Liverpool Sound City is back to where it belongs. In the heart of the city. Having made the decision to move from the dust covered Clarence Docks this year, Soundcity returns to where it all began but this time firmly focusing on the Baltic Triangle.
The stars aligned to bring the scorching hot weather to the festival’s return and with it being on a bank holiday too it is perhaps nothing short of a miracle.
With a vast amount of stages playing host to many acts, it can be at times a little intimidating to get around and of course there are numerous clashes but that’s all the joys of a festival. Although a better move altogether, there was one glaring obvious issue which was a reoccurrence of the problems Soundcity had the last time they hosted the event in the city centre, but more about that later.
First up for us at one of the ne venues was Jake Melles at the Birdies bar. His first time playing in Liverpool, Leamington Spas’ Jake took no time in winning over the crowd with his pop acoustic set. His voice cuts through the noise of the crowd and instantly captures your attention. Although a relatively small set (as are most on the Birdies bar, it still allows you to get enough of an exposure to his style that would warrant looking for more material from the artist.
We hung around Birdies bar to see the next act Emilio Pinchi. We caught this act at District for Threshold Festival this year and were very impressed with his style and song writing but here the venue didn’t suit him. The acoustics were not ideal for his vocals and perhaps a bigger stage is preferable as the impact of his lyrics and talent were lost here.
Over at the Constellations Garden, Marvin Powell was bringing his atmospheric music to a sun drenched audience. Marvin’s music crosses the boundaries between country and eastern sounding music and fits well with the surroundings of the gardens. With tracks like “Salt” and “Buried” amongst the set list, there is an almost Bruce Springsteen-like sound to the vocals and musical arrangement.
After a short food break, we returned to Constellations Garden to witness the sublime Deja Vega. Well truth be told, we heard them playing from close to the bottom of the street they were that loud! From Manchester, the 3 piece Deja Vega display enough raw energy to have your feet rattling in your boots. This is guitar based rock in its finest form and they made a huge impact on the crowd, who were up dancing and screaming to each track. This is a band that loves what they do and it is evident in each song they play. A definite band to watch for future Soundcity goers.
Another band whom will become a headliner of the future is Picture This who played Hanger 34. With an already huge following, the band from Athy, Co. Kildare and last year sold out a gig in Dublin in 3 minutes. Comprised of singer Ryan Hennessy and drummer Jimmy Rainsford they are a cross between Kodaline and Ed Sheeran and you couldn’t move for screaming fans and uploads to Instagram! The set they have is all encompassing and energetic it makes you tired just watching them. Their set contained many of their classics, which include ‘Jane’, ‘Saviour’ and ‘Addicted To You.’ but each song played received the same rapturous adulation it was hard to decipher between the old ones and the brand new tracks. A definite one not to be missed if they play the festival in the future.
Headlining the festival on the Saturday were the DMA’S from Australia who are currently riding high and one of the bands to see. Unfortunately for this music journalist, and many others, there won’t be a review of their set as there was a queue outside Camp and Furnace and also inside. As we previously stated, the glaringly obvious problem that Soundcity had previously and evidently they still have it, is putting an act on that you know most people will see but putting them in a venue that can’t hold the capacity. I am sure there were a lot of disappointed fans who may have bought tickets for the festival on the strength on this headliner who never got to see them. There is no use selling say 10,000 tickets for an event if you then host the act that most of the 10,000 want to see in a venue that can only hold 6,000. Hopefully this will be ironed out in future festivals but it is an issue that plagued them before but hopefully not for the foreseeable.
King Khan and The Shrines probably need no introduction. The Berlin based garage rock and psychedelic soul band, played Hanger 34 as part of the Get Into This stage and certainly blew away the tiredness of a long day festival going. From what looked like stage hands setting up, turned out to be the actual band when suddenly they kicked into the first track and announced King Khan to the stage. With a rapturous welcome King Khan entered the stage with a feathered head-dress and an all in one leotard so tight you could see that underwear was obviously not present and this was further evident when he turned round to reveal his backside hanging out of two cut out holes in the rear of the leotard.
Aside from the unbelievable costume this band wastes no time in bringing the funk, soul, blues and rock and roll to Liverpool. With choreographed dance moves and frequent ventures into the crowd the band single-handedly turn Hanger 34, and its occupants, into a pit of dancing and sweat inducing bodies from which there was seemingly no return. This is an act that places like Sound city were made for and what makes the festival unique in its approach.
Soundcity’s decision to come back into the city was welcomed by a lot of its regular fan base. Although Bramley Moore Dock was an ideal venue in 2016, its subsequent move to Clarence Dock was an ill-advised one. Bringing it back into the heart of Liverpool is where the festival began. The abundance of people in and around the Baltic Triangle and selling out tickets is testament to the correct decision being made by the organisers and the totally positive feedback it has received is evident of that. Possibly in future, with the developments planned for the dock area, they will be able to return to the site but for now, with the multitude of venues and participants on board the festival can only go from strength to strength and if this weekend is anything to go by, it will only become even more popular than it has been in the past.
SUNDAY GALLERY PHOTOS CAN BE FOUND HERE