Liverpool Sound City

Liverpool Sound City Review 2015

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There's something counter-intuitive about standing in a tent when it's daylight & the sun is shining.* Ady Suleiman doesn't seem to mind. Hoodie sleeves pushed up on his forearms, he's tasked with opening the Cargo stage for Sound City 2015 & taking a suitably serious approach. It’s a small but merry crowd, one couple dancing drunkenly to 'So Lost'. Amy Winehouse fans will like Suleiman's soulful ska & straight talking. "I wonder what your body looks like." The tent grooves into the weekend.

*Behind the clouds, we assume. It's a grey day, sure, but better than many. 

The Kraken tent cheers six-strong folk act The Sound Poets. Out on the North stage, Delta Rae looks frighteningly cold. It's gusty on the docks, at ground level even. I want to dip the band in hot chocolate & wonder briefly if the Tim Peaks Diner would oblige.

London act Vaults is understated but by no means underdone. Frontwoman Blythe Pepino is unmissable in traffic light red, eyeliner streaming (intentionally, we hope). She is barefoot singing ‘Poison’ & moving from the heart. New single ‘Cry No More’ is a tricky thing, sad & hopeful. Ethereal, electronic, I hear Massive Attack & get those same goodly emotional vibes. The bass at the Atlantic is something else. I spend several minutes watching the stage skirting shudder to the beat.

The Lytics have the Cavern under command, four bright voices in unison. It’s only when the stage empties that I catch sight of one of their number’s leg in a cast. How on earth did he manage all that bouncing? Carnival Youth is perfectly sentimental with numbers like ‘Never Have Enough’ & ‘Brown Eyes & All The Rest’. Before taking the mic, the drummer warns the next is a quiet song. “So yeah, you probably won’t hear anything.” Cute.

Back at North (getting the nautical theme now?), a Jack Sparrow lookalike has one leg up in the air, posed like a plucky pigeon as he strikes the synth.

Spector thrashes out 2012’s Chevy Thunder on the main stage. Lead singer Fred Macpherson has been growing his hair since I saw him last but is no less officious in trademark business attire. New single ‘All The Sad Young Men’ is affecting. “I don’t wanna make love, I don’t want to make plans. I don’t want anyone to want to hold my hand.” It’s a great set, easily as good as later acts Everything Everything & fellow Londoners The Vaccines.

All We Are reign supreme on day two, ‘Keep Me Alive’ an understandable hit. ‘Utmost Good’ is just that, delicious summer listening and even better live. After an obligatory stop at Dogtown & a healthy bout of VIP boat envy, we’re back at base for Dutch Uncles & Duncan Wallis’ enthused vibrato. There’s a video game quality to their sound that I love, playful & rhythmic always.

Unknown Mortal Orchestra is another highlight & way more appealing to this reviewer than headliners The Flaming Lips, though without aid of flashy props. I bet Lonelady kills it too but as happens at a festival, we’re caught up enjoying & miss her completely. 

Bill Ryder-Jones is a discovery, at ease playing very personal tunes to the festival’s biggest stage. Moon King deserves a mention for their undersubscribed set at the Baltic, one of the new venue’s more exciting spaces. C.A.R. looks happy sipping Fosters in the sun & it’s ultimately refreshing to get a band all smiles.

Boys club The Raglans are raucous on the Cargo stage & give the audience an epic drumming break to close their set. Things get rowdier as the festival draws to a close, The Cribs not helping matters with older, better known material like ‘I’m a Realist’ & ‘Men’s Needs ’ stirring up the crowd. Security high-fives the first crowdsurfer to reach the front of the stage but I’m wondering if the joke is a little old the tenth & twelfth time. It’s great to watch, the hippies, mods & rockers, the hatted & bespectacled, all joining in the swell.

It’s hard to determine the ebbs & flows, the tarmac of the main stage emptying & filling in parts ahead of a hotly anticipated set from Belle and Sebastian. I’ll admit new album ‘Girls In Peacetime Want to Dance’ was my first encounter of the hugely popular indie outfit from Scotland, but I’m determined to explore their back catalogue after tonight’s showing.

I’m not sold on the new format. What made Sound City great in previous years was that it wasn’t one single identifiable & homogenous thing. It inhabited the cafes & bars of Liverpool’s cooler quarters & to that end, was supremely easy to access & enjoy. The docklands setting should be a win & there is more than enough music on offer, but I’m missing those laidback communal spaces that can make the in-between moments the best in a weekend (not counting the dodgem cars – they’re ace).

Let’s give it a year & see what’s what on the docks in 2016.

 

 

The Kooks join the Liverpool Sound City lineup

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Set to play on the final night of the UK’s biggest metropolitan music festival, the gig will take place in their iconic DIY underground carpark stage, which will be transformed into a mega industrial music venue for the three days of the festival. Lastyear saw Bastille play a stunning set in the same venue to an intimate audience of 800 festival goers.

Said Alex Simmonds, Marketing Manager at Sound City: “This a real coup for Sound City. The Kooks are back bigger and better than ever and they are joining the best bill we’ve ever had. It’s going to be an incredible sign-off to this year’s festival.”

The Kooks join an already mighty line up at Sound City 2014 including the likes of Kodaline, Gruff Rhys, Clean Bandit, Jagwar Ma, Public Service Broadcasting, Blood Red Shoes, Jungle, Wolf Alice, Darlia, Circa Waves, Thumpers, Jon Hopkins, Albert Hammond Jnr., The Hold Steady, Jimi Goodwin, Drenge, Mixhell, Royal Blood, The Wytches, Fat White Family, Superfood, San Farmin, Lyla Foy, East India Youth, Bipolar Sunshine,Pins, Glass Animals, Bird, Factory Floor, Ratking, Say Lou Lou, Sunshine Underground and many many more.

 

Liverpool Sound City 2014 Details

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Last year, it saw 41,500 music fans flock to venues all over the city to watch over 360 artists in just three days, whilst 3,500 delegates attended its leading music, media and technology conference. For 2014, the seventh edition of Liverpool Sound City – taking place from 1 to 3 May – is set to be bigger, better and even more unmissable. 

Sound City uniquely combines an internationally renowned music festival, which celebrates new talent alongside the biggest names in the British music scene, with the UK’s leading industry conference – all in the world’s most legendary music city. In 2013, the eclectic line-up included the likes of Noah and the Whale, Alunageorge, The Walkmen, Enter Shikari and hundreds more, whilst the conference hosted key speakers like Dan Smith from Bastille, Michael Murphy from The Wombats, manager of the Rolling Stones Andrew Loog Oldham and Simon Moran, founder and CEO of SJM Concerts. 

With a focus on new and emerging and talent, Sound City 2013 also saw over 300 emerging bands and artists taking to the stage during the festival – following an open application process. 

In preparation for next year, 2014 applications are now live, in association with Dawsons Music.

Any band or performer who would like to be part of Liverpool Sound City should visit www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk and click on the Apply to Play button for full details on how to apply. 

Alex Simmonds, Marketing and Ticketing Manager, said: “We’re extremely excited to be planning for Liverpool Sound City 2014 and we’re definitely expecting big things. 

‘Last year, there was fantastic response to our open band application process and we’re sure it will be even better this year. We’re looking for a very high level of talent and performance ability, we want something groundbreaking – basically, bands who could be the next big thing.” 

Applications are invited from all over the world (performers from over 18 countries took part in the festival in 2013) and from all music genres. Applications will close on the 31st January 2014. 

Conference Details

Officially the first music festival of the summer, the seventh Liverpool Sound City conference will lead on the three themes of football, music and style – cornerstones of the city’s identity.

David Pichilingi, CEO of Sound City, clarifies the thought behind this strategic shift:

“The British music business is as much about style and football as it is about the music.  Pop subcultures have embodied musical movements in the UK since the birth of rock and roll and the commercialisation of pop music.  From the original mod and rocker movements through to glam and punk rock sliding into Acid House, the second summer of love and Britpop – music, football and fashion are intrinsically linked. 

“In the north, these things are part of our upbringing and that’s why there has been so much success from Liverpool and Manchester.  In the last 50 years our two cities alone have produced more talent and creative output than most countries.  In turn these artists have gone onto generate vast amounts of income on a global scale.  Going forward the Sound City vision is, for the first time, to bring these creative strands together and look at how we create new meaning for the future and in turn inspire and motivate a new generation of talent.”

Sound City’s remit is to create a new type of music industry conference that offers inspirational keynotes and ‘In Conversation’ pieces designed to inspire, motivate and bring together new thinking.  

Returning to Sound City is friend and rock and roll royalty Andrew Loog Oldham.  Andrew is famous for discovering and managing The Rolling Stones.  Andrew will be lead curator for the Sound City 2014 conference and will be leading the way in helping to bring in world-class guests and speakers and innovators around the key themes of music and style.  

Andrew states: "I had the most educating and entertaining time at Sound City last year. It helped remind me of what was and the possibilities of what can be. We make the future together. We are more than one bullet in the gun, we are the big bang. David and I are investigating doing a rock and clobber event in 2014. I look forward to being there again and playing an active role in shaping the event."

Since its inception Sound City has had a clear manifesto that sets it apart from the mundane and well-worn approach repeated time after time by competitors.

Liverpool Sound City is currently programming the style and music content and is promising big names.

Said Becky Ayres Liverpool Sound City’s COO: “We are renowned for drawing big names to the conference – in the past we’ve had the likes of Seymour Stein, Arthur Baker, Ian McCulloch and Peter Hook.  For 2014 we have raised the bar again and have some major global personalities booked in. It’s going to be incredible. ”

The football content is provided by award winning The Anfield Wrap – the LFC inspired podcast, website and digital magazine with both the podcast and magazine firm fixtures in the top ten of the UK Sports iTunes charts with a world-wide audience from Anfield to Australia. 

Said Andy Heaton of TAW: "After the resounding success of last years Sound City, we are incredibly excited to be asked to get even more involved with next year’s festival. We've got some big ideas and even bigger names lined up to contribute the expanded conference programme, that will reflect the city’s rich and unique position in world football and popular culture."

Liverpool Sound City is the biggest urban festival in the UK with over 45,000 attendees expected in 2014. The conference is a unique and integral part of the event hosting more than 3,500 delegates and dealing with weighty issues that go to the very heart of the business as well as exploring the lighter side of the music industry.

The conference side of Liverpool Sound City runs on 1 and 2 May and will be held in the Hilton Hotel and Liverpool ONE. Early bird delegate passes are currently available on the Liverpool Sound City website for a limited period:

 

http://www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk/home/tickets-and-info/delegate-pass-information.aspx

Liverpool Sound City 2013 Review

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Liverpool Sound City is a determinedly different festival. The line-up reads like a roll call of this summer’s biggest acts, and though it runs awkwardly from Thursday to Saturday (it’s an industry conference, much like South by Southwest), there’s enough programmed outside of the working week to make decisions hard.

I’m sidled up by a buzzing espresso machine in Bold Street Coffee, as one half of the Collectors Club give their third performance of the day. On a Friday night in Liverpool, I’m aware this is a pocket of relative calm. “You say you don’t but you want to go out tonight.” Billed as indie-pop, it’s an acoustic set: two guitars, two mics, two men. Or boys, the median age of the room 21 at best.

Lead singer Joe Smithson says he’s pretending to be Justin Timberlake, by way of acknowledging a vague similarity between single ‘Wanna Be You’ and the pop royalty’s ‘What Goes Around… Comes Around’. A sense of humour seems to characterise the Middlesbrough band. “Don’t you want me, want me like I want you?” Understated songs about tears and longing suite the space, and music spills through an open door into the busy street. Outside, it’s as alluring as the smell of just-made coffee (or of garlic mayonnaise from various takeaway spots lining the road).

The café sings along to a pleasing cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’, and afterwards people clap, something I’ve noticed increasingly absent in live settings. We’ll cheer, yes, but people tend not to want to put down their drinks to applaud. The room erupts with good-time classic ‘Under Pressure’ at the end of the set. It’s a smooth transition with the kind of high production values that typify this festival.

Next up on Bold Street is Dan Croll, whose latest release ‘Compliment Your Soul’ aims to do just that. I hear Phoenix, but unlike Paul Simon, Burt Bacharach, and the Dirty Projectors, the French outfit are not among his known influences. The band play a few bars of ‘Wonderwall’ (Oasis, no other), as Croll quips “We’ve all had a bit to drink.”

Buttoned-up and bespectacled, the sometime Liverpudlian sings folkily from the heart – “Oh mother, it’s all thanks to you… I’m gonna miss you.” ‘Home’ gets me too. It’s plucking at heart strings, but Croll offsets any melancholy by instructing guests to take their shoes off at the door, “‘cause it’s impolite not to, you’ll be damaging my floor, ‘cause it’s my home.” This track smacks of Australian singer-songwriter Josh Pyke, but that’s mostly my homesickness talking.

Croll’s is a talent that makes you want to pick up an instrument and learn, goddammit! Fans shout for ‘Marion’ and he obliges. He’s interested to hear what other acts the audience has seen so far, and even gives the café’s breakfast menu his endorsement. It’s a mighty wholesome musician that references porridge mid-set. There’s a smile as he thanks the band – “Nobody introduces me, but that’s okay.”

A few streets over and pushing midnight, French natives Concrete Knives are working the Kazimier Gardens stage. Six-strong, they sound their full number with thick bass, edgy synth and ample reggae throwbacks. A cover of Ini Kamoze’s ‘Here Comes the Hotstepper’ rounds out their cool credentials, as do school yard echoes in tracks like ‘Brand New Start’ and ‘Greyhound Racing’.

Around the block, headliners Everything Everything can be heard long before they are seen. I spot the queue first of course, the warehouse that is Liverpool Academy of Arts already at capacity. Theirs is a complex sound borrowing from many genres, which goes someway to explaining a wide appeal. Dressed in trademark boiler suits, there’s something unignorably Coldplay about the group. It’s likely a comparison they hate, but it’s only praise.

Rapid-fire delivery from fontman Jonathan Higgs is also something of a signature, his voice not classically appealing but captivating all the same. “Yeah, so, um, wait a second!” The urgent pace of breakthrough single ‘Cough Cough’ is in sharp contrast with lilting piano on ‘The Peaks’, but each is entertaining.

My night ends with Temples fronting a packed-out second storey Leaf. It’s enjoyable enough, and a fan in the crowd tells me emphatically that their neo-psychedelic rock is melodramatic. “Melodramatic,” he yells over the reverb, “can you spell it?” Yes, I can, though I suspect he means theatrical. It’s hard to see the bands’ faces for hair.

As with any festival, the interest is as much in journeying between stages, friendships forged waiting for a toilet cubicle or at the bar, and the random exchange of hats, sunglasses and other sundry attire. The beauty of an in-city event might be that you can go somewhere else entirely during those inevitable programme gaps.

Saturday brings bright skies and an excuse for a courtyard barbeque at Heebie Jeebies pub. Aussie act Deep Sea Arcade look and sound rock and roll, right down to bassist Nick Weaver’s finger gloves. ‘Girls’ is an easy favourite, and the all-male act display a knack for taking things to double-time, then back again with ease. The set ends quickly, a teaser for debut album ‘Outlands’ (although ‘If The Devil Won’t Take You’ sounds distinctly better live).

Finnish elctro-folk lady Sansa follows, and I’m amazed by what she can do with her voice (and feet). Lyrics trade primarily in matters of the heart, most overtly in the track ‘Boys’ – it goes “boys, boys, boys, boys, boys.” Her real talent is in recording live guitar and vocal samples, singing with two mics at times, and mixing these on-stage. Her jazzy scatting is equally impressive.

Night brings the frantic garage of local boys Broken English, who look as slick as they sound. The audience knows every word, too. I so often worry for drummers – do they get the recognition they deserve? This drummer looks disarmingly young, but he’s skilled and owns the role. The Kazimier plays host to London-based Mind Enterprises, appearing here as a duo. These guys could play a much later set, their chest-thumping, bassy electronic chords reminiscent of an abstract, more melodic Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs.

Mind Enterprises

Popular indie act French Films are on form in requisite leather and denim jackets, so it’s a shock when singer Johannes Leppänen confesses he feels sick. “I actually threw-up on the way here.” How very rock and roll. Along with the festival’s second Justin Timberlake reference, Thomas J. Speight offers one of Sound City’s most memorable moments when he takes his set off-stage and into the audience for lovesong ‘Joni’. He offers to play a “quiet or a fast one” to close his spot, and two lads at the front shout “Both!” in perfect unison.

Toward the end of Liverpool Sound City Delphic’s set is fittingly showy, three minute singles drawn-out to six and seven minute long tracks. I stay long enough to hear ‘Red Lights’ and ‘This Momentary’, where jack-knifing beats build to the refrain “Let’s do something real.” Mount Kimbie are playing across the street, lauded as one of the festival’s best. It’s the first time I’ve heard them, and their eclectic electronica demands a second sitting (and a third, and fourth – you get the gist).

Transforming familiar urban spaces with those things about festivals we love best, Liverpool Sound City is an emphatic win. Leave your cares at home, and enjoy.

Check out the photos here

150 new bands added to Liverpool Sound City

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This year’s line-up includes some of the most innovative names in contemporary music including recent number 1 album act Bastille, one of the UK’s most ferocious rock bands, Enter Shikari, Manchester’s band of the moment, Everything Everything, the psychedelic garage rock of Thee Oh Sees and the futuristic indie pop of fellow American Darwin Deez.

 
Bastille
 
Pioneering electronic artists include Mount Kimbie, Darkstar and Oneohtrix Point Never whilst hotly tipped performances come from the likes of AlunaGeorge, King Krule, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Drenge, Pins, The 1975 and Melody’s Echo Chamber.
 
On each of the three nights of Sound City there will be a very special show at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral and confirmed to headline are Noah and the Whale, Dexys and The Walkmen.
 
The music programme features over 360 artists in over 25 venues over 3 days and today Sound City announce 150 brand new artists to perform in Liverpool in May.
 
London based five-piece Eliza And The Bear make a charming blend of indie pop and folk, laced with warm harmonies and uplifting melodies. Receiving a great response from their debut double A side single “Upon The North / The Southern Wild”, the band are set to embark on their first support tour with Athlete in May. 
 
Sun Glitters is the guise of Luxemburg based electronic / experimental musician; Victor Ferreira. Mixing an array of lush melodies, pitch-shifted vocals with down tempo beatwork, Sun Glitters have drawn comparisons to the likes of Burial, Holy Other and Gold Panda.
 
Middlesbrough band Collectors Club have shown in their debut singles “Wanna Be You” and “First To Know” an ability to write infectious indie pop tracks. After a successful 2012 and being shortlisted as BBC Introducing’s Ones To Watch for 2013, the band are currently working on their debut with Paddy Jordan (Young Rebel Set).
 
Swimming Lessons is the recording project of multi-instrumentalist Ben Lewis (Of Leeds Indie Poppers Blood Oranges), creating psych-pop taking in influences from the likes of Talking Heads, Animal Collective, Arthur Russell, Broken Social Scene and many more.
 
Drawing upon the eerie sounds of the Northern hemisphere and musically influenced by acts such as Feist, Nico and Anthony and the Johnsons, Copenhagen based Broken Twin’s simple setup of bass, piano, guitar, vocals and percussion intertwines in a whirlwind of creaking piano, floating vocals and cantankerous guitars.
 
New Additions
 
16 Hole Boots / Abandon Silence DJs / Acrobat / Aeroplane Flies High / Alex Hulme / Ali Ingle / Allie Bradley / Alpha Male Tea Party / Anna Corcoran / Apollo 18 / Astroid Boys / Bad Guys / Bad Meds / Baltic Fleet / Bantam Lions / Best Friends / Black Moth / Blacklisters / Blank Maps / Bleech / Blizzard / Boats / Brave Young Red / Broken Twin / Brown Bear & The Bandits  / Brown Brogues / CANDIDATE23 / Cats Park / Chloe Howl / Christine and the Queens / Clang Boom Steam / Clock Work Of The Moon / CMWMSMDM / Cold Shoulder / Collectors Club / Common Tongues / Cub Scouts / Cut / D'lyfa Reilly / Dead Rabbit / DJ DKHT / Dominoes / Echo / Ed Black / Eden Royals / Eliza and the Bear / Eric Fuentes / Fire Beneath The Sea / Fist City  / Franco & His Dreadnaught / French Films / Galaxy Express / Gate Flowers / Gatsby's Green Light / Ghostchant / GlassCaves / Goonamguayeoridingstella / Hands / Highfields / Ilona / Iron Witch / Iyes / Jazzhands / Jethro Fox / Johnnie Selfish and The Worried Man / Johnny Sands / Kamp! / Karpia / Kepla / Killaflaw / Kof / Korda Marshall / Last Days of 1984 / Laura J Martin / Leanne Robinson / Lewis Berry / Liberty Vessles / Lolito / Lunar Modular / Mara and the Inner Strangeness / Mark Magill / Matzka / Memory Men / Mercury 13 / Mickey 9's / Mise en Scene / Miss Stylie / Mitzi / Moats / Mono LP's / Moulettes  / Muto Leo / Nadine Carina / Natalie McCool / Natasha Haws / Nately’s Whores Kid Sister / Ninetails / Noble Thiefs / Ofeliadorme / Owls* / Oxygen Thieves / Palm Reader / Persian Pelican / Police Squad / Popstrangers / Rachael Wright & the Good Sons / Red House Glory / Redolent / Richard Walters / Rob Vincent / Ruby Ann Patterson / Sankofa / Sansa / Say Yes Dog / Sea Of Keys / Secret Rivals / Serious Sam Barrett / Sheepy / Sienna / Skubas / Sonny Green / Splintered Ukes / Spring Offensive / Springtime Anchorage / Stafrænn Hakon / Stereo Virgins / Sugarmen / Sun Glitters / Sunfields / Sweet Jane / Swimming Lessons / Taylor Fowlis / TearTalk / The Bazaars / The Blaconies / The Boy Royal / The Chapman Family / The Cheap Thrills / The City Walls / The Cold One Hundred / The Dirty Rivers / The Excitements / The Flamin ' Mamies / The Formby Band / The Kill Van Kulls / The Lines / The Mono LP's / The Not Amused / The Oreoh!s / The Penelopes / The Ramona Flowers / The Red Suns / The Science of the Lamps / The Thespians / The Tom Waitresses / The Tribute Band / The Troubadours / The Trouble With Templeton  / The Wild Eyes / These Monsters / These Reigning Days / Tibi & Her Cello / Tizzy Bac / Towns / Tripwires  / Two Hours Traffic / Tying Tiffany / Vasco Da Gamma / Voo / Whales In Cubicles / Witch Hunt
 
LINE UP TO DATE
 
Noah and the Whale / The Walkmen / Dexys / Bastille / Everything Everything / Enter Shikari / Thee Oh Sees / Darwin Deez / Delphic / Mount Kimbie / Reverend and the Makers / AlunaGeorge / Dutch Uncles / King Krule / Oneohtrix Point Never / Future Of The Left / Toy / Wave Machines / Egyptian Hip Hop / Stealing Sheep / Drenge / Savages / Melody’s Echo Chamber / Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Ian Prowse & Amsterdam / Darkstar / Outfit / Swim Deep / Alessi’s Ark / The 1975 / PINS / Wolf People / Theme Park / Jetta / Hawk Eyes / Bipolar Sunshine / Loom / Deep Sea / Arcade / The Family Rain / Blackeye / Skaters / Splashh / Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs / Dan Croll / Soley / Lulu James / Arcane Roots / Still Corners / Luls / Hands / Wild Smiles / Mikill Pane / Bebe Black / Jacob Banks / Murkage / Bo Ningen / Big Deal / Amateur Best / Night Engine / Fossil Collective / Marmozets / Hacktivist / Brolin / Mind Enterprises / Golden Fable / Neck Deep / Likely Lads / On An On / Temples / The Tea Street Band / Duologue / Loved Ones / By The Sea / All We Are / Broken Men / Bird / Nadine Carina / Ady Suleiman / Concrete Knives / Sun Glitters / Mutiny On The Bounty / Afternaut / Silent Sleep / 16 Hole Boots / Abandon Silence DJs / Acrobat / Aeroplane Flies High / Alex Hulme / Ali Ingle / Allie Bradley / Alpha Male Tea Party / Anna Corcoran / Apollo 18 / Astroid Boys / Bad Guys / Bad Meds / Baltic Fleet / Bantam Lions / Best Friends / Black Moth / Blacklisters / Blank Maps / Bleech / Blizzard / Boats / Brave Young Red / Broken Twin / Brown Bear & The Bandits  / Brown Brogues / CANDIDATE23 / Cats Park / Chloe Howl / Christine and the Queens / Clang Boom Steam / Clock Work Of The Moon / CMWMSMDM / Cold Shoulder / Collectors Club / Common Tongues / Cub Scouts / Cut / D'lyfa Reilly / Dead Rabbit / DJ DKHT / Dominoes / Echo / Ed Black / Eden Royals / Eliza and the Bear / Eric Fuentes / Fire Beneath The Sea / Fist City  / Franco & His Dreadnaught / French Films / Galaxy Express / Gate Flowers / Gatsby's Green Light / Ghostchant / GlassCaves / Goonamguayeoridingstella / Hands / Highfields / Ilona / Iron Witch / Iyes / Jazzhands / Jethro Fox / Johnnie Selfish and The Worried Man / Johnny Sands / Kamp! / Karpia / Kepla / Killaflaw / Kof / Korda Marshall / Last Days of 1984 / Laura J Martin / Leanne Robinson / Lewis Berry / Liberty Vessles / Lolito / Lunar Modular / Mara and the Inner Strangeness / Mark Magill / Matzka / Memory Men / Mercury 13 / Mickey 9's / Mise en Scene / Miss Stylie / Mitzi / Moats / Mono LP's / Moulettes  / Muto Leo / Nadine Carina / Natalie McCool / Natasha Haws / Nately’s Whores Kid Sister / Ninetails / Noble Thiefs / Ofeliadorme / Owls* / Oxygen Thieves / Palm Reader / Persian Pelican / Police Squad / Popstrangers / Rachael Wright & the Good Sons / Red House Glory / Redolent / Richard Walters / Rob Vincent / Ruby Ann Patterson / Sankofa / Sansa / Say Yes Dog / Sea Of Keys / Secret Rivals / Serious Sam Barrett / Sheepy / Sienna / Skubas / Sonny Green / Splintered Ukes / Spring Offensive / Springtime Anchorage / Stafrænn Hakon / Stereo Virgins / Sugarmen / Sun Glitters / Sunfields / Sweet Jane / Swimming Lessons / Taylor Fowlis / TearTalk / The Bazaars / The Blaconies / The Boy Royal / The Chapman Family / The Cheap Thrills / The City Walls / The Cold One Hundred / The Dirty Rivers / The Excitements / The Flamin ' Mamies / The Formby Band / The Kill Van Kulls / The Lines / The Mono LP's / The Not Amused / The Oreoh!s / The Penelopes / The Ramona Flowers / The Red Suns / The Science of the Lamps / The Thespians / The Tom Waitresses / The Tribute Band / The Troubadours / The Trouble With Templeton  / The Wild Eyes / These Monsters / These Reigning Days / Tibi & Her Cello / Tizzy Bac / Towns / Tripwires  / Two Hours Traffic / Tying Tiffany / Vasco Da Gamma / Voo / Whales In Cubicles / Witch Hunt

Noah and the Whale, Everything Everything + more for Sound City

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Noah and the Whale are used to playing huge venues but will play a much more intimate show in Liverpool at the Anglican Cathedral, the perfect setting for a much fuller sound that belies their more folksy beginnings.  The band release their fourth album ‘Heart Of Nowhere’ in May and will showcase tracks from it at this very special show. 

Band of the moment, Everything Everything recently released their second album ‘Arc’ to widespread critical acclaim and their art-funk stylings are not to be missed.  Melody’s Echo Chamber’s kaleidoscopic fusion of psych rock and warm hypnotic pop is a thing of great beauty whilst the futuristic indie pop of New Yorker Darwin Deez and crystalline leftfield pop of Manchester based Dutch Uncles will also be two hot Sound City shows.  Delphic’s debut album heralded a reappraisal of dance influenced rock music and paved the way for the current crossover success of the genre and their second album ‘Collections’ sees them heading into even more adventurous territory.  The experimental drone of Oneohtrix Point Never and noisily drenched voodoo pop of local band Stealing Sheep will take music matters in a much more avant garde direction.
 
Punky blues rock from the Peak District comes courtesy of Drenge, a band being tipped by everyone to watch out for in 2103 whilst blog queensPins showcase why the North West contines to produce the UK’s most exciting music.  Savages are another girl band whose post-punk is rapturous, passionate and intriguing.  Wave Machines second album ‘Pollen’ was a masterpiece that met with huge critical acclaim and their homecoming show at Sound City will show why they are one of the best bands the city has produced.
 
Also newly announced today are: Alessi’s Ark, Jetta, Bipolar Sunshine, Loom, Deep Sea Arcade, Blackeye, Skaters, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Wolf People, Splashh,  Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs, Lulu James, Arcane Roots, Still Corners, Luls, Hands, Wild Smiles, Ian Prowse & Amsterdam, Mikill Pane, Bebe Black, Jacob Banks, Bo Ningen, Big Deal, Night Engine, Mind Enterprises, Golden Fable,Likely Lads.
 
Having previously announced acts such as Dexys, The Walkmen, Enter Shikari, Reverend and the Makers, AlunaGeorge, Thee Oh Sees, Mount Kimbie, Future Of The Left, King Krule, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Darkstar, Toy and more, Sound City underlines its commitment to showcasing the world most exciting new talent, up close and personal.
 
Sound City also boasts an acclaimed convention giving attendees the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the music and entertainment industry.  Giving a keynote speech for 2013 will be Andrew Loog Oldham, former PR man for The Beatles and manager of the Rolling Stonesand Sound City will also present Set In Stone a photo exhibition of the history of the Stone Roses by Ian Tilton who has documented the band at every stage of their career from the initial hectic gigs and TV performances to their reformation in 2011.  Many of these images have never been seen before.
 
A big focus in 2013 will be to provide key insights in the workings of a band and Murph from The Wombats and his manager Simon Bobbet will talk about the unique relationship between and band and its manager.  Enter Shikari In Focus will speak to the key people around the hardest working band in Britain and Tracey Thorn will discuss a career which has spanned 30 years in the music industry.
 
‘Social Media Hellraiser’ Jon Morter was behind the Rage Against The X Factor campaign and worked on the fight to save BBC 6 Music.  He has worked on campaigns for artists such as Nirvana, Sex Pistols and the recent Number 1 album for the Rolling Stones and was instrumental in the success of the recent Christmas Number 1 with the Justice Collective in aid of the Hillsborough families.  His panel will highlight the potency of social media.
 
Many more panel, speakers and guest will be announced for the convention shortly.
 
LINE UP TO DATE
 
Noah and the Whale / The Walkmen / Dexys / Everything Everything / Enter Shikari / Thee Oh Sees / Darwin Deez / Delphic/ Mount Kimbie / Reverend and the Makers / AlunaGeorge / Dutch Uncles / King Krule / Oneohtrix Point Never / Future Of The Left / Toy / Wave Machines / Egyptian Hip Hop / Stealing Sheep / Drenge / Savages / Melody’s Echo Chamber / Unknown Mortal Orchestra / Ian Prowse & Amsterdam /Darkstar / Outfit / Swim Deep / Alessi’s Ark / The 1975 / PINS / Wolf People / Theme Park / Jetta / Hawk eyes / Bipolar Sunshine / Loom /Deep Sea / Arcade / The Family Rain / Blackeye / Skaters / Splashh / Charlie Boyer & The Voyeurs / Dan Croll / Soley / Lulu James / Arcane Roots / Still Corners / Luls / Hands / Wild Smiles / Mikill Pane / Bebe Black / Jacob Banks / Murkage / Bo Ningen / Big Deal / Amateur Best /Night Engine / Fossil Collective / Marmozets / Hacktivist / Brolin / Mind Enterprises / Golden Fable / Neck Deep / Likely Lads

20 more acts added to Liverpool Sound City

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D/R/U/G/S, Chew Lips, Pond, Eleanor Friedberger, Fossil Collective, Theme Park, PEACE, Post War Years, Clock Opera, Last Dinosaurs, Jake Bugg, Swiss Lips, Sheepdogs, Sunless 97, Wet Nuns, Hey Sholay, Jinja Safari, Tea Street Band, The Night, Crusades, Dan Croll
 
• They join the likes of Professor Green, Mystery Jets, Death In Vegas and over 320 more
 
• Day lineup’s announced
 
They are a tenacious bunch the Scousers, and they’ve pulled out all the stops for Liverpool Sound City this year. With an unrivalled lineup, there’s much to be happy about tonight on the shores of the Mersey. There’s one hell of a party looming in just over a months time.
 
The full lineup is below and reads like a who’s who of what’s hot right now.
 
Thursday
Professor Green, Mystery Jets, Death In Vegas, Alkaline Trio, Slow Club, Django Django, Tim Hecker, Willy Mason, Forest Swords, ∆ Alt J, Chew Lips, The Heartbreaks, Stephen Langstaff, Stealing Sheep, TOY, Electric Guest, Mele, The Big Sleep, Willis Earl Beal, Last Dinosaurs, The Computers, Arcane Roots, Peace, Sheepdogs, JeanClaudeGoddamm, Dave Hause, Sunless 97, Folks
 
8otto, Ahab, Alex Hulme, All We Are, Barbieshop, Bleeding Heart Narrative, Bonfire Nights, By The Sea, Clutter, COMA, Dinosaur Bones, Ex Easter Island Head, Faceless Nation, fiN, Fitz., Fossil Collective, Ghost Outfit, Gush, Hugh Keice, I am Dive, IDream In Colour, Jackson Firebird, Jay Stansfield, Jessie Rose, Jethro Fox,Kites, Luke Fenlon, Mausi, Midnight Youth, Midnight Youth, Milla and The Geeks, NOKIES!, People In the Box, Pikachunes, Princess Chelsea, Roosevelt, She’s So Rad, Some Community, Stafraenn Hakon, Still Corners , Sun Drums, The City Walls, The Grande, The Hummingbirds, The Valkarys, Tibi & Her Cello, Tina In The Green Dress, We Are Animal, Yast
 
Friday
The Temper Trap, Michael Kiwanuka, White Denim, Niki & The Dove, Lower Than Atlantis, Eugene McGuinness, The Jezabels, Charli XCX, Pond, Clock Opera, Don Broco, White Arrows, Said The Whale, Yukon Blonde, Jake Bugg, Bear In Heaven, Post War Years, Mugstar, Wet Nuns, Jonquil, Swiss Lips, Shields, Vukovi, Fine Young Firecrackers, Crusades, Still Flyin'
 
Artwork & MC Pokes, Ben Caplan, Bendal Interlude, Bird, Bow & Arrow, Bwani Junction, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Cazadores, Cheap Thrills, Daytona Lights, Dead Cities, Dead Wolf Club, Dinosaur Bones, Elmo and the Styx, Farryl Purkiss, Funeral Suits, Get Back Colquitt, Hot Panda, Iktsuarpok, Inland Sea, Johnny Sands, Kazimier Krunk Band, Kestrels, Lake Poets, THE MARGINALS, Lilliput, Mammal Club, Man Get Out, Millions, Mind Mountain, Oliver Tank, Patterns, People Of K, Pete and the Harmonics, Ratty Little Fingers, Reptile Youth, Revere, Salem Rages, Scams, Slow Down Molasses, Some Community, Spring Offensive, Step Panther, STRIKE, The Dead Class, The Lake Poets, The Red Suns, The Royals, The Second Grace, THE UNION DOLLS, The Vermin Suicides, Thomas J Speight, Tiro Lark, TRUDI
 
Saturday
James Vincent McMorrow, Space, Kids In Glass Houses, Ghostpoet, The Wedding Present, The History Of Apple Pie, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, D/R/U/G/S, Theme Park, Hey Sholay, Tea Street Band, Fixers, Invaders, Jinja Safari, Bleached, PINS, Lulu James, EJ, ThunderbirdGerard (USA/GER), Broken Lungs, Hideaways, Sissy & The Blisters, The Kill Van Kulls, Dan Croll, The Night
 
Algiers, Be Forest, Ben Salter, Blunt Truth, Bonfire Nights, Chelcee Grimes, Coffee and Cakes For Funerals, Common Tongues, Concrete Knives, Crash Of Rhinos, Death at Sea, Emma Louise, Esco Williams, Flat Back Four, Golden Fable, Goodnight Lenin, Heartbeat Parade, HighFields, I am Dive, Inland Sea, Ironside, Jackson Firebird, Jazzhands, Jordan Cook (Reignwolf), Kasst, Kestrels, Like Spinning, Long Finger Bandits, Low Roar, Manuka, Matzka, Millions, Miss Stylie, Monkey Pilot, Mont Blanc, Ninetails, Oliver Tank, Owls*, Oxygen Thieves, Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies, Samuel Mason, Secret Rivals, Seward, Sietta, Silent Sleep, Silverclub, Slow Down Molasses, Southern, Step Panther, Strangers, Sweet Lights, Tall Ships, The Bowers, The Brownies, The Daydream Club, The Likely Lads, The Lunar Fields, The Suicide of Western Culture, The Sums, The Thespians, This Is Two, Towns, Vasco Da Gama, Waa Wei, Young British Artists
 
Full Line up A to Z:
 
∆ Alt J, Ahab, Alex Hulme, Algiers, Alkaline Trio, All We Are, Anna Anna, Arcane Roots, Artwork & MC Pokes, Barbieshop, Be Forest, Bear In Heaven, Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers, Ben Salter, Bendal Interlude, Bird, Bleached, Bleeding Heart Narrative, Blunt Truth, Bonfire Nights, Bow & Arrow, Broken Lungs, Bwani Junction, By The Sea, Catfish and The Bottlemen, Cazadores, Charli XCX, Cheap Thrills, Chelcee Grimes, Chew Lips, Clock Opera, Clutter, Coffee and Cakes For Funerals, COMA, Common Tongues, Concrete Knives, Crash Of Rhinos, Crusades, D/R/U/G/S, Dan Croll, Daniel Kuhle, Dave Hause, Daytona Lights, Dead Cities, Dead WolfClub, Death at Sea, Death In Vegas, Dinosaur Bones, Django Django, Don Broco, Dutch Uncles, EJ, Electric Guest, Elmo and the Styx, Emma Louise, Esco Williams, Eugene McGuinness, Ex Easter Island Head, Faceless Nation, Farryl Purkiss, fiN, Fine Young Firecrackers, Fitz., Fixers, Flat Back Four, Flip Grater, Folks, Forest Swords, Fossil Collective, Funeral Suits, Get Back Colquitt, Ghost Outfit, Ghostpoet, Golden Fable, Goodnight Lenin, Gush, Heartbeat Parade, Hey Sholay, Hideaways, HighFields, Hot Panda, Hugh Keice, I am Dive, I Dream In Colour, Iktsuarpok, Inland Sea, Invaders, Ironside, Jackson Firebird, Jake Bugg, James Vincent McMorrow, Jay Stansfield, Jazzhands, JeanClaudeGoddamm, Jessie Rose, Jethro Fox, Jinja Safari, Johnny Sands, Jonquil, Jordan Cook (Reignwolf), Kasst, Kazimier Krunk Band, Kestrels, Kids In Glass Houses, Kites, Lake Poets, Last Dinosaurs, Like Spinning, Lilliput, Long Finger Bandits, Low Roar, Lower Than Atlantis, Luke Fenlon, Lulu James, Mammal Club, Man Get Out, Manuka, Mele, Michael Kiwanuka, Midnight Youth, Miila & The Geeks, Millions, Mind Mountain, Miss Stylie,Monkey Pilot, Mont Blanc, Mugstar, Mystery Jets, Niki & The Dove, Ninetails, NOKIES!, Oliver Tank, Owls*, Oxygen Thieves, Patterns, Peace, Peggy Hsu, People In the Box, People Of K, Pete and the Harmonics, Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies, Pikachunes, PINS, Pond, Post War Years, Princess Chelsea, Professor Green, Ratty Little Fingers, Reptile Youth, Revere, Roosevelt, Said The Whale, Salem Rages, Samuel Mason, Scams, Secret Rivals,Seward, She’s So Rad, Sheepdogs, Shields, Sietta, Silent Sleep, Silverclub, Sissy & The Blisters, Slow Club, Slow Down Molasses, Some Community, Southern, Space, Spring Offensive, Stafraenn Hakon, Stealing Sheep, Step Panther, Stephen Langstaff, Still Corners, Still Flyin', The Strangers, STRIKE, Sun Drums, Sunless 97, Sweet Billy Pilgrim, Sweet Lights, Swiss Lips, Tall Ships, Tea Street Band, The Bowers, The Brownies, The City Walls, The Computers, The Daydream Club, The Dead Class, TheGrande, The Heartbreaks, The History Of Apple Pie, The Hummingbirds, The Jezabels, The Kill Van Kulls, The Lake Poets, The Likely Lads, The Lunar Fields, THE MARGINALS, The Night, The Red Suns, The Royals, The Second Grace, The Suicide of Western Culture, The Sums, The Temper Trap, The Thespians, THE UNION DOLLS, The Valkarys, The Vermin Suicides, The Wedding Present, Theme Park, This Is Two, Thomas J Speight, Thunderbird Gerard, Tibi & Her Cello, Tim Hecker, Tina In The Green Dress, Tiro Lark, Towns, TOY, TRUDI, Vasco Da Gama, Vukovi, Waa Wei, We Are Animal, Wet Nuns, White Arrows, White Denim, Willis Earl Beal, Willy Mason, Yast, Young British Artists, Yukon Blonde

The Temper Trap, Kids In Glass Houses and more added to Liverpool Sound City lineup

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Australian guitar band The Temper Trap have recently expanded to a five piece, ensuring a much bigger and more rounded sound for their second album ‘The Temper Trap’, which is released in May.  The release of their first album propelled them to international acclaim and their much anticipated return will see celebrated frontman Dougy Mandagi back in the north west for a must see show.

Temper Trap
Kids In Glass House’s infectious, hook laden rock has ensured a wildly devoted and rapturous young following and their huge riffs and choruses has led to widespread mainstream success.  This hot and sweaty show will be a Sound Cityhighlight.  Of a more gentle leaning is Irish singer songwriter, James Vincent McMorrow whose captivating songs sound both fresh and as if they’ve been in your head forever.  His live shows are simply spellbinding and James will be playing tracks from his debut album ‘Extracts From A Conversation’ as well as premiering new material.
 
One of the most talked about artists of the past 12 months, Django Django’s recently released debut album has more than justified the hype.  Their ultra modern strain of psychadelia has marked them out as a very special band indeed and attendance at this show is a must!  Canadian Tim Hecker plays a rare UK show at Sound City.  A favourite of Pitchfork and Wired magazine,
Tim’s cathedral electronic music explores the intersection of noise, dissonance and melody, mixing sub bass and static to mesmerizing effect.
 
One of Liverpool’s favourite acts, Space, have reformed and will be reminding everyone why they spent the mid nineties singing along to such distinctive anthems as ‘Female Of The Species’, ‘Neighbourhood’, ‘Avenging Angels’ and ‘The Ballad Of Tom Jones’.  Another act that have always refused to conform are The Wedding Present who have spent the last 25 years making bittersweet, breathtakingly honest, love songs that are immersed in whirlwind guitars.  Something of a national treasure, David Gedge will be performing tracks with the band from classic albums such as ‘George Best’, ‘Seahorses’, ‘Bizarro’ alongside more recent material.
 
Lower Than Atlantis have graduated from their early post melodic, hardcore to embrace a much grungier sound and have developed in one of the countries best live rock acts whilst Domino Records singer songwriter Eugene McGuinness will perform his angsty, carefree, hormone fuelled tracks that captivate audiences. 
 
Other acts confirmed to play at Liverpool Sound City include The Big Sleep, Willis Earl Beal, Thunderbird Gerard, Still Corners, Mugstar, Stealing Sheep, Stephen Langstaff, Sissy & The Blisters, The Kill Van Kulls, Electric Guest, White Arrows, The Night, Lulu James, EJ, Said The Whale, Don Broco, Futures, Dan Croll, Capac and Ex Easter Island Head.
 
Liverpool Sound City is much acclaimed for working with partner countries to identify the best of their emerging talent and provide a platform for exposure in the UK and 2012 sees some fantastic acts landing at John Lennon airport to perform in this historic music city.  New Zealand bring Pikachunes, Princess Chelsea and Midnight Youth to Merseyside whilst Australia are represented by Step Panther, Millions, Inland Sea, Ben Salter, Bonfire Nights, Oliver Tank, Wim, Jackson Firebird, The Bowers and Sietta.  Canadian acts are Jordan Cook, Kestrels, Ben Caplan and Slow Down Moasses whilst Denmark and Italy complete the international flavour with Strangers On A Train and The Second Grace respectively.
 
Further announcements will be made shortly about the Sound City convention, Expo and UK Music Student Awards, all parts of this multi faceted 3 day international music, media and technology event.  Liverpool Sound City continues to focus on the future, intent on bringing the best new music, film, art and more from all over the world to Liverpool. 
 
Last week’s inaugural New York Sound City was a resounding success, marking a significant move forward in Sound City’s international events calendar.  Established as a pre curser to SXSW, New York Sound City sold out a week in advance and was attended by a number of exceptional music industry talents – many of whom made rare appearances. 
 
The night time gig at Webster Hall featured a guest appearance from Jetlag, the new band of Andy Rourke from The Smiths, as well as performances from Paula I Karol, Tyburn Saints and the surely soon to be huge Dutch Uncles, whose irresistible shimmery songs captivated the audience. 
 
The date of New York Sound City 2013 will be Monday, March 11th, 2013.
 
Liverpool Sound City tickets are on sale at the following prices.
 
Sound City Live Festival Wristband – £30 – Price rise Monday April 2nd at midday
Sound City Delegate Pass – £120 – Price rise Monday April 2nd at midday