Liverpool Sound City 2018 — a recap

The iconic festival eminated this May from Liverpool’s Cains Brewery Village and Wired Noises’ Olivia Kenny and R.A. Hagan were there to cover it.

Every year, Liverpool holds a music festival that, since its debut in 2008 has become synonymous with the already musically rich city. Past line-ups have included acts who would go on to become some of the biggest names in music, such as Ed Sheeren (2011), Catfish and the Bottlemen (2016) and Courtney Barnett and Royal Blood (2014).

This year, Wired Noise had the privilege of attending the festival which eminated from Liverpool’s Cains Brewery Village. The weekend wide festival decided to use this year to focus on up-and-coming talents from across the country, including London’s Hey Charlie, York’s The Howl &The Hum, Brighton’s Black Honey, and an entire stage showcasing talent from BIMM. The headliners for the weekend were Peace and DMAs. Below, you can find our coverage, written by Northern Alive’s Olivia Kenny and Wired Noise editor R.A. Hagan.

Saturday:
The first band I saw was The Wholls, a band who met the needs of every alternative rock fan there. Recorded, the band have a more indie rock-flavoured sound, but live, they take their riff-fueled music to the next level and closed the set with the front man jumping into the drum kit. — Olivia Kenny

At another stage we saw Malena Zavala, the indoor venue was decorated to appear like an old-style urban street, adding to the warm atmosphere Malena’s music created. Having just released an album, titled ‘Aliso’, she showcased her powerful vocals and dreamy, easy listening sound. Her music was fronted by her strong voice, with a melodic backing, which took over the room. As the entire audience was fixated on the performance, Malena closed with one of the songs, ‘Should I Try’, from her album. — Olivia Kenny

Avalanche Party demonstrated their hauntingly brilliant sound. Opening with ‘I’m So Wet’, front man, Jordan Bell, came forward into the crowd and climbed onto the bar. His electrifying persona taking over the room. Their charismatic, in-your-face set was one to remember and Avalanche Party are a band to definitely go and watch if you like intense music. — Olivia Kenny

I decided that next I would try to find some Manchester-based artists, so I went to see Stockport-grown, No Hot Ashes. The funk inspired sound infused with disco influences and raw vocals, sent the whole venue bouncing for the entirety of their riff-roaring set. Their style is something that doesn’t sound as if it would work, but somehow it does. The band played tracks from their new EP, ‘Skint Kids Disco’, before closing with their fan-favorite debut single, ‘Goose’. — Olivia Kenny

Carl North & The Lonely Hearts were a fairly brilliant act. Bringing forth an old school bluesy-flavoured R&B sound mixed with phenomenal stage presence and a roaring cover of Ray Charles’ ‘Gold Digger’, this act proved that they’re something to keep an eye on. — R.A. Hagan

Following No Hot Ashes were The Blinders. The band released a new single, titled ‘L’etat C’est Moi’, just a few days prior to the event. Before the band even walked on stage, the audience were already getting excited for the set chanting the band’s latest lyrics “L’etat C’est Moi” and “I Am the State”. The band walked on stage, front man, Thomas, covered in black make-up as if he was preparing for war. The group have a create a terrifyingly intense atmosphere in any venue they enter, instantly drawing in everyone’s attention. Opening with ‘Gotta Get Through’, the single only being released in February, sent the crowd wild from the very start. The band describe themselves as ‘punkdelic’ and combine politics and social views with their music. Their performance is always intense and in-your-face, thrilling anyone who is watching. — Olivia Kenny

Of course, The Slow Readers Club were a must-see band, after hearing so many people rave about their music. the band were playing at one of the larger stages at the festival and their music flooded the venue, their synth-pop sound is captivating and is loved by so many people. Actually, I’d say, their fans are probably the most dedicated I’ve ever seen, with over half the people in the room showing off their love for the band with a t-shirt. The group released their album, ‘Build a Tower’ on 4th May, which was brilliantly received by their fans and celebrated with a sold-out show at Manchester cathedral. — Olivia Kenny

Black Honey were simply phenomenal. Showcasing passion, angst and raw energy, this band were out to prove themselves as a force to be reckoned with, and I reckon they did just that. They were the last band on before DMAs (which sadly we have no coverage of due to transport limitations), so as a psuedo-headliner for me, I was more than pleased. — R.A. Hagan

Sunday:
I began the second day with going to see False Heads, a band that so many of my friends love. The London-based trio have won over the hearts of many punk rock lovers, including myself. Their powerful set kicked off the day perfectly. — Olivia Kenny

I started my day off on Sunday by going to see York’s The Howl & The Hum. An indie rock band that admittedly, I’d never heard of before their set. Their show, however, was fantastic. This band have a uniqueness in their sound, with some elements of their music ranging into experimental territories. Their sound was at times quiet and delicate, before bordering into loud and slightly chaotic, sort of reminscent of Pixies. The Howl & The Hum are incredibly good, and you should see them if they’re near. — R.A. Hagan

Next, I went to see Hey Charlie. Initially intrigued to see the three-piece girl group, which isn’t as common as it should be. I was drawn in by their enticing grunge-pop sound and ‘unnform’, all dressing the same it was a unique and unusual trait of the group because they all look so similar. I found this made their set even more interesting because it was like watching the same person in three different places at once, although each member did have their own style. Their empowering set provoked an inspiring atmosphere as the audience danced along to the upbeat music. — Olivia Kenny

I couldn’t miss Larkins at Sound City after seeing them sell out Manchester Academy 2 a few weeks before. The band opened with their single ‘Sugar Sweet’, their summery sound taking over the room. Larkins are the perfect upbeat band to listen to, especially over the summer, with their uplifting sound and bright sound. — Olivia Kenny

Fuzzy Sun are another upcoming Manchester band, who have supported Blossoms on their UK tour. The group are rapidly gaining fans with their electric-pop sound and are destined to do well after their ongoing success. — Olivia Kenny

The Night Café are another growing band. Coming from Liverpool, it isn’t surprising that the band attracted a more-than-devoted crowd to the largest stage at the festival. The group played last year’s singles, ‘Turn’ and ‘Felicity’ as well as fan favourite, ‘Addicted’, provoking a sing along from the room. — Olivia Kenny

The band were on stage just before the day’s headliner Peace. Opening with, arguably, their most popular song, Peace kicked off with ‘Power’. The powerful song, as the name suggests, being the perfect, upbeat song to start the headlining set. Peace are loved by so many people, this was captured in the large venue as contagious energy bounced around, between the band and their fans. — Olivia Kenny

Liverpool Sound City this year was fantastic, and has us excited for future iterations. Make sure to check out the bands mentioned above and keep your eye on them. Thank you to Liverpool Sound City for giving us the opportunity to cover this brilliant festival.

Special thanks to Northern Alive’s Olivia Kenny for contributing to this article. You can find more of her work at https://northernalive.wordpress.com.