Mike Deane's Blog #2

Mike selects some of his picks of the week

United Kingdom | by Mike Deane | 03 November 2009

Mike selects some of his picks of the week...

I’m sitting writing at home with a beer after a great opening weekend that featured an amazing sell-out opening show with The Specials. We’ve also seen Liverpool’s outdoor ‘Big Screen’ play silent short films accompanied by new live soundtracks from the city’s finest forward-thinking musicians and an exhibition of Dudley Edwards’ psychedelic works with Echo and the Bunnymen’s Will Sergeant hosting the evening. The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess and Crazy P were amongst some of the fabulous Friday acts on offer, while Saturday’s pick had to be Soft Toy Emergency playing to a sell-out 02 Academy.

Liverpool Music Week

This week, I mainly wanted to try and give you a run of 5 suggestions to try and catch that I haven’t already mentioned in Blog #1, whilst highlighting some of great local acts that are also the bill..

1- Wild Beasts will headline the incredible setting of converted church Alma de Cuba tonight (Tuesday 3 Nov), but also the new material of locals Seal Cub Clubbing Club in those surroundings at around 10pm will be a pick of the week for me...but also definitely check out the haunting new folk stroked four piece Bagheera. Again, worth seeing at this amazing venue.
www.myspace.com/wildbeasts
www.myspace.com/wearebagheera
www.myspace.com/thesealcubclubbingclub

2- Clash Magazine’s “best band” of Glastonbury 2009 – Liverpool’s unique ‘gypsy-techno’ act Dogshow - support a debut festival performance from 12-piece electronic-metal-powerdance orchestra Chrome Hoof, alongside a selection of the city’s best alt bands: Indica Ritual, Mugstar and The Laze. Set up camp this night. All of these bands should be seen.
www.myspace.com/chromehoof
www.myspace.com/dogshowdisco
www.myspace.com/indicaritual
www.myspace.com/mugstar
www.myspace.com/thelaze

Alma de Cuba

3- While Invasion - who’ve been tipped as the ‘rebirth of metal’ by Vice Magazine -appear at independent artspace ‘Arena House’, but also I implore you to check out Liverpool’s very own hardcore punk boys Cold Ones -who are on the verge of national recognition – who will rattle the windows and loosen the bricks on the 3rd floor of this intriguing performance space.
www.myspace.com/coldonesinyergut
www.myspace.com/invasion

4- Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs is definitely on my check list. This addictively weird and wacky producer also features on the same bill as Radio One darling Jaguar Skills (+MCs), Egyptian Hip Hop and Django Django on a very lively closing Saturday at Bumper.
www.myspace.com/totallyenormousextinctdinosaurs
www.myspace.com/jagskills
www.myspace.com/egyptianhiphop
www.myspace.com/djangotime

5- 2009 Mercury nominees The Invisible close Bumper on 15 November with a support set from new band KillerFernandez which includes Liverpool’s Sense of Sound director Jennifer John’s collaboration project with Stuart McCallum of Cinematic Orchestra fame, alongside unmistakeable live show of jazzrock Liverpool legends Wizards of Twiddly.
www.myspace.com/theinvisiblethree
www.myspace.com/wizardsoftwiddly
www.myspace.com/killerfernandez

6- if you manage to get into our free-entry Bombay Bicycle Club show on Weds 4 Nov, Liverpool acts BeakerFolk of the Bronze Age and The Sand Band should definitely be checked out.
www.myspace.com/beakerfolkofthebronzeage
http://www.myspace.com/bombaybicycleclub
www.myspace.com/thesandband

7- Domino and Liverpool’s Eugene McGuinness playing a fitting and rare solo set at The Zanzibar. One of the best LMW shows was an acoustic headline gig here in 06, and is one show I’m particularly looking forward to.

8- Another fabulous free show in Studio 2 on Parr Street - not only a UK top 50 venue in the Guardian, but the Bunnymen, Barry Manilow and Diana Ross have all recorded in this new award winning studio–come-venue - which features one of the region’s most stunning jazz artists Doreen Edwards.

9- While up the road one-man blues band Son of Dave is foot stomping his way through 16 harmonicas at Masque Theatre with strangely fitting support from ‘Liverpool’s answer to the Magic Band’ - The Cubical, and the insatiable blues Ernie’s Rhythm Section.
www.myspace.com/onlyforthepleasure
www.myspace.com/thecubicalthecubical
www.myspace.com/thesonofdave

10- Final tip for this week - visit INK - We’ve booked in a great line-up of free events each night into the new intimate festival venue ‘Ink’ including Marina and the Diamonds, Ou Est le Swimming Pool, Detroit Social Club, Broken Records and XL’s Blue Roses, kicking off proceedings with “The Punky Reggae Ink Opening Party” hosted by local ‘Free Rock and Roll’ heads Pete Bentham and the Dinner Ladies, which was one of The Fly’s favourite shows of LMW 2008

Well sorry it’s ended up as 10 picks. I can’t help but get carried away. I still feel like I’m missing so much out, but from venue to venue there is so much variation:

Sound of Guns and Screaming Lights will both headline their own homecoming shows at free-entry events in the stunning converted church venue Alma de Cuba, while round the corner you will find a programme of the city’s finest darkest noisecore, with acts such as NoiseClub, Noizy az F*ck and DJ BastardC*nt in a derelict building opposite Cream nightclub.

Local musician Neil Campbell debut’s his new rock-opera at one of the city’s most historic and iconic buildings - St George’s Hall; while Craig Charles of The Funk & Soul show 6music is at Alma de Cuba with his favourite Liverpool funk outfit 6ix Toys.

The all-new Korova’s bargain basement run of £5 shows include great nights out including Tubelord, Das Pop and Burn the Negative, while The Magnet brings back Ugly Duckling and the pick of the shows here has to be Dubstep pioneer Mala founder of ground-breaking production collective Digital Mystikz. Our annual Magnet dubstep night that broke Benga in Liverpool is free-entry for the first 100 LMW fans…

There really is so much to see. I’ve got to get off to Son of Dave’s soundcheck now, get some artists paid and make sure riders are all in place for tonight.

See you next week when we’ll be almost halfway through… Get up here if you haven’t already!

Mike Deane
Director and founder, Liverpool Music Week

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