wanted to start by touching on your new album. On the whole, it sounds a little more
upbeat than Please Be Mine. Was it a conscious decision to move away from the melancholic
themes?
Yeh, I think so. The first song I wrote was the title track to album. For me, that really set the vibe for
whole record given it steers clear of any tales of heartbreak or sadness. Moving on from Please Be
Mine, I wanted it to produce a collection of songs that were a little bit more upbeat, a little happier;
just a bit more fun to listen to.
You’ve spoken before about the process of finding comfort in creativity. With that, can you
expand a little on the album’s title? Does it bear any significance in respect to your growth as a
songwriter and musician?
The whole album tries to flow along the theme of self-growth, and awareness of self-acceptance.
The title of the album does intentionally reflect that. It wasn’t so much that I came to the name
of the album and then constructed everything around it. I just liked how it sounded; it captured a
particular feeling. While it’s the only track on the album that’s a straight up love song, personally, it
seemed quite fitting, and the themes grew from there.
I’ve heard you say before that singing is your main instrument. Does this impact the process of
arranging?
Definitely. I begin writing a song on guitar and build everything in around that. It’s the only way
I know how, but, for me, it still feels like a great way to write. I always have my voice in mind
whenever I’m thinking up a melody, but it’s on a guitar where the foundations of a track will flow
from. Generally, I come up with the chord progressions first and then the melody arrives from that.
This allows me to write the rest of the track around my voice.
Does this mean you write your lyrics with more of an emphasis on melody rather than narrative
or introspection?
I think the emphasis on melody is more of a second nature; something that I’ve always found easy to
weave into my songs, even if it becomes a little personal in places. Both aspects are really important
though, and I’m still learning my craft in many ways. I’m only on my second album so I’m still finding
my voice as a writer, whereas I feel more confident as a vocalist. That’s likely one of the reasons
why I might try to locate the melody ahead of building a song straight from a narrative.
Do you think your ability to find melody so easily owes much to your time studying jazz at
university?
I spent four years there, so I was able to take the time to craft my voice, take lessons and learn jazz
standards. As this was the main emphasis of my study it was a big help, yeh. There was also a lot of
performance interweaved between the study. I feel like this appreciation of theory and melody is the
main thing I took away from my college experience, so I owe a lot to it. I didn’t study songwriting, or
begin writing any of my own songs when I was there. It was all about refining my voice.
Talking to you now, it seems strange to hear you so softly spoken. Where did the husky voice
come from? Was this something you knew you were capable of from young age?
I discovered the voice from quite an early age. From then on it’s just been how I’ve sounded. It
wasn’t all natural though, it’s been something I’ve had to craft – something I’ve been working on
for many years. The process has helped it get to where it is now. Even when I was a child I was
always drawn to the deeper voices I heard on record. Even then it was something I thought could be
achievable for myself, so I really tried to hone in on it and make it my own.
You’ve moved away from LA and recently moved to Austin. Was there a feeling that your music
found a better home in Austin given its more alternative scene?
Moving to Texas really helped me find my way as a songwriter. It was a little bit of leap into the
dark; I didn’t know anyone before moving there, so I didn’t have anyone to lean on. As a result, I
had to quickly learn to lean on myself. It was from there I really started to branch out and attempt
writing my own songs. Being somewhere new inspired me, and so I was able to pour this into my
songwriting. The scenery and landscape were important too, as was the pace of life in Austin. It’s
really easy and slow. I don’t find it to be a stressful place. It’s calming, and it’s had a big effect on my
mindset in regard to concentrating on music. It’s nice.
Do you ever think there is an over emphasis on how geography can impact music? In many ways
people still look towards Liverpool as a city tied to jangly pop…
I think living in a place where the lifestyle isn’t so hectic can have a big effect. In Austin, I feel like I
have a lot of time. When I was writing First Flower I was living in a little town just outside of Austin.
There it felt like I had all the time in the world to focus on my music, whereas if I was living in LA I
feel like I’d have to be hustling all of the time, likely leading me to neglect my songwriting. When it
comes to how much time your surroundings can give you, it has a really big impact on your music.
It’s definitely one of the reasons why I think I found the right headspace for this album.
Have you ever seen the film Slacker, by Richard Linklaker? The Austin in that film sounds exactly
like one you’re describing?
I haven’t seen it!
Ah, you really should. It’s a great film. Up there with his other masterpieces like Dazed &
Confused and, of course, School Of Rock. We’ve touched on that you’re currently touring Europe,
stopping at Liverpool in December. Are you someone who likes to write on the road, and, if so,
should we be expecting new music in 2019?
I’m definitely someone who is more home based when it comes to writing, so I don’t think I’ll be
doing too much when we’re on the road. Just staying focused on this album for now. !
Words: Elliot Ryder / @elliot_ryder
Photography: Kelly Giarrocco
mollyburchmusic.com
Molly Burch plays Leaf on 5th December. First Flower is out now on Captured Tracks.
34

The Kazimier Winter Ball: New Rituals
GIG
Kazimier Winter Ball:
New Rituals
Invisible Wind Factory – 14/12
It will have been three years, come New Year, since the flaming K
resting atop The Kazimier was snuffed out. Burning only in memory,
the suffocation of redevelopment across the Wolstenholme Square
complex didn’t dim all creative lights within the city. In mind and
spirit, the former venue now curates its elaborate live theatre and
music from within the cavernous Invisible Wind Factory. The venue has
hosted a range of gigs and performances in its fledgling life, but this
Christmas, the venue will breathe life into a new annual concept: The
Kazimier Winter Ball.
As to be expected from The Kazimier, this won’t be your standard
black tie and bubbly upon arrival type ball. This Winter Ball is as
much a social experiment as it is a combination of club night and live
performance. Titled New Rituals, the night has been curated with the
senses in mind, and available means in which they can be stimulated.
An amalgamation of imagination and emotive provocation will see
the Invisible Wind Factory reach into the ether in attempt to draw out
a new kind of ceremonial happening. If previous exploration of the
cerebral cavities led by The Kaz are anything to go by, astronomical
attire may be necessary – although the evening’s dress code does state:
Iridescent.
Music on the night will be provided by two sets of familiar faces
with STEALING SHEEP and DOGSHOW on hand to soundtrack this
festive journey into the unknown. Both collections of resident artists
will perform conceptual live shows, and break beyond the mould of
regimented live performances. Stealing Sheep reprise their Wow
Machine show for the night, a theatrical-musical-dance-art spectacular
in tribute to the electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire. The last
time Dogshow played IWF, they were hoisted 30 feet into the air on a
revolving stage. Who knows what’s going to happen this time.
To ensure of full transcendence to the ritualised landscape hidden
in the Kazimier’s mind, a smattering of DJs sets will carry the festivities
right through to the early hours. Attendees will be asked to “Write your
Ritual, Create your Custom, Make your Myth.” Sounds better than the
office party you’ve got lined up, right?
thekazimier.co.uk
The Orielles
GIGS
Merseyside Music
Advent Calendar
Various venues – 01/12-15/12
If all you want for Christmas is a run of shows from amazing local
musicians to save you from having to think about office parties and
too many sprouts, then you can thank the city’s promoters for solving
all your problems. December is a full-on feast.
PIZZAGIRL gets things started on 1st December, with a headline
show down in Sound’s basement. PG has spent the past few months
wowing audiences across the country, and his retro, synth-pop start
is in the ascendancy. THE ORIELLES have also been making plenty of
waves outside of Liverpool, primarily off the back of their disco-surf opus
Silver Dollar Moment, released earlier this year. Catch the squad – now
a quartet – at Invisible Wind Factory on 7th December, as they return to
their spiritual home.
QUEEN ZEE give us a taste of what’s to come on their muchanticipated
debut LP with a premiere of the whole damn thing at 24
Kitchen Street on 13th December. It’s been a year of gigging and catching
the eye of Iggy Pop for the punk quartet, but next year will surely see
them assume complete domination as the whole world gets to hear them
in neat and tidy album format. Another of the city’s rising talents, THE
MYSTERINES, look to set to cap off an exciting breakthrough year as they
play their second headline show in 12 months. The Zanzibar hosts the
proto-garage rock trio on 15th December – it will be a lock-out, so don’t be
a wally left outside without a ticket and act quickly. THE FERNWEH also
celebrate the full release of their debut album in December (14th), with
Arts Club the place to catch them (and other Skeleton Key acolytes) as
they unfurl the thumping majesty of their gorgeous, self-titled record.
Grand Central Hall has the pleasure of playing host to two of the
region’s best songwriters within the space of three days. BILL RYDER-
JONES (13th) has been riding a wave of adulation since the release
of his latest sumptuous LP, Yawn – and rightly so. If Bill represents an
era-defining voice, then so too does MICK HEAD. Mick will always be
remembered for his peak career work with Shack and Pale Fountains, but
his latter-day renaissance (with The Red Elastic Band) has been just as
impressive. Catch him in the impressive surroundings of Grand Central
on 15th December – and thank yourself that we’re blessed with such an
abundant amount of high-class talent in these here parts. Something in
the water you say?
PREVIEWS 35

PREVIEWS
Lisa Lyon by Robert Mapplethorpe
EXHIBITION
Artist Rooms: Robert
Mapplethorpe
The Atkinson – 15/12-23/03
The work of one of NYC’s most celebrated sons is going on
display at The Atkinson in Southport. The photography of
ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE captured a key time in the Big
Apple’s cultural revolution, while simultaneously pushing the
boundaries of the form as well as society’s comfort zone. Operating
from the late 1960s onwards, Mapplethorpe got unrivalled access
to the likes of Patti Smith and Andy Warhol, charted the New York’s
BDSM culture and produced some powerful studies of the human form.
Mapplethorpe himself became a cult figure who was the subject
of Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato’s 2016 documentary Look At The
Pictures. The title of the film taken from Senator Jesse Helms’ plea to
the nation as he saw Mapplethorpe’s frank depiction of nudity, sexuality
and fetishism as demonstrating the US’s slide into moral decline. The
photographer immersed himself in New York’s underbelly and had
a string of famous partners, including Smith who wrote the awardwinning
memoir Just Kids about their relationship.
Mapplethorpe was also responsible for the cover of the punk
forebear’s seminal LP Horses. Other famous faces who found themselves
before the Mapplethorpe lens included Iggy Pop, Debbie Harry and
Richard Gere. He also focused a series of images on female bodybuilder
Lisa Lyon who was the subject of his 1983 book Lady, Lisa Lyon.
Widely regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th
Century, Mapplethorpe worked with a variety of subjects with his
studies of flowers being among the most celebrated. Works from this
series, as well as a selection of others, will be included in the Southport
exhibition which is displayed in partnership with Tate and National
Galleries Scotland as part of the Artist Rooms tour.
An artist who provoked controversy before and after his death, the
exhibition will pay homage to an unflinching talent. Mapplethorpe died
of complications from HIV/AIDS in 1989 leaving an indelible mark on
the world of photography. This exhibition will celebrate an innovator of
the form who elevated photography to fine art.
theatkinson.co.uk
Omar Souleyman
GIGS
Early February Heads-Up
Various venues – 01/02-
08/02/19
Given that this is our December/January double issue, you’d
be forgiven for thinking that we were pushing it a bit far in
venturing into February in these pages. Fair enough – but,
given that our next issue isn’t due out on the streets until
31st January 2019, we’d be doing a disservice to some sterling work by
Liverpool promoters not to mention some brilliant shows coming up in
the early part of Feb 19.
Syrian vocalist OMAR SOULEYMAN numbers around 500 studio and
live albums to his name, having begun his career in 1994. Around 80 per
cent of those releases are recordings made at weddings and presented
to the married couple, which were later copied and sold on, helping him
to gain a cult-like status. His beat-heavy, electronic style has made his
music a club favourite, which makes his appearance at 24 Kitchen Street
on 2nd February all the more intriguing. Also dropping by Kitchen Street
is British producer and beatmaker extraordinaire Felix Clary Weatherall,
aka ROSS FROM FRIENDS (1st February).
JAH WOBBLE’S INVADERS OF THE HEART are also in town on 1st
February, ready to light up the Philharmonic Music Room. Over the past
three decades, Jah Wobble has ploughed his own furrow as a prolific solo
artist, with a passion for Eastern and global music. If you only know him
for his distinctive low-end bass warbles in Public Image Ltd, you’re in for
a pleasant surprise here.
Primavera regulars HOLY BOUNCER have been described as “a blur
of high-kicking bongo bashing and muscly riffs” – but don’t let that put
you off. The psych groovesters are one of Barcelona’s most talked about
bands, and they bring their mesmeric atmosphere to 81 Renshaw on 2nd
February. THEE LUCIFER SAMS, STRANGE COLLECTIVE and a secret
act yet to be announced are also in attendance – don’t say we didn’t give
you enough warning.
36

GIG
Boy Azooga presents Late Night
Christmas Kung-Fu
District – 01/12
Boy Azooga
Liverpool has certainly made its way into BOY AZOOGA’s good
books following his experience of the city back in the fading
warmth of July. It’s a feeling that’s reciprocated by us natives,
as the show in the depths of the Shipping Forecast was one of
the highlights of the summer. So, it’ll be warm tidings when the
match up comes together once again for a late-night showdown in
District. Flying kicks in guitar form come from the Welsh maestro
– whose album 1, 2 Kung Fu! was one of this year’s highlights –
alongside a storming supporting cast of MAN ON THE MOON,
THE HOWL AND THE HUM and CHUPA CABRA.
EXHIBITION
Bands F.C.
British Music Experience – 07/01-13/01
BANDS F.C. is a subtle blend; a perfectly-mixed cocktail of two
complementary aspects of life: football and music. The graphic
design project fuses football team crests with the logos of
bands to brilliant effect, as demonstrated by the combinations
of Daft Punk And Paris Saint Germain, Wolves and Wu-Tang,
and Echo & the Bunnymen and Liverpool FC. Having caught
the attention of the social media sphere, the project will go
on display at the British Music Experience for a whole week
featuring the opportunity to purchase limited edition prints and
pin badges.
QUIZ
The Real Quiz:
Bido x Liquidation Do Quizmas
Constellations – 12/12
Bido Lito! and Liquidation’s joint Christmas trivia extravaganza returns to
Constellations, with many of the city’s great and good battling out for the
title of Chief Quiz Boffins. The event looks to cap off a great year in Liverpool
music, with fans, friends and colleagues pitting their wits and arcane bits of
music knowledge against one another for a selection of fantastic prizes. Once
again, proceeds from the night will go to chosen charities The Whitechapel
Centre and MIND, and there will be festive live music from some special
guests. Head to bidolito.co.uk to get your tickets before we’re all booked up.
CLUB
A Love From Outer Space
The Merchant – 31/12
“An oasis of slowness in a world of increasing velocity.” Those are the
words of Andrew Weatherall in reference to A LOVE FROM OUTER
SPACE, one of his latest creative endeavours. Teaming up with Sean
Johnston, ALFOS takes it cues from music that is in no rush, no urgency
to reach crescendo, or compel, unless given the appropriate amount
of time. With that in mind, there’ll be fewer poignant NYE celebrations
than that taking place at The Merchant. From first track to the last,
ALFOS will be guiding all in attendance towards a better understanding
of the celestial outer reaches as 2018 becomes 2019. Get your tickets
now from skiddle.com.
GIG
J Mascis
Arts Club – 22/01
J Mascis
When it comes settling who is the truest purple-infatuated, guitar-wielding virtuoso of them all, even the iconic Prince
would feel wary about weighing in against J MASCIS. This man was born with solos running through his veins, and it
bleeds out through his fingers when he’s got a guitar in hand. Quiet in manner as he may be, his music – spanning well
over 10 albums – is a sweet juxtaposition of heartfelt lyricism and rip-roaring guitar mastery. An introvert with the biggest,
loudest and most fearsome Marshall stack in the game, you’ll be treated to the softer more acoustic side of the Dino J
frontman when he takes to Arts Club. Fresh off the back of new LP, Elastic Days, this show will prove just how captivating J
can be, even with the distortion pedals turned down.
CLUB
Helena Hauff
24 Kitchen Street – 06/12
The queen of electro, HELENA HAUFF, returns to Liverpool
for her third performance in the city this year. Booked in for
a four-hour set, the Hamburg native will have plenty of time
to perforate the atmosphere with her collection of sharprimmed
records. There’s obviously something about Kitchen
Street that she likes – and the feeling is reciprocated.
Alongside the duchess of darkwave, two local selectors
in the form of BREAKWAVE and ASOK will also feature
behind the decks throughout the evening.
Helena Hauff
PREVIEWS 37

PREVIEWS
GIG
Gaika
24 Kitchen Street – 06/12
Gaika
Touted as one of the most important and inventive
rappers of this generation, it’s no surprise that GAIKA’s
trip to the Baltic Triangle is already causing a stir.
Offering a heated blend of dancehall and industrial
soundscapes – sharpened by some prosaic South
London attitude – the vocalist and producer has
managed to catch the eye of Warp Records, giving
way to his latest album Basic Volume. Dreamy in parts,
interspersed with an awakened aggression, the record
is one the strongest artistically tinged releases of the
year. Be prepared for bumpy odyssey when swings by
Liverpool in early December.
GIG
Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble
St. Mary’s Creative Space, Chester – 18/01
Founder member of avant-pop trailblazers Stereolab, LAETITIA SADIER
visits the historic city of Chester in January with her Source Ensemble
outfit. Supporting 2017’s Drag City Records release Finding Me Finding
You, the vocalist will bring her percussive, motorik brand of narcotic pop
to St Mary’s Creative Space with support from the fantastic MARKER
STARLING. The project of Toronto’s Chris A. Cummings, a collaborator
of Sadier’s, Marker Starling will bring the Cheshire music congregation
to the further reaches of the sonic galaxy at this must-see gig.
Laetitia Sadier Source Ensemble
PANEL + DISCUSSION
Making A Murderer: Laura Nirider and Steven
Drizin
Grand Central Hall – 07/12
As the hit Netflix series returns for a second leg of the saga in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, two
of the lawyers involved in the ongoing legal battle are in town to unpick some of the facts of
the case – and no doubt to dispel some of the many colourful theories that have developed
around the sensational story. Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin – both Clinical Assistant
Professors of Law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law – are lawyers for Brendan
Dassey, the nephew of Making A Murder’s ‘star’ Steven Avery. The two experienced
litigators are discussing interrogation tactics, the post-conviction process in the US, and
coerced and false confessions on this speaking tour, partly to raise awareness of Brendan
Dassey’s wrongful conviction.
CLUB
Octave One
24 Kitchen Street – 14/12
Detroit techno royalty will be slipping into familiar industrial
surroundings this Christmas as duo OCTAVE ONE touch
down at Kitchen Street in December. Birthed from within the
melting pot of 303 sand 909 drum machines scattered across
Michigan state, Octave One –comprising brothers Lenny and
Lawrence Burden – are one of the most celebrated live acts on
the electronic music circuit. Their freewheeling, symbiotic live
performances are now the stuff of legend, as is their seminal
recording Black Water, which has garnered huge amounts of
underground and commercial success. This one is a must for the
analogue equipment enthusiast.
COMEDY
Dylan Moran
Empire Theatre – 06/12
Dylan Moran
The face and slingshot riposte behind everyone’s favourite halfarsed
book-seller, DYLAN MORAN is the perfect guest to spread
sarcastic cheer this festive season as part of his latest tour. Billed
as Dr Cosmos, the show will see the Irish comedian offer his take
on the likes of love, politics, misery and the everyday absurdities
of life. Expect lashings of sweary poeticism as he attempts to set
right all of the wrongs in this world with the aid of his serrated
tongue and sardonic attitude.
GIG
Bassekou Kouyaté
Philharmonic Music Room – 30/01
BASSEKOU KOUYATÉ is one of the true masters of the ngoni, an ancient
traditional lute found throughout West Africa. So much so that, in 2013, the
BBC awarded Kouyaté the title of Best African Artist of the Year. A slew
of musicians from his home country of Mali and beyond have rushed to
collaborate with this virtuoso performer, including Ali Farka Touré, Taj Mahal,
Damon Albarn and many more. Having wowed audiences at Glastonbury,
Fuji Rock Festival and WOMAD, Kouyaté is embarking on an altogether more
intimate tour in 2019, with vocalist Amy Sacko joining his unusual band
formation, which includes three ngoni players who explore a vast range of
tones and rhythm.
Bassekou Kouyaté
38

GIG
The Delines
Ullet Road Unitarian Church – 31/01
THE DELINES’ debut album Colfax surprised fans and
critics alike. The band had only been together a week
when they went into the studio and cut the record,
which received a 9/10 review in Uncut magazine for
its “widescreen romanticism”. The Portland, Oregon
group’s meteoric rise was tragically halted when lead
singer Amy Boone was hit by a car and hospitalised
for months. Thankfully, Amy is finally on the mend and
The Delines are back with their second effort, which is
released in January ahead of their UK tour.
CLUB
Campfire Social
Alexander’s Live – 19/12
Indie folksters CAMPFIRE SOCIAL are hosting their
annual charity knees-up at Chester’s live music hub
Alexander’s. I’ve Got Two (You Can Have One Of Mine),
named after the five-piece’s popular track, brings together
local bands all giving their time and songs to raise
donations for Chester Aid To The Homeless. Rather than a
door tax, punters are encouraged to pay in with donations
instead. The group are encouraging attendees to bring
along food, cosmetics and sanitary products for what is
a tough time of year for the homeless community. Bands
on the bill include MOUNTAINFACE and SUSTINERE. Go
along and be generous.
GIG
Vic Godard & Subway Sect
81 Renshaw – 09/12
Formed at the suggestion of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm
McLaren, VIC GODARD and his SUBWAY SECT have been
long-term staples on the punk and post-punk scene since
1976. The group have been performing regularly over the
past decade, with an ever-changing line-up of artists who
keep their eclectic range of material alive. From punk to ska,
and from cabaret to music hall and jazz, the group have
been credited as highly influential. CARGO CULT and IAN
JAY’S REBELLIOUS JUKEBOX are on support duties, with
JOE McKECHNIE on the decks throughout.
CLUB
Circus Christmas Special
Camp and Furnace – 27/12
’Tis the season for hitting the dancefloor hard, so it seems, judging
by the business of regular party orchestrators Circus. Yousef and
his team have been on a roll of late with a number of huge parties
at Bramley-Moore Dock, but the festive season will see the party
return to more familiar surroundings. The much-hyped Christmas
Special, taking place at Camp And Furnace, will offer the best place
to dance off that extra spud or sprout you ate. With the likes of big
hitters BEN KLOCK, LAURENT GARNIER and HOT SINCE 82 on
the bill, be sure to break in your new Christmas webs beforehand:
this will be a heavy one. Get your tickets now from skiddle.com.
Laurent Garnier
Henge
GIG
Henge
EBGBS – 01/12
Extraterrestrialists HENGE celebrate the release of their debut
album Attention Earth! in suitably out-there fashion. The quartet’s
live show takes you on a joyous and imaginative journey, making
them a highlight of many a late-night festival party. The group’s
loyal following of ‘ravelings’ amplify the group’s fun live show
and positive message, enacting a wyrd dance set to music that is
simultaneously anarchic and wholesome. From its freaky opening
with supporting cast PADDY STEER and DAN DISGRACE, to its
euphoric conclusion, Henge’s live show will leave you drained yet
uplifted. Need any more encouraging?
CLUB
Fiesta Bombarda NYE Intergalactic Carnival
Invisible Wind Factory – 31/12
The Kazimier’s penchant for space exploration will once again be in abundance this New
Years’ Eve. Three years on from the final escape to planet Kronos, Fiesta Bombarda will be
fuelling the latest rocket to the far reaches of the cosmos as they dress the Invisible Wind
Factory in the colours of their own Intergalactic Carnival. The evening’s Mothership Mainstage
will feature the likes of RENEGADE BRASS BAND, AFRICA OYÉ DJs, INTERGALACTIC
KARAOKE ENESMBLE and many more. Over at Planet Dub (the basement IWF Substation),
the illustrious CHANNEL ONE SOUND SYSTEM will be setting the coordinates for 2019 with
a helping hand from POSITIVE VIBRATION. Get your tickets now from skiddle.com.
Channel One Sound System
Eyesore and The Jinx
GIG
Bido Lito! Social: Eyesore & The Jinx
Outpost – 31/01
New Near, new tunes and a new Bido Lito! social to carve into that brand
spanking 2019 diary you got from your loving Auntie this Christmas. To open
the year of our 100th edition, we’ve pulled together a line-up that’ll help
shake the January blues and block out all those resolutions that already lie
on the floor in tatters. EYESORE & THE JINX will hit the stage in celebration
of the release of their brand new single, On An Island. As well as the trio,
the bundle full of fun that is JO MARY will be on hand at Outpost to ensure
there’s copious amounts of sonic fireworks popping off at this late new year
party. Bido Lito! members get free entry – remember to sign up at bidolito.
co.uk if you don’t want to miss this, or any of our Socials.
PREVIEWS 39

1 SHORT ST, NORTHERN QUARTER, M4 1AA / O161 359 3000 / 55-57 BRIDGE ST, M33 BQ
5pm til 9pm - SUNDAY TO FRIDAY
£2 Slices
£10 Pizzas
2 cocktails £10
cheap plonk

BOMBED OUT CHURCH
1 - 23 DECEMBER
OLD SKOOL CHRISTMAS BRUNCH
ALMA DE CUBA
9 DECEMBER
THE LANTERN COMPANY -
SECRET WINTER GARDEN
CROXTETH HALL
13-22 DECEMBER
LUNA WINTER
CINEMA NIGHTS
ST. GEORGE’S HALL
19-23 DECEMBER
THE SNOWMAN
LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL
PARR HALL, WARRINGTON
29 DECEMBER
20 DECEMBER
CELEBRATE GIN
AT CHRISTMAS
ST. HELENS TOWN HALL
30 NOVEMBER - 1 DECEMBER
ticketquarter.co.uk

REVIEWS
“The use of both tender
and volatile sounds
transforms Portico’s
set from musical
odyssey to a living
piece of artwork. Here,
the music breathes
between the notes, not
just the musicians”
Portico Quartet (Michael Kirkham / michaelkirkhamphotography.co.uk)
Portico Quartet
+ Ranga & Harambe
Bam!Bam!Bam! @ 24 Kitchen Street – 11/10
For an industrial warehouse, 24 Kitchen Street is warm and
glittering. It’s currently home to a sea of musical instruments and
energy. The anticipation for cinematic and electronic sound mixed
with powerful percussion is abundant as the crowd squeezes
up towards the stage. Those dedicated enough to the overall
experience, or those who have never been to this particular
venue before, are sitting down in the middle of the room itching
to watch the performances unfold. Artists, writers, and musicians
alike are all brought together by the intuitive sounds PORTICO
QUARTET have produced over four outstanding albums.
To ease us into the experience, the duo RANGA &
HARAMBE. Admittedly, Ranga seems to be further into the
crowd than anticipated due to the tightly packed venue and small
stage drowning in instruments. No worry, this adds charm and
unity to an evening that has already attracted a niche audience.
Multiple decks and drums surround Ranga as he sits almost
tucked away to the side of the stage. Harambe, almost by default,
takes centre stage, shining as he gently places himself in the
spotlight, saxophone in hand. This experimental performance
highlights the best parts of jazz nights; long drones followed
by fleeting melodies within a spectrum of drums. Bringing the
audience ever closer to the rawness of what really makes this
music, Ranga sits encompassed in his own world, where sounds
and technology are his forte. Displaying immense focus, they
entice us into the process of improvisation and the concept
of drawing order from perceived chaos. Trills and dissonance
are used in copious amounts, along with continuous change in
dynamics, creating a story through sounds and emotion.
After being tantalised by the whimsical sounds of Ranga &
Harambe, the audience are more than ready to hear the collective
talent of Portico Quartet. Eager to hear more enticing percussion
over dreamy melodies, they’re now up off the ground and ready
for echoes of jazz, minimalism and electronic textures. Having
established themselves as an experimental electro-pop trio for
their previous album Living Fields, they returned collectively
as a four-piece with the contemporary ambient jazz album Art
In The Age Of Automation and this year’s companion piece,
Untitled (AITAOA #2). Gentle strings and synths are contrasted
with the iconic and spellbinding steel pans, courtesy of Keir
Vine (keyboards), which provide a gorgeous weightlessness
to the songs. This permeates through the instruments and into
the crowd, lifting us up and transforming the room into a sea of
bodies akin to driftwood; we’re all momentarily lost, without a
care in the world.
Long swaying notes from electronic strings provide a
cinematic element to the performance, enticing the audience into
the songs with their inconsistency, their unpredictability. Songs
such as Double Space show the complexity and deliberate use of
clattering notes and developing textures. As the song develops,
the use of natural sounds interweaving with delicate woodwind
captures us in a moment of unexpected tranquillity. The audience
appears captivated by the wondrousness of this particular brand
of music, and how it can paint such a vivid mental picture. The
use of both tender and volatile sounds transforms Portico’s set
from a musical odyssey to a living artwork. The music breathes
between the notes, not just the musicians.
A room full of people connected, sharing an experience led
by fierce sonic percussion and soothing hang drums. And yet
all in attendance are individually being taken away to a place
of personal introspection. Momentary solace in the close, noisy
confines. The lighting is minimal yet effective; bold white lights
highlight drummer Duncan Bellamy’s instruments and precise
beats played almost hypnotically. As his sticks rapidly bounce
along the top of the cymbals the senses are drenched in an
array of double time and swift movement. A sense of adventure
takes over, gently developed by animated drum pieces that rise
Portico Quartet (Michael Kirkham / michaelkirkhamphotography.co.uk)
to a crescendo. Endless provides a contemporary and radiant
expansion of jazz using electronic riffs with orchestral themes to
create a hypnotic display of sounds.
It’s liberating to be engaged with a musical craft where
assortments of instrument can join the mix at any moment.
Subtly, they all play their parts, taking over as lead and gracefully
allowing for new directions to be explored within a song. The
arrival and fade of instrumental layers is executed perfectly; the
bassline that’s commonly presented in Portico Quartet’s songs
holds everything together like glue. Among the full compilation
of sounds and layers, we can sense how each member of the
band reacts to the other’s presence; the small cues they take, the
understanding that allows a fill to drift before re-engaging with
the rhythm with ease. Each member introduces a new element
of electronic and experimental jazz to be taken and personalised
by the next member. All in attendance are happy to feel this
series of ambient, yet intense, developments wash over their
consciousness. Every piece, it seems, creates an unravelling
message, changing from dreamy and monophonic patterns to
deep brassy progressions.
Here, tonight, Kitchen Street is blessed with an effortless and
hypnotic performance. It’s one they display regularly. Only this
time, it’s delivered with the intimacy and closeness of community
Liverpool brings to events across the city.
Ailsa Beetham
42

The Prodigy (John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com)
“LOUD. BRIGHT.
VIOLENT. And that’s just
the crowd. It’s everything
that one has come to
expect from The Prodigy
now they steadfastly
refuse to calm down”
The Prodigy
Echo Arena – 08/11
It could be difficult being in THE PRODIGY. Where do you
place them now? Evil rave? Metal dance? Broken acid? There’s
a mass of pigeon holes that the three-piece could slide into and
then slide out of the other side kicking and shouting. But each
hole would never fit the spiky shaped peg that The Prodigy
have become. They have never deviated from what they have
always believed they’ve been. They are the musical equivalent
of scratching that itch that you’re not supposed to because it’s
bleeding, but it feels so good to scratch it, regardless of the
damage you’re doing to yourself. I hurt myself dancing tonight,
so the analogy stands. Not so much blood, more a bruise. Injured
in the line of live music reviewing. Keith, Maxim and Liam would
love that.
They love the reception that over 5,500 people give them
when the thin fabric drops, billowing out a light show that
blinded the eyes and set the scene for the next 90 minutes.
LOUD. BRIGHT. VIOLENT. And that’s just the crowd. It’s
everything that one has come to expect from The Prodigy now
they steadfastly refuse to calm down. Or write a ballad. Or write
anything with a BPM slower than a speeding car. Which is pretty
much the new album No Tourists; a breakneck ride that doesn’t
let up with the beats and production. Thankfully, the live side of
the record is the same. Although 90 minutes seems a bit short,
at no point does it stop or sag or feel like they are catching a
moment to compose themselves. Breathe opens proceedings and
it’s relentless from here on in.
Keith Flint fronts the powerful Omen which lapses into
Champions Of London, possibly the most angry tune on the new
album. That’s not taking anything away from Maxim, who is,
arguably, the best frontman on the live arena circuit. He prowls
and scowls, leaping from one shape to another, his rhyming and
lyric toasting is cold, clinical and dynamic, even when it’s limited
in the fantastic Need Some 1. He loves Liverpool, it seems,
although his patter is slightly diminished when he gives a shout
out to all his “Wednesday people”. It’s Thursday, as the band
point out to him. He’s a dance overlord. He doesn’t care what day
it is. Touring does that to you.
Late noughties bass beat shouters Pendulum did a cracking
remix of Voodoo People in 2012 and it’s this version that gets an
airing here. The difference in the feel of the song is not lost on
the Arena floor tonight. One seething and sweating mass moves
across the floor like gas as the band struggle to keep up with the
beats that seem as though they are at one with the volatile heap.
Is it a cover version if you cover someone else’s remix of your
song? Does anyone care?
Smack My Bitch Up unites everyone even more, the chorus
giving an un-PC delight to everyone gathered. More loud. More
bright. More twisted. The highlight, though, was Their Law. A
guitar stabbed indie dance epic, co-written with Pop Will Eat
Itself, that still sounds as fresh and dangerous as it did in 94. A
bit like our techno crew, still lurking and leaping like they’d just
arrived on stage, with the lights still drilling into the collective
Liverpool cranium; the buses as part of the stage set lit as
though they’re about to drive off the stage and straight into the
audience, managing to mow down the band in the process. That
would seem quite normal and entirely fitting with what Liverpool
witnesses tonight. Violent anger-techno with a seething disco
core. It just what we wanted and just what we get. Utterly
incredible.
Ian Abraham / @scrash
The Prodigy (John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com)
REVIEWS 43

REVIEWS
'/ou \

Hinds
EVOL @ Arts Club – 16/11
If The Clash and Hole had mated on a day when they were
both in a fabulous mood, the band they produced would be along
the lines of Spanish quartet HINDS. That’s not to say they don’t
have their own voice; they are much more than their influences.
But there’s no denying there’s a familiarity to their sound. While it
could be seen as derivative, it’s still fundamentally good.
Bringing their unbridled enthusiasm and energy to the Arts
Club, they want everyone to join them for the party. The banner
behind them on the stage states rather charmingly “Hi we’re
Hinds and we’re here to rock”, making their intentions clear
before Carlotta Cosials launches her charged vocal routine.
From the looks of it, those here agree. There are a few
aborted attempts to crowd surf but the attendees are determined
and, with the intervention of Cosials after security tries to stop an
over zealous fan, there’s a fair bit of pogoing and bouncing round
on mates’ shoulders. Surprisingly it’s not sold-out, but those in
the crowd share the enthusiasm with the band making it very
much a party on stage and off.
The thumping drumming, courtesy of Amber Grimbergen,
and the bass of Ade Martín bring their punk-inspired, lo-fi poprock
to life on stage with a dynamism that matches the upbeat
tempo of their melodies. It’s an energy that’s infectious and one
that is, at times, missing from their records.
Tracks from both 2016’s Leave Me Alone and this year’s I
Don’t Run litter the set, with The Club being met with even more
energetic pogoing. There’s even a further nod to their musical
heritage with a nifty cover of The Clash’s Spanish Bombs, which
proves popular with the crowd.
Hinds are a tight-knit gang who give the impression they’re
enjoying every second of the show, tour and life in general. It
could be misconstrued as being rather DIY in approach with the
focus on fun at the expense of well-written songs, but they are
technically good musicians. They make what they’re doing look
easy. Cosials and Ana García Perrote share lead vocals, with
both serenading the front few rows at various times, much to the
elation of the youthful component gathered at the front.
In between songs they swig from bottles of Bud and charm
us with their sunny disposition. At the end they take their bows
to the sound of Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life – a fitting
end one has to agree. You get the feeling that they definitely
live this aphorism, and that they find a reason to celebrate every
night on tour. It’s a great night spent with a passionate band who
undoubtedly have a lot more to give in the coming years.
Jennie Macaulay / @jenmagmcmac
Hinds (Brian Sayle / briansaylephotography.co.uk)
Sophie
24 Kitchen Street – 20/10
Hinds (Brian Sayle / briansaylephotography.co.uk)
As a Londoner who falls a pinch more out of love with his
adopted city every day, I don’t get up to Liverpool as often as I
should. Everything I’ve come to adore about this part of the UK
could be seen in pop-torturess SOPHIE’s autumn tour dates. You
probably shouldn’t read too much into the banalities of venue
availability, but in London, she was doing midweek, early-evening
dates at FABRIC, which – iconic club as it is – can be achingly
po-faced at times. 200 miles north, it is a Sunday morning slot at
Berlin-worthy warehouse joint, 24 Kitchen Street.
This is where SOPHIE’s polyethylene beats deserve to be heard:
sprayed loud onto a sweaty, smoky dancefloor to queer kids who
have travelled from other cities, unconsciously decked out in red
dungarees, New Rock boots and Hello Kitty tattoos, fully entangled
in that four-hour micro-society buzz that keeps people surging back
to clubs weekend after weekend, overdraft after overdraft.
If this sounds more like some manifesto and lacking in specifics
of the actual night, that’s because my recollections aren’t as sharp
as they would have been had I seen her at a renovated meat store
on a Tuesday evening. Even so, just as with all the best nights out,
fragments reappear in the days after like finds on some PC Musicsoundtracked
archaeological dig: the astringent synth scrapes of
Ponyboy; the warped playground chants of Immaterial escaping
into pounding crescendo; and Sophie’s red PVC gloves conducting
it all, emerging intermittently from the shadows to squeeze out
synthetic gems from a deck.
A look at a setlist is slight comfort to my holey memory with
its domination of new material from forthcoming new albums that
will undoubtedly continue twisting pop music into uncomfortable
shapes. Sophie acolytes (of which there are lots) are known to
record and decipher songs online with the fervour of sociologists
poring over a new language and they’ll be occupied for ages
with the less familiar sounds heard tonight. It all sounded as
manically unclassifiable as her debut album, Oil Of Every Pearl’s
Un-Insides; sounding not so much ahead of its time, as coughed
up by someone with sensory superpowers, someone able to wring
out the cutesiest, poppy sounds and crash them into an abrasive
mix. Gushing aside, it’s invigorating and right at home on a Baltic
Triangle dancefloor.
Joe Holyoake
REVIEWS 45

REVIEWS
Zuzu
+ Peaness
+ SHARDS
EVOL @ Jacaranda Records Phase One –
10/11
SHARDS are first on at Phase One, initiating the lulling tones
that echo throughout most of the night. The young four-piece
impress with their often long and slowly crescendoing songs
from the subdued to the climactic – via a healthy dose of dreamy
reverb. The band’s sound, along with frontman Alex McKenzie’s
vocals, is similar to Bombay Bicycle Club and they are certainly
one to keep your eye as they pop up around local venues.
There is an inevitable sense of curiosity that will follow the
second support act of the night with their mildly provocative
band name. But, apart from making your nan blush, PEANESS
are an instantly likeable band that assert their creativity through
their upbeat, groovy rhythms and all-round fun songs such as
Ugly Veg and Seafoam Islands. The all-female trio make it look
easy on stage. Their collaborative harmonies between bassist
Jess and guitarist Balla reinforce the catchiness of their indie-pop
tunes.
A Birkenhead native, ZUZU has been quietly making waves
in the underground scene over the past year, signing a record
deal with Virgin Records and securing big name support slots
for Tom Grennan, Peace and The Courteeners. Yet after all this,
and even being touted as the “future of Liverpool pop” by the
Guardian, she remains charmingly grounded, even apologising
for her untimely illness on stage. The show must go on, hey. And
that it does. Looping riffs from guitarist and producer Kurran
Karbal drift in and out of her tunes that complements a sound
fluctuating from the leisurely to the euphoric. In slower moments,
she resembles Courtney Barnett with her conversational Scouse
twang before, unexpectedly, her and the band boldly smash into
a jubilant chorus that more resembles Taylor Swift. It’s this mix of
unpredictability and melody that ensures the entertainment value
needed for a live act.
Dark Blue, Beauty Queen and especially All Good are
manifestations of Zuzu’s ability to write (very good) songs
that cram themselves in a place between dreamy-indie and all
out pop, but not going too far in either direction. The songs,
relating from science fiction to the everyday, become absorbing
around the room and leave you wanting more after the short
set. Although signed to a major label, Zuzu is an artist who
unapologetically wants full creative control of her act. Whether
Zuzu (Stuart Moulding / @oohshootstu)
that is writing her own songs, experimenting with different
instruments or directing her own music videos, she is all about
originality and creativity in being her own person, her own artist.
The mainly female led atmosphere of the night is refreshing
to see in an industry that has been overwhelmingly saturated
by male guitar bands. More and more we are seeing extremely
talented female artists on stage, which correlates with the recent
Fender study showing that 50 per cent of all new guitar players
are women across the UK and the United States. Across the
country, it’s local artists like Zuzu and Peaness that have helped
that trend grow and encourage even more girls to take to the
stage. The artistry of the night is at once patent, infectious and
seemingly effortless. The future, should these trends develop, will
rightly be female led.
Conal Cunnningham
Jane Weaver
Leaf – 18/10
“There’s a lot going on back here, believe me,” says
JANE WEAVER from behind a mountain of equipment. She
says this to an enrapt audience upstairs at Leaf. She’s not
messing, there’s heaps of equipment – luckily Weaver is in
control. She moves around the stage with calm authority
using the various instruments to create a world of sound
which can only be described as spellbinding.
This tour, Loops In The Secret Society, includes songs
from two of her albums, last year’s Modern Kosmology and
2014’s The Silver Globe. It sees Weaver accompanied only
by hypnotising visuals which play on a screen behind her,
creating layered sounds which are so beautiful the whole
room is caught in a quiet reverie.
The images played on a loop behind Weaver
complement the sounds and create a multi-sensory evening.
It’s as if the audience are encapsulated in a womb, safe
away from the real world outside. Weaver obviously has
a clear idea of the feelings she wants to create in her
audience: time spent in various indie bands and creative
musical enterprises means she knows her stuff and has the
confidence to go beyond the ordinary.
She does this through sheer hard work, but it could
be sleight of hand and magic as she makes it seem so
effortless. Her talents are deftly displayed as she changes
between instruments seamlessly.
Then there’s her voice. It is pure and captivating. She
uses the aforementioned loops of the tour’s title to create
layers of cosmic and textured sounds which sound heavenly:
a stellar choir answering an angel’s call. It’s woven from
magic but substantial enough to carry its notes with
confidence. Further depth is cleverly added as Weaver plays
7” singles of her own voice as backing tracks. Her voice
comes with such ease that she seems otherworldly in a
flowing gown, a radiance emanating from her.
The candlelit Leaf makes for an intimate performance;
everything is packed on to the tiny stage leaving every move
exposed. It’s brave; there’s nowhere to hide and any mistake
would be played out in front of the packed room. The
pressure must be huge, but Weaver is completely in control,
with relaxed chat in between songs where she downplays
the magic. But even this easy chat leaves us intoxicated by
her words.
The audience is open to journeying to a world far from
the reality outside on a Thursday night in Liverpool. It’s a
radical approach which definitely pays off and its success
is testament to Weaver’s playfulness, vision and talent. It’s
simply divine.
Jennie Macaulay / @jenmagmcmac
Jane Weaver (Molly Norris / @clarathecarefreechicken)
46

Villagers (John Middleton / johnmiddletonphoto.co.uk)
Villagers
Arts Club – 25/10
Speaking to Conor O’Brien back in September for Bido
Lito! 93, we touched on the communal spirited name given to
his project. The ethos of such a name, anyway. He agreed the
term VILLAGERS served a purpose in the fleeting stages of his
career; it was ambiguous, and it allowed O’Brien the freedom to
act as something of a narrator. While the themes and narratives
of his music were most certainly his, the signature stamp of
Villagers gave the sense of a communal understanding. He was
speaking to, or of, shared experience. While this separation
gave way to myriad voices in his tales, he agreed it may not
always be positive – in the personal sense. Fear of losing touch
with the surest writing hand, perhaps. It wasn’t that the ‘we are
villagers’ mantra was whimsical or in need of ditching, but as his
musical capabilities have grown, reaching and resonating with
a growing audience over four albums, the project was no longer
had to be so explicitly communal. It was no longer a community
of characters. Rather, O’Brien now takes it upon himself to play
them all.
With The Art Of Pretending To Swim, O’Brien transitioned
from warm faces sharing stories sat around a campfire; he
became the anti-preacher, the antidote to the jarring voices stood
behind the lecterns of his youth.
In a sense, O’Brien is more exposed than ever, his soul firmly
on the line, and on the right side of history in terms of his attitude
towards faith. But this heightened exposure isn’t laboursome,
not if this demeanour on stage is anything to go by. Here in
Liverpool, in the midst of a European tour, he is more than the
mouthpiece of Villagers. He has forgone the role of town crier; he
now looks through the prism of a resident living right in the heart
of his imagination. Here, with acoustic guitar slung to the hip,
the Villagers moniker tips towards ironic as O’Brien delves deep
into his soul to where he is self-marooned, granted solitude, even
when stood before a sold-out crowd. So much introspection,
achieved within the space of one song, Sweet Saviour – so
poignant and flawless in its reverberations.
Sonically, the performance is full of texture. Each and every
layer of a song’s recorded counterpart is finely woven into the
stagecraft. As a full band, Villagers are a collective voice in
harmony. The set covers the entirety of The Art Of Pretending
To Swim and, such is the immaculate live imagining, at times it
can feel a little too perfect, a little arm chair and stereo. From an
audience’s perspective, that is. On stage, each swerve and sleight
of hand is a joyous embrace with the acoustic guitar. It’s far from
dimly lit folk relegated to a room of whispers, or the quietest
corner of an open mic night.
O’Brien does however opt to change into the clothes of his
former creative mindset; a rendition of Becoming A Jackal draws
a sway from the audience which is otherwise chin stroking.
Elsewhere in the mix comes Hot Scary Summer, a song whose
feeling seems no less diluted when asked to stop and recall, with
clarity, night after night throughout the tour. Its hazy reflection
is sustained by an eerie mumbling of words within the room as
though all are transported, minds commandeered, to the scene
O’Brien speaks of for four and a half minutes.
Currently, there’s no real ambiguity about Villagers. As live
act, Villagers present a complete jigsaw of wonderous detail. It’s
important, however, not to get lost in the final product delivered
on stage. The experience is incomplete without acknowledging the
hours O’Brien has spent assembling this puzzle, bit by bit, memory
by memory, to leave us with wholesome picture of his soul.
Elliot Ryder / @elliot_ryder
Villagers (John Middleton / johnmiddletonphoto.co.uk)
Father John Misty
Harvest Sun @ Eventim Olympia – 27/10
The Olympia’s ornate chandeliers and tiered seating contrast
with this evening’s host. A contrast akin to cabaret and boxing,
and yet it makes an apt choice for tonight’s gig, what with the
whimsical and more pugnacious sides to FATHER JOHN MISTY.
Something about its grandeur and the stories it could tell would
resonate with the man on stage.
Josh Tillman is an entertainer and story-teller whose lyrics
create vivid snapshots of a life far from here, but whose keen eye
for well-judged detail and a leftfield world view strikes a chord
with the assembled crowd. He’s on top form tonight, charming
the audience with warmth, humour and his tragi-comic tales and
lyrics.
From the first note of the opening song Hollywood Forever
Cemetery Sings, he holds the audience in the palm of his hand.
Mr Tillman and Disappointing Diamonds Are The Rarest Of Them
All quickly follow. He’s confident and is enjoying himself. He’s got
a powerful voice: the belly rumbling sound which emanates from
him fills the cavernous space up to the gods. The lighting cranks
up the drama and he wields the microphone stand with the
confidence of a seasoned star: he’s got some moves and perfect
élan.
It’s not just him, though. His band have much more than a
supporting role. It’s composed of musicians whose talents are
evident as they rattle through a comprehensive set list. They
cover various albums with an understanding of Father John Misty
that is surely a pre-requisite to a starting space in the band.
The between song patter is as easy, funny and intelligent
as his lyrics. The night is justifiably sold out and the crowd love
every move, shimmy and dramatic lift of the mic stand. For some
it’s the first time, others are fervent fans and for some of them it
seems almost a religious experience.
Tonight he’s in a playful mood with a sardonic response to
the expectation of an encore. We all know he will come back
on but he calls it a “stupid bit of theatre” as we play our part
and wait patiently. What could be perceived as arrogance or
petulance in a less charismatic performer is just funny as he
complains: “We just ended the set – that was the big ending I
had in mind.” The final barrier between audience and performer is
removed, we all laugh and feel that little bit closer to this inspiring
performer whose USP is being intelligent with a side order of
vulnerability and insight. Oh, and some cracking tunes.
It’s an encore worthy of the rest of the amazing night. He
performs The Palace, I Love You Honey Bear and Date Night,
and then he’s off. A poetic charmer who revels in his fallibilities,
whose legion of fans will clamour to see him again when he’s in
these parts next.
Jennie Macaulay / @jenmagmcmac
REVIEWS 47

REVIEWS
“The Coral’s heroic
local status ensure
that the crowd need
not be won over;
everyone is here to
move a little closer to
songs already kept
close to their hearts”
The Coral (Stuart Moulding / @oohshootstu)
The Coral
+ She Drew The Gun
+ Cut Glass Kings
Mountford Hall – 12/10
A performance by local lads made good, whether they be
from Merseyside, Humberside, Wearside or any other side, will
always garner a particular frisson; a ‘one of us’ air of camaraderie.
This feeling is palpable inside Mountford Hall tonight for the
return of THE CORAL. The band’s five-year hiatus ended in 2016
with the release of the album Distance Inbetween and a series
of live shows, but unfortunately their homecoming performance
at Sound City 2016 was cut short by technical problems, so we
didn’t get to see the best of them. Fast-forward to the release
of this year’s well received Move Through The Dawn and a
triumphant Skeleton Coast Festival performance in September,
and the appetite of tonight’s audience has been well and truly
whetted.
Support comes from the Skeleton Key roster in the shape
of Birmingham’s CUT GLASS KINGS and local go-getters
SHE DREW THE GUN, currently riding high with new album
Revolution Of Mind, which is garnering plenty of positive press
coverage and airplay.
A decent sized crowd are in the house as two-piece Cut
Glass Kings get us off to a rollicking start with some heavy riffing,
wailing feedback, echo-laden vocals and pounding drums in a
well received set.
You can hear ’em before you can see ’ em: She Drew The
Gun, hidden behind a curtain of blue light, blast straight into
their politically charged call-to-arms Resister. The lights swing
upwards and out across a sizeable crowd revealing singer and
guitarist Louisa Roach in full New Romantic attire. Why should
her stated aim of “dismantling capitalism” be dressed down in bib
and braces blandness? This Queen of The Wild Frontier is gonna
look cool on the front-line.
The country tinged vocal of Wolf And Bird, the driving
rhythms of Pit Pony and Resister Reprise and the spoken word
Poem, delivered solo by Roach over a delicately picked guitar
motif, provide a varied soundscape for her overt messages of
grassroots activism. “See you on the dancefloor,” says Roach as
the band launch into the agit-pop of No Hole In My Head to the
full support of a pumped up audience.
Somewhere in a corner of the room the ghost of Woody
Guthrie applauds, before slipping out into the rain to sing on
a lamp-lit street corner for pennies. As usual, he’s working
against the grain as there are many more people slipping into
the room to enjoy the classics soundtrack being played between
sets; Tom Petty, Steely Dan, CCR, T.Rex and the like, keeping
people nodding and smiling in a mixture of cosy recognition and
bubbling anticipation. By the time The Coral hit the stage to an
explosion of sound Mountford Hall is jammed. It’s about to get
sweaty. The Coral’s 20-year legacy and heroic local status ensure
that the crowd need not be won over; everyone is here to move a
little closer to the songs already kept close to their hearts.
Eight (full length, studio) albums in and there’s a lot of songs
to choose from. The setlist is harvested from seven of those
albums with a judiciously sourced cover thrown in for good
measure: The Yardbirds’ sublime Heart Full Of Soul. With its
groundbreaking Eastern-influenced guitar fuzz, it’s a perfect fit in
this 20-song set.
They kick off with Move Through The Dawn’s Sweet Release,
a song whose driving rhythm, instant guitar hook and lyrical
repetitions draw an immediate, ‘punch the air’ response from the
cheering crowd. They keep things hot with the martial drumbeat
of Chasing The Tail Of A Dream and the dead end street punch
of Something Inside Of Me before giving the crowd a breather
with Secret Kiss. It’s a track which highlights The Coral’s ability
to combine the romantic and kitchen sink drama to great effect:
“Jewels and pearls, and all the wonders of the world, mean
nothing until I return, in time for tea, sat on my settee”, James
Skelly opines.
It’s quite obvious from the ensuing response that the crowd
are here to listen as well as to party. The band themselves
are quickly into their stride. James Skelly’s echo-laden vocals
on point, Aviators protecting him from the glare of the bright
lights. The rhythm section of Ian Skelly (drums) and Paul Duffy
The Coral (Stuart Moulding / @oohshootstu)
(bass) is augmented by Jack Prince’s percussion which adds
depth and flavour to the live sound allowing Paul Molloy’s lead,
Skelly’s rhythm and Nick Power’s keys to embellish with a mix of
shimmering pop melodies, punchy riffs and soaring psychedelia.
The chiming keyboard motif of In The Morning is “doo-doodoo”ed
back at them by a joyful crowd.
The middle of the set is defined by 2016’s Distance
Inbetween, its slightly more expansive and rhythm-orientated
sound propelling us through the set. It doesn’t have the motoric
darkness of Wooden Shjips for example, but there are hints of
their rhythmic intensity in a compelling Holy Revelation and their
fuzzy glow in Million Eyes. At this point I find myself on more than
one occasion getting into the groove of a song only for it to be
brought to an abrupt end. I wasn’t after a 10-minute guitar solo,
but another couple of minutes surfing the crest of this particular
wave would be nice. However, The Coral have always adopted
a less is more approach (many of their songs come in at under
three minutes) and are well aware that the beauty of pop lies in
its brevity. They manage to cover so much ground during this set
by keeping things just so short and sweet.
Several more songs from the latest album prove that the
crowd are as well versed in the new material as the old and
Reaching Out For A Friend and Eyes Like Pearls sparkle and
shimmer along with the best of them; the latter placing the classic
geographical pop metaphors of deep ocean and wide valley in a
lush landscape.
They wait until the end to go back to the beginning with
an encore double hit of Goodbye and Dreaming Of You, both
rapturously received and sung with gusto by the dancing crowd.
Looking around at the smiling faces it’s safe to say that The Coral
gave the people what they wanted.
Glyn Akroyd / @GlynAkroyd
48

REVIEWS
Superorganism
Arts Club – 16/10
Have you ever seen a prawn start a world war? No? Fair
enough. Have you ever kissed a prawn and got a cold sore?
Yes? Whatever floats your boat. Confused? Always. These
are the kind of questions you’re faced with when you attend a
SUPERORGANISM show. Be prepared.
Superorganism burst onto the live scene late last year after
Superorganism (John Middleton / johnmiddletonphoto.co.uk)
taking the internet by storm and releasing their self-titled debut
album in March of this year. Comprising eight members from
around the world who met online and are influenced by the
internet, BoJack Horseman and incorporate household objects
into their music. They ooze the 21st Century meme culture we
live in today. Superorganism are different, and there is no beating
around the bush that they are weird. Weird in a pleasant, ‘what’s
going on?’ kind of way. The kind that means you can’t take your
eyes off the stage for the whole show. You daren’t blink in case
you miss a giant whale float across their projected backdrop
which continuously flashes with bizarre images of psychedelic
cats; or the synchronised tambourine dance moves of the three
backing singers B, Ruby and Soul. I recently spoke to Soul about
their live shows and he described it as a “circus”. I was intrigued,
but now I totally understand what he meant.
The show starts in the bizarre fashion you would expect; six
out of the eight members of the band walk onto the Arts Club
stage draped in glittery cloaks to a video of their visual design
member, Robert Strange, declaring the show has been cancelled
due to the world being consumed by the internet. The show
isn’t cancelled, but he’s not wrong about the internet. Then,
out causally strolls, Orono, the group’s 18-year-old lead singer,
Chinese takeaway in one hand and a can of Magners in the other.
Superorganism might have been born in the digital age, but
they still have an edge of indie rock ‘n’ roll to them. And while a
lot of their music may be sampled, there are still guitars, drums
and keyboards chiming away on stage adding to the live show
experience. Strobes light up the room and excited cheers come
from a very mixed audience of young and old fans, fans from
different digital generations, as the group kick off the evening
with SPRORGNSM. Still adorned in capes, the backing vocalists
burst into their dance routines, find a couple of orbs that glow
in the dark and jump right into Night Time. A rendition of Happy
Birthday from the crowd is instigated by Orono for a 16-year-old
in the audience; a heart to heart with the crowd over her unfished
dinner is had; and her excitement over being of legal age to drink
in the UK is celebrated with more cider before The Prawn Song –
a personal favourite – kicks in. There is something surreal about
a room full of people singing “I’m happy just being a prawn”,
like it’s totally normal. However, I think it perfectly sums up the
playfulness and experimental nature of the art-pop band who
don’t take themselves too seriously.
Wrapping up the show with fan favourites Everybody Wants
To Be Famous and Something For Your M.I.N.D., after only 45
minutes they’ve played every song on their album. It’s all over
far too quickly. We must not forget, though, 18 months ago
Superorganism didn’t exist. So, to be packing out venues around
the world on the back of a small amount of internet exposure and
one album is pretty impressive. Where next for their circus? Just
imagine how big and wild it could be after another 18 months.
Sophie Shields
Gruff Rhys
+ Group Listening
Harvest Sun @ Arts Club – 17/11
Wales hosts a mini invasion of Arts Club tonight; it’s like
a tasty buffet of contemporary Welsh music making. Support
duo GROUP LISTENING’s combination of clarinet and piano/
keyboard played by Sweet Baboo’s Stephen Black and Paul Jones
respectively, lull into an easy, thoughtful frame of mind. Their
all-too-short set of ambient instrumental interpretations of music,
delivered by a range of composers and songwriters, is fresh and
uplifting. In a version Euros Childs’ The Dog, the isolation of the
clarinet adds a touching poignancy. A soothing, simple piano
replaces Childs’ original buzzy keys; it still retains that unique
hymnal calm. Raymond Scott’s The Happy Whistler, intended as
a hypnotic baby coddler, we’re told, is cheery and bright.
There’s a mystery man lashing what looks like human teeth
at Black and Jones from up above. But closer inspection reveals
proceedings aren’t quite so macabre, it’s actually pistachio nuts.
Is this a new rock ’n’ roll thing?
When GRUFF RHYS ambles on to the stage half an hour
later, it’s to Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra, the same
music Elvis Presley karate chopped his way on stage to in Las
Vegas back in the 70s. The Super Furry Animals front man is truly
a fellow icon, albeit slightly more low-key and one who enjoys
natural fibres over an unforgiving polyester-stretch jumpsuit. He
has a status carrying with it its own tributes and dedications. It
seems fitting, then, that Rhys’ band is a current Cardiff supergroup
of sorts, starring residents of the city. Stephen Black
returns onstage for bass, sax and flute duties, effervescent ex-
Flaming Lip Kliph Scurlock settles behind the drum kit, and The
Peth and Sibrydion’s Osian Gwynedd is master of the keyboard.
Gruff Rhys himself sits with an acoustic guitar and picks up and
twiddles with electronic gadgets arranged about his feet; when
he does the latter, he’s happy to be in his own quirky little wizard
world of beeps and squeaks.
The foursome take the unusual route of performing the
Babelsberg album in faithful, formal running order, a move
typically reserved for anniversary tours of decades old reissued
records. There’s no need for a smattering of hits to keep interest
piqued over this first hour; while Babelsberg is, it’s fair to say,
Rhys’ straightest and most grown-up album to date, he’s not an
artist to bask in past glories.
If anything, the performance tonight underpins what a
favourite Babelsberg has become in these few short months.
The orchestra on the recording isn’t missed in this more stripped
down band arrangement. When Rhys performs the Lily Cole
duet Selfies In The Sunset on his own, a more earthy charm
replaces sweetness, but the wit and irony stays firm. Negative
Vibes invites audience participation; it gets it. On the album,
Architecture Of Amnesia leaps out because it wouldn’t be out
of place on a Super Furry Animals record, yet live we have a
bare-footed Scurlock adding a little more risk; he seems ready to
pounce into an adventurous drum solo, but pulls himself back to
safety in the nick of time.
The following romp through Gruff Rhys’ back catalogue is an
even more familiar pleasure. There’s a wonderful version of SFA’s
Gruff Rhys (Lucy McLachlan / lucyalexandramclachlan.com)
Colonise The Moon, with Black on glorious sax and even a golden
spotlight to match. Rhys, a longstanding champion of the Welsh
language and music, also includes the joyful Gyrru Gyrru Gyrru
and Lolo.
There’s also room for storytelling, with crowd favourite
Skylon’s epic tale explained and printed out, pages and pages
and pages of it. And we can’t forget the absurd theatre of the
notorious handmade signs. TAX THE RICH (OK, sounds good),
APPLAUSE (that was going to happen anyway, he’s safe) and the
rest duly hoisted up, cheered at and lashed about – like pistachio
nuts – bringing the experience to an anarchic and unexpectedly
emotional end.
Cath Bore / @cathbore
50

Seabass IV: Deadliest Catch
Eggy Records @ Sound – 27/10
It’s becoming something of tradition to dive deep into the
murkiest crevices of the minds of Eggy Records in search of the
elusive seabass. By now, the event is growing in its franchise, but
rather than swimming into stagnant waters and billing Seabass:
The Revenge, we’re presented with a catch convulsing with life.
A wondrous fin flap to the face in the form of fuzz-soaked guitar
spread across seven hours.
If previous voyages had staved off the bends, then an all-day
dip into the lawless below is sure to leave bubbles in the brain.
The straight up and down transition required, from basement to
bar area, only heightens the need for a decompression chamber
as proceedings stretch further into the night.
House rules: fishy attire is encouraged; post-set cigarettes no
longer than three minutes. No act is left behind, no band turns up
their nose at watching the other.
Tonight’s school of attendees swarm from basement to
bar, taking a breath only to inhale through an extra slim filter.
Distorted ripples set the course of the night and all happily oblige
in following the path as though hacked out by a once marooned
sea captain. It’s unruly. It dips more than a toe in freest pools that
can be granted.
SAMURAI KIP have the gruff vocals worthy of seasoned
salty sea shanties. Instead their blend of jazz and desert riffs
is presented as more of an odyssey, an exploration within the
depths of the basement – the hold of this loosely captained
vessel. The stabs of trombone pierce through the attention of
the room and remain lodged, long after the reverberations have
softened. This band even takes the crown for best fish attire for
the evening; an aluminium salmon lodged on the vocalist’s head.
It screams tin foil kipper, but all in attendance know there’s a wise
wanderer’s philosophy blowing through the brain below. They’re
contenders for strongest performers on the night.
ILL are much less starry-eyed. If anything, they’re a wake up
call. A violent alarm clock, in the musical sense. Their penchant
for offbeat hi hat is reminiscent of The Rapture. Coincidental,
maybe, but this outfit give it a good go of attempting to beckon
down the flames from above. The metaphors don’t stop here,
though. A fish made up of filled binbags spins over head of the
crowd in the upstairs space. Who knew Eggy Records would
want to make such socio-environmental statement with one of
their props for the evening? Thought provocation and tinnitus.
Attenborough meets the swirling punk ethos of Dead Kennedys.
A combination that is seeming Eggy’s new USP. They do it well.
Orderly free for all. That’s how it feels when JO MARY make
their entrance. They’re a band in search for the red line. It’s an
atmosphere they bask in, holding everyone on the edge of the
unthinkable. Their set comes and goes in a flash, and it appears
little has been broken. This could have been a different story,
though, if the fish masked man on mobile percussion hadn’t
reassessed his decision to dive from the speakers scraping the
roof of the basement. It’s all in good fun. Unlike the band’s set, all
that comes crashing down is a piñata that becomes an airborne
missile until the distortion pedals have been laid to rest.
MEATRAFFLE are absorbing. Their signature brand of
bastard music is unlike anything else on the bill, allowing, or
maybe gifting, them salience through contrast. It’s exactly
what you’d expect from proletariat punks hailing from a city
smouldering with capitalist fumes. The trumpet is melancholic,
but the riffs are wiry, the bass uneasy yet consistent, marching on
like a heart running on toxins to help avert tomorrow’ madness
– just for a little while longer. “Give it up for the people’s socialist
republic of Liverpool” is the call from the stage after each song.
It’s wonderfully resilient music, afloat in a sea of chaos. Having
already announced themselves to the city with a performance at
Psych Fest, this evening is sure to extend a welcome as anytime
squatters in Merseyside.
By now EYESORE & THE JINX have been touted one of
the prize yolks in the Eggy basket. They’re last on tonight, and
they’ve retained the majority of the crowd as Saturday is slowly
becoming Sunday. A perfect fit to launch the final expedition into
the seabass lair; their mutant-surf riffs are just what’s need to
lure out the last of the deep-sea divers into the red flag waters.
Everyone follows, and with good reason. It’s thunderous, as
though Dick Dale had been asked to soundtrack the murky waves
of Mersey rubbing away its poisonous industrial history. More of
the same, please.
Elliot Ryder / @elliot_ryder
Get The Blessing
Parr Jazz @ Parr Street Studios – 11/10
Parr Jazz are breaking with the mould of their weekly
Tuesday live music programme and popular jam sessions at
Studio2. It’s not without reason. Tonight they welcome Bristolian
quartet GET THE BLESSING to the former recording studio on
Parr Street.
Early arrivals assemble between the live space and the
bar, located in the old control room, which has kept its original
features, including the studio viewing window. The scene is set
by a Parr Jazz resident vinyl only DJ session by Liverpool-based
selectors Elliot Hutchinson and Tobias Bode. The duo spin some
delightful sounds across Brazilian jazz, Italian library and classic
hip hop ready samples.
Get The Blessing take to the stage in their renowned
matching suits and are welcomed by an eager audience. It
doesn’t take long for the foot stomping and head bopping
to start. Get The Blessing harness jazz and rock effortlessly,
seamlessly stitching styles and tempos through their sets. The
majority of tracks being performed feature on their latest studio
album, Bristopia, alongside some “not so golden oldies”, as
guitarist and frontman Jim Barr explains.
The band dynamic and understanding of each other is
noticeable. It’s not surprising. Get The Blessing formed in 1999
when Jim Barr and Clive Deamer (Portishead’s rhythm section)
teamed up with Jake McMurchie and Pete Judge over their mutal
appreciation for jazz, Ornette Coleman in particular. It’s a musical
understanding that verges on symbiotic.
They early stages of the set include If It Can It Will,
Not With Standing and Recorded For Training And Quality
Purposes. As we scurry towards the second half the set steps
up with renditions of Cellophant, Sunwise and The Second
Third. Get The Blessing’s experimental nature is prominent but
never overbearing as they demonstrate the band’s collective
musicianship as each track unfolds. One track sees drummer Clive
Deamer start with only his hands on the drums before gradually
progressing to drum sticks and maraca, while saxophonist Jake
McMurchie plays a track with just the instrument’s mouth pipe.
The showman shop serves to add an extra depth to the band’s
already daring sounds.
Jim Barr’s impromptu announcements between tracks are
well received by the audience. He explains the notions behind
some of the tracks, humorous sidenotes and even includes a
member of the crowd. This leaves the band in a laughing fit.
Get The Blessing’s ease at taking risks live on stage is
infectious and makes the quartet a must watch live band.
Lee Fleming / @Antisocialjazzclub
“Get The
Blessing’s ease
at taking risks
on stage is
infectious”
Get The Blessing (Glyn Akroyd / @GlynAkroyd)
REVIEWS 51

REVIEWS
Nick Mulvey
Arts Club – 12/10
Is this what we’ve been reduced to? Are we witnessing the
desperate, pained horror of music and the way we celebrate it
finally breathing its last miserable and hopeless breath? What’s
that sound? Is it the end? That agonised, guttural and wretched
hacking cough of a long, slow death, as the air grows thinner
around it. It’s fading away. Time slips ever further and even
quicker. Is this the end of days?
What it once was is not what it now is. It lies forlorn, with
its back turned on the glorious energy and blinding light of a
dreamlike youth so painfully far behind it. Almost a dream. A
nightmare. A long-since-enjoyed trip. Is it over yet? Has the
pain finally consumed it, regurgitating itself inside out, smeared
in its own entrails for the evil-eyed vulture of consumerism to
scavenge from its fetid, turgid and rotten corpse? This diabolical
and visceral dystopia. Music, no fucking more.
Here we have the culture of self. We are consumed by an
age of filter-faced fucking narcissism, instant gratification and
the buy now, fuck off-tomorrow disposability of our times.
Nothing matters any more. Who cares? Nothing lasts forever,
even memories. They can be replaced just as quick as they took
to happen, as along as we’ve enough GB on our device. What
matters is me. Just me. Taking a photo of me, superimposed with
cute bunny ears or fucking cat’s whiskers. With my favourite
musician behind me onstage. A picture I’ll never look at, a film I’ll
never watch. Our yelled and dull conversations with our friends
take precedence over the music we claim to like. But that’s fine.
We’ve paid for our tickets, so we’re entitled. Entitled. Fucking
entitled.
NICK MULVEY’s gig at Arts Club brings a huge crowd. Busy,
busy. You can’t move. Or hear. A Friday night in Liverpool. Never
the best time to go and watch a man with a guitar do two equally
unmoving and depressingly magnolia sets of god knows what.
Judging by the size of the crowd though, much fuss is made of
this artist. Weeks later, I’m still struggling to think why. You see,
this is the problem with artists building their fanbase through
streaming. There’s no investment from the audience, literally,
figuratively, or financially. No link. No connection between artist
and listener. Albums are dead. Irrelevant, almost. People pick
a single song, maybe two, and will happily buy a ticket for the
show to hear and sing along to those two songs, and only those
two. That’s how it works. The rest doesn’t matter. It’s disposable.
Instantly. Once it’s over, they continue the conversation. Loudly,
insistently and depressingly. And let’s not forget. They’ve bought
the ticket, so they’re entitled, right? Don’t forget that.
Not that it matters at this Mulvey gig. It doesn’t matter at
all, because there is nothing to hear. Nothing worth hearing at
any rate. Just the bland, insipid and limp musings of an artist so
dull, so wet and utterly soulless, we wondered how hundreds of
years of folk, blues, soul, jazz, rock and roll, punk and everything
else had left so little mark on him. Nothing. No lessons learned
from anything. His music, at least as presented here, offers no
challenge, nor solace. Free of soul, character or belief, it asks
no questions and brings no answers. It neither enthuses nor
engages. It is a nothing. And in the Arts Club, a throwaway
nothing. Earnest in intent perhaps, but ultimately unworthy in its
delivery. So, we endure the sigh inducing, eye-rolling spectacle
of someone performing instantly forgettable music to an
uninterested crowd of onlookers busying themselves with their
own lives, their own brief and petty distractions. Music should
help. On this occasion, it isn’t even a hindrance. And, like this
review probably, it just doesn’t matter. None of it.
We leave at the end, and breathing the cold relief of the
Autumn air, we head home to drink pints of gin and tonic and
watch Japanese cartoons. And that’s fine, because we’re entitled.
Paul Fitzgerald / @NothingvilleM
Nick Mulvey (Darren Aston)
John Waters
Homotopia @ Philharmonic Hall – 10/11
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Gazing across the crowd in the Phil tonight is akin to being on the set of a JOHN WATERS
movie. Beautifully sculptured moustaches, leopard print dresses, hair of every colour and some of
the finest retro outfits outside of Baltimore. John Waters is back in town and we freaks just love it.
His last Homotopia appearance five years ago conjured similar scenes as he prowls the stage
reminiscing about his movies and his Dreamland buddies; tales peppered with delicious obscenity
and acid wit. This time round he has some perfect source material to work on, biting into Trump and
getting his head around modern parenting in a time of accelerating political correctness. It’s not a
trait Waters is known for. He announces that he wants to run for presidency – “Let’s face it, anyone
can get in now” – and his plans are unsurprisingly sleazy in the extreme. At 71, his R-rated views
on life should come across as unpleasantly sordid, but bad taste is his stock in trade. Therefore, he
remains comfortably loveable and irresistibly hilarious.
His tirades plough mercilessly through topics of ‘can you be too gay?’, ‘can you be too straight?’,
airline toilets and horrible children – each barb delivered in Waters’ Baltimore drawl and trademark
sneer. Some obsessions remain, he still lusts after Bieber (despite his new-found religion) and has
a new-found object of desire in Troye Sivan. Even here he manages not to descend into pure dirty
uncle creepiness, just a theatrical playfulness.
Some of the material tonight has followed Waters round for years; we have already heard his
list of favourite perversions: the snowman is a favourite, seriously out grossing tea-bagging. His
on-set tales, working chronologically through his celluloid atrocities are also a regular feature of
his show, but each time updated with tales of his cast’s exploits. Each character he treats as family
with a genuine warmth. He tells of how he visited Cry Baby star Amy Locane in prison after a fatal
accident due to drink driving; you can sense his sincere concern. With so many Dreamlanders now
dead he talks of how he has already booked his plot alongside them in the cemetery, in an area he
calls Disgraceland.
The usual perverse tales of early movies like Mondo Trasho and Pink Flamingos satisfy
everyone and he ably justifies his move to the mainstream with the Hairspray musical by explaining
how it has given a voice to so many overweight girls. His sadness for the early demise of his unique
muse, Divine, is still present, and he tells how a statue is being planned to commemorate the star on
the corner where a certain snack was consumed over 40 years ago.
When Waters invites the audience to ask questions his real humility shows. He loves his fans
and never patronises with smart-ass answers. When someone says she is doing her dissertation on
him he is clearly intrigued and grateful. The ninety-minute show is over too soon as Waters urges
his crowd to contribute to keeping this world filthy. Virtually the entire audience rush to the foyer
to meet their hero up close and personal with books to sign. It’s a lengthy but worthwhile wait as
he treats each fan with respect and genuine interest. Despite his status as the world’s leading cult
director, there resides no pretence.
Spending the evening in the presence of John Waters is an elevating, hilarious, intimate, and
pleasantly shocking experience. You really do sense that you are in the room with a true living
legend of absolute filth.
Del Pike / @del_pike
52

First Aid Kit
+ The Staves
EVOL @ Mountford Hall – 24/10
It’s been a long time since I attended a gig at Mountford
Hall. Over a decade ago, in fact, to see Motörhead perform.
Being back feels like home, although the circumstances this
time are much different. Instead of the heavy, rock’n’rollinfused
riffs of the late Lemmy Kilmister, I’m here to listen
to Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg perform
their distinctive brand of indie folk rock. According to their
support act, THE STAVES, I’m “in for a fucking treat”.
The Staves – a trio comprising sisters Jessica, Camilla
and Emily Staveley-Taylor – introduce themselves with a
harmonised, intertwining a cappella that stuns the sold-out
crowd into silence. This creates a sort of intimacy between
the trio and their audience that remains throughout their
30-minute set. It is an unusual feeling – almost ethereal
– and at times I forget I am in a packed 2,300-capacity
venue; the silence only breaking in between each song to
rapturous applause.
The Staves, just like FIRST AID KIT, have been
described as folk, but their compositions and lyrical content
are dark, brooding harmonies hinting at a band that,
despite the beauty displayed in their voices, are just as
pissed off as the rest of us. “Oh, I’m tired as fuck. Oh, I’m
tired as fuck. Dry my eyes on the back of my sleeve and do
my coat up.”
As guitarist Klara and bassist Johanna take the stage,
followed by their live band – Melvin Duffy, Scott Simpson
and Steve Moore – they waste no time by delving into
their latest album, Ruins, performing Distant Star and the
single It’s A Shame. Under the shared spotlight, and in
front of a video projection, the Söderberg sisters sing in
perfect harmony. Unable to contain their excitement from
the crowd, they play various tracks from 2012’s The Lion’s
Roar and 2014’s Stay Gold, including Master Pretender.
The highlight of their set comes when Klara switches
her acoustic for an electric guitar and begins strumming
with more ferocity than First Aid Kit’s usual low-key folk
sound. Her vocals become hoarser as she declares, “I am
so sick and tired of this world”. This is First Aid Kit’s nonalbum
single You Are the Problem Here, a song written in
reaction to sexual assault and rape culture. “You are the
problem here. No one made you do anything... and I... hope
you fucking suffer.”
Addressing the song afterwards Klara and Johanna
question why it is the victims of sexual assault that are
asked questions pertaining to temptation; challenging them
as if they are somehow at fault. First Aid Kit’s message is
clear. Victims of rape should not be blamed. If you rape, you
are the fucking problem, and, to the loudest applause of the
night, Klara declares “this is a song we wish we didn’t feel
the need to write... This is our sexual assault protest song”.
From their latest EP, Tender Offerings, First Aid Kit
perform the track Ugly, a song about compromising who
you truly are in an effort to gain the affections of others.
It is quite the contrast to the previous song, but no less
important in its message. “Oh, if I’m ugly, I am still so much
more than that. I’m so much more than you’ll ever know.”
For their encore, First Aid Kit begin by playing the song
that bears the name of this tour: Rebel Heart. And now
I’m singing along. There is something about this particular
song that gives me Fleetwood Mac vibes – particularly the
warmth of their 1977 album Rumours. Fireworks soon
follows, before First Aid Kit finish their set with My Silver
Lining to an appreciative audience. Smiles stretching from
each of their faces as they embrace the applause on what
has been a night of sadness, anger, self-reflection and
uplifting Americana.
First Aid Kit (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
Ken Wynne / @attackplanetb
First Aid Kit (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
The Blinders
+ White Room
+ The K’s
I Love Live Events @ Arts Club – 29/10
Society is under scrutiny tonight. The people in this room are
tired of the political state of the world. We sing along to music
that encapsulates what it is to stand by your morals and say
what many refuse to. With Brazil’s new far-right leader being
appointed only yesterday, THE BLINDERS’ musical “fuck you” to
societal norms, in the form of their debut album Columbia, packs
even more of a punch now than it did upon first listen.
THE K’s explore the monotony of life. Their music seems
ill fitting when compared to that of WHITE ROOM and The
Blinders. The band certainly retaining more of a mainstream indie
vibe than their counterparts tonight. Their biggest hit, Sarajevo,
seems to have been on just about every one of my Spotify Daily
Mix playlists, and has never been skipped, I can assure you.
Instrumentally, the band seem very positive, but their cynical
lyrics take you by surprise. Hailing from Earlestown, this band
have grown up in the shadows of Manchester and Liverpool,
something that could explain their uniquely non-generic,
conforming, confusing musical production.
With his crisp suit, bleached hair and blue eyeshadow, Jake
Smallwood steps on stage. White Room’s frontman displays clear
evidence Bowie influence. His gruff vocals are complemented by
the spacey sounds produced by Josie McNamara (bass, vocals).
Together the five piece’s twisted exploration of the landscape
they inhabit is captivating. With it being so close to Halloween, it
would be ridiculous not to boast of the appropriate nature of their
psychedelic, eerie, dystopian tune, Cannibal Song. Everyone is in
awe of this twisted cinematic thriller.
The signature black streaks seen on the front cover of
Columbia are smeared down Blinders frontman Thomas
Haywood’s face. Sexism and toxic masculinity are banned from
entering this space, but leftist ideas and forward-thinking politics
are very much at home. The Blinders’ new wave political punk
tears apart what we as a society accept as norms; they rebuke
them. Free The Slave sums them up; they want to reject reality
and carve the way for a new world. The song itself is arguably
the most powerful comment on society from the music industry
since “you are sleeping, you do not want to believe”, once sung
by The Smiths and Morrissey. While The Blinders’ chant is
certainly less concise than the Mancunian legends’, in today’s
political climate, it seems that subtlety will not get you far. Brash
actions are needed. This band have witnessed the effects of
right-wing politics first hand, hailing from the ex-coal mining
town of Doncaster, and their debut album observes not just the
struggles close to home, but in every winner-takes-all society
around the globe.
Megan Walder / @m_l_wald
REVIEWS 53

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THURSDAY 25TH APRIL
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27 May 2019
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Saturday 15 December – Saturday 23 March 2019
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unexpected. I’m looking
for things I’ve never
seen before
— Robert Mapplethorpe, Art News, 1988
Image: Robert Mapplethorpe, Patti Smith, 1975
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180911_BidoLito_Advert.indd 2 14/11/2018 14:59

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december
01 1874 Northwich H 3.00 HSL
08 Burscough H 3.00 MC3
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17 widnes a 7.45 lsc
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26 bootle h TBC HSL
29 Winsford United a 3.00 HSL
Watch city of liverpool this season
adults £6 concessions £3 under 15’s free!
TDP Solicitors Stadium, vesty road, bootle l30 1NY
Rob Heron &
The Tea Pad
Orchestra
Philharmonic Hall,
Liverpool
Wednesday 13th February
Ezio
Philharmonic Hall,
Liverpool
Saturday 2nd March
Kristin Hersh
plus band
Philharmonic Hall,
Liverpool
Saturday 16th March
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SHARING
STORIES FROM
THE CITY
Download the brand-new
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that deserve a second look.
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ARTISTIC
LICENCE
As part of our continuing series focusing on the region’s
wordsmiths, we’ve curated a selection of work from some
regulars on the city’s poetry scene.
Ellis Williams
Earth Turning
earth turning
i wish i could have walked across your homeland split
orange and burning
i wish you could have walked across mine split grey and
hurting
but instead
we meet under a spyglass and now the earth is turning
i wish you could have seen what i have saturday nights in
the rain a damp liverpool pavement waiting for something
anything to take away from a desperation
i wish i could have seen what you have where the sky goes
on forever and you walk on the air a cold wind driven mad
through your hair
but now we are here together in white noise
one million flashbulbs burned into our eyes
walk with me put your ear to the floor
and if you’re lucky
you will hear the earth turning
Tammy Reynolds
Last Night
I took a pair of scissors from my desk and got into bed.
I rested the blade on my little finger and clamped down
on the knuckle. Snipping through the skin was easy,
it cut through like raw chicken, then crack.
The stubborn bone gave way under pressure.
Four fingers later, I had to switch hands,
Zena Davine
STRANGE WAYS TO DIE
I once saw a boy swallow a sex toy,
And rush off to a+e,
They said you’re shit out of luck,
Your insides are fucked,
That’s why you don’t eat dildos for tea
I once saw a man get his foot stuck in a van,
Pullin’ him into oncoming traffic,
He flew through the sky,
As golfers screamed nine,
And died of altitude sickness
I once saw a girl swallow a hundred pearls,
And turn into a human bean bag,
A whale thought she was a cushion,
probably cashmere or Russian,
And squashed that poor little nag
I once saw a punk get far too drunk,
An’ try to make out with a moose,
Stinkin’ of ale, he went kinda pale,
When the moose’s husband let loose
I once saw an emo punch Danny DeVito,
Start throwin’ fists in a brawl,
They rolled over a cliff,
As the little fella slipped,
Now all that’s left is his jaw
Listen kids, grown ups and nits,
There’s a trillion and one ways to die,
It’s a not matter of how,
It’s a matter of why,
Bonus points if you’re thrown into the sky
I eased the handles onto my red stumps;
blood makes everything slippery.
The skin of my thumb caught on the blades,
and splintered bone dropped onto the covers.
I couldn’t do the same to my right hand,
how else would I have written this?
I let go of the scissors, turned off the light,
and kicked up the wet quilt.
My fingertips fell to the floor,
and I went to sleep.
60

Day Mattar
Today
i’m good // rape’s the chair leg
i’ve not swung me foot into // sat at the table
wrapped birthday presents in front of the window
made coffee for me flatmates parents // ran 4k in the rain
and didn’t think about it // i sang in the shower
and didn’t think about it // it’s the leg of a chair i’m not
gonna break over me own back today // i ate one of them
donuts with cream in the middle // and thought about it
and scoffed it all anyway // rape is the chair leg
i played footsie with writing this poem // pushed
back under the table when i was done
Esme Davine
I like TV
I like TV
I like TV
I like TV
I like t.v.
I like TV
I like TV
I like tv
Lyin’ on the couch drinking Lucozade
And all of my troubles seem far away
My eyeballs feel like raspberry jelly
Guess I’ll just watch Tom and Jerry
I like TV
I like TV
I like TV
I like TV
I like t.v.
I like TV
I like TV
I like tv
Stretch me out like Michael television
I don’t wanna break out it’s my favourite prison
My eyeballs feel like strawberry jelly
But I wanna watch the fuckin’ telly
@niloo0151
Local 2
Look we’re not cold as we rub our hands in Chinese
chippies and Pound Pubs and Poundlands and racist
taxis and smoking areas of wine bars named after racist
dads with creaky floorboards and incomprehensible
chalkboards with scrawled, never-changing menus
where we go to whet our weather-beaten eccentricities.
The potholes stay open and so do we, huddling in the
spaces missed by Google Maps, clusters of sleepy racist
sub-towns which we hate, embroiled in the ecstasies of
small-time hatred in reoccurring hairstyles and reoccurring
outfits but the boys won’t admit it the rules dissolve if
they’re spoken here so we just follow them and we won’t
admit to a thing, we’d have to spit them away as a matter
of integrity. Do birds ask the way of each other? This flock
formed with the silent accord of blood, we organise on
instinct only, glancing across at the others under streetlamps
with their correct shades of blonde and heels so tall
they’ll make your back bleed but not ours with our pinched
faces, and we don’t even need to concentrate, we’ll pierce
you good with the silent cruelty of iron-clad trends and
we’re still not cold. We’re traditionalists, I suppose and
you’ll apologise for a moment for your brown face and
wire-hair and the soft hair on your knuckles and the
kindness of your mother and your curfew. But many years
getting taxis through streets named for the evil, to some
sordid party where others kiss, always turned away from
you until the noise of our nonsense sickens me, and the
taxi driver says, “No, I meant originally” and you explain
again, and again, there, later – many years of that and I tell
you what, I love you, Liverpool, but you sure don’t love me.
ARTISTIC FEATURE LICENCE
61

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