Lilly Symonds—Honestly, most of the reason I decided to go to university in Liverpool was for live music. With a number of large-scale concerts (as well as easy access to most other cities for the rest) and a thriving music scene, it seemed the best place in the world if I wanted to see and perform live music. That perception seems to be holding true as I have been making my way to quite a few concerts, all of which have been pretty great.
12/10/24
After a brief concert break after an exceptional Mudhoney show in September, I made my way to Newcastle (I know, I just rattled on about Liverpool being the city for music and the first entry involves me going somewhere else) for the first time in my life to see one of the most impactful bands on my music taste, Cardiacs. However they wouldn’t be playing until later that night, so after killing some time I made my way to the preshow.
Bob Drake
Bob Drake was an absolute delight. Performing a free acoustic show before Cardiacs I was pretty shocked by how well his songs transferred to a stripped-back format. It’s partially to do with his excellent use of chords, just hearing him jump from one to the other so frequently leads to the songs still feeling exciting even without the layers of their original compositions. I also got to talk to him before and after the show and he is a wonderful person to talk to, so kind and fascinated by everything.
Spratleys
While Cardiacs was what I was most excited for, Spratleys (Apologies for the spoiler for later in the article) ended up being my favourite part of the night. Joanne Spratley is an incredible frontperson who commands your attention from the moment the show starts until the end and leaves you wishing the show could be even longer, and the rest of the band were equally exceptional. A combination of older songs as well as some new songs that are just as amazing as always made for one of the most faultless live experiences I have had.
Cardiacs
The band walks in dressed in white and looks into the audience, the church has begun. I jest, but seeing Cardiacs really was akin to a religious experience, for a few reasons. For one, I never thought I would see them in my life, I assumed that as a live entity, the band was truly done but thankfully not, even without Tim they are an incredible live act. I say without Tim but as was remarked during the show, it felt like he was there, in spirit looking down at all of us, it was just magical. For two, they are just so tight as a live band, they didn’t miss a step as they blasted out most of a set of some of the best songs ever, played with mastery. I say most of a set because sadly Jim fell ill mid-show and they had to call it off. If this happened to a lot of bands I’m sure outrage and disappointment would come from the crowd but with Cardiacs all of us just huddled together and hoped Jim would recover (thankfully he did), and we all got to enjoy 9 songs worth of the band at their peak.
16/10/24
Two of my friends were talking about a concert they were going to in a Liverpool bar called Sotto, I asked if I could come along and they said yes. So the three of us made our way to the venue and sat down, to enjoy what I thought would be 3 bands.
Pacifier
A solid opening act. Pacifier is a solo loop pedal-based project and while often this type of performer leads to a tedious buildup, the approach to repetition just managed to avoid the irritation. While I wish the vocals were more prominent it was still a pleasant first act and one I think will only get better with time.
The G-String
Now, I had not looked at the poster for the event prior to coming, but the way it had been described to me made me think that it was just a set of 3 music performances. So I was shocked when the second act of the night was a burlesque show. It was a fun time but also pretty jarring as I hadn’t really been to anything like it before.
Burn Kit
This band is going about promotion in an old school way, playing a tour across Europe all funded by them, playing small shows wherever they can at a rate of one a day, and I have to respect it. It also helps that they are a really great-sounding band, boasting a sound pulling from Jangle Pop and Post-Punk sounds, but when they play live they play loud. Each song in the set was a blast and they were by far the highlight of the night. The only downside is the turnout was far too small. A crowd of roughly 9 people were left for them and they deserved far more. I hope their tour works out and they get to play bigger venues because I could see this band doing great things.
25/10/24
On a spur-of-the-moment decision, my friend and I decided to book tickets to see Skindred in the city. After buying our tickets second hand we went over to the Olympia with a lineup of 4 bands ahead of us.
Ward XVI
The story of this band even being on the line-up is wonderful, having got Skindred to sign a waiver saying the band would take them on tour at a signing event, and Skindred being so amused they honoured this. The band are, interesting, I enjoyed my time with them but I can best describe them as a Dark Cabaret take on Evanescence. They are as much a stage show as they are a band as they had multiple members who existed primarily as stage characters. If you are a fan of hyper-theatrical music then this band might be for you, but for me, I thought they were alright.
Graphic Nature
Graphic Nature was a weird pick for this lineup, Skindred are hard with their sound sure but squeezing this band between two pretty soft bands made their intense take on Nu-Metal super jarring. This is not a bad thing however, I loved their set. Even with the mixing issues, and there were mixing issues. The drums, a core part of the band’s sound, were disappointingly quiet and this issue was not fixed during their set. Even with these issues (which are not the band’s fault), they put on an incredible show.
Skindred
After hearing a small bit of As December Falls and deciding they were not for us and relaxing outside the venue, it was time for Skindred. If you want a masterclass on how to put on a live show, go to a Skindred show. The band have such a talent for totally enthralling an audience within their set, blasting through a number of their classics and getting the audience just as excited about their new songs, which many (myself included) hadn’t heard. But outside of those new songs, I knew every single song and was singing my heart out. Skindred were one of my favourite bands when I was 14 and it felt like my younger self getting their day. Benji is also hilarious, he was messing with the audience the whole show in such a charming way. The band plays live a lot and it shows, in the fact that they have tuned their show to a pitch-perfect extent.
26/10/24
Knats
What I have admired in Geordie Greep and his former band is their habit of taking lesser-known acts with them live. I saw O. with them a few years ago and they put on a great show, and at this solo show, he has brought along Knats. This Jazz group are good at what they do, especially their phenomenal drummer, but I didn’t love their set. It was good, but not something I was able to get completely invested in. I will try my best to follow this band in their future developments, as there is potential here, even if my first impression of them was just good.
Geordie Greep
Greep and the band killed it, giving us an incredible set of songs with some tasteful jamming. There was an incomprehensible amount of talent on that stage and they used that talent very well. However, the crowd was poor, one of the worst I have experienced. Applauding during the quiet parts of songs, yelling over crescendos, and generally being quite impatient with the band, which got very frustrating. When black midi broke up the UK lost one of its finest live acts, but with how good Greep is alone, we haven’t lost too much, and I look forward to seeing him and his band play more in future, hopefully with more patient crowds.
Photo by Lachy Spratt
ZAANews 
Leave a comment