Issue 57 / July 2015

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Issue 57
July 2015
James Canty by Nata Moraru
James Canty
Sex Swing
Johnny Sands
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Bido Lito! July 2015 3
Bido Lito!
Issue Fifty Seven / July 2015
bidolito.co.uk
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Editor
Christopher Torpey - chris@bidolito.co.uk
Editor-In-Chief / Publisher
Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk
Reviews Editor
Sam Turner - live@bidolito.co.uk
PRECIOUS CARGO
Editorial
On 4th July 1840, the RMS Britannia set sail from Liverpool, where her owner Samuel Cunard had set up office as head of his new venture, the British
and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company, with Scottish shipbuilder Robert Napier. The previous year, Canadian-born Cunard was awarded
the first British trans-Atlantic steamship mail contract, and he was on board as the liner made her maiden voyage in the twelve-day crossing. Originally
making port in Cunard’s hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the Britannia then travelled on to Boston with its cargo of mail, coal, livestock and 115 first-
class passengers. Cunard and the Britannia arrived back in Liverpool later that month, after a then record ten-day crossing, and in doing so established
a vital link between Liverpool and the New World that would go on to become about a lot more than just trade and mail.
Why the history lesson? Well, not only do I find it to be a nice nugget of local history that we should be aware of, but this year also marks the 175th
anniversary of Cunard’s crossing. And it also forms the crux of the Transatlantic 175 event, which is taking place on the weekend of 4th and 5th July
under the guidance of design guru Wayne Hemingway. Now I’m not sure if Mr Cunard would be too enamoured with the thought of a giant catwalk
taking place in front of the offices of his old business, but the overall spirit of celebrating our trans-Atlantic roots through music, food and fashion is
something that should be embraced. A similar theme of respectful remembrance can be found in Sound City’s re-appropriation of the docks, and we
look forward to dissecting a few more of those musical links to New York (and beyond) next month around the Migration Music-themed commissions
for Liverpool International Music Festival.
Liverpool owes a lot to its maritime heritage, even though there’s the uncomfortable baggage of its involvement as the end point of the slave trade
as part of that narrative. The endeavours of people like Samuel Cunard helped to put Liverpool on the map as a mercantile power, and this influx of
money and people created this great melting pot of cultures that defines us. It might be a hackneyed thing to talk about it in these here parts, but you
won’t find me grumbling about events like Transatlantic 175 and the visit of the Three Queens. It’s vital to know what’s gone before us, and to whom
we should be grateful; it gives us grounding.
When it comes to music we’re well aware of this heritage; in fact, it can often be hard to escape it. The sounds and history of Liverpool’s musical
past are dug up and re-presented so often that it’s like walking with ghosts in some parts of town. You don’t need me to tell you that this is a world
away from the high-class music makers that define the city’s musical imprint today – we’ve been doing that for fifty-six issues already, which stand
as our evidence. But there’s a balance to be struck between maintaining a respect for the past and establishing an un-blinkered outlook on all the
possibilities that the future holds. I was on the way up to Scotland in the car recently, and for the first time in about five years I put on The La’s album
and listened to it all the way through. That’s a record that could only have been made here – it positively drips Liverpool. You can hear the bustle of the
streets and alleys in the skiffly melodies, and the lapping of the Mersey in Mavers and Power’s cooing harmonies. There was a time when this album
was a blueprint for aspiring rock stars, and though you’re hardly likely to see its stylings in the set-ups of Outfit or The Tea Street Band or Hooton Tennis
Club, you can bet your bottom dollar that album has a special place in those musicians’ record collections.
We have a duty to make sure that all of these memories are preserved in the way our culture moves forward, if only for our own peace of mind.
It’s the character, stories and people that fill in the gaps of the concrete and glass sprawl, a shared culture that prevents us from being disconnected
from our home. If we don’t protect this then we may end up like the RMS Britannia: sold-off, re-named and sunk in target practice. Memories are much
harder to sink.
Christopher Torpey / @BidoLito
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Von Pip, John Wise, Alastair Dunn, Paul
Fitzgerald, Matthew Cooper, Sam Turner,
Stuart Miles O’Hara, Joshua Potts, Debra
Williams, Frankie Muslin, Jamie Carragher.
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bidolito.co.uk

4
Bido Lito! July 2015
JAMES CANTY
Words: Paddy Clarke / @paddyclarke
Photography: Nata Moraru
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! July 2015 5
When I track JAMES CANTY down to the FACT foyer, he’s already
scribbling in his notebook – “sprawled-out stuff” as he later
calls it – and hearing my approach he looks up from reams of
self-penned copy for a particularly responsive introduction.
On the short walk to the Bombed Out Church garden, which
is to be the sun-swathed setting for our interview, the usual
introductory platitudes of small-talk are bent almost entirely to
his current recording sessions, of which he speaks with winsome
enthusiasm. In conversation he strides a strange, inviting line
between mazing tangents of tumbling anecdote and a firm,
understated sense of purpose to his sprawling yarns: W.H.
Auden, Stevie Smith and Bruce Lee all quoted faultlessly with an
accompanying impression. If we’re to learn nothing else from our
time together, it’s that he’s a man of extraordinary artistic drive,
his desire to do nothing but create instantaneously apparent.
“I love writing and I’ve always just put myself in wherever the
atmosphere, wherever the right environment is for me to spend
all my time writing,” Canty says in a softly-spoken Estuarian lilt.
After months of musical wandering it’s in Liverpool that this Essex
native has found his creative centre. “I think it’s the only place
where I could set up a band, write and record and live without
a lot of pressure, with a great artistic community around me,”
he expounds. “I was working in the Holiday Inn in Essex for a
while,” he remembers, “recording stuff down in Billericay, in my
parent’s place, just living at home Wayne’s World style, writing
songs, basically, and trying to hone my craft as a songwriter. I
moved around like a bit of a nomad really, just touring, solo gigs,
playing on my own because I couldn’t afford to have a band any
more, and I just wrote songs.”
It was in Joe Wills of Obscenic Records (responsible, among
other things, for All We Are’s first release), that the initial roots of
Canty’s debut recordings came to fruition. “Joe offered me a place
to live where I could also hone my craft up here,” the musician
recounts. “We had mutual friends and friends in common that Joe
was recording with, and I think he’d liked my music. He actually
believed in me; it was such a blessing. He’s given me time and
space, and funding too, because he is the label. It’s been DIY, all
our mates helping us out, but obviously everything costs money.”
Like all great musical partnerships we can only be glad the
two met. Now “best friends, best buddies”, in Canty’s new EP Love
the pair have crafted something quite extraordinary: five tracks of
considerable conceptual clout, gentle acoustics entwined with
dovetailing strings of swelling emotion and pulses of semimelancholia.
Along with a full-length album in production (with
the provisional title Something You Choose), all of Canty’s work
so far is imbued with an apparent “through-thread”.
“It’s about love but every form, every part of love,” he explains
on the concepts of his work. “It’s about trying to make it not a
clichéd thing to say love, to bring it to the fore and attack that
clichéd side of it. Maybe a tune like Deborah on there is about
desire and that kind of love, but it’s mostly about transformation
really. In every song there’s more than one voice, or two
conflicting voices. So the verse of Putney Bridge is a bit more ugly,
stop-starty, and then the chorus is all overblown and romantic.”
“Burning Alive, that tune is about transformation into the
alter ego, you changing inside,” he continues. “Deborah’s about
conflicting desires, like when you find someone attractive but
then you just wanna be friends with them and have a nice time
with them, but then you’re also really attracted to them, and then
there’s all these other external forces putting loads of pressure
on you and it’s really oppressive. Putney Bridge is about more
romantic love, longing to make things last long and to appreciate
things.”
Along with four accompanying videos, the Love campaign also
takes in a live music residency at The Well on Roscoe Street, at
which Canty curates a bill of “local artists I really admire, nights
where I get to see the bands that I love, play as well and have
a good time”. He explains that he “wanted [the artists] to fit
together from two opposing sides. I wanna start off with a singersongwriter,
but not a standard singer-songwriter, you know? Like
someone who’s in bands and writes songs – get them to do a
solo slot: someone like Andy from Outfit, who did it the other
day, Jethro Fox, my mate Jacob Berry; these people who write
beautiful songs that I know, these great performers performing
to audiences just on their own, and then move on to more kind
of interesting local bands, like The Aleph, [who also played on
the opening night of the residency on 4th June], which was pretty
intense to listen to. I’d like it to be a platform, for… just a local
band really, but a really good one!”
When Canty describes these residencies as “like is a celebration
of a community of artists”, he could arguably be standing at the
spearhead of this intriguing creative band, yet, while it’s this
sense of inclusion that’s one of the most joyous strings to his
bow, there’s also something intensely personal to his work. Each
of the EP’s songs are informed by tales of deep significance to the
singer; evocative moments of emotional charge whose lasting
scars are lent potent voice in their musical articulation, their
retelling in our interview injected with quite palpable emotion
from the musician.
Of title track Love, for example, Canty remembers: “When I was
a kid, I went to the woods with this boy and we were just building
a den in the woods… there was just this one guy left on his own
and we could hear someone moaning. He was lying under this
tree and he had blood all over his face; the shit kicked out of
him… we walked him home. That had an effect on me when I
was a kid. There’s this poem that starts ‘In a valley of this restless
mind’, a medieval lyric poem. This guy’s wandering through the
valley of his own mind and he comes across this man dying under
a tree, and it’s a king, dressed up really richly, and the king says
that ‘for love he’s dying’.”
It calls to conversation a rich vein of non-musical influences
that have informed Canty’s work, and he’s as ebullient on his
favourite poets and philosophers as he is bands and artists. “It’s
such a cliché, but I don’t care because it’s probably just true,
but W.H. Auden,” he replies when I enquire as to his favourite.
“I think he’ll be remembered forever. His poetry’s just beautiful.
I’ve got a voice recording of him reading his own work and I just
love hearing him saying his own poems.” It’s a recording he duly
plays me at length, the singer hunched over his phone and my
recorder with an unguarded grin as the gravelly tones of Auden
reading Homage To Clio float into the afternoon.
As for music, meanwhile, it was an immersion in the 60s
folk revival after a teenage grasp of the guitar that seems a
catalyst, and from there a fascination of sorts with the role of
singer-songwriter. “All you want is a voice. Something you feel
represented by, and maybe something to believe in as well, but
I realised that my actual voice, my roots, are just in pop music,”
he explains. “All those singer-songwriters, all those folk songs,
they were songwriters writing them, just acoustic songwriters,
and it carries on to Cat Stevens, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen.
Pop music to me is folk music now, people singing to karaoke
machines where they used to sing to someone playing acoustic
guitar. It’s the same thing: they choose what song they want to
sing, and then they sing it, really drunk and happy, and it’s great.
That’s the music of the people today.”
“I fell in love with songwriters; I always just wanted to be a
songwriter,” he continues, explaining that it was explorations
towards “Dylan and more rootsy, folky music” that inspired him
to take up the banjo, which he learnt, incidentally, from Tom Paley
of 60s folk legends New Lost City Ramblers, a friend of Canty’s
similarly exalted guitar teacher Duck Baker. “I still play the banjo,
and it still comes from that longing for the truth and that longing
for the honesty of folk music. The tradition, that’s what you’re
looking for, something to belong to in terms of the tradition. But
songwriting is a tradition, it’s something that’s been around for
a long time, and that’s all the identity you need.”
It’s been an absorbing conversation, but the thing really
worth noting about James Canty is that, for all his extolling
of the virtues of Auden, and elsewhere other poets like Stevie
Smith and Robert Frost, of his enthusiasm for high concepts and
Enlightenment philosophy, he remains entirely personable and
unpretentious, discussions of the value of the artistic alter ego
undercut with a self-effacing affectation of a mock-pompous
voice. As we conclude our interview, I ask him whether he writes
poetry of his own. With his finest cockney ragamuffin impression
and grin he replies: “Leave that to the poets, mate, I’m just a
humble songwriter.”
Love is out now on Obscenic Records.
soundcloud.com/jamescanty
bidolito.co.uk

6
Bido Lito! July 2015
JOHNNY SANDS is a name that will be familiar to those who are
au fait with the Liverpool music scene. Since making Liverpool his
permanent residence, Johnny has been a very busy man indeed,
often seen dashing about town in his distinctive Nissan Figaro.
He's become something of a mainstay on the local creative scene,
helping fellow musicians by putting on gigs and open-mic nights
and being the go-to support artist for many visiting bands over the
last few years. His most recent release – the evocative, piano-flecked
single Arno Arno – sees Johnny emerging from the shadows and
stepping firmly into the spotlight.
As a teenager, Johnny regularly used to travel from his then
hometown of Burscough to Liverpool “because it was the cheapest
train fare!” he jokes. “Actually it was because
of shops like Quiggins, which used to sell
leather jackets and the sort of cool and weird
clothes you just couldn't get in Burscough.”
Johnny was soon bitten by the Liverpool bug,
and after a visit to The Beatles shop he'd soon
replaced all the posters in his bedroom of
his teen idol Alan Shearer with ones of John
Lennon. “I think maybe if you come from
Liverpool you don't quite get the draw that the
city's musical heritage has for us outsiders. I
mean, it's something you've grown up with,
you're proud of it, but, as it's always been
there, you accept it as a fact of life – but for
outsiders it's like a magnet, drawing us to the
city.”
Johnny began writing his own material
and, in time-honoured fashion, took the welltrodden
musical path to London. It was an
experience he found incredibly exciting, but,
as he explains, it was a place he didn't really
feel a huge connection with. “I've always
been one for adventure and new experiences.
London was great, but it can be quite daunting
and impersonal when you're young. And I just
didn't feel the same rapport with the people
or the city as I did with Liverpool.”
Johnny continued to regularly visit
Liverpool and, after handing a demo to a
local promoter, he was offered a gig. “I ended
up gigging all week, and thought, ‘Right, I
think this is where I'll lay my hat…’ and I've
never looked back!” After one gig at the Barfly
he was approached by another aspiring local
musician, David Berger (now of Outfit), who
asked Johnny to play on his album. “It's hard
to believe now, but it was actually a punk
album, on which David planned to play
almost every instrument!”
The pair decided to work together and to
start afresh with a clean musical slate, and
they soon discovered they both shared a love
for cinematic leftfield electronica from artists
such as AIR. “Being a duo we thought it was a good starting point,
and so we bought a stackload of synths!” Johnny remembers. “It
never even crossed our minds to have a drummer or a bassist; we
wanted to approach it all from a different angle. In fact, we had so
many synths we decided to recruit another synth player.” Known as
Vandal In Berlin, the trio were soon being tipped for big things and
started to attract some serious industry interest, but Johnny's own
situation was changing. “I decided to embark on a different path;
family time and constant gigging seemed incompatible at that stage
in my life, so I decided to take some time out.”
bidolito.co.uk
Words: Andy Von Pip / thevpme.com
During this period, however, Johnny never stopped writing and
producing music, and – in a slightly surreal turn of events – he also
found himself crowned the Best-Dressed Man In Britain in the
GQ Men Of The Year awards in 2010. With the award came offers
of professional modelling contracts in London, but again Johnny
wasn’t quite convinced it was the right move. “Yeah, it was great but
also a bit weird,” he explains. “I mean, I've always been heavily into
fashion, but I was reluctant, because a) I didn't fancy the moving
the family to London, and b) because I didn't want new people to
come across me and label me a musician/model. Even though I
was a musician first, which I guess is probably the right way round
to do it! Saying all that, it was great going to the GQ Awards and
Photography: Robin Clewley / robinclewley.co.uk
getting a whole new expensive wardrobe of clothes as part of the
prize!” However, music remained Johnny's key focus, so much so
that he admits to selling most of his newly-acquired expensive
designer threads on eBay to fund the purchase of yet more musical
instruments.
After a period in which family life took priority, Johnny slowly
began to perform again, often with just a guitar and a melodica,
landing support slots with big names Alt-J, Django Django, Zola
Jesus and Wild Beasts. However, he baulks at the suggestion
he was ever an 'acoustic artist' as such: “Grabbing an acoustic
guitar and performing is great: it's convenient and spontaneous,
and after my break it was a good way to dip my toe in again. I'd
also been putting on and hosting open-mic events at Leaf and
Heebies, which has been amazing in terms of fostering a creative
community. But acoustic music really isn't the sort of music I'd
ever been that interested in recording, simply because I love
experimenting with sound. I've always been influenced by the
likes of The Blue Nile and Talk Talk, and one advantage of having
some time away was being able to reflect on the sort of music I
wanted to make.”
Johnny
Sands
So, is the music he's currently recording what one might
call the sound of the 'real' Johnny Sands? “At this moment in
time, yeah, but I doubt if I'll ever be completely
satisfied. I mean, you never are... and that's
what gives you that drive, isn't it? To get better,
to keep going, to strive. Once you're satisfied,
where do you go?”
New cut Arno Arno, inspired by the Arno
River in Florence, certainly has the air of an
artist taking things to a completely new level,
confident in the type of music he wants to make.
“After working with David [Berger] for years –
which was really intense – it gave me loads of
experience and insight into working in studios,”
Johnny explains of his new direction. “I got to
know exactly the sort of sounds I liked and, as a
result, I now find it much easier to produce what
I want in a studio. This time around I wanted to
work with a really good engineer, and I teamed
up with Jon Withnall [I Am Kloot, Half Man Half
Biscuit, Elbow, Feeder], who I knew would help
give the album its own sound, but one which
was unique to me. It probably took about a
year to get together. Jon was great because he
works fast and he managed to help capture the
spontaneity, freshness and energy I wanted,
which is a huge skill in itself.”
With the album recorded it was important
for Johnny to work with people who were not
just willing to help put the album out, but also
people whom he trusted and who believed in
him – enter Dave Pichilingi and Jack Launer of
Baltic Records. “I'd sent Dave a few tunes and
he seemed really into them, he kept asking if
I had any more… so I'd send him a few more
tracks until eventually he pretty much had the
whole album. He was really keen to release it
on Baltic Records, and I'd seen what they'd done
with Bird – who were brilliant – and it really took
them to the next level, so I knew they'd be a
great fit for me.”
The album, titled Films as a nod to his love of
60s and 70s cinema, is slated for release sometime
later in the year, and will mark the end of several
years of good-natured toil. Given the journey he’s
gone on to put it all together, I’m intrigued as to what ambitions
Johnny has for the album. “Well, isn't the next stage supposed to be
global superstardom? That's how it's meant to work, right? Seriously
though, ever since I'd picked up a guitar I was just totally driven to
make music, and in many ways I wasn't bothered where it took me
I just knew it was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
So we'll just have to see what happens next.”
Arno Arno is out now on Baltic Records.
johnnysands.com

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8
Bido Lito! July 2015
What do the bands Cream and Big In Japan have in common?
It doesn’t take an avid music geek to work out that the
‘supergroup’ tag is the common link, which worked to varying
“I've known Dan [Chandler], Stuart [Bell, both Dethscalator]
and Tim [Cedar, Part Chimp] for many years and got to meet Colin
[Webster, Dead Neanderthals] through being in the band,” Jason
BL!: Do you all still see your ‘other’ bands as being your
primary artistic outlet? What I suppose I’m getting at is, do you
instinctively know what’s a Mugstar bit and what’s a Sex Swing
degrees of satisfaction on the part of both bands.
SEX
In 1969, continues. “We all have a mutual respect for each other's music bit? Or have I read Sex Swing the wrong way?
Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner credited Cream with being so I think it was inevitable that we would all end up working JS: Not really: I play what I do and don't necessarily tailor it. For
the first supergroup, made up as they were of Eric Clapton (The together one day.”
example, I don't save a riff that I think will work with Mugstar
Yardbirds), Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce (both the Graham Bond
or Sex Swing or Bonnacons Of Doom. They will always come
Organisation). And Big In Japan have often been described Bido Lito!: What was the inspiration behind the collaboration out of the context and environment of who I am with. I think
as a supergroup in reverse: featuring, at various points, Bill then?
just playing with different people changes the feel, sound and
Drummond, Jayne Casey, Ian Broudie, Dave Balfe, Holly Johnson Jason Stoll: After many years of discussing doing a band between dynamics of the music played. One of the things that excites me
and Clive Langer, the outfit spawned the careers of many of Dan Chandler and myself we finally decided to get together after most about Sex Swing is getting to work with a vocalist.
Liverpool’s most successful musicians of the 1980s.
Dethscalator folded, with Stu coming on board. Part Chimp
Formed from members of Mugstar, Part Chimp, Dethscalator weren't really doing a lot at the time so we asked Tim to initially BL!: Could Sex Swing have been a possibility in the music
and Dead Neanderthals, shadowy noise conglomerate play guitar but then he decided on keyboards/organ. Colin then environment that existed ten years ago? It seems as though
SWING could be considered as a modern noise rock supergroup, came on board after being introduced by a mutual friend. The we’ve been in a purple patch for alternative, slightly heavy
but you wouldn’t catch us saying that in earshot of them. When sound just grew from extensive jam sessions.
instrumental psych over the past five or so years. I’m just
you think of supergroups you’re inevitably drawn to picturing
wondering what your take on it is.
those vanity projects of ageing rockers, where they’re gamely
giving it a blast with some old mates, but with nowhere near
the intensity of feeling of the stuff that made them ‘super’ in
BL!: The secretive nature of the group has bemused many, yet
you have still been booked for a good number of festivals this
summer. Has this surprised you at all?
JS: Musically yes but personally no, as it has all developed through
long friendships. It's seems relevant to us now, so let's see. There
does seem to be a lot more instrumental psych bands around
Words: John Wise / @John__Wise
Photography: Steve Gullick / gullickphoto.com
the first place. This is as far from the truth about Sex Swing’s
SWING
shady group of psych statesmen as you could get. It’s a creative
collaboration that runs alongside all their own existing bands,
and just happens to have hit a chord with a public that is craving
the fearsome power these established musicians can bring to
the table.
“I don't think any of us would describe it as a supergroup, but
as with any group of people playing music together it is always
the sum of the parts,” says Sex Swing and Mugstar bassist Jason
Stoll when we ask him about the term. “If I, or any other of the
guys, wasn't in it it'd have a very different feel. For me it's great
way to play, one which allows for a lot of freedom. It's how Sex
Swing works.”
As connoisseurs of distortion and decibels, Sex Swing operate
within an exhilarating, disorientating clamour that’s assured to
shock the senses, delving in to dark, ear-splitting punk in a similar
vein to Suicide or Liars. Night-Time Worker channels the acid guitar
jams and frenzied saxophone din of Spiritualized, laced with Alan
Vega-esque organ riffs and skewed vocals. It’s an exciting time
for the band, amassing acclaim and intrigue within the currently
bidolito.co.uk
JS: Yeah, of course. I don't think we initially set out to be
secretive about it but I do think it's worked in our favour. We
decided to wait until we had some good-sounding recordings
to put out there. We have been offered so many festivals and
shows without having any music online, and the offers keep
coming in. We’re all properly excited by this and quite intrigued
about where it will end up.
BL!: Only two tracks so far is a bit of a tease though, isn’t it?
When are you going to give us more of a glimpse of the Sex
Swing world?
JS: We have a few things coming up soon, the first one being
a spilt 7” with Clinic on my God Unknown label. We also have
a track on a 12" Nepal fundraiser on Evil Hoodoo Records, and
our debut album is coming later in the year on an amazing
label. Our album launch will be in an infamous London den
of ill repute.
BL!: Should we expect your upcoming material to head in the
same direction as the tracks you’ve released so far, Night-Time
now than ever before. That will pass though. However, there
have been some amazing instrumental bands over the past
decade – Grails for example. But I suppose it goes back to the
thing of how you describe 'psych': it's always been there, and as
long as rock ‘n’ roll exists it always will; it just ebbs and flows.
With such a small catalogue of songs out in the open so far
it’s hard to draw too many conclusions about Sex Swing, but
with such a strong nucleus of musicians assembled it’s only
natural to anticipate more of the same fascinating material in
the future. For now it’s just Sex Swing’s live show that offers the
full hint of things to come, with some audiences at Desertfest
and Supersonic supposedly left frightened by their seething live
presence. There’s a steadily growing mystique surrounding the
band, and there’s a readymade international audience of head
music aficionados waiting for the next thing they spew forth.
“I don't think we have set our stall out to appeal to any specific
demographic. I'd like to think we appeal to all,” says Jason as
he considers the interest in his latest project. “However, we do
get some interesting people following us on Facebook. Maybe
that's something to do with the name.”
fervent climate of alternative music. Having known each other for
a number of years, it’s clear to see that there’s a good balance
of chemistry and creative freedom in their work, born out of a
mutual respect for each other’s music. The biting, ferocious yet
controlled racket of Untitled is further testament to this.
Worker and Untitled?
JS: We’ve just recorded an album that is quite dark-sounding.
I've played bits to people and they said they sounded
scared. I'll let you make your mind up when you get to
hear it.
Sex Swing release their new single on a split 7” with Clinic on
God Unknown Records in July, and play Liverpool International
Festival Of Psychedelia in September.
soundcloud.com/sex-swing

NEW GIGS
Liverpool Philharmonic
July - October 2015
Rufus Wainwright
Monday 13 July from £37.50
–
Rosanne Cash
Sunday 19 July from £19.50
–
Richard Thompson
Tuesday 8 September from £25
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Art Garfunkel
SOLD OUT
Wednesday 16 September from £35
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Alan Carr
Thursday 17 September from £35
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Friday 2 October from £19.50
3RD DATE ADDED
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liverpoolphil.com
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Asian Dub Foundation
Live score of George
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THX1138
Tuesday 20 October from £18.50

10
Bido Lito! July 2015
SONDRUGSAL
LUSONDRUGS
ALLUSONDRU
GSALLUSOND
RUGSALLUSO
NDRUGSALLU
Spotify nailed it. Tidal are struggling with it. And Apple are about to
delve into it. We live in a world where music streaming, the most
accessible and instantaneous form of music consumption, is rife.
No matter who or where you are (assuming internet access), hours
upon hours of music are available direct to your person, resulting
in us being more able than ever to listen to music all day, every
day, without leaving our rooms. We are well and truly in the midst
of the online age, where bedroom artists, including in their ranks
the likes of recent phenomenon Alex G, can thrive like never before.
While such a detached approach is becoming increasingly
frequent, however, there are still those who believe in doing things
the old-fashioned way. In a refreshing exhibition of exposure largely
due to endless gigging and touring, leading to sets at the likes
of Reading and Leeds as well as this year’s Download Festival,
Castleford five-piece ALLUSONDRUGS have cut more than their fair
share of baby teeth on the circuit. Boasting a tireless work ethic
and sincere concern for their craft, they embody the notion that
digging in and physically getting out there is still not only viable,
but essential. Speaking to us while in the middle of another hectic
period of touring, guitarist and backing vocalist Damo certainly has
no doubts concerning the validity of such an approach: “Any band
wants to play as often as possible to as many people as possible.
It is important in the beginning though to just play gigs until your
body crumbles up and the wheels fall off your van. It gives you the
experience you need to be able to perform well in all situations.”
Such an ethic pertains to more than just playing the shows.
When questioned on the potential issues of having to, until recently,
balance day jobs as well as the band, Damo explains that it’s all
about work ethic. “If you try hard enough you can work around
your day job. If you're saying you can't put time into your band
because of your job, then you're admitting defeat before you've
even started. That said, it's not easy working around day jobs.
We all had jobs and were working around them
and it was difficult to figure out; we all
still do things to keep everything
ticking over.” The benefits of going
about things in a more hands-on
fashion, however, remains the
fundamental point. “It's good
to have the struggle though, it
makes you stronger,” Damo
continues. “Some bands
come from privileged
backgrounds and never
have to worry about funding and making ends meet, resulting in
bands with no real passion or fight and a weak sense of will. That's
how you get all this nice, safe music taking over and nobody is
really getting moved and inspired.”
One of the obvious benefits of this frequent touring approach
is that Allusondrugs have really been able to hone their live show,
overseeing its evolution into a maniacal, intense and frenzied
being. It is the realness of such an experience, however, which is
again at the heart of everything they do. “Playing gigs is massively
important,” Damo states. “Yes it is easy to just download a band's
music, but nothing compares to actually experiencing a band
doing what they do in real life at its intended volume with all
the real spontaneous energy.” As far as this quintet is concerned,
their shows are about far more than merely exposure: they’re an
opportunity to connect, to create a unique engagement between
band and audience, and to fortify the grassroots importance of
physically involving oneself with the primitiveness of the music.
Such escapades still require the actual substance behind them
to actually make them work, which is something Allusondrugs have
abundant amounts of. Drawing on genres ranging from psychedelia
to grunge, the band have often found themselves compared to
acts emanating from the 90s alt. rock scene. Unfortunately, this
hasn’t always proven particularly complementary to their artistic
individuality, and Damo expresses clear disregard for people who
fall back on such banal categorisations. “I don't care who people
think we sound like. I write the vast majority of our music, and I
listened to a lot of grunge and alt. rock as a kid so there's bound to
be some of that in there. We've gotten a lot of stick, especially on
YouTube, from people who reckon we're ripping-off Nirvana. Most
of that I imagine is just people with nothing better to do than
complain about a song they don't like. But, whatever, people have
a right to say whatever they want, even if they are wrong.”
Alongside their penchant for hard
work, the DIY ethic with which
Allusondrugs have engaged
has also found plenteous
praise, a dynamic first expressed publicly in the video to their
debut single, Nervous. Released back in May 2014 and premiered
on Kerrang!, the track initiated the first real wave of interest in
their music. In reference to that single, Damo notes that the band
“do like to be as self-sufficient as possible. I think it's good for any
band to be self-sufficient; it's all about making things as good as
you can possibly make them with the tools and resources you
have at your disposal.”
Such a DIY image reflects more than merely a lack of resources,
or any intention of false representation. The importance of such
an ethic is apparent in the way Damo discusses it, seeing it as
indicative of how the band have got to where they are, and its
centrality in where they intend to be heading next. “Artists that
like to do things themselves generally do so because they have
a strong work ethic, a strong character. These kinds of artists
generally have a much stronger idea of what it is they want to
achieve and how they want to achieve it. People always respond
better to artists that know what they want, and say it.”
When asked whether the band have any plans to work on an
album any time soon, Damo’s answer is as honest and openended
as one could hope for. “A full-length [record] will come
out when it's time for a full-length to come out,” he decrees.
Whether you see this statement as intentionally elusive or just
plain honest, it’s indicative of the way in which Allusondrugs
conduct their business. Far from the sort of act who base their
success on yearly releases and raking in the Spotify royalties,
their foundations are instead of a more personable kind: one that
thrashes and spits in your face, and ultimately makes you fall in
love with it. Allusondrugs are testament to the fact that there is
no real alternative to getting out there and doing it yourself. They
offer something which, at a time when we find more and more of
our daily life drifting into the cyber abyss, is tangible and, most
importantly, humane.
Allusondrugs play Liverpool Calling on 26th July, appearing at
Maguire’s Pizza Bar. We have a competition to win a
pair of wristbands to Liverpool Calling: head to our
Facebook page now to see how to enter.
allusondrugs.com
Words: Ben Lynch / @benlynch07
bidolito.co.uk

PRESENT
METAL AT EDGE HILL TRAIN STATION
MON 3rd JULY - MON 15th AUG - MON 15th SEPT
Metal & Bido Lito! are proud to present Vinyl Station,
a meeting point for Liverpool's music lovers to come together
through the shared experience of the vinyl album.
Every second Monday of the month, we will feature an
unreleased album played in its entirety, with due care paid to
the quality of the listening experience.
18.30-20.00 / FREE - An Out of Focus Listening Group
For more information and announcements of selected records:
www.metalculture.com / www.bidolito.co.uk
@MetalLiverpool / @BidoLito

12
Bido Lito! July 2015
Words: Richard Lewis
Illustration: Hooton Tennis Club
“There’s two things that mean a lot to me; that’s conviction and
tunes, and I think all my groups have got that.” – Jeff Barrett, 1991
“Do you know what? That still rings true,” JEFF BARRETT states
on his mobile, striding between appointments in Portobello, West
London, when reminded of the quote from BBC2 yoof TV show
Rapido.
Barrett has been at the helm of HEAVENLY RECORDINGS since
its inception, and the label has blazed a trail for independent
artists since 1990, bringing retro futurist pop group Saint Etienne,
folktronica pioneer Beth Orton, Mancunian indie rock doyens
Doves, and the Manic Street Preachers’ incendiary early singles
into the public domain. The label also spawned
off them in return for doing press for My Bloody Valentine and
House Of Love. I started picking up quite a lot of clients, like
Factory Records and The KLF.”
Ensconced above world-famous jazz club Ronnie Scott’s,
Soho’s bohemian environs were perfect for the fledgling label
(“It was the only office I could turn up to at nine o’clock in the
morning and there were people dancing on my desk from the
night before”). Saint Etienne, a band strongly associated with
the label from its inception, became its flagship band in the early
to mid-90s. “They were the first LP we released,” Jeff explains.
“Only Love Can Break Your Heart was a really big club tune down
here [in London] in 1990. I think they helped to define us: from
that moment I knew that I had a record label, basically. That was
a really big decision when I thought ‘Hang on a minute, you’re
fucking doing it!’”
Heavenly’s fortunes took a notable upswing in the late-1990s,
with Beth Orton scoring huge critical praise and impressive
sales. “For the first time, I had a record out in America,”
Jeff recalls of the period around Central Reservation.
“Working with Beth was a period of real learning for
me. It was like putting your passion into practice. With
really bad and I was a bit confused. I couldn’t work out, with the
limited funds available, how we could survive. How could I pay
these advances and these recording costs?”
The inspiration for Heavenly’s second wind came, aptly enough,
from this very city. “One of the things that helped me out of that
dilemma was Stealing Sheep,” Jeff explains. “I just absolutely fell
for their DIY work ethic and they really inspired me, seeing how
they operated with such enthusiasm. I went back and thought,
‘Hold on, this is what it was like before all those years with the
majors!’ OK it’s gonna be tougher to sell records and there’s not
as many sales to be had, but we’re all in the same boat,” Jeff says.
“They were a really big part of any resurgence in our visibility, and
my enthusiasm as well, to be honest. Coming up to Liverpool to
spend some time with them when they were making Not Real,
sat in a practice room above MelloMello, demos being played to
you whilst a couple of girls from The Kazimier are in the corner
Jefff Barrett
the legendary Heavenly Sunday Social (in-house DJs: The Chemical
Brothers), which ran for the last quarter of 1994, and survives to the
present day at the label’s own Fitzrovia venue, The Social. The newlook
Heavenly Social has helped the label achieve something of a
renaissance in recent years, the regular Friday night event hosting
a run of curated gigs and club nights, making it an essential stop
for ascendant bands.
That Heavenly’s distinctive monochrome bird logo has, in recent
years, adorned discs by Toy, Temples, H. Hawkline, Eaves and Fionn
Regan points to the label moving with the zeitgeist, if not actively
setting it. Our own STEALING SHEEP and HOOTON TENNIS CLUB
are fellow Heavenly bodies, and both feature in July’s HEAVENLY 25
all-day event with Harvest Sun at The Kazimier, celebrating twentyfive
years of magic on the label. THE WYTCHES, KING GIZZARD AND
THE LIZARD WIZARD, THE VOYEURS, KID WAVE, DUKE GARWOOD and
GWENNO complete the ridiculously star-studded line-up for this
party, with BERNIE CONNOR adding the cherry on the top as he
DJs alongside the resident Heavenly Jukebox turntablists. 2015 has
already seen a number of specially-curated label events to mark
their first quarter-century, with this Liverpool event featuring the
biggest love-in of label acts since January’s Heavenly Weekend
in Hebden Bridge.
Going back to the primordial soup era of Heavenly, Jeff Barrett
began working as an assistant at Creation Records in 1985 after
making the acquaintance of label supremo Alan McGee. “When I
first went to Creation it was a one-desk office; it was a tiny, corner
room,” Jeff recalls. “I worked for them, then rented office space
proper support we had a bit more money, we
had a bit of wage, we had more security on the
office. That deal [with dance label Deconstruction] did that for
us, allowed us to keep going. I think that got us more standing in
the industry, so when it came to signing Doves after the untimely
death of [Joy Division/New Order manager] Rob Gretton, whose
label they were on, we were confident enough to step in and it
coincided with us getting a deal with EMI.”
Doves’ arrival saw Heavenly begin a run of unprecedented
success, with the Mancunian trio racking up acclaim and platinum
discs to boot. However, after The Magic Numbers’ mega-selling
2005 debut LP, the label was beginning to look increasingly frail by
the end of the decade. With illegal downloading cutting a swathe
through profits, the entire music business began to change almost
beyond recognition.
“There came a time when the music industry took such a
fucking; the decline in record sales coincided with a very healthy
relationship my label had had with EMI being terminated due to
it being sold,” Jeff recalls of the years 2009-10. “I can now look
back in hindsight; we’ve survived it and weathered the storm. One
thing I’d say about the [era of the] majors is that we almost found
ourselves in a bit too much of a comfort zone. Having to learn
again these last few years, I realise that we were probably very,
very lucky.”
All that said then, has Heavenly got through resurgence in
recent years? “God, yeah,” Jeff states emphatically. “We’ve never
gone away. There was a point there five years ago when it nearly
went, to be honest with you. It was very hard for me. I was fortyeight
and I had kids; I’d got a West London mortgage. When this
EMI thing ended and I had to make friends redundant – one guy
had been with me for fourteen years – it scared the shit out of
me. In the past if anything had happened like that it was like
‘Fuck that! Let’s go down the pub!’ There was a time when it was
making masks
and costumes: it’s
pretty hard to beat!”
“We’ve got sixteen
groups now,” Jeff says of
the current roster. “They’re
all as different as everybody
on our label has ever been.
What we’ve done this year with
celebrating and it calling it Heavenly
25, it’s basically the roster at twentyfive.”
Much of this current roster will
be showcased at The Kazimier all-dayer,
which, admittedly, took some pulling together
alongside the work of promoters Harvest Sun.
“Trying to co-ordinate diaries and bands is a pain
in the arse, so you just have to seize your moment,”
Jeff says of the eight-strong bill, but he still retains a boyish
excitement at events like this. “Doing something with them in
Liverpool this year couldn’t have been more right.”
In a brilliant piece of serendipity, the label’s most recent
signings return to the venue that holds particular significance for
them. “I first saw Hooton Tennis Club in the Kazimier Garden,” Jeff
says of the slacker pop crew. “Not only did we end up signing
them, we’ve ended up going back to do the party in The Kaz.” “We
were playing at the Garden under all the fairy lights, just as the
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! July 2015 13
sky was going purple-y, and Jeff appeared in this cool-asfuck
long cream mac. Carl Hunter introduced us,”
HTC guitarist James Madden (who also did the
title illustration for this piece) recalls of
their initial meeting with Jeff in 2014.
Alumni of The Label Recordings –
the project launched by Edge
Hill University lecturer and
bassist with The Farm – Jeff
states that Carl “deserves
a blue plaque... his
enthusiasm for music is
irrepressible.”
With a special and
secretive Stealing
Sheep set slated for
a late-night slot in the
Garden, pitch-dark surf
pop trio The Wytches
are imminently well
suited to headline the
club (“Yeah, we get a bit
lost outside when it’s sunny,”
bassist Daniel Rumsey laughs).
Signed in February 2014, the group
quickly released acclaimed debut LP Annabel
Dream Reader that August, which was co-produced by
Bill Ryder-Jones. Currently bunkered down writing the follow-up,
the band first appeared on Heavenly’s radar via their support slot
for Metz at the NME Awards Show in London. Previously signed
to indie label Hate Hate Hate, Dan cites the liberty of working
with Heavenly as an essential asset. “We’d done everything before
that ourselves; we’d made our own decisions on things, booked
tours, done our own or found friends to do artwork,” he explains.
“The freedom Heavenly said they could give us, when we looked
at record labels, we knew if we could keep control of everything
then we’d be happy.”
Similarly, Hooton Tennis Club credit the label with allowing
artists to handle their own affairs. “Signing to an independent
like Heavenly has allowed us to just carry on doing what we love
to do. I think labels help preserve the fact that behind a download
Hooton Tennis Club
or stream there are actual humans doing, making, and thinking
about their music. Heavenly are part of a minority that value
artists, their music and the physicality of music.”
The final word, fittingly, is left to Jeff Barrett. “No, I don’t ever
think like that,” he replies when asked if he expected the label
to last this long. “I just do what happens when I get out
of bed, and try and enjoy my day. I never learned
how to put records out; I had to pick it all up
myself as I went along. There was no formal
training at all, and there shouldn’t be
either. Fucking hell, it’s music,” Jeff
laughs. “It’s all supposed to be
spontaneous, right?”
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard
The Wytches
Heavenly 25 takes place on 5th July at The Kazimier and Kazimier
Garden, starting at noon.
heavenlyrecordings.com
bidolito.co.uk

14
Bido Lito! July 2015
Words: Phil Morris / @mauricedesade
In the UK, the music industry has often been viewed as primarily
commercial and therefore beyond the remit of arts funding.
The expectation has always been that the industry will fund
itself. However, in recent years this has all changed. Countries
like Sweden and Canada have inspired a major re-think in the
way we value music exports. As a result we’ve seen a major
shift in public money now being used to fund the creation and
performance of popular music. In examining the tangible effects
of this type of funding on music production – and why emerging
artists are increasingly reliant on this support – it does throw up
the question of whether funding organisations have replaced the
traditional role of a record label.
The MOMENTUM MUSIC FUND was set up in 2013 by the PRS
for Music Foundation and Arts Council England, to address the
growing disconnect in the funding of emerging artists. Both
organisations recognised that talent development was suffering
due to financial restrictions largely imposed by the industry’s slow
reaction to a new paradigm of music consumption.
Album sales aren’t as lucrative as they once were. An era of
streaming and cloud-based services has diminished royalties and
income revenues for labels and artists alike. This is coupled with
the fact that more and more record labels are expecting talent
to be delivered ready-made, requiring little development and
therefore incurring minimal risk on investment. In response to
the realisation that current funding mechanisms were no longer
reaching new and emerging musicians, ACE and PRS for Music
piloted Momentum’s grant-based scheme to address the issue.
The initiative offers grants of £5,000 - £15,000 to artists at a
crucial stage in their development, with the aim of propelling
them to break through to the next level of their careers. The
investment can be used to pay for costs incurred in touring,
marketing or recording.
As our own bountiful music scene suggests, there is no
shortage of talent to assist, but often a lack of resources can
inhibit the headway of fledgling artists. The fund is therefore
aimed at artists who have already gained traction with their
music, and are now ready to progress to the next level, both
creatively and commercially. Former impresario of music
development agency Generator, Joe Frankland, who has been
installed as Momentum’s Industry Fund Manager, explains who
would be considered eligible. “Momentum is there for artists who
have created a lot of buzz, or for those who have established a
really good team, or for people who are signed to an indie label
but need a little bit of extra income to do things right in order to
set up long-term careers.”
First and foremost the fund is looking to support people
who make outstanding music, but, as Joe explains, those most
likely to be awarded funding will already “have a solid team of
professional industry relationships, such as an artist manager, a
booking agent or a plugger”. Candidates who have a development
plan in place, and who have already made an impact on social
media, will be best positioned to be awarded support.
Since its launch in 2010, Momentum has helped fund forty-six
albums and more than fifty UK tours. Some of its most prominent
success stories have been plucked from Merseyside’s creative
community too. “Two years in, we’re able to look back on how
successful the project has been,” explains Joe. “We’ve funded
artists like All We Are and Låpsley. We’re able to look and see it’s
having a positive impact.”
Holly Lapsley Fletcher is a perfect example of the good that
can come from Momentum funding. Obtaining her grant in June
2014, Låpsley used the money to support the recording of three
EPs, her touring costs and to strengthen her live set-up. The
funding ultimately afforded Låpsley the luxury of time and space
necessary to develop her career on her own terms. “I don’t think I
could have achieved it all without the support of Momentum,” she
explains, “because those initial gigs that I did before Christmas
have played such an important role in where I am right now."
It didn’t take long for Låpsley to reap the rewards of her funding:
she was signed to independent heavyweights XL Recordings
shortly after the release of her first EP, The Understudy. Over the
last 18 months, she has become one of the UK’s most hotly-tipped
artists, appearing in the BBC Sound Of 2015 long list as well as
performing on the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury.
It’s fair to say that All We Are have had similar successes to
Låpsley in 2015, and perhaps been even a little more visible given
the way their debut record was received when it was released
in February. Since receiving Momentum funding in October 2013,
the band have really pressed the throttle to the floor and gone
from strength to strength. Having initially been awarded funding
to support a run of UK-wide shows, All We Are have fast secured
a stellar reputation for live performance, appearing at major
festivals such as Field Day, Green Man and End Of The Road.
Beyond the obvious virtues of a cash injection, the trio found
the application process to be of great value, encouraging them
to coordinate a long-term strategy of what they wanted to attain.
“For us as a band to actually sit down and think about our
aims and what we were trying to achieve was really important,”
confirms Rich O’Flynn.
Perhaps most impressively, All We Are signed to Domino imprint
Double Six to release their eponymous debut album. The record
has generated broad appeal for the cosmopolitan trio, who have
since received rave reviews and were bestowed with the accolade
of GIT Award Winners 2015. The band themselves were surprised
by the immediate effects of being awarded Momentum funding,
as O’Flynn states:
“Since we received the funding we’ve started working with
great management, and we’ve signed to a really great label.
Things have gone quite quickly, but what the Momentum Fund
really helped us with was the touring, which we see as integral.”
The overwhelming evidence from funded artists suggests
the effects of Momentum support can be career-defining for its
recipients. Clearly, public and lottery funding bodies (like Momentum
or even Merseyside Arts Foundation) play an increasingly pivotal
role in breaking emerging artists. These opportunities have arisen
to fill the void left by the diminishing opportunities of traditional
major label development deals, but PRS’s Joe Frankland believes
the fund is more about complementing the existing model rather
than succeeding it. “It’s not really replacing what a label does,
it’s there to support people in the early days. The reality of the
industry is that there is less money to support an artist in the
early stages. A label might be able to put in £10K for an album
budget, but if an artist requires more than that they can come to
Momentum for funding.”
Patently, the assumption that the recording industry can
sustain its own funding is no longer a fair appraisal. The
investment needed to successfully release and tour commercially
viable music is often huge. Even established labels such as
Memphis Industries, Bella Union and Ninja Tune are now taking
advantage of the support, applying for grants like those offered
by Momentum on behalf of their artists. For many aspiring acts,
the fund has undoubtedly become a crucial part of the process
of releasing music – a vital boost necessary for their own careers
to gather momentum.
If you’d like to find out more about the Momentum Music
Fund, as well as other projects run by PRS For Music, head to
prsformusicfoundation.com.
bidolito.co.uk

25+26 SEPTEMBER 2015
camp and furnacE - blade factory - DISTRICT
SPIRITUALIZED
CHICOS DE NAZCA. THE CULT OF DOM KELLER.
DEATH & VANILLA. ETIENNE JAUMET.
THE FEELING OF LOVE. forever pavot.
FUMAÇA PRETA. GALA DROP. The ganjas.
HEY COLOSSUS. J.C. SATAN. kandodo3.
MAGIC CASTLES. mamuthones. mai mai mai.
MENACE BEACH. THE MEGAPHONIC THRIFT.
NO JOY. PINKSHINYULTRABLAST.
R.SEILIOG. slug. tess parks.
THE UNDERGROUND YOUTH. VIRGINIA WING.
VISION FORTUNE. VUELVETELOCA. weird owl.
YOUNG KNIVES. ZUN ZUN EGUI.
baltic triangle, liverpool
FACTORY FLOOr. THE HEADS. HOOKWORMS.
BLANCK MASS. THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE.
K-X-P. JACCO GARDNER. JOEL GION.
DESTRUCTION UNIT. jane weaver.
Artist In Residence ANTON NEWCOMBE.
D ENGUE FEVER. KAREN GWYER.
carlton melton. LUMERIANS.
BLACK DEVIL DISCO CLUB. INDIAN JEWELRY.
SACRED BONES RECORDS VS BYM RECORDS.
CARDINAL FUZZ SONIC ATTACK.
THE ALTERED HOURS. bonnacons of doom.
THE CALLAS. CHARLES HOWL.
COREY BOWEN. crows. DREAMWEAPON.
EQUATIONS. EVIL BLIZZARD. GIANT SWAN.
GIRL SWEAT. HOLOVR. HOLY.
KOGUMAZA. LUCERN RAZE. NOVELLER.
the OCTOPUS PROJECT. PAUW.
PHOBOPHOBES. PLASTIC MERMAIDS.
ROY & THE DEVIL'S MOTORCYCLE. SEX SWING.
STRANGE COLLECTIVE. THE TAMBORINES.
TAU. THROW DOWN BONES.
TURZI. YUNG. zhod.
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+ JUMBO RECORDS (LEEDS)

Words: Glyn Akroyd
Photography: Mike Sheerin / michaelsheerin.photoshelter.com
“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the
inexpressible is music.” Aldous Huxley
Do we still listen to music and, if so, how? In these days of
downloads, shuffles, multiple-choice everything and goldfish-like
concentration spans, is instant and ephemeral aural gratification
the only game in town? Hit me (with your rhythm shtick) and move
hurriedly on to the next album, the next artist, the next genre, the
next fleeting mood.
Aldous Huxley thought that everything we do is a distraction,
that we are afraid to be still, to be silent. And if silence, as Huxley
posited, is simply too scary a form of contemplation for most
of us, then maybe music can provide a suitable anchor for our
flights of fancy and terror, allowing us to circle around a fixed
point without drifting too far out into stormy, existential waters.
The act of meditation is, after all, often accompanied by the sound
of bells, chanting, or incantations which help to focus the mind.
This is not to suggest that the average muso settling back
to listen to the Eagles or Napalm Death or Chopin’s Piano
Concerto No. 2 is doing so consciously and exclusively in search
of enlightenment. Sometimes you just wanna get your rocks off.
In order to further explore the idea of not only listening to music
but sharing the experience, we here at Bido Lito! have joined forces
with Metal to present VINYL STATION. Metal are based at Edge Hill
train station, a unique space from which they run multidisciplinary
artist-development programmes, public art projects and events.
Vinyl Station is the brainchild of Metal director Shaun Curtis, and
will take place every second Monday (starting on 13th July) at
Metal’s Edge Hill station home. The evening will be hosted DJ
Bernie Connor (the genius behind the glorious Sound Of Music
podcast), with the idea being to present a new piece of music to
an audience gathered for the express purpose of listening to it
and then discussing the music and the experience.
If you are thinking that this sounds like an exercise in pofaced
musical snobbery, think again: we can assure you that no
evening hosted by the forthright, jovial and encyclopaedic force
of nature that is Mr Connor will be po-faced. This is an exercise in
passion. All the leading protagonists share an absolute conviction
in the ability of music to bring people together and a belief that
the development of multiple-format listening has in some way
diminished the communal listening experience. “The Walkman
changed the way we listen to music forever,” states our own Craig
G. Pennington, “taking music out of the shared ether and confining
it to the private space between our ears.” I asked Connor what
attracted him to the project and it quickly became obvious that
the shared experience was a major draw: from his declaration
that he “hates listening to music through headphones” (I get the
impression he feels it would be selfish to hog those grooves all to
himself) to his confession that he was “something of a dictator” in
channelling his contemporaries’ musical tastes (a revelation which
ends with him declaring “no, no, I wasn’t really a dictator, I just
love the music so much, I love it so much I could burst sometimes,
I just want to share it”).
So, how will the Vinyl Station records be selected? Shaun
Curtis states that the event will “play albums that no one in
the audience will have heard before, to collectively tap into
that immediate response you get from the first listen”. Record
companies have shown a real interest in the project and are only
too willing to proffer advance copies of their artists’ latest work.
It is Pennington’s opinion that getting people “out in the open”
to prompt an “immediate and visceral reaction” to the music will
make a refreshing change from the filtered, ‘Like’-bait opinions of
today’s online personas.
And, in turn, who is Vinyl Station for? According to Curtis, the
audience profile is “wide open: it’s about sharing great music and
not about fuelling any muso snobbery or elitism”. Connor concurs,
railing against the ‘it’s for me’ culture and claiming “it’s everyone’s
music, no one owns it”.
I ask Connor if sitting and listening to a piece lends itself to a
particular style of music? “No no no, it doesn’t matter. I’d rather
listen to house music at home on my stereo than in a club; I
can hear the music rather than just a thud, thud beat with some
gurning idiot next to me – y’know, it just depends on your mood; it’s
all mood music.” That neatly highlights the project’s emphasis on
the listening experience, with the lack of gurning idiots hopefully
allowing people to focus on the music. “It’s about showing respect
to the art of the album,” states Curtis, “by presenting its music in
an environment that’s most sympathetic to getting its message
across.” Creating the right mood will be essential to the success
of Vinyl Station, and Curtis hopes to build on Metal’s experience
of running Film Station, their free fortnightly film programme, to
create an immersive experience for the listeners. With Connor at
the helm the discussions should be just as entertaining as the
music.
So, why vinyl? “Vinyl Station sounds better than CD Station or
mp3 Station,” quips Connor. “You could hide the player behind a
red curtain and no one could tell if it was vinyl, a CD, or an mp3
and, what’s more, no one would give a fuck! It’s about the music.”
Much is written and spoken about the supposed vinyl
resurgence (UK vinyl sales reached one million in 2014 for the
first time since 1996, and there is now a vinyl record chart). There is
no scientific evidence that vinyl sounds better than CD: the science
states that from the same master the information transferred to
vinyl or CD is more or less the same, and let’s not even talk about
compressed digital downloads (paraphrasing BBC’s The Thick
Of It, Curtis suggests that listening to music on a laptop is the
equivalent of “making coffee in a microwave”): it’s just not the
same. But so much for science, why do many people prefer vinyl?
The word vinyl is derived from the Latin for wine (vinum) so the
etymology is immediately pleasurable. The spiral groove that runs
from the outer edge to the centre of a disc is found again and
again in nature: spiral galaxies, nautilus shells, cyclone patterns,
and it would be easy to get all mystically misty-eyed about vinyl.
This is partly because people seem to find it so hard to actually
explain why they like vinyl, why it’s worth the cost, the care, the
time. Mario Aguilar (Gizmodo, April 2014) believes that “Vinyl has
always offered a more intimate experience. There's something
wonderfully interactive about putting on a record, listening to a
side, and then flipping it over to hear the other side. It makes
the listening experience something in which you are constantly
physically and emotionally involved”.
At a time when our down time is becoming more frenetic than
our working hours, it’s little wonder that taking the time out
to listen to a whole album on any format is increasingly rare.
However, to take time out to listen to vinyl is surely one of life’s
little luxuries, a Japanese tea ceremony of precise rituals played
out before the secular altar of turntable, amp and speakers.
And perhaps that is where the vinyl listening experience comes
into its own, the focus and dedication that listening to an album
used to be bestowed with when the format reigned supreme. That
collective, singular and communal act of listening never translated
to the CD, mini-disc or digital space. Sure, we could all sit around
and stare gleefully at an iPod dock while enjoying its audio wares,
but – aside from the prospect being in itself particularly shit –
maybe the physicality and ritualistic nature of vinyl listening lends
itself perfectly to that collective experience.
The difficulties of making time to actually sit down and listen
are jokingly reflected in Curtis’ statement that, “for us to carve out
that space we’ve had to construct Vinyl Station”. And in doing so
he has assembled a willing, passionate group of supporters to
present a forum which Connor has already delightfully christened
an “out of focus group”. Lend them your ears and add your voice
to the debate.
The first Vinyl Station event takes places on 13th July at Metal’s
Edge Hill station base, and continues on the second Monday of
every month.
metalculture.com
bidolito.co.uk

STEALING SHEEP
NOT REAL
OUT NOW
HEAVY LOVE
DUKE GARWOOD
OUT NOW
THE WYTCHES
ANNABEL DREAM READER
OUT NOW
KID WAVE
WONDERLUST
OUT NOW
THE VOYEURS
RHUBARB RHUBARB
OUT NOW
KING GIZZARD & THE LIZARD WIZARD
QUARTERS!
OUT NOW
GWENNO
Y DYDD OLAF
OUT 24/07/15
HOOTON TENNIS CLUB
HIGHEST POINT IN CLIFF TOWN
OUT 28/10/15
SUNDAY 5 TH JULY
Harvest Sun and Heavenly Recordings Present
‘HEAVENLY 25’
An all-day celebration for Heavenly Recordings 25th birthday
on Sunday 5th July at the Kazimier and Kazimier Gardens.
The Kazimier, 4-5 Wolstenholme Sq, Liverpool L1 4JJ

18
Bido Lito! July 2015
LIMF
Returning this August bank holiday weekend
with what’s being billed as Europe’s biggest
free music event, Liverpool International
Music Festival’s Summer Jam, situated in the
verdant surroundings of Sefton Park, promises
“an inherently different festival representing
the latest chapter of an ever-evolving global
music community”. This year’s line-up is as
diverse as ever, with performances stretching
from Echo & The Bunnymen’s mouthwatering
hook-up with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra, to Labrinth, Basement Jaxx and
the remarkable Laura Mvula. Surely we can
all agree that LIMF is indeed “inherently
different” to its surly, tribute band-loving
predecessor, but how is the re-brand, now in
its third year, representing the latest chapter
of our evolving music community?
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Lito! July 2015 19
ACADEMY
Words: Phil Morris / @mauricedesade
Photography: Mike Sheerin / michaelsheerin.photoshelter.com
LIMF curator Yaw Owusu has always had an eye for recognising
potential. Alongside nurturing the development of his musician
cousin KOF, he co-founded urban youth champions URBEATZ, a
platform for engaging young people through media and the arts.
It is no surprise then that, since taking on the role of curator, Owusu
has placed considerable onus on ensuring that the latest chapter of
an evolving music community is very much central to LIMF’s identity.
“A vital element of Liverpool International Music Festival is about
nurturing upcoming, young talent from the local area – and that’s
why we launched the LIMF ACADEMY."
Amique and Steve Levine
In its basic premise, the LIMF Academy gives unsigned artists
from the area the unparalleled opportunity to perform alongside
the superstars at the LIMF Summer Jam, in front of thousands on
an international platform. On top of that comes the Elite Music
Development programme, which serves to create a legacy that lasts
long after the final plastic beer cup is cleared away from the green
fields of Sefton Park. Each year three of the Academy’s participating
musicians – deemed the Most Ready artists by a panel of judges –
are invited to attend workshops and masterclasses on performing,
songwriting and production, and an open invitation to a series of
expert-led workshops is extended to any interested aspiring musicians.
Since launching in 2013, the LIMF Academy Elite Music Development
programme has continued to grow in stature and support: last year,
two thousand young artists attended workshops and fifteen bands
performed on the LIMF Academy stage at Summer Jam. Yaw Owusu
believes this year "the Academy will be bigger and better.”
Applications for the programme were judged by a scrupulous
panel of experts, which included Owusu himself, BBC Introducing
Merseyside presenter Dave Monks, PRS Momentum Fund manager
Joe Frankland, and Grammy Award-winning producer Steve Levine.
Recording legend Levine tells us how he was “truly impressed by
the variety and quality of the applicants in this year’s Academy.
The number of entries had increased substantially, which is a very
positive sign of the value that musicians place on this initiative”.
After great deliberation, another fifteen artists were selected
to perform at the Summer Jam (see page opposite for the full
list). In addition to these there will also be special performances
from this year’s Most Ready artists – AMIQUE, MICHAEL SEARY
and JALEN NGONDA – who were deemed by the judges to be the
three applicants most likely to pursue professional careers, under
the guidance of the Academy. These three acts will be given the
opportunity to develop their specific skills, as well as a bursary
towards career development supported by the PRS For Music
Foundation, slots on regional festivals, press and marketing
expertise, and a live session and feature on BBC Merseyside’s
Introducing show.
Graduates of last year’s Elite Music Development Programme
have set the bar high for the incumbent LIMF Academy class. Neosoul
rocker Xam Volo has stepped out of the shadows and became
one of Liverpool’s rising stars since reaping the benefits of the
programme. Earlier this year he turned industry heads with his
inclusion on the 2015 GIT Award shortlist – and stopped everyone
dead in their tracks at the GIT Award final with a jaw-droppingly
good performance. Singer-songwriter Luke Cusato is also an
alumnus of last year’s Elite Music Development course, and the
gifted songsmith has enjoyed support from influential tastemakers
BBC Introducing and XFM. Both artists are on the verge of signing
major deals to further their careers and are therefore exemplary
success stories for the festival’s flagship initiative.
While the preparations are still underway for the LIMF roadshow,
with its cornucopia of events and happenings around the Summer
Jam and Commissions, the three Most Ready artists have already
begun their journey through the programme by stepping in to the
studio with Levine for some one-to-one recording sessions – and we
were invited along to be a fly on the wall for one of those sessions.
Prince-ly pop auteur Amique, inspired by the likes of Sly Stone
and Miles Davis, weaves from a charming canvas of future funk
and raw soul sensibilities. The prodigiously talented composer,
who describes his sound as “unfettered and full of frustration”,
certainly caught the ear of the former Culture Club producer during
their session. “Amique is a remarkable artist whose musical style
is hard to define, but he is really creative, especially with vocals
and harmonies,” Levine enthused after their initial bout of studio
time together. Describing the session as a "day of fun”, Amique
appreciates having the chance to hone his craft with people who
believed in him. Explaining what drew him to the
opportunity, Amique says that he applied to the LIMF
Academy because “I trust the vision of those behind it;
everyone involved really wants to support unknown
artists. I think my career could seriously benefit from
their support.”
Amique’s views will make compelling reading
for the event organisers, who have prioritised the
LIMF Academy as one of the festival’s unique selling
points. Of course, there are other festivals on the
national landscape that recruit their line-ups from the
surrounding area but few, if any, offer a sustained
development programme.
LIMF Academy's commitment to nurturing young
talent is best represented by the winner of this
year’s One To Watch accolade. At fifteen years of age,
ELEANOR NELLY has been given an incredible chance
to further her musical aspirations. The exuberant songsmith has
been determined to play the big occasion for some time, too. “I
attended the final Mathew Street festival, and then LIMF from then
on. I have always said that I really wanted to play and so I never
gave up and applied every year.”
Her determination is admirable. Eleanor is understandably
“absolutely made up” to be named this year’s One To Watch artist,
which has been awarded to Tyler Mensah and Dominic Dunn in
previous years. The budding songstress considers her sound to be
derived from country, folk and acoustic-driven pop music and this is
reflected in her inspiration. “I was always influenced by Dolly Parton,
The Beatles and Johnny Cash growing up but my main influence
has been Sandi Thom. She gave me my first guitar and that was
the starting point for me.”
Against a backdrop of abundant opportunities for unsigned artists
(offered by the likes of Sound City, Merseyside Arts Foundation and
Merseyrail Sound Station), the LIMF Academy has retained its appeal
through the reward of the Elite Development Music Programme.
The defining task of representing the latest chapter in our evolving
global music community is in the capable hands of Yaw Owusu
and within the purview of the Academy’s established industry
patrons. If Amique and Eleanor Nelly are anything to go by, the
LIMF Academy class of 2015 will continue to raise the reputation of
this unprecedented opportunity.
Head to bidolito.co.uk to see an exclusive gallery of photos from
Steve Levine’s studio sessions with the three Most Ready artists.
See all the LIMF Academy artists performing on their own stage at
the LIMF Summer Jam this year, and keep up with the progress of
all the artists in the programme through the regular updates at
limfestival.com

LIMF ACADEMY @ SUMMER JAM
We look over the fifteen artists chosen in LIMF Academy's crop of 2015, who will be performing at Summer Jam in August.
ALI INGLE
A fearless singer-songwriter whose
wise-beyond-his-years lyricism marks
him out as a special talent.
IDLE FRETS
Indie pop scoundrels from Chester
who specialise in slick, danceinducing
nuggets of gold.
SEATTLE YACHT CLUB
Bouncy art pop hooks abound
in the harmonious sounds
of this Southport duo.
DROHNE X VEED
These downbeat techno masters
find the sweet spot between highoctane
beats and swells of reverb.
BRASSHAUS
A trio whose swagger comes with a
flurry of riffs and sneering vocals, all
pumped up with good-time energy.
RANGOON SONS
This band of melody-makers connect
with you through their heartfelt and
heart-warming slices of indie rock.
DELIAH
A classy contemporary RnB duo
with a seductive sophistication
in their soulful vibes.
SPXKEN
Expect the poetic lyricism of this elusive
rap duo to take the hip hop world by
storm when they hit their stride.
THOM MORECROFT
An honorary Scouser whose raspy,
gravelly tones bring an air of captivation
to his honest tales of the city.
GO FIASCO
An alt. indie five-piece whose sound
is defined by their trademark roaring,
scuzzy guitars and punchy vocals.
OR:LA
DJ and electronic beat queen who’s
established herself as one of the
finest mixers in the North West.
SHAMONA
Earworms abound in the sets of this
joyous indie trio, with rootsy Americana
flashes giving them definition.
PADDY CLEGG
Continuing Liverpool’s proud line
of guitar-toting troubadours with a
penchant for rough and ready skiffle.
POLAR STATES
The energy of this guitar-driven quartet
is like a head-spinning endorphin
rush that you don’t want to end.
MARI HAJEM
Enticing industrial pop from a
Norwegian artist with a huge
voice and heaps of soul.

Bido Lito! July 2015 21
Illustration: Alex Wynne
Jones and Patti Smith, but they are both such
warm people it was a really amazing and
inspiring experience.
DHT: What are your thoughts on the term jazz?
SR: Mmm...
DHT: As you know, in January we are losing
our city-centre home to music in Liverpool, The
Kazimier, a place where we [Michael and Nick]
work and play music. Along with this we lost
As far as pushing the boundaries of music genres
goes, you’d be hard-pressed to find a band who
test the elasticity of their field as much as POLAR
BEAR. Some may be quite happy to file them
away as a jazz band (albeit in the murky waters
of a ‘contemporary jazz’ sub-folder), but a quick
listen their 2014 Mercury-nominated LP In Each
And Every One will reveal some pretty startling
electronic bursts and grating soundscapes. It’s
not quite the hot be-bop that Howard Moon
would shake his hips to.
Polar Bear’s drummer and leader Seb Rochford
is key to this extravagant flair, bringing his own
scattergun worldview to the centre of the action.
Ahead of this month’s show in New Brighton,
we asked Michael Metcalfe and Nick Branton of
Liverpool’s free jazz supremos DEAD HEDGE TRIO
to speak to Seb about his career. The results are
enlightening…
Dead Hedge Trio: Who did you listen to when
you were young? Did your parents force you to
listen the Beatles?
Seb Rochford: I listened to a lot of things. I got
into Prince when I was at primary school, and
Grace Jones. When I was a teenager I also started
getting into metal, then thrash, then grindcore/
hardcore and death metal. My mum always
played me jazz and Stevie Wonder growing up,
and my dad, classical music.
DHT: How did you start off playing music? Have
you always supported yourself from playing?
SR: My first band was a hardcore punk band
called Cabbage and then we had another more
discordant band called Crumb. Both were with
my friend Zac from Aberdeen. When I first came
to London I used to sing nursery rhymes to kids
once a week and play piano with a man who
had Downs syndrome. I was also a dishwasher,
an assistant chef and a postman one summer. I
feel fortunate to be able to support myself from
playing after a few years in London. When I first
arrived I saw the standard of the musicians here
and thought ‘I’m going to have to practice a lot
if I want anyone to play with me’. The jobs of
singing to the kids and playing piano helped
me get by while giving me time to practice. I
was really broke at this time and used to go to
any free gigs that were happening, sometimes
walking if I didn’t have enough money to get
the bus. I took my drums on the tube for about
four years. The musicians I met here were really
warm and inspiring to me.
POLAR BEAR v
DEAD HEDGE TRIO
DHT: How do you tend to write the music for
Polar Bear? Recently as Dead Hedge, we’ve been
jamming around ideas and turning the good
bits into tunes… Do you have the whole piece
complete, or is everyone in the group able to
contribute to the writing?
SR: With Polar Bear I always sing them inside and
then work out on the piano what I’m singing.
Normally with an album I get a sound in my
head first, and some colours. I normally process
this for a while, imagining the album as a whole,
then tunes just start to come, often a lot in a
small amount of time. I then keep imagining
listening to the album in my head, thinking
how to play each tune and keep writing until
the shape of the album feels right to me.
After this, I write the music out and take it to
the band. With John I may have a seed of an idea
I take to him to expand in his way. Quite often
we speak about it because what John does is
very complex and he has to write the software
from scratch. It’s good for me to give him notice
as this gives him time to write the programs.
With the new album I gave him rhythmic
cycles and we rehearsed twice, just me and
him. We then added Tom, and the day before the
recording we rehearsed with Pete and Mark but
I didn’t let them solo – I wanted to capture their
first improvisations on the album.
With the band, sometimes the tunes change a
lot with people’s input, sometimes not so much.
I always have a clear idea what I want it to be if
I feel it’s really not going in the right direction.
DHT: We recently read an interview with Swedish
saxophone player Mats Gustafsson. He realised
that what he’s doing is a long journey, which
develops over years and there’s no need to rush
things. Do you have any ideas for a project that
you’ve had floating about in your mind that
some day you’d want to make happen?
SR: That would be an interesting thing to read.
There are probably things I think about, but feel
if it’s right for me to do something it will come
at the right time.
DHT: You have collaborated with a lot of
internationally renowned musicians, have
you ever been excited/nervous meeting any of
them?
SR: I think I’m always excited to make music with
new people as I love the process of getting to
know people musically and what new ways I
can learn to communicate with them on my
instrument. I was a bit nervous to meet Grace
MelloMello, a place where Dead Hedge Trio held
a monthly residency hosting bands from around
the country. Being a working musician in London
are you feeling the squeeze on art spaces due
to the gentrification of the inner city? Have you
ever felt the need to compromise what you want
to do in order to make a living?
SR: Yes, and I am sad it’s closing, it’s such a
beautiful place to play. When I spoke to people
there though they seemed positive. I hope that
people will always find a way to share music and
community together. London is changing like
everywhere. I don’t feel like I’ve compromised
myself and I'm lucky that I’ve only played music
I feel connected to.
DHT: Why did you go to the desert to mix and
master the last Polar Bear album?
SR: I was really inspired by spending six weeks
there last year – it changed my perception of
sound and the landscape changed my perception
on rhythm. This is part of our new album to me,
and I thought Ken Barrientos would bring this
into focus in a way I couldn’t. Also, because I
had mixed the last album myself I also liked the
idea of doing the opposite this time: giving up
this control to someone else was liberating and
I learnt a lot from Ken.
I think continually learning and challenging
my limits is really important to me. I thought too
that it’d be good for us to both go into the desert
to mix it, get a different and special experience,
be in the environment that captured me. There’s
a studio out there in Morongo Valley called Red
Barn Recorders.
DHT: We read that you used to want to be a
priest. Do you explore spirituality outside of
music? Do you ever have time to sit still and
just be a human existing? Or maybe there's no
need for this?
SR: Yeh I did! And a monk, back when I was in
primary school. I liked the idea of wearing a
hood all the time and never having to speak.
I was brought up a Catholic but found it wasn’t
for me, but it has made me interested in reading
about all kinds of religion though. Living in a
place like London, it can be important to find
somewhere or a way you can be still sometimes.
Big cities can be very consuming.
Polar Bear play at The Floral Pavilion on 5th July
as part of Wirral Festival Of Firsts.
polarbearmusic.com
soundcloud.com/deadhedgetrio

22
Bido Lito! July 2015
July IN BRIEF
Edited by Matthew Cooper
LIV-BCN
A joint venture between the two cites of Liverpool and Barcelona, LIV-BCN festival spans three days and the club and garden spaces of The Kazimier. For the
second year running the event hosts an ambitious programme of music, featuring the likes of Liverpool’s very own CLINIC (pictured) and Barcelona natives
MUJERES. Hot off the back of his Primavera appearance, DJ COCO will also be taking to the decks to follow on from what was a storming closing set to LIV-
BCN in 2014. With the Mediterranean sun shining on the buzzing Barcelona leg of the festival in June, we expect nothing less when it’s Liverpool’s turn.
The Kazimier / 11th July
BENJAMIN BOOKER
New Orleans-based distorted boogie blues enthusiast BENJAMIN BOOKER brings a fiery approach to his self-titled album that has reinvigorated a tired
blues rock field. The brutally honest songwriter – who croaks, "I would listen to the radio/If I liked songs produced by 40-year-olds in high-tech studios" on
album track Spoon Out My Eyeballs – is unlikely to bring anything other than a roots-inspired genre-bending raucous stomp to this headline show. Think
Jack White or Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, but drawing from a wider palette.
O2 Academy / 8th July
NOIR + DETLEF
Promoters Motion and Luna are joining forces for a night and day summer party set across two venues in the city’s Baltic Triangle. What could be better?
Not a lot is your answer. NOIR and DETLEF will headline the event that is split between Constellations (2pm to midnight) and 24 Kitchen Street (11pm to
late). Noir is the man behind pioneering label Noir Music that unearthed the talents of both Hot Since 82 and Finnebassen, and Viva Music’s Greek hero
Detlef (pictured) is famed for his experimental slew of mixing. You’ll need your dancing shoes for this one.
Constellations and 24 Kitchen Street / 11th July
TRANSATLANTIC 175
Marking 175 years since Samuel Cunard first made the journey from Liverpool to New York, Transatlantic 175 is an event designed to celebrate the links
connecting the Mersey and Manhattan. Led by design icon Wayne Hemingway, the 4th/5th July weekend will feature a series of cultural events on the
Liverpool waterfront, with one of the most interesting coming at Greenland Street’s Garage venue. Paradise At The Garage sees GREG WILSON (pictured)
lead a stellar cast of DJs in celebrating the UK’s love affair with New York dance culture, and showing how Liverpool’s own hedonists have moved the
culture forwards.
ASTRAL COAST
Having teamed up with Arts And Minds Festival, ASTRAL COAST returns for its 2015 edition, bidding to be Wirral’s premier arts and music event.
The festival will once again set up camp on New Brighton’s Marine Point on Saturday 11th July: expect to find art exhibitions, interactive stalls,
food, drink and, as ever, the very best new music around. CAVALRY (pictured), SHELLSUIT, MARVIN POWELL and SHE DREW THE GUN lead the
bill, with all performers playing stripped-back acoustic performances across a variety of venues. There will also be diverse range of "street
shenanigans" programmed by Threshold Festival. astralcoast.co.uk
ALL IS WELL
We’d like to extend a warm welcome to THE WELL SPACE, which has just opened its doors to the people of Liverpool on Roscoe Street (not far from our
own office). The gallery-cum-creative space is snugly housed inside a long-standing warehouse, boasting a café and free Wi-Fi. By day the space will be set
up for people to stop in for a chat, draw, type, chill, call, meet, write or sit, but night-time will see After Hours launched as it invites groups, event organisers
and artists to hold workshops within the space. With a communal atmosphere and a wealth of creativity brimming out of it, The Well is already home to
artists, musicians, actors, costume designers and puppeteers’ studios. thewell-liverpool.org
CALEDONIA AMERICANA FEST
From the 16th-26th July, The Caledonia will house ten days of the finest Yankee sounds with its well-respected Americana Festival. Expect everything
from bluegrass, blues, Cajun, country, folk, roots, R’n'B, rock ‘n’ roll, early and modern jazz, soul and western swing to feature. Whether your poison is
American craft beer or fine bourbon you can expect it all to be covered in the Catharine Street boozer. Performances come courtesy of (but not limited
to) MARTY O’REILLY AND THE OLD SOUL ORCHESTRA (pictured) on Thursday 15th July and THE HALELUJAH TRAILS plus MIKE BADGER & THE SHADY TRIO
closing the festivities on the 25th.
bidolito.co.uk

Bido Bido Lito! July Lito! 2015 July 2015 23
STATION TO STATION
Now established as one of the best platforms for emerging local talent, the MERSEYRAIL SOUND STATION PRIZE is open again for another year. Over the
next three months, musicians will be invited to apply for the Prize by uploading a video of themselves performing an original song at one of the following
stations: Liverpool Central, Liverpool South Parkway, Southport, Kirkby, Wallasey Grove Road, Hoylake and Hooton. The prize, won last year by RnB artist
BLUE SAINT, offers an artist the chance to benefit from twelve months of professional music industry mentoring and recording time, with a free year of
Merseyrail train travel thrown in. Full details can be found at merseyrailsoundstation.com.
X&Y FESTIVAL
The promoters behind regular I Love Live Events gigs bring yet another afternoon and evening of summer-ready alt-pop to Arts Club, in the form of X&Y
FESTIVAL. Sugary New Wavers FICKLE FRIENDS (pictured) and pop folk duo HUDSON TAYLOR headline this third edition of X&Y, with Scotland’s own MODEL
AEROPLANES contributing their neon-drenched riffs to the line-up too. The event has become increasingly popular year on year, and in 2015 it will once
again highlight a plethora of new bands with a natural talent to write radio-ready choruses for the future.
Arts Club / 11th July
SETTLING FAMILY BUSINESS WITH GIANNI RUSSO
Actor, singer and raconteur GIANNI RUSSO is back in Liverpool for a double-header of events in July. On Independence Day (4th July) there will be a
special screening of The Godfather at the Liverpool One Odeon, where Russo (who played Carlo Rizzi in Francis Ford Coppola’s epic film) will be conducting
a Q&A prior to the show. Russo will also be bringing his Frank Sinatra tribute ONE NIGHT ONLY to The Martin Luther King Building at the Albert Dock the
following night. Here he will be singing Ol’ Blue Eyes classics and reminiscing about the days he travelled and performed on Cunard liners with Sinatra
and Grace Kelly.
F.O.E.S
“Probably the nest new heavy rock band in the North West” was how DIY Magazine described F.O.E.S after their 2014 EP Ophir, and the alt./post-rock band
are set to build on this praise with their second EP, Antecedence – out on 10th July via Crooked Noise Records. “We’ve tried to be as honest as possible with
the new EP,” comments frontman Chris Mackrill on the recording process. “I hate it when music isn’t about anything in particular. When songwriters are
asked what their songs are about and they’ve no idea, I just can’t see the point in that.” All pre-orders come with a free download of unreleased track No
Sleepers Verse. fallofeverysparrow.bandcamp.com
JACARANDA RECORDS
Just when you thought you’d scoured all the record racks in the city, along comes another store to raid. After reopening its doors in November, The
Jacaranda Club has now joined the vinyl revolution by transforming the top floor of the venue in to a record store and café. JACARANDA RECORDS will cater
to all vinyl lovers with a stash of vintage, new and re-issued cuts, but their pièce de résistance comes in the form of an original reconditioned 1948 Voice-
O-Graph, in which musicians can record their own singles directly onto vinyl. There is only one other such Voice-O-Graph in the world that's open to the
public, at Jack White's Third Man Records store in Nashville. Step inside and make history.
EVANS THE DEATH
EVANS THE DEATH are a band who have hand-picked elements from across the musical spectrum, whether it’s the jangle of The Smiths or the sludge of
early grunge. The result is a fascinating exploration into bad romance fronted by the emotion of Katherine Whitaker. Support for the gig will come from
AJHD and YEAR OF THE FIERY HORSE. Those who know how intimate the back room of the venue is will be accustomed to the high energy of the shows
here, but those who aren’t are sure of a powerful surprise.
Maguire’s Pizza Bar / 19th July
SUMMER ARTS MARKET
Fancy yourself as a crafty artisan? If so, we recommend you clear your diary for 18th and 19th July so you can fully enjoy the third annual SUMMER
ARTS MARKET. The event crams more than a hundred traders in to the Great Hall of the Grade I-listed St. George’s Hall, transforming it in to a bustling
market for jewellery, screen prints, contemporary accessories, beauty products and a whole lot more uncategorisable handmade delights. This year
there’ll also be a pop-up photo booth on hand and food and drink from Cuthbert’s Bakehouse. If you’re planning on having a rummage, you can
find full details at culture.org.uk.
JOLIE HOLLAND
Texas-born singer-songwriter JOLIE HOLLAND makes her first visit to the city this summer, five albums in to a career that has already seen her nominated
for the Shortlist Music Prize by labelmate Tom Waits. Her music lives somewhere between folk, country, blues and roots, with 2014’s Wine Dark Sea LP the
most celebrated of her career to date as she dialled up the gritty, swampy growl of the guitar-playing of her youth. With a live show comprising two electric
guitars, harmonium and piano, there will be an organic feel to the songs Holland says were written “straight from the heart”.
Leaf / 16th Jul
bidolito.co.uk

24
Bido Lito! July 2015
Reviews
Foxygen (Aaron McManus / ampix.co.uk)
FOXYGEN
H. Hawkline
EVOL @ The Kazimier
About a third of the way into FOXYGEN’s set,
vocalist Sam France informs his audience
how “today I broke up with my girlfriend
and my boyfriend”, having already stated
he isn’t doing so well. Events that follow sit
somewhere between the humorous and the
terrifying, as staged fights, election jokes
and a soft toy all make appearances. A circus
rolling in to The Kazimier would prove less
overwhelming, such is the scale of the band’s
fervour and intensity, and yet the initial
disparity develops into defined, orchestrated
bedlam. Incidents occur as if in a musical; the
trick is to give the turmoil space to breathe
within that, an essential which, as any
staggered crowd member tonight will attest,
is suitably achieved.
The vigour which is to follow, however,
gets tempered precedence in opener H.
HAWKLINE. Instead, openly humorous and
content to command the stage with a less
abrasive aesthetic, Hawkline and his band
court the audience with a medley of tracks
which are both charming and brimming with
character. The swoon of Black Domino Box
is a typical highlight, and is indicative of an
artist comfortable in his sound but capable of
profound expression. Labour preferences and
acknowledged Beatles’ influences discounted,
Hawkline successfully endears a growing crowd
in an articulate and effortless style.
Such traits, however, retire from the evening
as soon as Hawkline leaves the stage. Complete
with full band and three female backing
vocalists, Sam France and Jonathan Rado (Guitar,
Keyboards) engage in a relentless exhibition of
the overt and the dramatic. The eccentricities of
tracks such as On Blue Mountain and Shuggie,
both from 2013’s wonderful We Are The 21st
Century Ambassadors Of Peace & Magic, are
injected with a visceral, unhinged dynamic,
France flailing around the stage like a man
possessed, and seemingly intent on breaking at
least one bone in his body. Averting your gaze
proves impossible, as his total embodiment of
the wild and unpredictable nature of the music
is as disconcerting as it is compelling.
At no point, though, does the gig feel like an
act of which France is in sole command. Rador’s
keyboards are as groovy as they are menacing,
and the trio of female backing singers prove
as engaging as France himself. Their vocal
talents shine amid the anarchy, particularly
on bittersweet ballad Coulda Been My Love,
lending France’s more liberal approach a touch
of genuine soul. At times, the band slip into
a state of self-indulgence, intent on satisfying
their own desires as opposed to adhering to
the crowd’s needs. For a performance which
relies on its ability to surprise and overwhelm
its audience, however, Foxygen operate within
a wider sense of control, a kind of unhinged
order. An order which, whatever happens within
its parameters, reminds us that Foxygen know
exactly what they are doing.
Whether France did lose his girlfriend and
boyfriend today is uncertain. Such a story,
however, epitomises the dislocation and
discord which comprises the heart of Foxygen’s
live performance. As few other artists can, they
create an environment where constraints are
discarded, anarchy is invited, and the boundaries
are, on Foxygen’s command, relocated out of
recognition.
Ben Lynch / @benlynch07
bidolito.co.uk

Start-up for Summer Courses
n 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.
Course Dates:
2nd & 3rd June 2015
22nd & 23rd June 2015
8th & 9th July 2015
29th & 30th July 2015
To find out more and to request an application pack, email startup@ljmu.ac.uk or call 0151 231 3300
www.ljmu.ac.uk/startup
*Certain eligibility criteria apply
facebook.com/LJMUstartup
@LJMU_Enterprise

GIANT 3 SAND
Gabriel Sullivan – Lorna Beth Kelly
Brian Lopez – Maggie Björklund
Harvest Sun @ St. George’s Hall
St. George’s Hall Concert Room is the height of
high Victoriana – crystal, caryatids, gold leaf, filigree
on every capital – but that’s not an inappropriate
aesthetic for GIANT 3 SAND’s (as they are titled
tonight) venerable alt. country canon. Backlit in
blood red, this could be the fleapit opera in some
frontier town of the Old West.
Arizonan Howe Gelb (Giant 3 Sand songwriter/
singer/guitarist/head honcho) appears. Even in
the dark he looks like the cowboy from The Big
Lebowski, but apparently goes unrecognised
until his face is half-full of microphone – only
then do the cheers come, his laconic drawl
drowned as it will be repeatedly over the next
two-and-a-half hours. He’s stalked onstage
early to tell us there isn’t a conventional support
act: his bandmates are songwriters in their own
right, who’ll each do a turn performing their
own material.
First up is Danish pedal steel virtuoso MAGGIE
BJÖRKLUND, whose opener isn’t even a song but
a fully-fledged composition for her instrument
with sensitive, tricky use of a loop pedal. This
is fantastic guitar-playing that doesn’t sound
like guitar, aping brassy, synthesised, and
even vocal tones. Next comes BRIAN LOPEZ
(Guitars, Backing Vocals), whose Static is one
of the evening’s highlights: a quietly theatrical
portrait of a telly addict with a broken TV set – a
“Lynchian” (a constantly appropriate adjective
tonight) character, as Lopez describes him.
We’re also treated to a few songs by LORNA
BETH KELLY (Vocals) and GABRIEL SULLIVAN
(Guitar, Backing Vocals) – closer to Giant 3 Sand’s
bluesier repertoire, which alternate between
wordy ballads and brash, quirky stompers from
the start. If, mid-tempo, gentler songs such
as Home Sweat Home and House In Order
are more effective tonight, it could be due to
persistent sound problems as much as their
stark delicacy. This kind of Americana depends
on low, husky singing and most of the raucous
hoeing down – the only cliché Giant 3 Sand
infrequently resort to – leaves the lyrics totally
indistinct, and occasional feedback (not the
good kind) testifies to an unbalanced guitar
sound. A shame, as Gelb’s words are often
worth the attention.
With over 25 albums to cherry-pick for a 30th
anniversary tour, it’s not unusual – but it is
refreshing – to watch a 21-song set and have
most of them stay in your head afterwards.
New album Heartbreak Pass gets well-played,
but the encore surprises with Tumble And Tear,
from 1985’s Valley Of Rain. It’s thrashed out
with aggression, sounding like Dead Kennedys
would if Jello Biafra wore a Stetson.
Creativity like this can’t be penned in by
style, and, despite the strong alt. country feel
throughout, each song has a lyrical/sonic
thumbprint, making them in equal parts
outsider music and gothic ballads that hold
your attention. With a majority of fans in the
diverse audience – assessment based on the
consistently enthusiastic applause – this must
be cult status. How does Gelb’s songwriting
relate to most Americana? To illustrate: imagine
that when Dorothy says, “Toto, I’ve a feeling
we’re not in Kansas anymore”, the dog instead
looks up and croaks, “No, this is definitely
Arizona.”
Stuart Miles O’Hara / @ohasm1
EARTH
Harvest Sun @ The Kazimier
For most of the bands who sprang out of
the Pacific Northwest corner of the US in the
late 80s, the term grunge – and everything
associated with it – has hung around their necks
like some flannel-clad albatross. However,
though it is hard to completely avoid the term
when discussing tonight's headliners, due to
Dylan Carlson's relationship with Kurt Cobain,
EARTH have spent the best part of the past
quarter-century carving out a fairly unique place
in popular music. After Carlson's return to writing
following a long battle with drug addiction, the
band began moving away from their heavier,
distortion-laden roots and towards a more
eclectic sound, making live performances an
even more interesting prospect than before.
With a back catalogue of eight studio
albums, and a divisive break in terms of musical
direction occurring after the third, there is
much anticipation amongst the near-capacity
Kazimier crowd to see what selection of songs
Earth will bring to the table. Will they delve into
the foggy, doomy realms of their early records
or stick more closely to the filmic meanderings
of their most recent work? Such musings are
roundly answered by opening track There Is A
Serpent Coming, taken from their latest album,
Primitive And Deadly. A brooding eight-minute
journey clearly inspired by Ennio Morricone
and all things Western, the track consists
of trademark repeated phrases and almost
painfully slow percussion building and then
re-coiling like, fittingly, a serpent, and serving
as a perfect initiation for any of those present
who are yet to delve into the hazy quagmire of
Dylan Carlson's sonic oeuvre.
Though performing as a conventional fourpiece
there is at times little to distinguish, in
terms of sound, the two guitars from the bass.
For the vast majority of live shows this would
be massively detrimental, but for a band so
reliant on drones and low-end noise it has a
very desirable effect. The songs are long and
drawn-out but at no point do they merge into
blandness, with each new track standing alone
as a separate entity. The result is a tapestry of

Reviews
Bido Lito! July 2015 27
often largely expanded hypnotic explorations
broken up by the occasional wry comment
from Carlson before he eases back into a
limp stance at the front of the stage. Perhaps
the most transfixing element of the group is
actually long-time member Adrienne Davis,
who sits behind the drums seemingly playing
in slow-motion. With flailing arms frozen in the
air above her she exercises admirable restraint,
creating space for the other instruments to
breathe and keeping the opium-soaked rhythm
in check.
As the final strains of the brilliantly titled And
The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull settle
upon the audience, there is an audible sense
of confusion as we are pulled from our trance.
For many it has been a lethargic yet enrapturing
experience, and for some of us it has been
the closest we will ever come to Kurt Cobain
without having to go and see Foo Fighters. But
I'm sure he's really sick of hearing about that.
Sorry Dylan.
Alastair Dunn
THE FALL
The Kazimier
When it comes to gigs by THE FALL, the only
thing that’s absolutely certain is that absolutely
Earth (Stuart Moulding / @OohShootStu)
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28
Bido Lito! July 2015
Reviews
Moon Duo (Stuart Moulding / @OohShootStu)
nothing is certain. You’ll never know what to
expect with Mark E. Smith. That’s kind of the
point, though. Always has been. As anyone
who’s followed his 31-album career will tell you,
he’s nothing if not unpredictable. This means it’s
always a memorable night in Smith’s company.
Tonight, the band appear while Smith stands
stage-side, toying with one of what turns out
to be no less than three vocal mics, and, while
they wait, start hammering out the angry tribal
rhythm of Venice With The Girls, the first song
from new album Sub-Lingual Tablet. They’re
happy enough to hammer all this out while
Smith takes his time. It’s a formidable noise
they make too. Smith’s wife, Elena Poulou, on
a screaming analogue Korg synth, accompanied
by the guttural funk sound of Dave Spurr’s bass,
and the treble heavy Stratocaster surf sound of
Pete Greenway all sit comfortably on top of the
wild abandon of drummers Keiron Melling and
Daren Garratt; heavy and also brilliant, in the true
meaning of the word. At two years, this is the
longest-serving line-up of a band that’s been in
existence for some three and a half decades. In
that time, no fewer than 65 people have walked
through the door marked ‘The Fall’. But then,
that’s as many as The La’s had in ten short years.
Enter stage left, Mark E. Smith, a walking
poetic, charismatic, northern lyrical giant. He
smirks and almost – but not quite – smiles
as he riffs his way through this storming
set, taken mainly from this album as well as
previous collections Reformation Post TLC,
and Re-Mit. In-between songs he stands to
attention at the front of the stage, straightbacked,
like the drunk guy who’s trying to
convince the approaching cab driver that he’s
not completely twisted. He struts and stalks
the stage, swapping microphones and jackets,
and live ‘remixing’ the guitar by messing with
the settings on Greenway’s amp. He tickles the
guitarist as he does it, and it’s clear he’s up for
some mischief tonight. The crowd play a large
part, as he welcomes their welcome, and reacts
accordingly, passing one of the mics round, and
grinning at their best, or, more precisely, worst,
Mark E. Smith impressions. Dedication Not
Medication is a highlight; Smith nods for the
band to stretch it out, so that he can improvise
on one of the lines: “Pierce Brosnan, how dare
you prescribe me bed-wet pills?” Fair comment.
They stroll offstage at the end, and Smith
takes the radio mic with him into the garden,
where he keeps going, as only he can, before
they return for a blistering, bolshy and bruising
Smith-a-long-sing-a-long version of the utterly
magnificent Theme From Sparta FC from 2003.
A return to the garden follows, before a final
double-speed and frantic Blindness finishes the
night, with Smith and the band leaving one at
a time, before stumbling up the steps at the
back of the stage, and off into the night. When
they leave, and the music comes on, one lad
staggers up to his girlfriend next to us, and says
“I can’t believe you brought me all this way to
see a baghead with a microphone.” He doesn’t
get it. Thankfully, we do.
Paul Fitzgerald / @NothingvilleM
MOON DUO
Mind Mountain – TVAM – Pinkshinyultrablast
Harvest Sun @ The Kazimier
Returning to the scene of their facemeltingly
impressive performance in 2012,
MOON DUO promise similarly vivacious
antics this evening. Having since added a
drummer to the band’s line-up, Moon Duo
(or trio, rather) have beefed up their sound
immensely following the release of superb
new LP Shadow Of The Sun.
Whetting the appetites of eager giggoers
in the neighbouring Kazimier Garden,
PINKSHINYULTRABLAST perform a highly
anticipated free entry set in the run-up
to tonight’s main event. Hailing from St.
Petersburg, the band raucously dive into
Ravestar Supreme and Holy Forest to formidable
effect. Showcasing brilliant debut album
Everything Else Matters, the band combine
the finest ethereal elements of shoegaze and
dream-pop in a similar vein to Slowdive and
Cocteau Twins. The newcomers have been
utterly remarkable from start to finish.
Kicking off tonight’s main event is TVAM,
brandishing a krautrock-inspired solo set
which is executed impeccably. Accompanied
by an impressive visual display, TVAM does
well to excite the emerging punters. MIND
MOUNTAIN, tonight’s second support act, are
an entirely different beast. Powering through
one single composition for the entirety of the
set, their piercingly loud, bone-shuddering
psych jams soar amid a daunting clamour of
bass-driven doom and synth meddling. Having
recently released a split 7” with Carlton Melton
bidolito.co.uk

30
Bido Lito! July 2015
Reviews
through God Unknown Records, Mind Mountain
are going from strength to strength as of late.
The stage is now set for Moon Duo, consisting
of Wooden Shjips’ Ripley Johnson and Sanae
Yamada. Set opener Wildling furiously hurtles
and swirls around the room amid a vortex of
intensely encapsulating visuals, which manage
to transform the room into a kaleidoscopic
voyage. Circles and Night Beat further delve
into their unique brand of droning, reverbladen
guitar clatter, with intricate synth and
whispering vocals smoothly blending together.
The band’s progression with their new LP is
profound, with scintillating percussion now
adding a fresh dimension to their sound.
This can be clearly seen on Slow Down Low
and Ice, as Moon Duo continue to dazzle and
deafen the trance-induced audience. The
dense, fizzing distortion from Ripley Johnson’s
guitar is a real highlight, energetically buzzing
around the room in an impetuous decibel
glaze. Ripley also pauses briefly to mention
his sorrow at the eventual closing of The
Kazimier, which is so revered due to gigs
exactly like this. Welcomed back onstage for
a much-appreciated encore, Moon Duo have
been on excellent form throughout their set
and they leave Liverpool once again with a
lasting impression. Back soon for more of the
same, we hope.
John Wise / @John__Wise
YOUNG FATHERS
Kojey Radical
EVOL @ The Kazimier
“I wrote an EP about a girl I liked called Daisy.
But I don’t like her no more, so fuck Daisy,”
is, more or less, British/Ghanain poet KOJEY
RADICAL’s opening line, and to be truthful he
could have walked off the stage there and then
to a welcoming applause. But he entertains
effortlessly for the next half-hour.
Musically, Kojey Radical is cut from a similar
cloth to George The Poet but less dull, more
aware and infinitely more captivating. He is
backed by a laptop that repeatedly spews
out some weighty beats and his live guitarist,
who has an arsenal of funky licks to give Nile
Rodgers a run for his money.
“K O J E Y” the wordsmith shouts out as he
leaves the stage. “Ey, search it on Twitter; I’m
not shit, I swear.” He’s not lying. Kojey Radical
wants to be everyone’s friend. Everyone wants
to be his friend too, it seems, as people mob
him for a selfie.
By contrast, YOUNG FATHERS are not
interested in making any friends. They’re not
interested in anything except putting on a
show; they made this clear when they won
their Mercury prize last October. All they were
concerned with was heading back to Berlin
to finish their second record – which would
become White Men Are Black Men Too – and
then heading back out on the road to support
the record.
And it’s self-evident they weren’t mincing
their words on that night in London. The live
rendition of these tracks have three or four
times more impact than they do on stereo,
largely due to their standing drummer beating
the living daylights out of the skins. It adds to
the tribal nature of the show, and the rhythm
the four-piece have on that stage together is
completely infectious.
But their biggest achievement is just how
natural they make a feast of such fervour and
ferocity look. Very rarely can a band put so
much effort into a performance yet give the
impression they’re barely trying. Don’t let the
lack of smiles lead you to presume lethargy,
though, they’ve put in their man hours of
practice to have a live show like this nailed
down.
They speak about three sentences between
them. The closest they get to conversation is
when G. Hastings asks if Liverpool is ready to
dance. By this point the group have already
ripped through the colossal singles of Get Up
and Rain Or Shine, so Hastings already has his
answer.
Young Fathers churned out their second effort
at an industrious rate but surely they can’t be
in too much of a rush to return to the studio
this time round, when the material they already
have is this blisteringly explosive.
Matthew Cooper / @c00pasaurus
AD HOC CREATIVE EXPO
Calderstones Mansion House
The iconic Victorian mansion house at the
heart of Calderstones Park is home to The
Reader Organisation, a tranquil hub where their
highly-praised community reading sessions
have found the perfect home. The early evening
sunshine adds to the splendour of the setting
this evening as the venue plays host to the
first-ever AD HOC CREATIVE EXPO. In a darkened
room, large sheets of black netting are
stretched tight across six large frames to create
screens onto which projections of geometric
shapes regenerate and distort themselves.
Quotes from No Worst, There Is None, a
poem by Gerard Manley-Hopkins – a beautiful
piece which deals with his well-documented
depression – are cast across the screens, and
interspersed with strongly contrasted images
of vast, sharp, mountainous landscapes. The
viewer's perspective, moving above and across
these dark, intimidating spaces, illuminates the
poem’s themes in a singular and dynamic way.
The soundtrack to this swell of visuals,
composed by BILL RYDER-JONES, evokes the
darkness of the poem, and the demons with
which Manley-Hopkins battled. Layers of deep
cello notes form a lilting drone with violins, and
a beautifully stark piano weaves gently through
those strings, bringing a rich depth to the whole.
Ryder-Jones’ part in this creative installation
was undertaken separately to the work of
London-based visual artist MARCO LAWRENCE
Young Fathers (Nata Moraru)
(and brought to life on the night by Sam Wiehl),
but they both took the poem as their inspiration,
and an impressive work has arisen as a result.
As a child, I was always taught to look up at
my surroundings, to appreciate the unexpected
as well as the obvious; perhaps an unexpected
and unplanned strength to Lawrence's visuals
in this piece is the way in which they layer and
clash on the ornate Victorian coving on the
walls of the space.
The event is the brainchild of Ad Hoc Creative,
a project which aims to showcase the talents
of the many people involved in Ad Hoc’s
guardian scheme (a scheme which gives empty
space to artists, for them to act as building
guardians, in return for low rent). Hundreds of
artists, musicians and performers – Lawrence
included – are part of this Europe-wide scheme,
which frees up disused properties and makes
them available to potential tenants who are
looking for more flexible accommodation.
Tonight’s event is made more apt given that
Calderstones Mansion is presided over by Ad
Hoc guardians, in conjunction with The Reader
Organisation.
Unfortunately, Ryder-Jones is unable
to attend the event, but expresses his
thoughts regarding his involvement in the
project (discussing the installation and his
contribution in a little more detail) via a filmed
video statement. A reading of No Worst, There
Is None brings a poignancy to both the visual
and the audio work, existing as a one-off piece
to be experienced only once, here and now.
Ad Hoc Creative is a breathtakingly simple,
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Reviews
Bido Lito! July 2015 31
innovative and worthy scheme, and more
of these awareness-raising collaborations
would be a key by-product. It should also
be remembered, in these difficult times, that
there is a clear model within the scheme which
works in supporting creative culture, artists
and forgotten spaces. Could we see more
collaborations like these? Like Manley-Hopkins,
we can but hope.
Paul Fitzgerald / @NothingvilleMusic
BRYAN FERRY
Judith Owen
Philharmonic Hall
There are those who feel that 80s
experimental jazz romantics Roxy Music died
the day Brian Eno left. While it’s true Roxy’s
first two albums are sprinkled with Eno’s
unique musical stardust, later Roxy albums
and BRYAN FERRY’s solo output showed that
Ferry was eminently capable of continuing to
conjure bittersweet longing and loss set in a
contrastingly seedy/glamorous landscape, to a
polished soundtrack. Tonight’s sell-out suggests
that his legacy is an enduring one.
Support comes from Welsh songstress
JUDITH OWEN, who soon wins the audience over
with the sheer quality of her songwriting and
Ad Hoc Creative Expo (Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk)
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32
Bido Lito! July 2015
Reviews
Brian Ferry (Gaz Jones / @GJMPhoto)
her vocal range. Her band isn’t half bad either:
drummer Russ Kinkel, bassist Leland Sklar and
guitarist Waddy Wachtel are all veterans of the
classic troubadour albums of Carole King, James
Taylor, et al. Owen introduces the songs, from
her recent Ebb And Flow album, as a “love letter
to Laurel Canyon”. A version of Mungo Jerry’s
In The Summertime could have come straight
off Joni Mitchell’s Blue and the sunshine sound
softens her sometimes barbed lyrics.
Bryan Ferry’s eleven-piece band take to
the stage and launch seamlessly into the
percussive introduction to Avonmore, the title
track from Ferry’s latest album. With a backlit
stage, it is Ferry’s unmistakeable silhouette
that we see sidling up to the microphone,
with almost amorous intent. Ferry caresses
the mic and sings as though whispering sweet
nothings in your ear.
The new material has the sheen of early
80s Avalon and Boys And Girls and sees Ferry
taking a couple of songs to get into his stride
before the first classic Roxy offering, Beauty
Queen. The opening shimmering chords send
a delightful shiver of recognition down the
spine and are greeted with a roar. It is, though,
eclipsed by a superb Ladytron, the rolling drum
and bass of the finale underpinning the shaking
power chords and swirling synth.
Never one for between-song chat, Ferry
has always cultivated a slightly dispassionate
relationship with his audience. His only
statement is an apology for the lack of any
such dialogue: “we have so much to get
through”. The pace is indeed snappy, each
song crisp and concise.
Ferry is considered by some to be overproduced
but beneath the undeniable polish
his music has always had a certain sly, sexy
groove and the elegant fragility of his voice
has always packed an emotional punch. This is
evidenced most obviously on the slower, more
sparsely played covers: Bob Dylan’s Dream
and Don’t Think Twice, on which Ferry plays
some lovely harmonica, Kern’s Smoke Gets In
Your Eyes and, of course, Jealous Guy are all
delicately and lovingly delivered.
Ferry takes a break mid-set and leaves the
stage to guitarist Jacob Quistgaard, brass and
woodwind player Jorja Chalmers, keyboard
player Paul Beard and violinist Lucy Wilkins, all
of whom solo beautifully and to great acclaim
on the cinematic instrumental soundscape of
Roxy’s Tara.
When the unmistakeable drum intro of Love
Is The Drug rings out, a most un-Philharmonic
thing happens The crowd rise as one and
several hundred people rush towards the
stage, arms aloft, dancing. For one delirious
moment I think there might be a middle-aged
stage invasion, but the acolytes stop short
and no M&S thongs are hurled towards the
stage. The crowd remain on their feet for the
remainder of the concert, as Ferry takes us on
a Roxy-inspired finale with blistering versions
of classics such as Virginia Plain and Do The
Strand, with a sizzling Let’s Stick Together
thrown in for good measure. The crowd are
dancing and singing along, encouraged by
some slick footwork from the backing singers,
who are clearly revelling in the insurgency.
The Andy Mackay brass and woodwind
passages are beautifully played by Chalmers,
Quistgaard’s accomplished, soaring, lead
guitar more than evokes Phil Manzanera’s
originals and even Eno’s quirky, avant-electro
is effectively realised by Beard. If Ferry is
recreating his older numbers rather than
reinterpreting them, nobody minds: they are
superbly recreated and adoringly received.
BATHYMETRY
Southbound Attic Band
The Big I Am - Lara Boundy
Ugly Man Records showcase
@ Aigburth Cricket and Bowls Club
Glyn Akroyd
We focus on our city-centre venues and
their troubles but perhaps we should also turn
the spotlight onto our suburban sister venues.
With that in mind, I sally forth, map book in
hand (on the car seat, officer), to Aigburth
Cricket and Bowls Club for a homespun album
launch – with homemade cake – courtesy of
BATHYMETRY.
A community hub, established in 1888
and now under threat from – guess what? –
developers, the Club is a pleasant, traditional
venue at the end of a quiet street. Tonight,
it has been turned into insect-ville, with
Bathymetry’s amazing album artwork echoed
by large drawings of beetles, ladybirds and
other creepy-crawlies which decorate the
room, and temporary insect tattoos available
to buy.
First up is LARA BOUNDY, a young singer/
guitarist playing gentle folk melodies. She’s
followed by THE BIG I AM, one guy playing a
ukulele, the other playing what research later
tells me is a Puerto Rican cuatro (which has an
extremely lovely shape). They up the tempo with
some accomplished playing and harmonising,
finishing with a track called Collecting Skies,
which is a highlight of the set.
The tone changes somewhat with the arrival
of SOUTHBOUND ATTIC BAND and their take
on more traditional, Celtic-tinged folk music,
incorporating guitar, harmonica, bass and
vocals. There’s a lot of love in the room for this
band, evidenced by the pleas for them to play
an infamous, slightly risqué number as they
finish their set. They oblige, despite the caveat
that they’ve already been banned from one
venue today.
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Reviews
Bido Lito! July 2015 33
After a very long break, Bathymetry finally
take to the stage in support of their debut
album. Their songs are full of tradition, wit
and darkness – standout track Goblin Fruit not
only referencing Christina Rossetti’s Goblin
Market and a punning title (goblin/gobblin’- if
you missed it) – but also channel funky bass
and drums, some beautiful, almost discordant,
harmonising, and a stop-start element that
makes you hold your breath as you wait to
hear what the next note will bring. This is
especially evident on Evil Leather Jacket (oh,
those insects get everywhere…) and brings a
sinister darkness to a band I would hesitate
to describe as folk. And, if this is folk, then
it’s 21st-century folk, incorporating fairy tales
and nature, sure, but seasoning these with a
psychy, sensual, menacing edge.
If anything lets them down, it’s their slightly
too relaxed attitude towards this gig: delayed
appearance, band members leaving the stage
at various intervals. However, Bathemetry
clearly have originality and talent, and enjoy
what they do, and their hearts are in the
right place – cf. not just their support of the
Club but also their acknowledgement of the
70th anniversary of D-Day with a rendition
of We’ll Meet Again – so, hopefully, they will
continue to plumb the underwater depths of
our tradition-soaked isle.
Debra Williams / @wordsanddeeds1
Bathymetry (Debbie Ellis / asupremeshot.squarespace.com)
Ceremony Concerts Present
Richard Dawson
+ Asiq Nargile + Ex-Easter Island Head
The Kazimier, Liverpool
Wednesday 16 th September 2015
China Crisis
PLAYING THE ALBUM 'FLAUNT THE IMPERFECTION'
The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool
Saturday 17 th October 2015
Thea Gilmore
The Epstein Theatre, Liverpool
Saturday 14 th November 2015
Amsterdam
+ Support
Gulliver's, Manchester
Saturday 14 th November 2015
Dodgy
Arts Club, Liverpool
Saturday 28 th November 2015
Turin Brakes
+ Cousin Jac
The Kazimier, Liverpool
Saturday 5 th December 2015
TicketQuarter / See Tickets / WeGotTickets / Gigantic

34
Bido Lito! July 2015 Reviews
Overton Blues Festival (Glyn Akroyd)
OVERTON BLUES FESTIVAL
“The sky is crying,” sang Elmore James, “look
at the tears roll down the street”. On my journey
to Overton-on-Dee the sky isn’t so much crying
as bawling its heart out, and on a summer’s
evening I arrive in the beautiful Marches village
in near darkness, rain like nails bouncing off
the hood of my ole ’55 (sorry, the bonnet of my
Mazda).
On arrival I am greeted by Pete Evans,
Paul Taylor and Ian Williams, promoters of
the Blues and Roots Festival, founders of
the Hooker Blues Club and committed blues
aficionados. These guys have been promoting
the blues in North Wales for over a decade
now, with regular gigs throughout the year,
the annual festival being the highlight of the
calendar.
The walls of Overton Village Hall are
bedecked with previous gig posters, and
a quick glance at the names and faces on
display is impressive: Nine Below Zero, The
Hamsters, The Blues Band and a variety of US
artists, including Memo Gonzalez and Marcus
Malone, have graced previous events.
Even at this early hour a good-sized audience
packs the hall to witness HALF DEAD CLATCH
(Andrew McClatchie) growling, picking and
sliding his way through a set comprising classic
covers by the likes of Mississippi Fred McDowell
and self-penned originals from his awardnominated
2014 album, The Blues Continuum.
The clean, pure sound of his Resonator guitars
rings out to the fast, fluid picking or crunchy
riffing of his right hand while his left slides up
and down the neck, delivering shimmering
daggers of sound.
I check out the excellent real ales – though
the festival is billed as a Blues & Real Ale
Festival, the organisers put out a strong ‘no
drunkenness’ message and over the weekend
I don’t see a single contravention of this ethos.
This is a festival that you could bring the family
to (so long as the family dig the blues).
BLUES DUO kick into a set of Chicago electric
street blues. BB King’s She’s Dynamite sees the
first dancers of the evening spinning onto the
floor and Jimmy Reed’s classic You Don’t Have
To Go has everyone clapping and singing along,
before a Reet Petite/Chantilly Lace rock ‘n’ roll
medley sees the cognoscenti tut-tut-tutting
but more people than ever on the dancefloor.
A cracking start to the festival.
Saturday dawns to the news that two of the
scheduled artists have had to pull out at very
short notice. It is a tribute to the standing of
those who run the festival that Pete Evans is
able to announce that they have miraculously
found bands willing to jump in to the vacant
slots. The next announcement is less welcome
as Pete pays tribute to Big Al Groom, long-time
supporter and enabler for Hooker Blues, who
passed away only days before the festival and
to whose memory the festival is dedicated. R.I.P.
Saturday’s performances, played to a packed
house, illustrate what a colourful palette
the blues draws from. Twenty-year-old JACK
BLACKMAN is an audacious talent, whether
covering Guthrie and Dylan or performing his
own material, his intricate picking and clean
slide perfectly accommodating his country
blues/singer-songwriter sensibility. A wonderful
swing version of Love Potion No. 9 introduces
BLUE SWAMP, whose vocalist Mike Bowden
delivers a Dr John-like growl to accompany
John Williamson’s fluid guitar. 3KINGS, a lead,
drum and harp trio, serve up the lean, paredback
rhythms of the Mississippi hill country,
showcasing their own material and a wicked
version of the Meters Cissy Strut that gets the
crowd on their feet. DAVE MIDGEN AND THE
TWISTED ROOTS blow the roof off with a New
Orleans mix of funky horns, jazzy keyboards and
soulful vocals.
I wonder how a music that has had such a
profound impact on 20th century culture has
become such a niche area, rarely troubling
the airwaves or appearing on the samples
smörgåsbord. Hip-hop chose jazz as its
travelling companion and left the blues to
stagnate somewhat. But this weekend shows
that if you look you will find and the above
bands all display a superb level of musicianship
and an obvious passion for their music, whether
inciting hip-shaking boogie on the dancefloor
or provoking more thoughtful musings.
Blues fans on Merseyside currently appear
starved of a live blues scene but about an hour’s
drive away, “somewhere behind the sun”, they
will find themselves afforded a warm welcome
and a truly authentic sound courtesy of Hooker
Blues.
Glyn Akroyd
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plus boss craft beers from Mad Hatter,
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beers, and great food.
Whisky tastings, cheese & wine nights,
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All set in a Grade II listed former
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Campbell Square, Argyle Street
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36
Bido Lito! July 2015 Reviews
Holy Thursday (Mark McNulty / markmcnulty.co.uk)
FARM FEAST
Claremont Farm
Sprawling across the fields and courtyards of
Claremont Farm, FARM FEAST has managed to
make the successful step up from its previous
guise as Wirral Food And Drink Festival. Taking
the best bits of the country show, combined
with artisan food stalls, a sprinkling of
Capstan’s Bazaar and more than a soupçon of
music produces an excellent family-friendly
two-day festival, with no glamping required.
As we arrive on the Saturday lunchtime
we can hear SCARLET giving it their all over
the PA. Heading past the stalls and smaller
tents over to the Main Stage, we catch the
majority of this lively indie band’s set, with
the reverb-layered Daisy Chains and current
single Anyway sounding particularly fine in
the sun. Scarlet are the first act in today’s
New Wirral Sounds showcase on the Main
Stage, and they’re followed by indie quartet
VYNCE. With a soaring sound that’s a modern
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Reviews
Bido Lito! July 2015 37
update of the Britpop template, VYNCE turn
in yet another accomplished performance,
one that glitters with the Peace-aping
bounce of April Showers.
Away from the Main Stage, Merseyrail
Sound Station and Liverpool Live TV have
bijou pop-up spaces – the latter even
containing the famous red sofa, where
we catch the gorgeous vocal harmonies
of ME AND DEBOE. Venturing a bit further
afield takes us to the Mellowtone-curated
Courtyard Stage. It’s a gem: set in a lovely
cobbled courtyard surrounded by food
stalls and containing the now-ubiquitous
hay bales, all presided over by the always
affable Dave McTague. We linger here for a
while, enjoying the alt. folk vibe of Liverpool
singer-songwriter KEVIN CRITCHLEY and
companion.
Some settings are just perfect for certain
bands, and the next two acts to appear on the
Main Stage are pure Farm Feast. We’ve heard
CAVALRY’s amazingly catchy tunes a fair few
times now, but today they soak up an extra
resonance from the freshness of the festival’s
blissful, sun-kissed feel, with latest single An
Understanding displaying this adroitly. Fellow
Wirralians BLACK MOUNTAIN LIGHTS open
their set with Two Steps, and we’re pretty
much gone, swaying and singing along with
this toe-tapping, driving track – reminiscent
of the Louisiana bayou rather than the Wirral
peninsula. The harmonies are extremely tight,
and the multi-talented band members walk
the line between traditional Americana and
British folk in an impressive way.
BBC Introducing favourites – and winner
of New Wirral Sounds Critics’ Choice
Award – SHE DREW THE GUN is the alter
ego of Louisa Roche. Backed here by three
bandmates (on drums, bass and guitar),
Roche is able to deliver the full range of
emotive introspection which is crammed in
to her music, with the delicately balanced
If I Could See and Pebbles our highlights.
We’re also lucky enough to catch their more
stripped-back set on the Courtyard Stage a
bit later on, after a rousing performance by
HENRY PULP AND THE LYING B*ST*RDS.
HOLY THURSDAY ramp up the tempo when
they take to the Main Stage, turning in yet
another tight and compelling performance.
The familial quartet’s dextrous abilities are
given full airing here, as their faintly cosmic
rock starts to get some of the crowd up
dancing. This atmosphere is enhanced by
Liverpool institution EDGAR JONES, whose
following solo turn is an exemplary piece
of showmanship. The welcome strains of
Mellow Down Pussycat even get some of
the younger revellers joining in the boogie.
VEYU complete the New Wirral Sounds
showcase just as evening is about to fall,
and the setting enhances the Smithsian
undertones that flit just beneath the surface
of this most absorbing of bands. New track
The Collector sits neatly alongside the
timeless twinkle of Running, and they leave
us on the yearning washes of Blue Voices.
In between all the music there’s been more
than enough food and drink to keep everyone
going and in high spirits for the final hurrah
on the Main Stage. Arriving in a gold minibus,
THE FARM sweep on to the stage when their
headline slot arrives, bringing the crowd
pressing down to the front for a place on the
Groovy Train. It’s a fittingly joyous ending to
the day, with Altogether Now providing the
‘moment’ that the assembled masses want
before they head off in to the night.
Debra Williams / @wordsanddeeds1
JAD FAIR AND
NORMAN BLAKE
AJHD
Harvest Sun @ Leaf
Frankie Muslin
Incongruous is the word. This surely can't
work, can it? Will it? Well, there's a mood in
the air suggesting that this most unusual
pairing of Teenage Fanclub mainman,
NORMAN BLAKE, and lo-fi art punk legend
of Half Japanese fame, JAD FAIR, makes
absolute and perfect sense. The Scottish
melodic guitar-pop troubadour and the
psyched-up, wigged-out musician, writer,
artist and serial collaborator who despises
nothing more than a tuned guitar. Fair's
guitar is hinged at the neck, to enable,
we presume, better distortion and notebending.
It can't last. It's bound to break
before the gig's out. After all, it's a pink-andwhite
toy guitar.
Support tonight comes from AJHD. With
a slight nod to early, fuzzed-up Teenage
Fanclub, their insistence on coating every
well-developed melody with wall upon wall
of noise comes across as a little oppressive,
and maybe not entirely necessary. For all its
shoegazing delight, it’s a decent noise they
make. The players, though, might benefit
from relaxing into their ideas, and taking it
all a little less seriously.
Jad Fair takes to the stage, and begins with
a ten-minute poetic rant about angels in
different-coloured dresses. His cluster-bomb
lyrics butterfly in, on, and around Blake's
rhythm guitar, and it all starts to become a
little clearer. This marriage was meant to be.
New album YES is the second album they've

38
Bido Lito! July 2015
Reviews
THE FINAL SAY
By now you’re probably fed up of us preaching to you, so we thought we’d reward you for
reaching the last page by offering you some light relief. Each month we’ll be passing this section
over to a guest columnist to have their own say on an issue of their choice. This month we
asked Bido writer and winner of this year’s Pulp Idol competition, Jamie Carragher, to write about
something close to his heart. Get ready to pledge allegiance to the band of Mr Schneebly…
"Give up. Just quit. Because in this life, you can't win. Yeah, you can try but in the end you're just
gonna lose BIG TIME because the world is run by The Man... There used to be a way to stick it to the
Man, it was called rock and roll. But guess what? Oh no, The Man had to ruin that too with a little
thing called MTV!" -Ned Schneebly/Dewey Finn (School Of Rock)
This December, School of Rock The Musical opens on Broadway. Music by Sir Andrew Lloyd
Webber, book by Lord Julian Fellowes. Hmmm. Sounds a lot like THE MAN is stealing School
Of Rock. I'd cry "Look out, Broadway!" but it's far too late for any of that. Like the camel from
Buckaroo – despondent, broken and weary of life – Broadway will sling another commercially
contrived trophyfuck over its furry, bruised hump.
Whether or not it's any good is irrelevant (though here's hoping it's a decanter of defecation).
No, the outcome doesn't matter. The appropriation of School Of Rock by Lloyd Webber and
Fellowes is a disaster regardless of the result. This classic film about washed-up rocker Dewey
Finn becoming a substitute teacher and forming a band with school kids is being hijacked.
Sadly, I have a feeling that it'll run for years and years. The 2003 film is so beloved that to fuck it
up would be an extraordinary feat of failure. Of course, that's why Lloyd Webber bought the rights:
to squeeze a hit from a hit, to wring success from a success. His award winning conveyor belt has
fallen into disrepair and this is the remedy.
If his motivation, as he claims, is to do justice to the film, then he should plough his money into
a Mike White/Jack Black collaboration. At the very least he should have Mike White, the creator
of the film, writing the book and not his old pal Fellowes. But it's a vanity project and he's doing
it because he can.
I can't begrudge Lloyd Webber and Fellowes liking the movie. I'm all for Thatcherite cyborgs
feeling emotions, smiling, shedding tears, etc. It's good for them; they can be saved. But clearly
they weren't watching closely. The moral compass of School Of Rock points firmly away from their
worldview. It's not about winning, it's about creativity. It's not about a Darwinian model of culture,
it's about a supportive community. Lloyd Webber has been a major force in creating a West End
culture where his name is everything, creation is stifled and challenging art is discouraged. What
would Dewey Finn think of that?
But hope never dies. What if it was all a brilliant ruse conjured up by Richard Linklater, the film's
director, most recently lauded for his pioneering work Boyhood? What if Jack Black, resurrected
as Dewey Finn, got word of the musical and was so appalled by the commercialism and trite
cynicism behind the project that he enslaved another band of wandering kids. Using this new
cohort, he'd burst into the stuffy Broadway theatre and challenge the fake School Of Rock to a
one-off Battle of the Bands. No doubt the Broadway bunch, made up of kids hot-housed since
conception, would be technically superior, but the moral victory could only ever go one way.
The quest for authenticity has never been harder. Back in the unspecified day, you could spot an
artistic fake a mile off. It was like telling the difference between an Inter Milan top and that blackand-blue
knock-off your Mum bought you from a beach vendor. Easy. Now, instead of producing
lame replicas, The Man appropriates the things we love in order to wear down our bullshit
detectors. The Man convinces Paul McCartney to do X-Factor, The Man puts the Sex Pistols on credit
cards. Indeed, I'd have lost all hope for anything genuine in this world if it wasn't for my latest
Rolex Yacht-Master Watch. Efficient, reliable, and stylish, it's every columnist sell-out's dream.
collaborated on, and there are strong ideas
to be found here. The key is in the contrasting
backgrounds of each performer, which give
each the space that's needed from such
duality. Fair's slightly manic and panicked
vocal delivery is as idiosyncratic as Blake's
guitar is solid and reliable, and he delivers
his strangely visualised ideas with a strong
sense of conviction.
There's a swap as Blake takes the lead,
aided by Fair behind the drums, and throws
some classic Teenage Fanclub into the mix
with It's All In My Mind and I Don't Want
Control Of You, where his soft Caledonian
croon almost lifts the lyric up from the
song. Both artists here have collaborated
with Daniel Johnston in the past, and so an
excitable Fair takes the mic again for a joint
rendition of Casper The Friendly Ghost. More
of the hinged pink guitar, as Fair stomps
on effect pedals, squirming and wringing
manic noises from the toy, while Blake holds
steady with the beat, watching his friend's
every move. It's quite some crescendo, and
a captivating part of the show.
Something has to give, and it’s the neck
of Fair’s guitar that goes, snapping before
being cast on the floor. This is Fair’s cue to
jump into the audience to finish the set with
a passionate a cappella version of Sunny
Side Of The Street. Of course. Why wouldn't
he? Bookending the night is a brief encore of
two songs from the new album – Enjoy The
Life and You Are The One – set to a somewhat
unnecessary backing track, but we're left
largely believing in the incongruous, and
appreciating the difficult.
Paul Fitzgerald / @NothingvilleMusic
TOPS
Gulf – VYNCE
I Love Live Events and Harvest
Sun @ The Shipping Forecast
Some bands would like you to trust their
buoyancy, staying afloat for that lifesaving
shot at a festival coverage soundtrack. You
know the type: the 1975-ers, the nice boys
at the front, pretty ok but never dangerous.
Only now and then, a band like VYNCE come
along and do it right, massaging an ache you
never knew you had. Sweet-toothery isn’t a
bad thing for the four-piece; they’ve been
going at it for two years, and they’re getting
much closer to hitting the spot, maybe a
song away from real endearment.
Their guitars are a waterfall of joie de vivre,
mirroring one another well. April Showers is
the best example of starry-eyed indie this
side of a Fearne Cotton interview; their cover
of Just Like Heaven is warm and unrushed,
accruing goodwill for a slightly dampening
Saint Lucia. They’re almost the perfect
high-school band, impossibly likeable, yet
perhaps afraid to be truly different.
The night doesn’t stay like that for long. As
GULF get going, you can feel the room find
new dimensions of space, expanding like
a sigh from held breath. Now that they’ve
picked up some experience, it’s time to see
what Mark Jones and co. are doing under the
buzz. The answer seems to be: funk and then
some, overseen with the grace of a plane
leaving an airport. “Just enjoy whatever is
behind us,” smirks Jones as their blooping,
bubbling animated backdrop encounters
a few issues – they don’t need it, but it’s
de rigueur for bands tripping on their own
sound to request the full psych show. They
justify the label with a brilliant Tell Me Again,
and at this rate they’ll be writing riffs in their
sleep, striking for shimmering horizons of
untold genre.
Off the back of this support, TOPS seem
ready to lap up the crowd’s enthusiasm,
although they are incredibly and instinctively
great, so maybe they don’t need the
encouragement. They take the stage with
such poise and down-home honesty that,
within minutes, the night is entirely theirs.
Another golden egg from the goose of
Montreal’s music scene, they have the brash
disco spirit of Nile Rodgers, and the cool
sheen of sun-bleached Americana in singer
Jane Penny. For a group so young, they are
relaxed, ensconced in classicism, bringing
out the lounge stalk of Sleeptalker as easily
as they nail the moonlight groove of 2 Shy
and Circle The Dark. This is a band that have
listened to their parents’ records and caught
the hiss of running vinyl. Each song follows
the next with a yearning for romance and
dim silhouettes of love, feeding the twang
of David Carriere’s thoughtful playing style.
Outside represents a moment of solace,
dragging us into hillside shadows where
violet, violent seduction skirts at their
fringes. Penny admits to loving Liverpool,
but not having a clue what anyone’s
saying. The chorus of “what?” shouts from
the crowd pepper the sense that further
communication is needless; all the drama
and attention we can expect is right there,
in shades of smeared lugubriousness. They
save Way To Be Loved, their inaugural floorfiller,
till last – Penny pauses for the final
chorus, delaying the climax, until she and
the group ride a ferocious note of triumph
into the evening
Josh Potts
bidolito.co.uk

BUILD YOUR OWN:
Tools for Sharing
Exhibition at FACT
4 June - 31 August
FREE Entry
#BuildYourOwn
fact.co.uk/BuildYourOwn
Statutory Funders
Exhibition Funder

LIMF 2015 EXPLORES THE THEME ‘MUSIC MIGRATIONS’ THROUGH SPECIALLY
PRODUCED COMMISSIONS & PARTNERSHIPS CENTERED UPON THE EVOLUTION OF
MUSIC FORMED BY THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE, CULTURE AND OF COURSE MUSIC.
THE LIMF COMMISSIONS & PARTNERSHIPS CONTINUE TO CREATE MUSIC MAGIC.
ROUTES JUKEBOX
THE REVOLUTION WILL BE LIVE:
A TRIBUTE TO GIL SCOTT-HERON
LIVERPOOL, NEXT STOP NEW YORK
GLOBAL ROOTS INTERNATIONAL MIXTAPE
THE RECORD PRODUCERS LIVE FT LAMONT DOZIER
THE BLUEBIRD TO THE BLUECOAT
SA TO UK: ARTS IN ACTIVISM
CIRCUS (OFFICIAL LIMF AFTER PARTY)
SEE THE FULL LINEUP & GET TICKETS AT