Issue 96 / February 2019

REVIEWS
ROUND UP
A selection of the best of the
rest from another busy month of
live action on Merseyside.
Mogwai (Tomas Adam)
The Orielles
+ Brad Stank
+ Three From Above
+ SPILT
EVOL and Harvest Sun @ Invisible Wind
Factory – 07/12
A sort of ethereal daze surrounds me as the words “I’ve
never been a fan of reviews” roll off BRAD STANK’s tongue.
Well, I’m sorry Brad, but Bido Lito! are here tonight. With his
combination of psych, soul and pop, he has the whole room
swaying with songs such as Pond Weed – something his bassist
may have amusingly had too much of. A Sunday morning vibe
encompasses the room on this very Friday night. Brad has
been one to watch out for a while now and 2018 has definitely
been his year following the release of his debut album, Eternal
Slowdown.
SPILT drag me back to the start of the weekend. A musical
scream, a reminder to do whatever the hell I want. There’s also a
slight fear that I might have stepped into an asylum, not a music
venue, such is the shrill echo of their sound. Donning a jumpsuit,
lead singer Mo grabs the mic as well as everyone’s attention. An
unusual blend of grunge and punk contrast the earlier tranquil
atmosphere, but with THE ORIELLES as headliners, it seems
Pizzagirl
+ Brad Stank
I Love Live Events @ Sound Basement
01/12
Straight out of his Beatzzeria – otherwise known as his
mum’s spare bedroom turned home music studio – and into
Sound’s basement, PIZZAGIRL, who is neither a girl nor made of
pizza, serves up a night of cheesy 80s synth inspired pop tunes.
It’s his first hometown headline show. Now, I don’t mean to say
the tracks are cheesy in the unpleasant sense of the word; they
are quite the opposite. They’re the equivalent of a four-cheese
pizza with a stuffed crust, evenly distributed pepperoni and some
pineapple – a classic with an unconventional twist. Everyone
wants a slice of it. My penchant for Pizzagirl’s tracks aren’t a
secret though, and I’ve been spreading the love to everyone I
come into contact with, urging them to take a bite of the action
(and follow his genius Instagram account).
Before Pizzagirl takes to the stage to serve up his bedroom
pop offerings, smooth talking soul crooner BRAD STANK chills
out the crowd with his sultry dark tones and sexy guitar rhythms.
It feels like we should all be smoking cigars, while nursing a
whisky on a chaise lounges in a jazz bar basement. We’re already
in a basement, but if you close your eyes and immerse yourself in
the music, you can imagine the rest. It’s the perfect appetiser for
the main course.
Pizzagirl – or Liam Brown to his mum – then takes to the
stage with his MacBook, synth and Denise in tow. Denise, it turns
The Orielles (Brian Sayle / briansaylephotography.co.uk)
only right to have support acts that also refuse to sit in a box,
refuse to conform to just one genre.
After a deep breath and a drink, I’ve just about recovered
from the shock of SPILT when that unanimous silence fills the
room, I guess now is the time to get back to the front of the
crowd. As The Orielles step on stage, I recognise Henry Wade
(guitar, vocals) as the guy who was rocking out next to me just
moments earlier. I immediately know this is going to be amazing.
Now this guy wears his devil-may-care attitude on his sleeve,
and along with bandmate Alex Stephens (keys), he doesn’t just
have the audience bouncing, but the stage too. With a multitude
of musical instruments, most of which I last saw in school, The
Orielles’ originality feels even more ingenious, they’ve taken
something from the shadows of our memories and made it cool.
Whistle, cowbells, double block guiro, this band almost don’t
need vocals. Almost. Sugar Tastes Like Salt demonstrates how
amazing the band is with limited vocal content. Their brand
new single, Bobbi’s Second World, is a fine example of how
the band are increasing the presence of the inquisitive and airy
vocals of Esmé Hand-Halford, it’s all complemented by the
rather bizarre and, at times, amusing vocal sound effects that
Henry Wade and Sidonie Hand-Halford (drums, vocals) produce.
This band use everything in their power to blend and unite the
weird and wonderful aspects of everything that they love. In
some ways, this four-piece have created a Yorkshire version of
Superorganism. The Northerner in me beams with pride watching
them shake things up. Rules? Not in this building, not tonight.
Megan Walder / @m_l_wald
out, is his new guitar who is also making her debut tonight. After
a few technical difficulties, which we will put down to nerves, she
helps provide that distinctive Pizzagirl sound.
Diving straight into Body Part, the first track off his recently
released Season 2 EP, you can tell the people in the room are
well versed on Pizzagirl’s zany pop tunes. Everyone is instantly
singing and bopping along. Nostalgia-inducing Gymnasium and
stand out track Coffee Shop, with its catchy riffs, stuck in your
head for days riffs, continue to keep the toes tapping as he stops
service to have a chat with the packed out basement. Throwing
in a few songs from his first EP, An Extended Play, including
Carseat, a song dedicated to all those people who don’t drive and
have the ultimate power in the passenger seat – control of the
music – continue the same John Hughes 80s cult movie classic
vibes. Ending with new release Blossom At My Feet, Flower
and oldies Seabirds and Private Number, a raging applause is
instigated from an adoring crowd after a stellar performance.
Pizzagirl creates nostalgic, ironic pop culture tunes from
the 80s and early 90s and thrusts them into the 21st Century. It
sounds upbeat with dark, sad indie undertones laced throughout
the lyrics; think a modern day Morrisey, mixed with the Breakfast
Club Soundtrack and Rugrats theme tune. Pizzagirl has come up
with a unique sound and it is refreshing to witness something so
unique and genuinely fun from someone who was probably only
born at the turn of the millennium.
After recently playing Reading and Leeds Festival on the BBC
Introducing stage and receiving some impressive radio airplay, it’s
not going to be long before the 12” (pizzas) records will be flying
out of the Beatzzeria and off the shelves.
Sophie Shields
The soundscapes which lie before Matt Hogarth at
the Eventim Olympia are the soundscapes of winter; dark,
nuanced with glimmers of hope from the low winter sun.
There’s hope to be had in the that much needed light which
fills our grey shadows at this time of year. The mood inside
the venue for tonight’s MOGWAI show is in keeping with the
conditions, as T-shirts glare back at these eyes emblazoned
with the words ‘Brexit: is shite’.
As the Scottish post-rock Titans get into full swing, the
crowd are plunged deep into blisteringly loud depths, as
brilliant reds and luscious blues flood the theatre. It feels
as though the ceiling could collapse at any moment, as
lighting fixtures rattle under the strain of the wall of sound.
Any fleeting moments of serenity are shattered by blasts of
sonic destruction accompanied by blinding light – and it’s as
cathartic as music gets.
“Does humour belong in music?” queried Frank Zappa.
For ALABAMA 3 and Glyn Akroyd, there seems to be no
doubt: their adoption of alter-egos for the band members;
the southern preacher personas of the band’s two frontmen.
The levity of image and content has polarised the critics and
has resulted in them remaining something of a cult, despite
over 20 years of touring. To NME they are “a monumental
waste of time”, while Time Out reckons that “they swing like
the devil’s own dick”. The gleeful disciples packed inside the
O2 Academy are swingin’ with Satan on this one.
The Capstone Theatre is a perfect choice for ED
HARCOURT’s return to Liverpool, particularly given the
nature of his newest release, Beyond The End. A collection
of autumnal, atmospheric works, piano led (and with the
added strings of Harcourt’s wife Gita), the album is at times
haunting and dark, cinematic and picturesque. On a quiet
Sunday evening, Paul Fitzgerald escapes the noise of our
everyday, ultra-connected lives for some welcome moments
away from the tyranny of our devices, finding some much
needed space and time in the company of one of the UK’s
most underrated songwriters.
Where to start with DAN STUART? Musician, novelist,
ex-addict, ex-ex-pat, as colourful a character as you can
find over the last 30-odd years in the music biz. Stuart and
collaborator TOM HEYMAN performed first as The Serfers
and then as Green On Red, becoming cult proponents of a
B-movie, noir sensibility, peddling tales of outsider heartache
for low down losers told with a wry humour and deceptive
simplicity. Glyn Akroyd is in place at Naked Lunch for this
show for the ages, delivered by a musician who hasn’t
allowed the vicissitudes of life to dull his edge one iota.
Full reviews of all of these shows can be found now at
bidolito.co.uk.
Alabama 3 (Glyn Akroyd / @GlynAkroyd)
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