Sound city festival has been a cornerstone of Liverpool’s music scene for over a decade, but this year’s edition felt truly special.
From the moment we stepped through the doors of the Grand Central Dome on Saturday, I was enveloped in a feverish atmosphere – crowds buzzing with anticipation, the clink of drink glasses, and a palpable electrical energy only a world-class music festival can generate.
As the Red Rum Club took the stage, that energy detonated into sea swaying bodies and sing-along voices. The six-piece oozed a confident, polished swagger through their set of rousing indie anthems. Cuts like “Vitamin” and “Boiling Point” from their widely acclaimed third album were clear highlights, showing off the seamless interplay of crashing rhythms and crooning vocal melodies that have become their signature. Frontman Fran Doran commanded the massive stage with the ease of a veteran rock star, his soulful vocals slicing through the band’s wall of sound.
Over at EBGBS, Joshua Epithet showcased his unique brand of funky, electronically-infused psych-rock. Epithet is a true showman, his elastic vocals and bizarre stage presence holding the audience in a hypnotic trance. Newer tracks like the shimmering “Sunbaked Massai” were particular standouts.
Brooke Combe gave an early evening acoustic session at the Arts Club Loft. This was understandably a bit more sedate than the performance she would give at the Grand Central dome, But her warm vocals and introspective songwriting provided a nicely grounding counterweight to the festival’s chaotic energy.
Deco delivered an equally invigorating set of art-punk inspired by their recent EP “Interiors.” Their sound channels early Talking Heads and Gang of Four – jagged guitar riffs, propulsive rhythms, sardonic lyrics critiquing modern ennui. The Arts Club Loft was packed for their performance, with fans vigorously pogoing along.
That intensity of the festival continued into the Sunday as over at the Arts Club Loft, Venus Grrrls brought a raw, punk energy to their fiery performance. The up-and-comers showcased an infectious mix of snarling guitars and attitude.
Whilst downstairs the Arts Club Theatre proved the the perfectly setting for M60‘s intricate post-punk explorations shortly after. Their atmospheric, Effects-drenched soundscapes held the room in a hypnotic trance.
Over at the Kazimier Stockroom, Nadia Sheikh‘s brilliant off-kilter indie folk was a joy to behold. With her band and haunting voice, she cast a spell over the audience with with songs that explored the depth of human experience. The intimacy of the venue only added to her intensity and heartfelt lyrics of the songs.
Brooke Combe returned to the grand Central dome to crank the energy back up with a blistering full-band set. While her early afternoon acoustic session at the Arts Club Loft showcased her introspective songwriting, this was Combe unleashed – thrashing and shredding over her band’s propulsive indie rock anthems.
Tracks like the rambunctious “NoWorries” and barn-burning new single “Yesterday’s Clothes” were unmissable highlights, with Combe’s raw, versatile vocals seamlessly pivoting from gritty snarls to soaring melodies. Flanked by her tight trio of a band, she commanded the massive stage like a veteran rocker, frequently stopping to admire the pandemonium she had whipped the crowd into a frenzy.
While that room was stiflingly hot, arguably the weekend’s biggest blowout came during The Snuts‘ massively hyped headlining performance in the Grand Central Dome. Having skyrocketed to stardom on the strength of their blistering 2021 debut West Hampstead Winger, the scrappy Glasgow rockers have solidified their status as supreme festival captains.
From the opening galloping riffs of “P.A.Broadcast,” frontman Jack Cochrane had the capacity crowd whipped into a frenzy of pogoing bodies and hoisted lager cups. The band tore through a blistering setlist pulling from their two critically acclaimed LPs, displaying an impressive tightness and sinewy intensity forged from years of relentless gigging.
Guitarist Joe McGillveray was an absolute monster, shredding at warp speed during anthemic crowd-checkers like “Fatmatic” and “Coffee & Cigarettes.” His unhinged fretwork was matched by the tumultuous rhythm section of bassist Callum Wilson and drummer Jordan Mackay, providing a thunderous backbone that rumbled through every chest in the room.
But as blistering as the instrumentals were, the focal point remained Cochrane’s snarling, yearning yawp of a voice. He effortlessly commanded the mob’s call-and-response during tracks like the brooding “Juan Belmonte” and feverish new single “Underbelly.” An undeniable frontman with the pipes and charisma to captivate arenas.
By the time they closed their set with the gargantuan “Glasgow” to bring the night and festival to a thunderous crescendo, the Grand Central Dome had dissolved into a whirlwind of crowdsurfers, plastic beer cups raining from the sky, and unbridled pandemonium. As the band bashed the song’s iconic “Are you blurring or are you blurring at me?” refrain, it was impossible not to get swept up in the maelstrom of sweat-soaked rapture.
Our only disappointment over the weekend wwas that at some venues like the Spanish Caravan, the crowds were so dense that it made reviewing or photographing the artists almost impossible. An unfortunate casualty of Sound city’s immense popularity this year.
While that was one blemish, overall Sound city 2024 was an exhilarating reminder of the unrelenting potency of live music to inspire, provoke, and forge collective catharsis. From deliciously unhinged performers to bands reaching new creative zeniths, this year’s lineup encapsulated the vibrant sounds and DIY spirit fueling Liverpool’s neo-renaissance as a musical hotbed.
We have covered Sound city for over 15 years and this year the festival truly showcased what it has always been. A festival that is an euphoric celebration of brilliant artistry and the ineffable power of raw sounds to move bodies and souls.
Here’s to Soundcity only getting bigger and badder in the years ahead.