Liverpool Sound City 2013, a music festival attended by over 40,000 music fans and 3,500 delegates offered a combination of various daytime conferences and over 350 artists and bands of differing styles playing at a vast array of venues across the city running late into the night and early hours over a 3 day period.
Before the music gigs got under way in the evening, there was chance for delegate pass holders to attend various daytime talks and panels at Liverpool’s Hilton hotel, with the emphasis being on how to succeed in the music industry.
There was no better way to kick off the musical proceedings on the opening night than a packed Kazimier Garden, complete with beautiful blue skies. Clock Work Of The Moon provided the soundtrack bringing their lovely vocal harmonies - it was the perfect al fresco start to the festival.
Next up was headliners Noah And The Whale at Liverpool Cathedral – a massive, impressive and visually stunning venue. Their set alternated between tracks from their new album including Heart of Nowhere and some of the bigger tracks that have made them accessible enough to headline festivals like this such as Five Years Time, Waiting For My Chance To Come, Tonight’s The Kind Of Night and L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.
Across town at Leaf were Australian’s Deep Sea Arcade, who played a set of guitar based vocal harmonies, the highlight being their track Seen No Right. At the nearby Zanzibar venue, The 1975 were playing to a packed sweaty room, rocking the crowd with the lovely Heart Out and Sex (She's Got A Boyfriend Anyway). Around the corner at Kazimier were the three piece Lunar Modular (one of whom included James Rand, who earlier in the day was teaching an electronic music production workshop at Liverpool’s SAE as part of the conference) playing an energetic live electronic set full of keyboards, synths, squelching, bleeping and lovely melodic sounds.
One of the big plus points of Liverpool Sound City is that Liverpool is a compact city – all the venues are easily accessible in the same vicinity and within walking distance. Some venues are big, some are smaller, and all are unique in their own way - from the dark circle of Kazimier to the lush upstairs surroundings of Leaf to the specially erected Duke Street Garage - a car park during the day! It is here where Bastille play a set of happy feel good singalong anthems – the packed crowd lap up their cover of club classic Rhythm Of The Night (which is fitting as the Garage venue is just yards from the super club Cream). Easily the highlight of the opening night of Sound City was The Garage crowd going mental to their hands in the air anthem Pompeii. The few hundred in attendance were lucky to see them in such an intimate venue as they will surely soon be playing massive festivals in front of thousands.
Night two of Liverpool Sound City kicked off with Toy at Liverpool Cathedral. They played a set full of psychedelic tracks - adding to the eclectic styles of bands littering the festival line up. Their biggest track was My Heart Skips A Beat, as they built to a crescendo finale. Melody’s Echo Chamber were up next at a full Kazimier - the bowl like, great small live music venue. It’s a venue completely different to anywhere else in Liverpool, and when packed like it is tonight it thrives on the lovely sounds being provided by Melody’s Echo Chamber.
Everything Everything, who had appeared on the Jules Holland show just a week prior to this festival played at the Arts Academy. They alternated between fast paced heavy drum tracks with slower, nicer melodic sounds, with Kemosabe and Cough Cough getting the best crowd reactions.
The third and final night of Liverpool Sound City seen a strong line up of live electronic music in Duke Street Garage. Up first were Bantam Lions, who worked the early crowd with his electronic keyboard and laptop. On next were Last Days Of 1984 complete with electric guitar, looping drums, singing and twiddling of various keyboard and synths. Baltic fleet then took to the stage – one could hear their large squelching and acid sounds from miles away. This three piece Death in Vegas like band provided plenty of energy and building through their set playing tracks from their album such as 3 Dollar Dress and March of Saxons. Constantly interacting with the crowd in between tracks giving the names of tracks and bit of information about each song was welcome - it added personality as they came across as really appreciative by thanking the crowd for coming to see them play. Darkstar completed The Garage line up with a set of psychedelic, large melodic vocal tracks.
Over at 02 Academy Enter Shikari played to a packed out room of hundreds bringing their loud noise fast paced roaring rock sound to the table, as the younger element of the Sound City crowd lapped it up bouncing up and down.
Back at the Zanzibar Bebe Black took to the stage and gave by far the best vocal performance of the festival. Accompanied by her band members on guitar, drums and keyboard, she was simply awesome. She has such a beautiful voice and sang a great set of tracks championed by her last song Deathwish, which has the potential to be a dance/pop music crossover anthem this summer. Poet inspired London hip hop artist Mikill Pane was on next at Zanzibar – complete with a band of guitarist, drummer and keyboard player he sang his big hits Chairman Of The Board, Good Feeling and Summer In The City.
Delphic headlined the Liverpool Sound City closing party in the Red Bull Studios Arts Academy - a set of synths, vocals, lovely melodies, drums and booming electronic music sent the festival goers home with a bang!
Liverpool Sound City done the city’s name and rich music heritage proud with a festival that had it all – great music, artists, crowds, atmosphere and venues. With festival organiser Dave Pichilingi saying that the plan for next year’s event is to shake things up and surprise people by changing things around, you can guarantee that Liverpool Sound City will be back even bigger and better in 2014.
Published on 08 May 2013 by Andrew Darwin
