Photo Copyright © Sakura
Looking at the calendar, 2019 looks like it will be a great year for music fans across Liverpool. Over the course of the next twelve months, there will be something for everyone as the local racecourses are starting to announce their line-ups for the Summer while Fusion Festival returns to the city in August to be headlined by rock giants Kings Of Leon. For those wanting to find the next best thing, Sound City returns to the city across multiple venues in just under a month while last weekend saw BBC 6 take over the weekend with thousands of fans turning out for a line-up that had something for everyone.
Amongst the celebration of all things music, the event was tinged with sadness at the news that local band Her’s and their tour manager had been killed in a road accident while on tour in the States. Paying tribute to the local band, indie favourites Idles ended their set with a cover of the band’s track “Harvey”. Throughout the weekend though the city of Liverpool was represented well across the line-up with both new and established acts doing the city proud.
Taking over multiple venues from the bigger venues like Olympia and Mountford Hall to the smaller venues Invisible Wind Factory and Camp & Furnace, music fans didn’t need to travel far to find their next favourite band.
Olympia saw the likes of songwriter Anna Calvi joined by local favourites She Drew The Gun, punky dance pop of Bodega and the grunge of Marika Hackman kick off the weekend while the rest of the line-up over the three days saw acts like The Good, The Bad The Queen, Stealing Sheep, Villagers, The Cinematic Orchestra, Jungle, Hot Chip and the aforementioned Idles who brought their chaotic set to a close and showed why they’re one of the most talked about bands on the indie circuit at the moment.
Day One
Invisible Wind Factory saw two days of DJ sets including big names in the scene likes 2ManyDJ’s, Nemone, Breakwave and Craig Charles DJ getting a packed venue dancing late into the night. Over at the city’s legendary Cavern Club, BBC Introducing put on a gig featuring a bill including Zuzu, The Mysterines, Red Rum Club and hugely popular local outfit Queen Zee.
Day Two
A packed out Mountford Hall saw three days of acts giving music fans something to get their teeth into. From an acoustic set by Bill Ryder-Jones and the hugely popular John Grant on the Friday through the hard-hitting grime of Little Simz, Slowthai and Jon Hopkins on the Saturday to a final day which saw the likes of Charlotte Gainsborough, Gang of Four and Fontaines DC, eclectic and diverse doesn’t even come close to describing some of the brilliant acts who graced the Mountford Hall www.
Day Three
Having always championed new music alongside the big names, the BBC put on another great weekend of great music whether you’re a fan of hunting down something new or just want to check out your favourite bands and, despite being hit with tragedy, Liverpool made sure that 6 Music was a celebration of new music.
