sound city 2015 daily thurs/fri
DESCRIPTION
All the action for the first two days of SOUND CITY 2015 previewed.TRANSCRIPT
BUILD YOUR OWN:Tools for Sharing
Exhibition at FACT4 June - 31 August
#BuildYourOwn
Statutory Funders
Exhibition Funder
fact.co.uk/BuildYourOwn
FREE Entry
MUSICROOM
The new 160-250 variablecapacity space will host a widerange of concerts and eventsincluding folk roots, unplugged,experimental music and concertsby Liverpool Philharmonicensembles.
It will allow LiverpoolPhilharmonic to present music incollaboration with many morecity-based artists, festivals andpromoters. The Music Room willbe an exciting new addition toLiverpool’s musical life.
A new contemporary,intimate and flexible venueat Liverpool Philharmoniclaunching this autumn.
FotheringayMonday 22 June £22.50St George’s Hall Concert Room–Mavis StaplesSunday 28 June from £22.50–Rufus WainwrightMonday 13 July from £37.50–Rosanne CashSunday 19 Julyfrom £19.50
Liverpool PhilharmonicJune - July
NEW GIGS
Giant³ SandWednesday 3 June £16.50St George’s Hall Concert Room–Holly JohnsonThursday 4 June £21.50–Heritage BluesOrchestraFriday 5 June from £19.50–Elvis CostelloMonday 15 June from £37.50–Suzanne VegaThursday 16 June £28.50
Box Officeliverpoolphil.com0151 709 3789
Sound City Ad.qxp_Layout 1 15/05/2015 15:05 Page 1
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liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
Ticket InformationReady for all that Sound City has to offer this year? Of course you are, but first of all you’ve got to get in. The wristband exchange and box
office will be situated at the main festival entrance on Regent Road. The site opens at 3.30pm on Friday (and at 11.30am thereafter), with last
entry to the site at 9.30pm each night. Registration for conference delegates opens at 9.30am at the Rum Warehouse, closing at 10pm on
Thursday, and 9.30pm on Friday.
Site CelebrationsIt’s not just music that will be bringing Bramley-Moore Dock to life over the next few days, there’s also a series of pop-up events and parades
planned to entertain you between the acts. Irreverent band of swing dancers THE MUDFLAPPERS (pictured) will be performing their New York-
themed Lindy Hip Hop show and offering free taster lessons for anyone who wants to give it a go. Elsewhere, the KASKELOT tall ship will serve
as a floating venue for parties and intimate shows. Keep your wits about you to see how you can claim special tickets to get aboard.
Generator NI ShowcaseGenerator NI is Northern Ireland’s music business support programme, and on Friday they have a showcase of some of their most
exciting talent over on The Cavern Stage (5pm-7pm). EMERALD ARMADA are a five-piece fusion of traditional Irish rock and folk sounds,
and promising teen indie gang THE CLAMEENS have an infectious brew of tunes. Heartbreaking balladeer HIS NEW ATLAS (Eoghan
O’Hagan) completes this fine showcase.
Rocking The ConferenceThe Titanic Hotel will be hosting two stages of music each day alongside the Sound City Conference, with a late-night delegates-only party
planned on Thursday to round off the festival’s first day. Veteran Sound City party beasts the MIXNOTS will be in charge of rounding off the
festivities, which will also feature LEAF RAPIDS, JPNSGRLS, OCELLOT, DEAD BUTTONS and CARNIVAL YOUTH. Meanwhile, over at The Plaza, some of
Liverpool’s brightest talents will be performing acoustic sessions, including SHE DREW THE GUN, LUKE CUSATO, DOMINIC DUNN and PADDY CLEGG.
Getting HomeIn case you were worrying, getting to and from Bramley-Moore Dock is taken care of. Sandhills train station is the nearest Merseyrail link,
just five minutes’ walk from the site, and there will be a shuttle bus service running from Lime Street station to the site between 3.30pm and
10pm on Friday. If you’re planning to return by train, the last train times from Sandhills station are: towards Liverpool Central (23:55); towards
Southport (23:44); towards Ormskirk (23:46); towards Kirkby (00:01). For up-to-date train times head to merseyrail.org
THURSDAY 21 st MAY & FRIDAY 22 nd MAY
What is Bido Lito!?Bido Lito! is Liverpool’s very own independent monthly music magazine. We are here to celebrate the highs and highers of Liverpool’s emerging music scene,
and champion the bands, artists and creative minds who make our city one of the most inspiring places to make music in the entire world. We are delighted
to be producing Sound City’s Official Daily Magazine once again, this time in the festival’s exciting new home of Bramley-Moore Dock. Make sure you check out
bidolito.co.uk for photo galleries and extra content over the weekend, and tweet us on @BidoLito when you’re out and about at Sound City.
News
c a m p a n d f u r n a c E - b l a d e f a c t o r y - D I S T R I C Tb a l t i c t r i a n g l e , l i v e r p o o l
2 5 + 2 6 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5
S P I R I T U A L I Z E D
C H I C O S D E N A Z C A . T H E C U L T O F D O M K E L L E R . D E A T H & V A N I L L A . E T I E N N E J A U M E T .
T H E F E E L I N G O F L O V E . f o r e v e r p a v o t . F U M A Ç A P R E T A . G A L A D R O P . T h e g a n j a s . H E Y C O L O S S U S . J . C . S A T A N . k a n d o d o 3 .
M A G I C C A S T L E S . m a m u t h o n e s . m a i m a i m a i . M E N A C E B E A C H . T H E M E G A P H O N I C T H R I F T .
N O J O Y . P I N K S H I N Y U L T R A B L A S T .R . S E I L I O G . s l u g . t e s s p a r k s .
T H E U N D E R G R O U N D Y O U T H . V I R G I N I A W I N G . V I S I O N F O R T U N E . V U E L V E T E L O C A . w e i r d o w l .
Y O U N G K N I V E S . Z U N Z U N E G U I .
P L U S A F U R T H E R W O R L D O F C O M M I S S I O N S , C U R A T I O N S , I N S T A L L A T I O N S + A U D I O V I S U A L E X P L O R A T I O N S . . .
A r t i s t I n R e s i d e n c e A N T O N N E W C O M B E .
C A R D I N A L F U Z Z S O N I C A T T A C K .
F A C T O R Y F L O O r . T H E H E A D S . H O O K W O R M S .B L A N C K M A S S . T H E H O L Y D R U G C O U P L E .
K - X - P . J A C C O G A R D N E R . J O E L G I O N .D E S T R U C T I O N U N I T . j a n e w e a v e r .
D E N G U E F E V E R . K A R E N G W Y E R .c a r l t o n m e l t o n . L U M E R I A N S .
B L A C K D E V I L D I S C O C L U B . I N D I A N J E W E L R Y .
S A C R E D B O N E S R E C O R D S V S B Y M R E C O R D S .
T H E A L T E R E D H O U R S . b o n n a c o n s o f d o o m . T H E C A L L A S . C H A R L E S H O W L .
C O R E Y B O W E N . c r o w s . D R E A M W E A P O N . E Q U A T I O N S . E V I L B L I Z Z A R D . G I A N T S W A N .
G I R L S W E A T . H O L O V R . H O L Y .K O G U M A Z A . L U C E R N R A Z E . N O V E L L E R .
t h e O C T O P U S P R O J E C T . P A U W .P H O B O P H O B E S . P L A S T I C M E R M A I D S .
R O Y & T H E D E V I L ' S M O T O R C Y C L E . S E X S W I N G . S T R A N G E C O L L E C T I V E . T H E T A M B O R I N E S .
T A U . T H R O W D O W N B O N E S .T U R Z I . Y U N G . z h o d .
T I C K E T S + A C C O M M O D A I T O N P A C K A G E S A V A I L A B L E F R O M S E E T I C K E T S . C O MP R O B E R E C O R D S ( L I V E R P O O L ) + P I C C A D I L L Y R E C O R D S ( M A N C H E S T E R )
+ J U M B O R E C O R D S ( L E E D S )
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liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
This is a big year for Sound City. The journey we have
been on so far has now led us down to the River Mersey.
It was always going to happen.
As a city we have often been accused of turning
our back on the river. For years it seemed like we
were endlessly peeking over the garden fence at our
neighbours down the other end of the M62 and looking
at what they were up to. It could be argued they also did
the same thing. By doing this it took our eye off the ball.
We forgot about what made us different and distinctive.
Liverpool is a port city. We have a long and chequered
relationship with the Mersey. It is our gateway to the
world.
That is why moving Sound City from our home in the
Ropewalks part of the city and into the docklands of
Liverpool Waters was, in the end, an easy choice. It is
transformational change that we welcome with open
arms. It allows us to create a new template and a whole
new experience, one that cannot be easily imitated.
Our new festival site is situated on the fantastic
Peel Holdings land of Bramley-Moore Dock, nestled
in the industrial landscape of forgotten docks and
tobacco warehouses. We are bringing this land to life
and turning it into a post-apocalyptic world: think Mad
Max and Warriors. We are smothering it with music and
stages from over 25 different countries. Amongst all of
this we will also be delivering our widest-ever arts and
culture programme, which will include comedy as well
as installations and spectacles, to entice and delight. It
will be a completely immersive and total experience.
Our acclaimed Conference also moves to our new
home and into the magnificent setting of the Titanic
Hotel. This is adjacent to our new festival site and allows
our delegates to make the short journey by foot or by
water taxi. At what other festival in the world could you
arrive by boat?
Our themes this year include the relationship between
Liverpool and New York, two great cities with a special
relationship. We welcome many New Yorkers to the city,
including long-term friend and Liverpool ambassador
Seymour Stein, and punk legend Danny Fields.
We will also be looking at the notion of the unsung
hero – those mavericks who changed everything but
often do not get the full credit they deserve. We are
delighted to welcome to our bosom Wayne Coyne and
Scott Booker, Edwyn Collins, Mark E. Smith, Julian Cope,
Viv Albertine and James Barton.
As ever, our focus is on the zeitgeist. Our aim is to
inspire and breathe new desire into the next generation
who will shape the 21st-century music business. Our
Conference programme is always designed with this
in mind. We are proud of the money and jobs we have
generated for our city and for the music and digital
business sector (over £16 million to date). We are proud
of the companies we have inspired from around the
UK and the globe, ones that have now located their
business here because they came to Sound City and fell
in love with the city.
At Sound City we are all about keeping the business
talent in the region and in the North. Technology and
fragmentation of the industry means you are nearer
than ever to your customers and can more easily
connect and drive business. Our aim is to make Sound
City the conduit to drive these connections and this
business. This is also a key aim when it comes to our
overseas strategy and working with our new partners in
Korea and New York.
Finally, Sound City just happens to be in Liverpool but
this is the obvious place for us. We are proud to be in
our city. We are helping to define the future of the city
and put Liverpool firmly on the world map as a place to
come and do business. We hope you fall in love with
Sound City and ultimately with Liverpool – enough to
make you bang the drum and come again next year.
Have a great time and see you on the dancefloor.
DAVID J PICHILINGICEO Sound City
Editorial
Photography: John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com
10
liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
Beat City, The City That Rocked, Wondrous Place, the
great psychedelic capital of Europe: call it what you
want, but you can’t deny that Liverpool is a city built on
sounds. In recent years it’s been football that has defined
the region’s fierce passions, but music will always be its
first love. We’re proud of our Merseybeat/Eric’s/Cream/
Deltasonic heritage, but it was the clank and grind of
industry that was once the dominant beat in this city,
dictated by the workings of the extensive network of
docks on the side of the busy River Mersey.
When it bestowed World Heritage Site status on
Liverpool’s Maritime Mercantile City in 2004, UNESCO cited
the city and its dock system as “the supreme example of
a commercial port at the time of Britain’s greatest global
influence.” In the 18th and 19th centuries, Liverpool played
a leading role in the development of dock construction,
port management and international trading systems,
laying the groundwork for the city to become the globally
recognised hub it is today.
Sound City’s new home is in this once-bustling dockland
sprawl, bringing its buzzing musical Pleasureland to
an area that has long been overlooked. Bramley-Moore
Dock was opened in 1848 as part of a major expansion
scheme of the Port of Liverpool’s docking system north
of the city. Named after John Bramley-Moore – a former
Lord Mayor of Liverpool who turned down a knighthood,
and was chairman of Liverpool Docks at the time it was
opened – the dock was primarily a hub for coal export
before it fell into decline in the wake of the Miners’ Strike
and subsequent shutting down of the UK’s coal-mining
industry in the mid-80s. Having been left largely derelict
since then – when what was left of the Port Of Liverpool
moved further north up the river – the dock, as well as the
surrounding area, is set for good times once more, under
the banner of the ambitious multi-billion pound Liverpool
Waters regeneration scheme.
As a port city Liverpool has always been a city of flux,
one that has served as Europe’s gateway to the New
World, and one that brought the influence of the Cunard
Yanks to our ancestors’ record collections. But what of
today? Where once there were warehouses full of traders
selling goods to be shipped all over the world, now there
are musicians, artists and cultural hives tucked away
in silos in various dark corners of the city’s underbelly,
creating a new wave of sights and sounds that define
Liverpool in 2015.
ALL WE ARE, perhaps the brightest lights of this current
crop, found themselves darlings of the music press upon
the release of their self-titled debut on Domino imprint
Double Six in February. The Irish-Brazilian-Norwegian trio
have twisted a funkily taut groove into their disco-boogie
melange, and the adopted Scousers capped off a fine few
months when they picked up the GIT Award gong in April.
Having played on The Label Recordings’ showcase stage
at last year’s festival, HOOTON TENNIS CLUB have probably
made the most progress of any Merseyside act since 2014.
The five-piece have just released their second single on
Heavenly Recordings, and they’re currently at work in the
studio with scene godfather BILL RYDER-JONES (who’s
also got a new record on the way) to turn their fizzing
potential for guitar pop majesty into a full-length album.
JANE WEAVER has taken a long-winded independent
route to critical acclaim, which has come mainly off the
back of 2014’s stunning record The Silver Globe (which
was recognised by Piccadilly Records as their album of
the year). Though she’s now based closer to Manchester,
we’re more than happy to claim the Liverpool-born
dreamweaver, even though it’s probably a few years
too late (sorry about that Jane – at least we got there
eventually). CIRCA WAVES and THE SUNDOWNERS have
also taken the slightly circuitous route, having released
debut albums in 2015 after long gestation periods where
they’d been treating their ever-expanding fanbases to
tight-as-hell live shows. STEALING SHEEP and OUTFIT have
also returned to the fray in 2015, both of them clearing the
‘difficult second album’ barrier with a flourish.
Sound City also welcomes some old faces in new
guises this year: former Zuton DAVE MCCABE teams up
with THE RAMIFICATIONS for his madcap new electro
project, while McCabe’s old bandmate Paul Molloy joins
The Coral’s Ian Skelly in SERPENT POWER. Both projects
have new albums out in 2015, continuing the legacy
started by all three artists’ old Deltasonic label boss and
mentor Alan Wills, who sadly passed away last spring.
Wills was always looking to the future, to nurture new
talent, so he’d be happy to see that, in the new wave
of THE VRYLL SOCIETY, STRANGE COLLECTIVE, GULF, VEYU,
CAVALRY and KOF, we have plenty to be excited about.
Away from Sound City the riches are plenty too, with
LÅPSLEY, ESA SHIELDS, XAM VOLO, BLUE SAINT and HOLY
THURSDAY all having some impact on the musical
buzzosphere over the past twelve months. Now, of course
I’m going to be biased when assessing all these acts,
but the sheer weight of quality music being produced in
this region isn’t just a blinkered view. Bella Union label
boss Simon Raymonde, who ran his eyes over most of
these artists as a judge on the GIT Award this year, said
in January: “the most consistently exciting bands right
now ARE from Liverpool. That is an irrefutable fact.”
It’s been a fascinating twelve months for our music
community since last year’s festival: a period where we
saved the Bombed Out Church, but lost Wolstenholme
Square and The Kazimier, and The Invisible Wind Factory
gave us a glimpse of a possible new future down in the
rusting warehouses of Vauxhall, close to Bramley-Moore
Dock. It’s all change for Sound City too, moving down to
a part of the city where the streets once thronged with
activity and trade as thousands of workers oiled the
wheels of commerce through Liverpool’s docks. A bit of
that former bustle and noise will return this year, with
Liverpool’s famous skyline of the Three Graces forming
the perfect backdrop to the festival’s main stage – even
the Cunard Line’s Three Queens will be joining us for the
celebration, as they dock in the new-look city, a place
where pride, business and music collide (much like they
always have).
Welcome to Liverpool.
WELCOME TO LIVERPOOLWords: Christopher Torpey / Bido Lito! Magazine Editor
Photography: John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com
Editorial
o2academyliverpool.co.uk11-13 Hotham Street, Liverpool L3 5UF • Doors 7pm unless statedVenue box offi ce opening hours: Mon - Sat 11.30am - 5.30pm • No booking fee on cash transactionsticketweb.co.uk • seetickets.com • gigantic.com • ticketmaster.co.uk
facebook.com/o2academyliverpool
twitter.com/o2academylpool
instagram.com/o2academyliverpool
youtube.com/o2academytv
Sat 30th May • £25 adv 9pm - 3am • over 18s only
De La Soul + Pete Rock + No Fakin’ DJs+ Renegade Brass Band
Sat 30th May • £20 advThe Undertones
Wed 3rd Jun • £20 advCourteeners
Thurs 4th Jun • £10 advCoasts
Fri 5th Jun • £15 advChameleonsVox What Does Anything Mean? Basically? Tour
Sat 13th Jun • £12.50 adv
The Godfathers
Thurs 18th Jun • £9 adv
Electric Eel Shock
Thurs 18th Jun • £20 adv
Tony Visconti & Woody Woodmansey with Glenn Gregory and Marc Almondperform David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold The World’
Fri 26th Jun • £17.50 adv
Dead Kennedys
Thurs 9th Jul • £21.50 adv
Alkaline Trio+ Strung Out
Thurs 16th Jul • £35 adv
Beres Hammond & Bunny Wailer
Fri 17th Jul • £15 adv
Phil Jones Live
Sat 25th Jul • £17 advTyketto
Wed 29th Jul • £12 advBlues Pills
Mon 3rd Aug • £17.50 advMark Lanegan
Thurs 13th Aug • £12.50 advTouche Amore+ Loma Prieta + Dangers + NewMoon
Sun 16th Aug • £14 advThe Fall Of Troy+ Rolo Tomassi + Chon
Mon 17th Aug • £12 adv
A Wilhelm Scream
Wed 19th Aug • £17 advSlim Jim Phantom of The Stray Cats
Fri 21st Aug • £19.50 adv
The Kooks
Sat 5th Sept • £14 advCud
Thurs 17th Sept • £12.50 adv
State Champs
Fri 18th Sept • £18 adv
The English Beat starring Dave Wakeling
Thurs 24th Sept • £15 advPeace+ Splashh + Yak
Sat 26th Sept • £15 adv
The Icicle Works
Sat 26th Sept • £24 adv Over 18s only
The Burlesque Ball UK Tour
Sun 18th Oct • £15 adv
Ruts DC
Mon 19th Oct • £13.50 adv
The Shires
Fri 13th Nov • £28.50 adv
Happy MondaysPills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches
25th Anniversary Tour
Tues 24th Nov • £13.50 adv
Slaves
Sat 28th Nov • £10 adv
The Hummingbirds
Tues 1st Dec • £15 adv
Courtney Barnett
Sat 12th Dec • £25 adv
Echo & The Bunnymen
Sat 19th Dec • £16 adv
The Beat
Tues 26th Jan 2016 • £22.50 adv
Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock
Wed 9th Mar 2016 • £22 adv
Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox
Sat 30th May • £25 adv
De La Soul Thurs 4th Jun • £10 adv
Coasts
Thurs 24th Sep • £15 adv
Peace
Wed 15th Jul • £24 adv • Liverpool Guild
Bombay Bicycle Club
Mon 19th Oct • £13.50 adv
The Shires Tues 1st Dec • £15 adv
Courtney Barnett
12
liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
LUKE BAINBRIDGE is a man of many hats. As an author,
he has fashioned his niche as a sub-culture-musing
aficionado. As a hack, he lends his pen to the pages of
The Guardian and The Observer, founding The Observer
Music Monthly back in 2003. And as Head of Arts and
Culture at Festival No.6, he specialises in giving whacked-
out revellers the time of their lives. Little surprise, then,
that when Sound City were looking for someone to help
animate their post-apocalyptic dockside vision for this
year’s festival, there was one name at the top of the list.
“It’s a big year for Sound City,” muses Bainbridge, who
has headed-up the arts programme for this year’s festival.
“Moving to the new site is a big and brave decision, and
I think people are going to be blown away by the plans.”
An exciting endorsement then, especially coming from
the man whose vision has led to Festival No.6’s both
wide and unanimous critical and public acclaim over the
past three years. Nestled within a tiny bay on the Welsh
coast and tucked beneath the bosom of Snowdonia,
Festival No.6 brings a galaxy of frivolity to Portmeirion’s
idiosyncratic, faux-Mediterranean village each summer. If
you’ve not been, go.
Bainbridge understands that the days of a hastily-
erected stage in a field with a handful of burger vans and
a single bar kicking out warm, overpriced gnat’s piss in
wafer-thin pint pots passing as a festival are, thankfully,
resigned to the past. The discerning modern hedonist
demands more – oh, so much more – and this, according to
Bainbridge, is indicative of the changing role of festivals
in British life: “Twenty years ago festivals only appealed
to a small percentage of the population, but they are now
a key part of the cultural life of the country. The UK now
boasts thousands of festivals of every description, taking
place every weekend across the UK, attracting a diverse
demographic. Twenty years ago your typical music
festival-goer was probably in their teens or late-20s, quite
probably a student, but now there’s no such thing as a
stereotypical festival-goer – your parents, possibly even
your grandparents are going to music festivals.”
So as festivals become ever-more ubiquitous – and
the chance of bumping into your Aunt Gretel at Field
Day becomes a distinct possibility – the importance of
ensuring a festival has its own unique and individual
vision, a succinct and crafted identity, is paramount.
“Visual identity is part of it, but only a part of the whole
identity of the festival,” says Bainbridge. “In a crowded
marketplace you have to create an identity that helps
festival-goers identify with your festival and want to go
there. You can’t simply find a field and book a few bands
anymore. If someone is only going to one or two festivals
a year, that’s quite a big commitment to make, so in a way
they are buying into the whole package.”
As we explore Bramley-Moore Dock, it’s evident that
this thinking must be central to the decision to move
Sound City here. As a canvas, it’s unlike any festival site
we’ve visited. It may not have the Tuscan embellishments
and terracotta romance of Portmeirion, but what it does
have is an honest, bruising and brutal connection to
Liverpool’s rugged past. The site provides the opportunity
to craft a new vision for Sound City: a hard-faced,
hedonistic Mecca, a dockside lotus-eater’s paradise, a
decaying Dionysian dystopia. OK, I like a turn of phrase,
but you get my drift.
It’s fine having a gift of a canvas to work with,
but bringing the site to life is the challenge; it’s the
installations, interventions and creative happenings on-
site which make the difference. As Bainbridge explains,
“They’ve become as – if not more – important than
the headline acts at some festivals, particularly with the
pot of bands that can headline festivals of a certain size
becoming smaller and smaller, especially with exclusivity
clauses. It’s another way of defining the identity of
your festival and enhancing the experience for the
festival-goer.”
But we can’t overlook the central cog of the festival
experience: the bands. After all, that’s really what people
pick their festivals based on, isn’t it? As we immerse
ourselves in the festival experience this summer, many
a seasoned reveller will afford themselves a customary
daydream to curate their own dream festival line-up
on the back of a beer mat, living the job of a festival
promoter for five minutes. Booking all your favourite
bands for your ultimate weekend must be the best job
in the world, because that’s what festival organisers do,
don’t they?
“Personal taste is very subjective,” Bainbridge admits.
“Very few people will be into every band or artist that
you love, so if you book a festival purely based on
personal tastes you’re only catering for one person.
There are certain artists that I’m not a huge fan of but
I appreciate that they work particularly well at festivals.
On the flipside, there are some artists that I love who
might not be particularly suited to festivals. With Festival
No.6 we always strive to have a mix of iconic acts and the
best up-and-coming acts. Over the years, you build a trust
with the audience so that even if they haven’t heard of all
the up-and-coming acts they trust your taste.”
Such trust is a foundation stone of the Sound City
experience. Over the years, the festival has made it its
raison d’être to introduce us to artists who would go
on to become musical heavyweights. The new Bramley-
Moore Dock site offers Sound City the opportunity to take
this one step further; to blossom into a kind of industrial
dockside musical Nostradamus. And with a creative mind
such as Luke Bainbridge helping to guide and shape
the artistic vision, it is with great excitement that we
plough forth into a brave new Sound City world of audio
prophecies.
LUKE BAINBRIDGE Cue The Discerning HedonistWords: Craig G Pennington
Photography: John Johnson / johnjohnson-photography.com
Editorial
Because all these serious faces’ll only drive you mad, the only TRUTHis MUSIC– the only meaning is without meaning – Music blends with the heartbeat universe and we forget the brain beat.
Jack Kerouac, Desolation Angels, 1965
Edge Hill University is the Industry ConnectionPartner for the 2015 Liverpool Sound City Festivaland Conference, building on the success of anexisting two-year partnership.
Saturday 23rd May, The Baltic Stage, 8pmEdgeFWD Dance Theatre perform REVOLT, a dance piece taking its inspiration from the 1984British Miners’ strike with a powerful, splintering explosion of Northern, working class grit.
Sunday 24th May, The Kraken Stage, 6pmThe Label Recordings Showcase: SeaWitches | The Little Secrets | Bathymetry | Oranj Son
Liverpool Sound City Industry Connection Partner
22.05.15 EHU Ad_Layout 1 15/05/2015 14:17 Page 1
Sound City educational partner
In 1825 a small institution was founded that was to revolutionise education in Liverpool and provide opportunities for the working people of the city. The Liverpool Mechanics School of Art was founded by men of power and influence who recognised the transformative effects of education and the impact that learning and aspiration could have on individuals, on communities and on society. This small, pioneering movement laid the foundations for Liverpool John Moores University, an institution that has grown and flourished to become one of the UK’s leading civic universities. The University may be based in Liverpool but we have a global reach and international ambitions, and we are proud to be the educational partner for Sound City 2015.
Our innovative three-year partnership with Sound City will enhance scholarship and provide students with opportunities to put their learning into practice. Across the festival you will be able to spot the efforts of our students. Third year spatial designers have co-developed some of the innovative indoor and outdoor performance areas and media students are undertaking a variety of paid internships working across the festival’s creative outputs.
If you are interested in finding out more about the University, check out our website: ljmu.ac.uk
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Running hand in hand with Sound City’s
music feast is the acclaimed Conference, which
has been responsible for bringing millions
of pounds of investment to Liverpool over
the past seven years. The world-class series
of debates, How To? panels, In Conversation
events, Roundtable sessions and Keynote
addresses bring together a host of industry
insiders and forward-thinking minds to chew
the cud over what’s going on in the business
today, and shape its tomorrows. Whether
you’re a musician, a blogger, a booking agent
or just an interested fan, the range of topics
being discussed this year will have something
to pique your interest.
This year the Sound City Conference takes
place over two days (Thursday 21st and Friday
22nd) in the stunning setting of the Titanic
Hotel and Rum Warehouse, guided by the
general theme of the Unsung Hero. We’ve
picked out some of the Conference highlights
in the following pages.
WELCOME TO CONFERENCE
JANE WEAVER
Conference
We asked kaleidoscopic chanteuse JANE WEAVER to explain why
Conference is a great source of inspiration for emerging musicians.
For Liverpool Sound City, aside from watching bands, it’s good to
explore some of the Conference stuff on offer.
I’ve always been a bit sceptical about music industry conferences
and anything with “panels of experts”: not very punk, is it? As far
as music goes, I like the fizzy bit on top, the record in my hand, the
song in my ears.
The first music conference I attended was at Liverpool Poly in
the early 1990s. It was pretty drab, to be honest, very masculine,
and there certainly weren’t any bands to watch. I wanted to go
because my band at the time had a record and publishing deal and I
found myself thrown in at the deep end; I could grasp the basics of
songwriting shares, but record company royalties, mechanicals and
recouping were all new terms. As a musician this side of things was
pretty uncreative and boring and didn’t involve backstage passes,
dinner and drinks, so I kind of switched off.
I even had a manger and lawyer who spent some time explaining
stuff to me, but it took years for the penny to drop, so much so that
I didn’t really feel connected and wasn’t in control. My decisions
were based on trust and, in hindsight, I wish I’d have spent more
time listening instead of clocking up thousands of miles on the
funometer (although I wouldn’t change this bit for the world!).
If you’re an artist or in a band, there’s no point thinking that this
side of the industry doesn’t affect you. As soon as you have even a
small amount of success and have to involve other people in your
art, it’s your responsibility to know what’s going on. Ultimately, you
will be the one paying for it.
Listen to people’s experiences: everybody has a tale to tell. Artists
and ‘experts’ can actually help you decide what you want to do (or
don’t want to do). Success is also about survival and, especially now
under this government, you’re going to have to be more resourceful
than you’ve ever been. If you have access to money for your music,
don’t waste it: be responsible with it (most of the time).
Even at an independent level, everything costs money: recording,
manufacturing, packaging, radio pluggers, publicists, touring,
marketing… The list is huge. Surely you owe it to yourself to see if
there’s a way for you to not lose (too much) of your hard-earned cash?
As Jah Wobble once said to me: “money-lending, the oldest trick
in the book.”
Jane Weaver is in conversation on Friday in The Magic Piper Suite at
1.30pm, and plays live on The Atlantic Stage on Sunday.
If you’re interested in any of the themes raised here, head to the
PPL and PRS panel session on Friday in The Terror Lounge at 12.30pm.
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Taking to the stage to give a Keynote address on
Thursday at this year’s Sound City Conference, indie icon
EDWYN COLLINS serves as a model example of how to
carve out a successful, decades-long career in the music
industry by operating to your own set of rules. Jokingly
describing himself as “an old hand, a raconteur!” at
speaking engagements, Collins’ appearance here at
Sound City follows on from the Q&A sessions that
formed part of his UK tour last year.
That Collins was able to continue making music at all
is breathtaking, given the two devastating strokes he
suffered in 2005. In the ten years since the events that
rendered the singer unable to speak, read, write or walk,
Collins’ recovery has been remarkable. Aided during his
recovery by his wife, Grace Maxwell, the only words
he was able to form at first were “yes”, “no”, “Grace
Maxwell” and “the possibilities are endless”. The latter
became the title of a highly-acclaimed documentary,
released in October of last year, which followed Collins’
outstanding recovery and return to music.
Created by filmmakers Edward Lovelace and James
Hall – who are better known under the moniker DARYL
– the documentary was exhibited to a rapturous
reception at festivals including SXSW in Texas and the
London Film Festival. Featuring Collins’ narration and
a soundtrack co-written with Sebastian Lewsley and
Carwyn Ellis, The Possibilities Are Endless (which will be
screened following Collins’ Keynote session), provides
an impressionistic view of the singer stitching his life
back together amid his gradual return to music.
The hallowed surroundings of the Philharmonic Hall
were the setting for Collins’ last visit to the city, a warmly-
received headline show in April 2013, part of which was
filmed and included in The Possibilities Are Endless.
Intrigued by the candid nature of the film’s depiction of
his recovery, I ask Collins what his reaction was when
he was first approached by the filmmakers with a view
to making the picture. “I wasn’t sure what they wanted
to do, neither were they!” he says. “I liked them though;
they were young, they listened to me intently, so, what
the heck? I decided to trust them completely. I didn’t see
it until it was finished and was so impressed. An arty
masterpiece! All the credit goes to Ed and James.”
The film followed on from the release of a celebrated
LP in 2013, the northern soul-powered Understated,
itself a follow up to 2010’s Losing Sleep, which was the
first record written and recorded after his recovery from
illness. Losing Sleep featured a score of friends and
musicians Collins had influenced, including luminaries
such as Johnny Marr, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos,
The Cribs’ Ryan Jarman and Aztec Camera main man
Roddy Frame. With a time gap of roughly three years
between those two albums, Collins hints that the next
instalment may arrive sooner. “I might do an acoustic
album in Helmsdale while I wait for my new studio to
be completed,” Collins notes. “I’m impatient.” Following
their relocation from London several years ago, the
rugged backdrop of Edwyn and Grace’s home in the
Scottish Highlands provides fecund inspiration.
One of the most memorable lyrics of Collins’ oeuvre
– “Too many protest singers/not enough protest songs”
– from touchstone 1995 hit A Girl Like You, seems
particularly fitting in election year some twenty years
since the song lodged itself in the Top Ten. I wonder
if he thinks the lyric is particularly relevant, given that
many so high-profile musicians are seemingly scared
of having an opinion on politics? “Politics? That’s up
to them,” he grunts. “For me, it’s the stuff of life, as an
international socialist! I have always been polemical in
interviews, even when I was young. It got me in trouble
a lot but, looking back, what a laugh!”
Something likely to be touched on in Collins’ speech
is AED, the outlet for the singer’s recordings which
has become a quietly successful venture. Founded by
Collins and Rough Trade alumnus James Endeacott in
2011, AED (Analogue Enhanced Digital) Records recently
celebrated four years of vinyl production. Issuing all of
Collins’ albums since that date, alongside his entire back
catalogue, the label also releases for the storied likes of
punk/new wave innovator Vic Goddard, and long-term
friend Paddy McAloon, who first met Collins when the
pair were 16 and 21 years old respectively. Next on the
release schedule for AED is the new project from Joe
McAlinden, the Teenage Fanclub associate and former
leader of Glaswegian indie pop group Superstar.
This is the second time the singer has been
instrumental in the creation of a label: Collins was
co-founder of groundbreaking indie set-up Postcard
Records in 1980. Home to Orange Juice, Aussie ex-
pats The Go-Betweens and Aztec Camera, the label,
along with Factory Records and Rough Trade, helped to
reshape the music industry landscape in the UK.
In Postcard and AED, Collins has the unusual
distinction of being heavily involved in two completely
separate independent record labels, but I want to know
what the secret behind the success of each of them
is. “That’s hilarious, I’m glad you think they are both
successful!” he laughs. “The only really important thing
is, they are both totally independent. No meddling, just
good ideas and good music.”
Following this appearance at Sound City, the small
matter of supporting treasured influence Brian Wilson
on tour takes up most of the autumn for Collins. “What
a privilege,” he notes, which is something that we could
say about his own appearance here in Liverpool. I’ll
wager that, after taking in Edwyn Collins’ talk and film at
the Sound City Conference, the words “the possibilities
are endless” will prove hugely prophetic for us all.
edwyncollins.com
Edwyn Collins’ Keynote address takes place on
Thursday in The Terror Lounge at 5.45pm, followed by a
screening of The Possibilities Are Endless at 7pm.
EDWYN COLLINSWords: Richard Lewis
Conference
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THURSDAY’S CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTSIn Conversation: Mark E. SmithThe legendary, and curmudgeonly, savant MARK E. SMITH is the driving force
behind iconic Manchester post-punk band The Fall, who have released thirty studio
albums under Smith’s authoritarian stewardship. Smith is widely regarded as a God-
like genius, and in this exciting interview he will share the pearls of his accumulated
wisdom. Expect fantastically bewildering discourse and some colourful choice of
language from a man who epitomises the DIY ethos.
The Magic Piper Suite / 1.30pm
The Alan Wills Innovation AwardsA year has passed since Merseyside mourned the tragic loss of much-loved
Deltasonic founder Alan Wills, the man who launched the careers of The Coral,
The Zutons, Candie Payne and many more. In tribute to his creative legacy,
Sound City have established The Alan Wills Innovation Awards to honour
inventive thinking. Six young entrepreneurs will be given the opportunity to
pitch for investment from potential investors and industry mentors, with the
winning project awarded a £500 cash prize.
The Terror Lounge / 2.45pm
The Rise Of The Cyber GenerationThe influence of online journalism is growing: tastes are shaped and
reputations are made by increasingly pivotal web-based gatekeepers, and their
role in informing our listening habits should not be underestimated. This panel
explores the influence and responsibility that online journalists have in the
modern music industry, as well as examining the social authority the sector
gives them. Panellists include music journalist Carl Stanley, digital promoter
Rev Moose, PR expert Miz Deshannon, and Bido Lito!’s Christopher Torpey.
The Magic Piper Suite / 2.30pm
Another Brick In The Public School WallPublic spending cuts and the harsh cost of living are pricing the working
classes out of careers in the arts. The level playing field has been privatised and
now only the affluent can apply. With these so-called ‘Rock Toffs’ becoming the
prevalent forces in popular culture, are we returning to a time when the arts are
the preserve of the chattering classes? John Robb moderates a panel of dyed-
in-the-wool class warriors, including Ed Lilo (Head of Events at VICE) and John
McClure (Reverend And The Makers).
The Terror Lounge / 10.15am
Musicians’ Union: Bring Me A Hire, LoveWhether they’re a hired hand for the studio or touring the live circuit, session
musicians are the unsung heroes of the music industry. The Musicians’ Union is a
global organisation whose aim is to support and advise those aspiring to make
a living from music performance. Matt Wanstall, MU Regional Officer, and Kelly
Wood, MU Live Performance Official, host this session, which is designed to explore
and unpack the role of the session musician.
The Magic Piper Suite / 12pm
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Liverpool’s cultural history is filled with people who
have capitalised on the locals’ appetite for a great
night out. Those individuals are often closely entwined
with a particular club and a musical genre. Lennon and
McCartney had The Cavern and beat music, a brand which
came of age in Liverpool and then conquered the world.
In the 80s, characters such as Ian McCulloch and Julian
Cope launched out of Eric’s nightclub. In the early 1990s,
acid house was capturing the imagination of the nation’s
youth and Liverpool was not to be left behind. In fact, it
was once again set to lead the way. Cream grew from a
weekly club night to a global brand, spawning nightclubs,
classic compilations and Creamfields Festival, which now
spreads its tentacles around the world through various
spin-off events. The story of Cream owes a lot to the
ambition of one of its founders, JAMES BARTON.
Now living in the US, Barton’s return to his home
city for the Sound City Conference sees him due to talk
about his ascent within the music industry, his influence
on electronic dance music and the view from the top
today. Barton may not be a name as widely known as
McCartney, Lennon or even Dodd, but his footprint on
music and popular culture is more than comparable. This
influence was recognised last year when Barton topped
a Rolling Stone magazine poll naming him as the most
influential man in dance music. As well as his admirable
track record with Cream and Creamfields, this title can be
attributed to his current involvement with Live Nation,
one of the world’s largest live events companies.
Having achieved so much with his Liverpool-born
dance brand, and now holding the grand title of
President of EDM at such a major player in the industry,
it was a relief to hear that Barton is not resting on his
laurels: “I genuinely love the music. I really get a kick
off seeing the music grow and seeing it now turn into a
genre that is considered to be one of the big titans of the
music industry,” he says from his adopted home of LA,
where he has resided for the past three years.
Having brought dance music to the masses in the
UK and Europe, Barton now sees himself having a role
in establishing the genre in mainstream US at a crucial
point in its history: “Here in North America, dance music
is in a transitional period. It’s leaving behind the phase
of development of the last five years and now I think
the audience is going to get more sophisticated; the
music is changing, musical tastes are changing, the
experience is changing. Unlike in Europe where we have
had electronic music on a major level for 20-25 years, it
really feels like in the US, on a mainstream level, dance
music is pretty new.”
Holding office in Beverly Hills seems a long way
from building a kingdom from scratch in a Liverpool
backstreet office, but his latest role is obviously a
natural progression from what Barton was doing with
Creamfields. Barton, whom author Paul Du Noyer
described in his book Wondrous Place as “a Liverpool
entrepreneur in the tradition of its top-hatted Victorian
merchants”, continues to adhere to certain ethics as
well as a flair for building key relationships in the world
of dance music. “Everything is much bigger in terms of
the scale and size of business here; also, the level of
income and expenditure is much bigger,” he explains.
“But at the same time I learned a lot with Creamfields,
and the principles of how I run a business are still the
same. I’ve worked with most of the major international
DJs, whether that is Paul Oakenfold, Pete Tong, Tiësto,
Deadmau5, or even today with the likes of Calvin Harris.
The company is always turning over and helping to
develop new talent. Those relationships which are really
strong relationships, I’ve worked hard to cultivate them.”
Much of Barton’s history and that of the Cream brand
was galvanised in the Liverpool nightclub Nation, and
the former DJ returns to the city in the wake of news
which shocked many. Nation (along with another club
which has won the hearts of Merseyside’s musical
fraternity, The Kazimier) is to make way for a new
development on its Wolstenholme Square home. While
The Kazimier looks to be relegated to the pages of
history, Nation will work with developers to try and keep
the institution alive. Barton is typically forward-thinking
about the plans. “On a personal level, I like progress.
I’m not really Mr Nostalgic. I know that Cream has got
a place in the history of music in Liverpool, I know that
we need to continue to provide the city with what we do,
and at the same time I am excited that we are getting
an opportunity to do that in a new venue.” It’s clear that
the club, which played a major role in last year’s Sound
City festivities, hosting the likes of Fuck Buttons, East
India Youth and John Hopkins, is special to the man
who did more than most to ensure it has played a key
part in Liverpool’s nightlife for the past 22 years, but
he is philosophical on the subject of its evolution: “The
building is very old. As much as there’s the nostalgia
and the memories, there needs to be a solution and
unfortunately that solution is to do what is happening.
But look, we’re not the developers and we don’t own the
building, we have a lease, so we will see what happens
in the coming months. But as far as I know I think it’s
passed the first phase of the planning, so we’ll see. We
want to support what the city is trying to do in terms of
that vision, but we’re also aware that history and culture
is a big piece woven into that fabric.”
Those going along to hear Barton’s conversation with
DJ and presenter Dave Haslam will hear how some of
that fabric’s integral threads were woven. Barton is a
character whose ambition and passion for a genre of
music drove EDM to become a truly global phenomenon,
and turned a club night into a household name. Friday’s
talk will be a rare opportunity to get insight into the
workings of an international movement.
cream.co.uk
James Barton’s In Conversation session takes place on
Friday in The Magic Piper Suite at 2.45pm.
JAMES BARTONWords: Sam Turner / @samturner1984
Conference
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FRIDAY’S CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTSKeynote: Wayne CoyneAhead of his band’s much-anticipated festival headline slot on Saturday
night, Flaming Lips talisman WAYNE COYNE talks about his three decade-strong
career in music. The creativity and originality with which Coyne has made his
name in the industry has won him legions of devoted fans all over the world.
This will be a fascinating talk from a true character who has never had a
problem realising his ideas.
The Terror Lounge / 5.30pm
The Momentum Music Fund – The Story So FarWith purse strings getting tighter and tighter, the PRS For Music Foundation
and the Arts Council are delivering the much-needed cash to enable musicians
to get their work heard. The Momentum Fund, which offers grants of between
£5,000 and £15,000 to emerging talent, has had a real impact on the careers of
many exciting artists in the last two years. In this How? Session, we will hear
from some of the initiative’s success stories.
The Magic Piper Suite / 1.45pm
Viv Albertine In ConversationVIV ALBERTINE shared some of her first-hand experiences of the punk
movement in her acclaimed memoir Clothes, Clothes, Clothes. Music, Music,
Music. Boys, Boys, Boys., released last year. The Slits’ guitarist pulls no punches
when describing her role during a revolutionary epoch, in which she spent a
day chained to Sid Vicious, hung out with Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm
McLaren, and toured with The Clash.
The Magic Piper Suite / 12.15pm
UK Music Question TimeSound City head honcho Dave Pichilingi plays David Dimbleby in this
altogether more fun version of the BBC political slanging match. UK Music is
the organisation which bridges the gap between government and the music
industry, and the panel at this event will also feature representatives from both
worlds. This lively discussion should provide a good barometer for the current
state of the industry and the help it is likely to get from the powers that be.
The Terror Lounge / 11.15am
The Thankless Job Of The Rock N Roll ManagerThe topsy-turvy world of music management is on the agenda in this How?
Session. Various industry heads, who together have experience dealing with
artists as diverse as Franz Ferdinand, The Chieftains, Macy Gray and Chvrches,
will discuss the key skills needed to succeed as the manager of a rock band.
One person who will know more than most about the trials and tribulations of
such an occupation is former Ramones manager Danny Fields, who is also In
Conversation on Friday.
The Magic Piper Suite / 11.15am
MUSIC PANEL
Question
time
Featuring:Martin Isherwood – Head of Music at LIPA
Jo Dipple – Chief Executive UK Music
Mike Smith – President of Music, Virgin EMI Records
Dave Pichilingi – Festival Director, Sound City
With more special guests to be announced
UK Music and Liverpool Sound City have now joined forces to hold a special music ‘Question Time’ to give fans and industry a
chance to talk about your priorities for the future.
Send your questions ahead of the debate to us via Twitter @UK_Music using the hashtag #musicqt
JOIN US FOR A SPECIAL
Have your say on what industry or Government could do better. Liverpool Sound City
Friday 22nd May at 11.15am
International success and maximising your revenue potential
Moderated by Keith Harris, PPL With Myles Keller, PRS for Music, Irwin Sparkes of The Hoosiers, and Gabriella Cilmi.
In such a competitive marketplace, this session explores the key opportunities available to artists internationally, including crucial advice on how to increase global revenue streams. It is open to all LSC attendees and will be informative for artists, labels, publishers, and managers.
Spaces are limited so come along early to grab your seat.
Friday 22nd May 2015 12:30 -13.30The Terror Lounge
Together, we are working to ensure performers and songwriters, record companies and publishers are fairly rewarded for the use of their music.
prsformusic.comppluk.com
Forge links with the industry in which you strive to succeed at The City of Liverpool College. Follow our real students’ stories and apply now at
liv-coll.ac.uk
Jason, Music Technology
Liverpool is at the forefront of music and arts - and I’m part of that.
Follow my story #COLCJason
0151 252 3000@COLCollege #COLC2015
COLC Sound City Bido Lito full page.indd 1 14/05/2015 11:44
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liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
LSC TICKET INFORMATION
Festival walk-up prices -3-Day Passes - £85Single-Day Passes - £45
• Wristbands will be available
at the Wristband Exchange
Point from 3pm on 22nd
May 2015. Queuing may be
required.
• The event is strictly over 16s
only. This event adheres to
the Challenge 25 policy: proof
of age may be required and
admittance will be refused if
not provided. The valid forms
of ID are Passport, Photo
Driving Licence, PASS Card and
Military ID.
• Sound City entrance grants
entry to Liverpool Sound
City 2015 branded gigs on a
first come, first served basis
subject to the individual
venue’s capacity.
• Purchased wristbands /
accommodation cannot be
refunded.
• ALL wristbands will be
attached and clamped at the
Wristband Exchange point
and won’t be handed out
without being attached to the
wrist of the customer.
• Wristbands MUST be collected
in person by the lead booking
name, with a valid proof of
purchase.
• Once on the festival site we
will be working to a no re-
entry policy. Last admittance
to the site will be 21:30 each
night, anyone arriving after
then may not be allowed
access to the site.
• The festival reserves the right
to add, withdraw or substitute
artists, and to vary the
advertised programme and
timings without being liable
to pay compensation.
• Ticket holders consent to
inclusion in official photographic,
visual and audio promotion /
recording of the festival.
• Exposure to loud music may
cause damage to hearing,
please bring ear defenders /
plugs if you require them.
Map
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Early recognition and success is, for many, a particularly sharp
double-edged sword. Sure, it delivers a degree of attention,
something invaluable when a band is starting to find its feet, and
provides a platform from which an act can promote their art and
themselves. With all those extra eyes, however, comes the extra
weight of expectation, which either makes or breaks a career in the
industry. As such, when Clash Magazine labelled London four-piece
THE VACCINES “game changers” after only a year of being a band,
you held your breath. Appearances on the likes of Later… With Jools
Holland prior to an album release – the first band to do so – qualified
the notion somewhat, though you still feared for them. That was
back in 2011. Now, in 2015, we are two albums and an EP down the
line, with a third LP, English Graffiti, due out on 25th May. Already this
year The Vaccines have treated us to the dashing singles Handsome
and Dream Lover, and festival appearances where they’ve handled
the tag of headliners with aplomb. It’s fair to say that The Vaccines
have survived.
Describing the lifespan of The Vaccines as survival, though, is to do
them a severe injustice. During our brief but engaging conversation
with guitarist Freddie Cowan, what becomes increasingly clear is
the profound sense of development since the release of What Did
You Expect From The Vaccines? back in 2011. When reflecting on that
debut, Cowan describes how “The first album was such a whirlwind
of energy… we were just really lucky, you know. We got in a room
together and Justin [Young, The Vaccines’ frontman] had all these
amazing songs. I was listening at the time to what I considered to
be amazing music, and we all got together and something really
amazing happened, just a pure ball of energy.” Early releases If You
Wanna, Wetsuit and Post Break-Up Sex instantly caught the attention
of a generation of youthful deviants, cultivating a numerous and
incredibly dedicated fanbase. Only a year later Come Of Age dropped,
an album which maintained the hooks and rowdy charm of the
debut, though dressed it in a more sophisticated garb. As Cowan puts
it, “The second record was kind of coming to terms with how that
kind of thing doesn’t last forever. You have that really kind of fresh
first round of energy but that only really works on your first time, and
then you really have to get to terms with being musicians, do your
other things and find your quality in harder-to-seek-out places.” Led
by barnstorming singles Teenage Icon and Bad Mood, The Vaccines
proved that they could do that rare thing: change and develop
without compromising their sound.
Such a point has only been reiterated time and again in the period
since that record was released three years ago. In fact, it was on
2013’s Melody Calling EP where Cowan seems to feel that the most
evident sense of progression was made: “The EP kind of took me
by surprise a bit because it was kind of unexpectedly something
we wanted to do. But I remember listening back to it the other day
and thinking actually it was a huge progression; that it was really
explorative, maybe with, like, less direction than the third record, but
it was still a kind of wonderful adventure.” This sense of adventure
is something which seems to particularly resonate with Cowan, as
he goes on to explain. “That’s the best thing about it because you’re
seeing someone on their journey. It’ll be no fun if someone locked
themselves away for ten years and tried to do something that was
perfect, because, you know, human interest isn’t much interested
in what’s perfect; it’s kind of what’s human and what’s imperfect,
what’s like a journey, and that’s why it’s so great.”
THE VACCINESWords: Ben Lynch / @benlynch07
Features
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With English Graffiti, The Vaccines’ own journey has led them
to making a record with its roots very firmly in the music of today.
Working alongside Dave Fridmann – who has a history of producing
bands such as The Flaming Lips, Tame Impala and MGMT – and Cole
M. Grief-Neil – who has a similarly impressive catalogue working with
Ariel Pink, Beck and Nite Jewel – in Fridmann’s Tarbox Road Studio
in upstate New York, the band’s record exhibits a noted increase in
the emphasis on production and utilising modern equipment. The
decision to indulge in such a sound was, as Cowan explains, a wholly
intentional one: “What we ended up listening to was a lot of modern
pop music and hip hop and just things that were very much utilising
computers. I think we just felt like we wanted to create a produced
record, a record that could only have been made in 2015 or 2014,
and I think that was our main objective.” Working with Grief-Neil in
particular, Cowan tells us, was a conscious part of this process. “The
reason we wanted Cole to be on board was because we wanted
someone who was really well versed in that type of thing, because
when we came into the record we definitely – although we were
willing and wanted to make this transition – had no idea how to do
it.” The result is an album which professes the same sort of mentality
and ethos which ensured The Vaccines have succeeded thus far:
namely, progression without compromise.
It is, in fact, exactly this notion which Cowan seems to find
most satisfying. He takes great pride in the fact The Vaccines have
developed their own sound, something with which a great many
bands struggle throughout their entire careers. When discussing
the third record, he explains how: “We explored and explored and
explored, but we came back to a sound which was really very
distinctly The Vaccines, and I feel that’s a very special thing because
it’s amazing to have something like that.”
Throughout our interview, Cowan comes across as a dedicated,
articulate and passionate member of his band, his sense of artistic
duty coming to the fore when he notes that, “A lot of people care
about this, and a lot of people I care about care about this.” Never
does he seem more proud, however, than when discussing how
The Vaccines have successfully carved their own niche in the nigh-
on-impenetrable mesh which is the music industry, a feat which he
sums up well: “I think we’ve cemented that [sound] while going in a
completely different direction,” he states, a point that is impossible
to dispute for anyone who has given the band even the most cursory
of listens.
Looking forward, there is much lined up to keep fans of the band
satisfied, not least the full and proper release of Modern Graffiti.
Plans beyond this, Cowan believes, depend on the success of the
new record. What is certain, however, is that The Vaccines are not
going to be standing still. For a band where change and development
from one album to the next is a key feature of their sound, remaining
static is never likely to be an option. Amidst all this development
is also the essence of what it is to be The Vaccines, the beating
heart which has drawn audiences thus far, and which truly marks
this special band out as distinct. Lead singer Justin Young put it best
when, as mentioned in a recent Guardian review of their show in
Nottingham, he pronounced to the crowd: “We’re The Vaccines, and
we’ll always be The Vaccines.”
thevaccines.com
The Vaccines play The Atlantic Stage on Friday / Onstage at 10.30pm
THE VACCINES
26
liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
Listening back to ICEAGE’s debut album – 2011’s
New Brigade – it’s easy to see why this band of Danish
teenage punks caused such a stir when first they
appeared, seemingly out of the blue. Although things
like lyrics, harmony and instrumentation were at times a
struggle to extract from the clatter, their songwriting and
unbridled energy was – and still is – genuinely exciting.
Lead singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt’s snarls across
the clanging guitars and cacophonous drums were an
aggressive panacea to the mild-mannered output of their
contemporaries. Under the murky surface their potential
shone through like white gold and had listeners and
critics alike rabid with anticipation for where they’d go to
next. It was blood, sweat, testosterone and the promise
of a return to genuinely threatening music.
Although it was their brutish aggression, stellar
songwriting and flirtations with fascist imagery that
brought them notice and notoriety in equal measures,
it was perhaps their age that got mentioned the most.
At an average age of just 17 when New Brigade was
released, journalists seemed fascinated to figure out just
what was going on with these fresh-faced, vitriolic punks.
“People tend to romanticise people at a young age doing
something that gains international recognition. I think
that some people would still prefer it if I was seventeen
years old and doing these things, but that’s not the
case,” says guitarist Johan Surrballe Wieth. Even around
the release of their latest album, Plowing Into A Field
Of Love, much of the press had been focused on this
being the point which they “mature”, marking a kind of
natural progression from snot-faced kids into some form
of adulthood. “I suppose it depends what you mean by
maturing,” explains Johann. “Maturing is just another
word for progress. Perhaps it’s maturing in the sense that
we’ve played together for so long, we’ve gotten better
playing and better playing together. We have the tools
and the knowledge to play the things we want now, but I
don’t see us any more mature in the conventional sense
of the word.”
Though there are many similarities across all three
of their albums, their latest showcases a very different
kind of energy. Less frantic, more comfortable with
themselves and with a broader emotional spectrum,
Plowing Into A Field Of Love feels more complex than
anything the band have released before. For Johann this
marks more of a natural progression than any contrived
development. “I think what we did then suited our state
of mind at that time. What we have now reflects our
state of mind now. I wouldn’t go back and change either
of the first two albums, but we have to keep moving.
Standing still is one of the most unpleasant things I can
think of, especially when it comes to creating.”
It was always hard to see how the band would
move beyond the brutish post-punk of their first two
albums. It was a sound that they had forged and
which had come to define them, and yet here they
are, having retained their style but pushed it into new
territories. The twenty-somethings now have a new air
about them, their palette expand beyond the fizzing
hardcore of their earlier releases, including things like
mandolins, violas, and discernible lyrics. Plowing Into
A Field Of Love certainly feels like a step forward for
the band, fostered by their ever-strengthened working
relationship. Though bordering on atonal and filled
with the kind of antagonistic energy that would make
GG Allen proud, there is a definite sense that the group
have sought to draw out more of the sweetness from
the tar. Vocals are clearer, harmonies are more prominent
and structures more complex. Though they may shirk at
the suggestion, there is almost something romantic
about the album. “We don’t talk amongst the four of
us about how something sounds. There’s not a whole
lot of talking about it, we just do it. It’s about us as
individuals having the tools to do exactly what we
want and then channel that in an intense way. Playing
together for so long, too, the writing process has
become almost symbiotic.” From the country-tinged
single The Lord’s Favorite through to the string-backed
Forever, their sonic touchstones have grown to include
bands like The Birthday Party, Gun Club and even early
Libertines, but it is their ability to take such simple
and universal sounds and truly make them theirs that
makes the band unique. “There’s all this talk about all
these elements and different genres we’ve taken from,
but really we don’t just sit down and say we want to
take this and this. We write it and then we sit down and
think about it. There’s no prescribed recipe.”
Moving forward again, it’s anyone’s guess as to where
the band will end up next. “From the end of the first
record we started writing immediately. The same thing
for the third. This time around we’ve taken some time
off. We’ve been touring a lot and needed some time
before we engage with the new material.” What will be
interesting is to see how this time to reflect will change
the sound of the fourth album. Perhaps they will eschew
their post-punk roots entirely in favour of something
softer, or plough back into the cacophony that they’re so
comfortable with. Whatever the case, hopefully we won’t
have to wait too long. “We’re already back onto writing
new material again, and we’re all definitely back into it.
We’re not drained yet.”
iceagecopenhagen.eu
Iceage play The Baltic Stage on Friday / Onstage
at 8.20pm
ICEAGEWords: Dave Tate
Features
22nd – 24th May 2015
AQUASERGE (Psych-Pop)North Stage / Sat / 3.50pm
C.A.R (Indie/Electro-Pop)North Stage / Sun / 5.30pm
HOLLYSIZ (Pop-Rock)North Stage / Fri / 3.30pm
NLF3 (Post-Rock)Cargo Stage / Sat / 1.15pm
GASPARD ROYANT (Rockabilly)Atlantic Stage / Sun / 2pm
THOUSAND (Indie-Pop) Mail Chimp Record Store / Sat / 10.15pm
bureauexport presents
F R A N C E AT
L I V E R P O O L
S O U N D
C I T Y
Tickets: 03000 680400 Buy online/info: forestry.gov.uk/music
Saturday 4 JulyDELAMERE FORESTNR NORTHWICH, CHESHIRE
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HOLD MEREAL LOVEANOTHER LOVECAN’T PRETEND
PLUS SPECIAL GUEST
+ SUPPORT
28
liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
Hailing from Thurso in Caithness, a town that’s located
only a few dozen miles from John O’Groats and faces out
to the North Atlantic, diviners of melodic psych folk NEON
WALTZ have spent the past two years in their rehearsal
space honing their sound to perfection. Sounding like
a less angst-ridden version of The Walkmen jamming in
their NYC loft with The National and The Coral, the band’s
SoundCloud page serves notice of a group fully formed
despite being only 18 months into their live career.
Consisting of vocalist Jordan Shearer, bassist/co-
vocalist Calvin Wilson, guitar-playing brethren Jamie and
Kevin Swanson, organist Liam Whittles and sticksman
Darren Coghill, the six-piece have hit upon a rich seam
of sun-baked indie jangle, ranging from the beautifully
restrained sway of Bare Wood Aisles to the subtly
anthemic Sombre Fayre and the beatific Perfect Frame;
the buzz around the group at present is sizeable.
“We’ve just done two days, starting at ten and finishing
at ten at night; we’re having a day off today,” Shearer
explains over the phone from the band’s home base in
Thurso. After hundreds of hours spent workshopping
in their rehearsal room-cum-studio, the band emerged
blinking into the light to make their live debut early
last year. “It’s basically an abandoned old croft house,”
Shearer explains of the splendid wilderness in which
the band practice. “It’s in the grounds of Calvin’s mum
and dad’s farm; it’s always been sitting there. It’s got no
heating or anything.”
Rather than them falling over each other in such
cramped conditions, Shearer believes that working
at such close quarters has definitely helped the band
progress to where they are now. “If it wasn’t so isolated
we might never have started a band, cos up here it’s so
isolated that everyone sort of knows everyone. We were
kind of the six dudes who were into the same kind of
music, could play instruments and write music. That’s
how we formed in the first place and we were mates
anyway. I would say there’s a lot of people up here who
like the same music we do, but of people who started
bands, we were six out of only a few.”
The isolation Shearer talks of was instrumental in
shaping the band’s influences and formulating their
sound. “Back in the day I remember having to borrow CDs
– if you couldn’t afford to buy them out of Woolworths,
you had to do a swap. It’s way easier to broaden your
horizons nowadays, which is for the best, I think. Back
then it certainly made us like similar stuff.”
The band played their first gig at legendary grassroots
Glasgow venue King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in January 2014,
a landmark gig which might be considered by some
groups to be a long time in the making. “We’d been a
band for maybe just under a year before the gig and we
didn’t just want to throw ourselves out there and play a
show without being completely ready,” Shearer states. “I
think it’s quite tempting for bands to do that now; they
get a couple of songs and they’re like, ‘Fuck, let’s just
go and play!’ We were like, ‘No, we’ll take as much time
as we can’. We just locked ourselves away for nearly a
year and made sure the songs were perfect for going out
[live], and the sound as well.”
Half a dozen of the band’s current tracks were
pulled together in April to make up the EP First Light, a
clutch of demos and live versions the band have been
working with for some time. And they’ve stockpiled
more than enough material for their first full-blown LP,
which Shearer reckons is likely to surface early next
year. “We’ve got a lot, some that are more finished than
others. Totally finished, we’ve probably got about fifteen
or sixteen tracks. Then we’ve got loads that are nearly
there, then some that are at opening stages, but we’re
always writing. It’s hard not to be prolific when there’s
six of us.”
“It’s completely shared; everyone in the band writes,”
continues Shearer. “So, for example, if I write a song for
the band, I write it by myself, no-one sort of teams up
and writes together, really. If I write a verse/chorus, then
send it around the band, then at practice we’ll learn it,
jam through it a few times then start thinking of ways
we could improve it. Maybe take something out, add a
middle eight in or whatever. It’s very, very shared, so by
the time the song’s finished, it’s gone through such a
process it really is everyone’s song.”
Citing the trio of New York bands The Walkmen,
Deerhunter and The National as treasured influences,
Shearer also highlights Timber Timbre’s most recent
LP Hot Dreams (via a recommendation from The Coral’s
Nick Power) and the work of former Walkmen Hamilton
Leithauser and Peter Matthew Bauer as recent practice-
room stereo staples. The inspiration of another of Neon
Waltz’s formative inspirations, The Coral, has endured to
this day too, and the Merseyside denizens are among
many connections the Highlanders have formed with
this region. “They were one of the new bands at the
time that really got me into music and wanting to start
a band,” Shearer recalls. “Big John” – tour driver and
flatmate of Dave McCabe – has also been credited with
giving the band some pointers, as he pointed Shearer
towards what many view as the shiniest jewel in Mick
Head’s glittering back catalogue, The Magical World Of
The Strands. “We were in some shithole by a motorway
outside Leicester. We [were] walking round going,
‘Fucking hell this is depressing!’ We were sitting in a
Travelodge; the rest of the boys had gone to an Indian
restaurant,” Shearer remembers. “The first song from
that album John put on was Something Like You. I was
like ‘I’ve got to hear the rest of this’.” The band were so
smitten that, at their Shipping Forecast show in Liverpool
last year, they were joined on stage by Bill Ryder-Jones
for a rendition of the track.
Beyond musical influences, Neon Waltz are connected
to Liverpool through co-manager Howie Payne – former
frontman of The Stands and more recently a songwriter
for Ren Harvieu – who initially discovered the band. “He
heard some songs on the internet, we put some tunes
up and he found them and got in contact with us; it all
just happened from there,” Shearer states.
A further connection was made through being praised
by the elder brother of Beady Eye’s former lead singer, as
the Caithness group now share the same management.
“Howie put the idea across that this guy Marcus Russell
wants to co-manage us,” Shearer recalls. “I don’t think
any of us knew who he was and then he said, ‘He
manages Noel Gallagher’, and we said, ‘Err, OK!’”
Neon Waltz’s upcoming Liverpool fixture, effectively
kicking off this year’s Sound City, takes place amidst
some reasonably frantic live activity for the six-piece, as
they have a gig in Manchester the same night. Expect
crowd numbers to be high for the group’s early-doors
appearance, mind, as, going by present form, it’s highly
probable that Neon Waltz will be one of the most talked-
about new acts at this year’s festival.
neonwaltz.com
Neon Waltz play The Atlantic Stage on Friday / Onstage
at 5.15pm
Words: Richard Lewis
NEON WALTZ
Features
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liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
Though you may not be acutely aware of them, London-
based trio YAK are one of the few groups in Britain today
capable of justifying their own press hype. “It seems now
that we’re almost definitely in a situation where we can
do ourselves proud and put out a really good record,”
says lead singer and guitarist Oli Burslem, with the air of
a man who knows the tipping point between confidence
and arrogance. If the quality of the group’s output so far is
anything to go by, then the group’s success seems almost
certain. To date, Yak have released a series of singles and
an excellent EP (Plastic People) on two of the UK’s finest
independent labels, which points to a validation of sorts
of what Burslem claims. “Our first [single] was put out by
Fat Possum, which is a bit of a curveball, but everything
else is Rough Trade.”
The group’s sound can be described as an eclectic
mix of the very best psych, krautrock and garage rock,
but their range of influences spans far beyond that. “Me
and Andy have been playing since we were quite young
and I remember my first obsession in music was Elvis!”
laughs Burslem. “I mean, it probably sounds quite cool
now, but at the time I think people were puzzled as to
why this 6-year-old had a quiff and was singing Elvis
songs… Bands like The Cramps, The Birthday Party and
The Gun Club we picked up along the way, but you get
to the point where you don’t consciously think of any of
them… I just get the guitar and write a song, which is
what I prefer, really.”
What separates Yak from a lot of their peers is their
urge to experiment instead of sticking to tired psych
and garage-rock traits. “The EP Plastic People I pretty
much just wrote at home and then when we got to the
studio the guys put their input in,” Burslem explains, with
disarming easiness. “The song Distortion was actually
the last notes of a song we demoed… I went home from
the studio and I couldn’t get to sleep one night so I
looped the last five seconds of this guitar and organ riff,
which was much better than the rest of the demo of the
song. I put it through a reel to reel: I sped it up, slowed it
down and tuned it to different notes, took it back to the
computer and made a song out of a drone being sped
up or slowed down.” The group have a clear “anything-
goes” approach to songwriting, as they are keen not to
restrict themselves by their abilities as musicians. “The
hardest thing is working out what you’re good at and
not so good at,” Burslem continues. “When you’re really
passionate about music you think you can do it all, but
you can’t really. That’s why I think we sound the way we
do. It’s why we never play a song the same twice! We
keep it quite loose because we get restless and quite
bored easily. I’ve actually written two songs today… one
of them sounds alright actually, so that’s not bad!”
It was this restlessness that resulted in the band’s
formation in the first place, as well as Burslem’s
own desire to fly the nest. “I didn’t want to stay in
Wolverhampton, where I’m from. I really like London but
I don’t have any money. So I was working on a building
site, as a handyman, on the market selling furniture,
Stringfellow’s strip bar – just to sustain the music! It just
proved harder and harder to balance the two, really. Now
we’ve sold everything we own just to keep going! I still
don’t have my own guitar! A friend had to loan one to
me.” The band’s limited recording budget has become
one of their defining traits, and they are all the stronger
for it, and their bizarre idiosyncrasies are perhaps partly
inspired by Burslem’s days working on a market stall in
London dealing in antiques. “I used to buy and sell shit,
really. I would usually go to one of those weekly auctions
with a van and come back with some bits and pieces
to sell in London,” he says. This occupation has proved
useful for the band as a means of acquiring recording
equipment and instruments, not least a new organ after
destroying one at a show in Glasgow. “There was once
this organ with a big fish on it which was about five quid
and I thought was amazing, so I had to have it. The organ
ended up back in the shop and people would come in
and play it. There was one kid who would come in and
we would sit him on this organ and he would play it for
hours; it was complete noise! He would just completely
empty the shop but he really, really enjoyed it so we
didn’t want to sell it… I don’t have a shop anymore and
that’s probably why.” The band still has the fish organ
to this day, as well as a synthesiser that they only kept
because its dire condition rendered it unsellable.
Burslem was keen to express his love for the North
West’s music and culture, stating that he thinks “Liverpool
easily has as good a scene [as Manchester] but people
just don’t tend to go on about it as much.” Interestingly,
Yak as a group claim that they wouldn’t be where they
are today if it wasn’t for the help of a Scouse pal of theirs,
Levi: “He’s the person who built our amplifiers, some of
our pedals, and did some of our recordings and just got
us going really… He’s into his amateur radio stuff and
uses this big antenna to pick up truckers in America on
it! A sample from it is actually on the last song on the
EP… He used to work at Eric’s too!” Despite his love for
the city, Burslem’s band have never played a show here,
which makes Sound City the group’s Liverpool debut.
“We’re really looking forward to it. We really wanna see
Iceage, and we’ve never seen Swans before so we’re
really excited for that too… really brutal. Look out for a
man in a stupid hat that looks a bit like me!”
Interestingly, Yak have developed a relationship with
John Coxon from legendary space rockers Spiritualized.
“We first met when I was working on the market in
Spitalfields a long time ago, it must have been six years
now,” Burslem remembers. “I had a mixtape in my van
that had old electronic stuff on it like the early Human
League and that got us chatting and we ended up down
the pub together. He’s been a great help for the band, and
through him I’ve met Jason [Pierce]; they’ve both been
very supportive… Knowing people who do music or have
done it is quite inspiring in itself because when you’re
stuck somewhere it does seem like possibility of actually
doing it is just not believable.”
Thankfully, more people are catching up with Burslem’s
belief in his band, and the future does indeed look bright
for Yak. Be sure to catch them here, as it can only be a
matter of time before Yak are recognised as one of the
leading lights of alternative music in Britain today.
@yak_band
Yak play The Baltic Stage on Friday / Onstage at 6.45pm
YAKWords: Dan Brown / @danbrownnn
Features
Travelling by train to Sound CityGetting the train to Liverpool Sound City couldn’t be easier with Merseyrail. Bramley Moore Dock is in walking distance from Sandhills station.
Our Day Saver ticket starts from £3.70 for all day off-peak travel, tickets can be used during weekends and bank holidays.
If you’re planning to return by
train, please be aware that the
last train times from Sandhills
station are:
Towards Liverpool Central ... 23:55
Towards Southport .............. 23:44
Towards Ormskirk ............... 23:46
Towards Kirkby .....................00:01
www.merseyrail.org
THE UK & EUROPE’S MOST CONNECTED MUSIC COLLEGE
TALENTTALENTTALENTE M E R G I N G
SAT 23RD MAY 14:45 - 17:45 THE CAVERN STAGE
Be among the first to discover our emerging talent at the festival’s Cavern Stage from 2:45 to 5:45. Alongside these five acts we shall also be taking this opportunity to launch our 2015 BIMM albums.
BIMM LONDON PRESENTS
FRIDA WALLIN - Swedish traditional folk
BIMM MANCHESTER PRESENTS
DUKE MERCURY - Bombastic alternative duo
BIMM BRISTOL PRESENTS
ELLIE GODWIN - Grungy psych
BIMM DUBLIN PRESENTS
ELM – Dark, earthy, ambient
BIMM BRIGHTON PRESENTS
RORY INDIANA – Alternative rock
17:20 - 17:45
16:40 - 16:55
16:00 - 16:25
15:20 - 15:45
14:45 - 15:10
CURATED BY THE LSC INDUSTRY A&R TEAM
Start-up for Summer Coursesn Are you a current LJMU student or a recent graduate from LJMU?*n Would you like to start your own business?n Have you ever considered freelancing?n Do you need help and funding to get started?
Then LJMU’s free two day start-up courses this summer could help you take the next step towards achieving your goals.
You will also have the chance to apply for £250 start-up funding to get your ideas off the ground.
facebook.com/LJMUstartup
@LJMU_Enterprise
*Certain eligibility criteria apply
To find out more and to request an application pack, email [email protected] or call 0151 231 3300
Course Dates:
2nd & 3rd June 201522nd & 23rd June 2015 8th & 9th July 2015
29th & 30th July 2015
www.ljmu.ac.uk/startup
CHAS COLE FOR CMP ENTERTAINMENT IN ASSOCIATION WITH ASGARD PRESENTS
For details of performances contact our box office on 0151 666 0000 or visit our website www.bestguitarfest.com
LIVE IN CONCERT
FRI 20th Nov 7:30pmAll Tickets £21.00 All prices include a £1.00 fee per ticket
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
SAT 21st Nov8:00pmTickets £43.50 & £33.50
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RICKY ROSSSUN 15th Nov 8:00pmAll Tickets £25.50
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Liverpool One BridewellCampbell Square, Argyle StreetLiverpool L1 5FB
t 0151 709 7000www.liverpoolonebridewell.com
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liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
Canada, the world’s second-largest country by
area, often gets a raw deal when it comes to national
stereotypes, with the friendly Canadian natives often
resigned to accepting their lot with a shrug. This week,
Canadian music agency BreakOut West are at Sound
City to show that it’s not all maple syrup, Mounties and
ice hockey in “America’s Attic”, bringing a showcase of
musicians from across western Canada that will have
you thinking more along the lines of Neil Young, Leonard
Cohen, Feist, Deadmau5 and Drake than Avril Lavigne
and Justin Bieber when it comes the country’s musical
exports.
So, how do you define the music of western Canada
when it’s a region that covers an area ten times the
size of the UK? The simple answer is, you don’t. The
combined talent produced in British Columbia, Alberta,
Saskatchewan, Manitoba, The Northwest Territories and
the Yukon Territory is simply too vast to unify under
one theme, as this showcase on The Cavern Stage will
prove. Along with the Western Canadian Music Awards,
BreakOut West’s aim is to promote and celebrate the
eclectic glory of Canadian Prairie music across the globe,
and on Friday it’s Liverpool’s turn to be wowed.
36? (pictured) started out as the solo project of Calgary-
based basement-dweller Taylor Cochrane in 2006, finally
reaching its pinnacle in 2014 with where do we go from
here?, the group’s first full-length release as a quartet
after four solo albums by Cochrane. With its mishmash
of art pop and psych-jazz stylings, the record captures
the group’s fast and loose approach in the most thrilling
way, so make sure you catch them in full flow (10.30pm).
On a subtler note, CLOSE TALKER’s spindly earworms
with orchestral ambitions have drawn comparisons
to Local Natives and Bon Iver, and the quartet from
the great plains of Saskatoon have their sights set
on winning over European audiences this summer.
Following on from 2014’s debut LP Flux, Close Talker
have played showcase events at Canadian Music Week,
SXSW in Texas and The Great Escape in Brighton, with
this Liverpool show coming at the end of a period of
extensive touring. If you like your indie pop plush and
full of yearning sentiment, Close Talker are ones for you
(onstage at 8.50pm).
Also hailing from Saskatchewan, infectious indie
trio YOUNG BENJAMINS brew up a catchy concoction
that will captivate even the most discerning of crowds.
On their debut full-length album, Less Argue (released
on Dollartone Records in March), Neusha Mofazzali,
Veronique Poulin and Brynn Krysa mix violin flourishes
and robust vocals with dashes of math-rock rhythms to
create a refreshing sound that has seen them dubbed
Saskatchewan’s “indie folk darlings”. Young Benjamins’
compelling stage presence and renowned live show
have begun to attract some very positive attention for
this young band, so get yourself in place from 8pm to
make sure you catch them.
Proudly committed to making music real people can
relate to, Manitoba hip hop artists THE LYTICS (pictured,
onstage at 7.10pm) have never been ones for empty
boasts and bravado, preferring instead to promote the
same brand of street-level optimism espoused by early
influences Mos Def, The Pharcyde, and A Tribe Called
Quest. Their live shows, in particular, are straight-up
life-affirming affairs, during which the group’s easy
beats and infectious enthusiasm can win over the most
hardened of cynics. That same penchant for positivity is
reflected in the act’s sound — an amalgam of old-school
soundscapes and boom-box bangers that celebrates,
inspires and challenges.
There goes a saying in North America, that an act of
tedium can be said to be “as dull as a Sunday in Canada”.
This BreakOut West showcase will be anything but.
Words: Frankie Muslin
BREAKOUT WEST@ The Cavern Stage
Previews
36?
The Lytics
37
bidolito.co.uk
One thing Sound City has always done is promote the best of the wealth and
depth of the city’s vibrant scene, and this is no different in 2015. They may not be
household names yet outside of the city, but with everything from “the future
of British soul” to post-everything rock being covered, it’s clear the city is in rude
health – and this lot are just some of the cream on the top of the cake.
First up, BARBEROS (The Baltic Stage, 5.15pm): taking in influences from
Tangerine Dream to the Locust, their sound is nigh-on impossible to pin down
– something that is vanishingly rare outside of dance music these days. To really
get to grips with what their madcap ball of two drumkits, Lyrcra bodysuits, gnarly
electro stabs and flailing limbs is all about, you have to catch them live.
A few years of hiatus is an unusual career move in a band’s embryonic phase,
but BAD MEDS (The Baltic Stage, 6pm) have used it to their advantage, honing
their brand of punk, which harks back to a time when punk was fracturing into all
the sub-sub-sub genres we have now; sometimes fast and sometimes slow but
always intense. Besides, how many punk bands cover the KLF on a cassette-only
release? Precisely.
At the more accessible side of things you have POLAR STATES (The Record
Store, 9pm). Stadium-sized, atmospheric emoting is a thing that’s been going
on for quite some time now, but there is always something new to be said and
this quartet have garnered recognition from both XFM and BBC 6Music, so they’re
clearly hitting the right notes.
In between these two extremes, there is KOF’s London-via-Liverpool (and
MOBO-approved) neo-soul (The Cargo Stage, 7.10pm). His wayward youth spent
DJing UK garage and house music has taken him on a journey; picking up myriad
other genres along the way has helped him push the envelope in one of pop’s
most treasured genres.
LOCAL ROUND-UP
KOF
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liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
FIST CITYFlying the flag for North American alt. rock, supercharged Alberta natives FIST CITY wade into some personal
topics with gut-punching candour. The quartet, led by twin siblings Kier and Brittany Griffiths, have the skill
to make their hyper-local topics (Canadian politics, small-town life, etc.) relevant to all who listen, all with a
healthy side-order of buzzsaw guitars and ridiculously intense rhythms. It’s a joyous punk rock brew, which
comes highly recommended.
The Cavern Stage / 9.40pm
RONI SIZE/REPRAZENTDrum’n’bass has been having something of a moment again. Who better to re-enter the melee, then, than
big beat don RONI SIZE, who has reunited his groundbreaking old band REPRAZENT for a series of shows
around the release of his new solo material. The 1997 Mercury Prize-winners are up there as one of the best
electronic acts in the business, and they helm the first of Sound City’s warehouse raves, which runs until 3am.
Late Night Warehouse Party / 12.30am
STORMZYGetting a spot on the BBC Sound Of… list isn’t always a harbinger of success, but occasionally Auntie
Beeb hits the nail on the head. Enter STORMZY, who featured high on 2015’s poll. Riding the wave of grime’s
resurgence, Stormzy has translated the hype machine’s love – and some insane YouTube viewing figures – to
Radio 1Xtra playlisting and MOBO awards. His ascent has been rapid, but, as 1Xtra DJ Charlie Sloth declared
after Stormzy delivered an insane cypher on his Fire In The Booth session, “a star is born”.
The Cargo Stage / 9.40pm
SWANSFour decades has not dulled the sheer confrontational noise and boundary-pushing blitzkrieg that is SWANS. Following
the release in 2014 of what is considered their finest album yet (To Be Kind), they have been re-affirming that live, too, they
are a force to be reckoned with. Plugging the gap between the esoteric and the visceral is something that Swans have
proven themselves to be unparalleled at, led by sole constant member Michael Gira. Prepare those earplugs.
The Baltic Stage / 9.30pm
GARBONOTAS BOSISTASHailing from Vilnius, Lithuania, GARBONOTAS BOSISTAS relive the acid-soaked 60s that the former USSR
never had a chance to live first time round. Through their latest album Above Us, and various live performances,
the band have consistently and intelligently married the freedom of psychedelic 60s rock with tones of fluid
jazz, heavy blues and gospel-like passions. Their music, which inhabits drones, cavernous spaces and liquid
guitars, proves that music transcends language boundaries if only you dance hard enough.
The North Stage / 8.50pm
EVERYTHING EVERYTHINGPurveyors of indie-ish art pop at its finest, EVERYTHING EVERYTHING have amassed a devoted following
through a constant stream of thought-provoking yet easily relatable music. With two critically acclaimed
albums under their belts (number three, Get To Heaven, drops in June), and a string of insanely catchy singles
that stretches from Suffragette Suffragette to Distant Past, via MY KZ YR BF and Kemosabe, they are one of the
few bands who’ve kept their cool and conquered the charts at the same time.
The Atlantic Stage / 9pm
Previews
Wed 17 June 7pmTest Dept: DS30 Film Screening & Book Launch
www.thebluecoat.org.uk / 0151 702 5324 / [email protected]: @thebluecoat I: @the_bluecoat
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Summer atLiverpool’s centre for the contemporary artsHighlights include:
Sat 18 July - Sun 27 Sept Open Mon-Sat 10am - 6pm, Sun 11am - 6pm. Free entry.RESOURCE: a group exhibition that provides a playful set of resources for visitors.
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LIVERPOOL HOPE UNIVERSITYCreative & Performing Arts • Creative Writing • Dance • Design• Drama & Theatre Studies • Film & Visual Culture • Fine Art • Media & Communication • Music
2015 Open Days:Wednesday 24th June Saturday 27th June
www.hope.ac.uk/opendays
YOUR FUTURESTARTS WITH HOPE
Official Partner:
at Liverpool Sound City
The Momentum Music Fund supports artists at a tipping point, helping them to reach the next stage of their career.
ALL WE ARELONELADY
FEMMEATTAQUE
Saturday 23rd May 2015The Cavern Stage, 7.30pm til late
PRS for Music Foundation and Arts Council England present
prsformusicfoundation.comliverpoolsoundcity.co.uk
LIVERPOOLSOUND CITYNZ@
FRIDAY 22ND MAYKRAKEN STAGE
BRAMLEY MOORE DOCK
Lucklesswww.luckless.co.nz
www.facebook.com/soluckless
20.00 - 20.30
Louis Bakerwww.louisbaker.co.nz
20.50 - 21.20
Jesse Sheehanhttp://jessesheehan.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/
jessesheehanmusic
21.40 - 22.10
NZMC - SCITY 2015 - QTR - 21_4_15_NZMC - SCITY 2015 - QTR - 21_4_15 22/04/2015 09:39 Page 1
DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING OF VINYL RECORDS
CD AND DVDDOWNLOAD CARDS
PRINTED PACKAGING
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live-guide advert ii.pdf 1 18/05/2015 16:36:31
PRESENTED BYALBERTA MUSIC MANITOBA MUSIC BREAKOUT WEST SASKMUSIC
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