Festival Review: Liverpool Sound City 2023
Festival season is back, and as always the first stop on the calendar is Liverpool’s Sound City, usually a multi-venue affair, but this year taking a slightly different approach with the Saturday and Sunday shows all taking place at Mountford Hall. However, the New Music Friday installment was in the heart of the city, across the many treasured venues in Liverpool.
My Friday began by attending a few of the excellent panels at the Sound City Conference. These talks give a great insight on the music industry, especially to emerging independent artists like myself. First of all I went to FACT on Wood street to watch a fascinating conversation between UK president of Virgin Music Vanessa Bosaen and iconic singer-songwriter and producer V V Brown. I also watched another ‘in-conversation’ panel with Scouse hero Jamie Webster, record label extraordinaire David Pichilingi and radio DJ Mo Ayoub. Overall, the conference element of Sound City is a fantastic asset to the festival, and really helps give back to the blossoming grassroots scene in the city.
Next up, some tunes. I headed to Metrocola on Hardman street to witness a raucous and powerful set from Wolverhampton born singer-songwriter Nieve Ella, backed by an incredibly talented band featuring Matt Garn, Finn Marlow, Fran and Adam Rowley. The start of the set was slightly derailed due to a malfunctioning sound system, but the band persevered, with a raw and exciting set. The highlight for me was the indie rock banger ‘Fall 4 u’. I was fortunate enough to bump into Nieve and the band before their set in the Jacaranda, and they were genuinely some of the nicest musicians I have ever met. Make sure you catch this band this festival season.
Leaving Metrocola I headed to the iconic Jacaranda to catch the end of indie rock singer-songwriter Hannah Grae. Best known for her viral videos on TikTok, Hannah and her band played a loud and intense set in the Jac basement. Mixing the energy of punk rock with clever intricate lyricism, it was a seriously impressive modern pop rock set.
I next headed to the Shipping Forecast, another of Liverpool’s basement venues. I was lucky to catch the last of County Wexford artist Will Troy, who played some beautifully written piano ballads in the intimate room.
Following Will was the incredible Sophia Alexa, a songwriter who has been raised around the world in California, London and Amsterdam. This fuse of nations was reflective in her music, with a mix of laurel canyon folk, with modern day indie such as Holly Humberstone and Gracie Abrams. Sophia’s voice was exceptional, with an incredibly well controlled whispery tone, which was perfectly accompanied through intricate fingerpicked guitar.
From one singer-songwriter to another as I headed to Metrocola once more to watch the Lincolnshire singer-songwriter Elanor Moss. Her delicate and intimate folk tunes entranced the audience, with ‘Soundings’ a particular favourite of mine, taken from her debut EP ‘Citrus’. With her elegant voice, and tasteful guitar and saxophone accompanying her, Elanor delivered a compelling set with some of the best lyricism of the weekend.
The last set of the night I watched was the Birmingham based indie pop band Swim Deep at Jimmy’s on Bold Street. Delivering a sun-kissed set of upbeat indie bangers, it was the perfect uplifting end to an incredible day of live music. The set was energetic, slick, and it’s no wonder they’ve toured with The 1975 and performed at the Other Stage at Glastonbury. They’re the complete festival band.
Bring on Saturday, and bring on Mountford Hall.
My Saturday Sound City experience began with a few tunes from Northern alt-rock band King Liar on the Wider Arts Stage. Although clearly a new and very young up and coming band, they delivered an impressive set of riff led songs, despite a pretty poor sound system. One to watch for sure!
Next I headed into the Stanley theatre to catch emerging Liverpool band Keyside. Their sound was a nice mix of the Smith’s and the La’s, with a sprinkle of Jake Bugg-esque vocal prowess. A particular favourite of mine in their set was ‘Walking Out On The World’, a tune which you could use as the definition for jangly Scouse indie. The band performed as part of the ‘Modern Sky’ label showcase, and I’m excited to see what they do next and how they take the Liverpool indie sound forward.
It was now time for the first band on the main Mountford Hall stage, and opening it was 4-piece Brummy band The Clause. Describing themselves as taking inspirations from music of the 60s, 80s and 90s, The Clause delivered the perfect energetic festival rock band set. With a tasteful use of backing tracked synths and drum machines, the band really got the large crowd going, with clearly a sizable cult following in town. It was a very impressive performance.
I managed to catch a little of London singer-songwriter Florence Noon’s set on the Wider Arts Stage once more. With a lovely soulful voice similar to the likes of Corinne Bailey Rae and Lily Allen, her music was the perfect wind-down following the intensity of the main stage.
I also checked out the Ditto Music lounge, an area where throughout the weekend the team had been hosting music feedback sessions to emerging artists from industry pros. It’s another one of Sound City’s great offerings to young emerging talent in the city, with several artists getting genuinely valuable and constructive feedback on their music. Respect to the Ditto team.
Next up I watched London trio Malady in the Stanley theatre. Mixing jangly indie guitars with heavy electronic drum breaks, the band made a refreshing soundscape. It was great to see a new indie band furthering the genre, mixing elements of hip-hop with the trad indie sound we all know and love. Fans of The Smiths and Tyler, the Creator alike would enjoy this up and coming band. Massive respect to these lads.
Up next on the main stage was a huge hometown performance from local band Courting. I’ve been meaning to check out this band for a while, and it was great to finally see the emerging Scouse legends. Mixing elements of the Arctic Monkeys, Blossoms and the Streets, the 4 piece delivered a killer indie set which got the packed out crowd properly going. The band played a lot of material from their 2022 debut album 'Guitar Music’, and I was particularly impressed by the sharp and witty lyricism from front man Sean Murphy-O'Neill. These lads are definitely a soon to become UK festival staple.
Returning to Mountford Hall, I caught the latter half of Scottish singer-songwriter Dylan John Thomas’s set. An artist who’s clearly following in the same footsteps as new indie hero’s Gerry Cinnamon and Jamie Webster, Dylan performed excellently. With only an acoustic guitar and a couple of band members, Thomas ripped through a setlist of well written songs, with almost every crowd member in full voice. I was very impressed with the lyricism, telling tales of life as a Glaswegian, a city not too dissimilar in experience to Liverpool. Thomas seemed at home at Sound City, and won over the packed out crowd.
Finally the headline set loomed, and up stepped The Reytons. The Yorkshire band pride themselves with having no label, and being 100% independent. This pride shone through with their powerful, raucous and energetic headline performance. The atmosphere in the room was electric with soars of entranced indie fans singing along to nearly every song. The band have successfully channeled their working-class independent spirit into creating indie music, that despite not being 100% fresh, feels raw and is incredibly robust. Having achieved a number one album, and numerous sold out headline shows, this Sound City headline performance felt like another bucket list moment for the Northern band. I won’t be surprised if you see these lads headlining Reading and Leeds in 5 years time. The epitome of a raw UK indie band.
Saturday was a fantastic day for energetic live music, and the Mountford hall setup worked decently for a first attempt for the festival. However, I couldn’t help but feel that a lot of the female/non-male acts of Friday could have benefited from the platform of performing on the main stages. Don’t get me wrong it was a great day for live music, but the Saturday lineup was evidently a majority white male indie band affair. Personally, as both a music lover and supporter of all genders, I would have appreciated a more diverse lineup on Saturday.
Sunday came around, and the vibes at Mountford Hall felt good, with a more diverse audience of people attending the festival compared to the previous day,
The first act of the day I watched was the Sunderland singer-songwriter Tom A Smith. Despite only being 19 years old, the up-and-coming indie hero has already played with the likes of Sam Fender and Catfish & The Battlement, and has even played Glastonbury. With incredibly mature songwriting skills, and a distinctive indie rock sound, Tom’s set was both energetic and thoughtful, with anthemic, stadium ready sensibilities. He’s definitely sure to be a big name on the UK guitar scene.
The next artist I had the pleasure of watching was Glaswegian singer-songwriter Rianne Downey on the main stage. With wholesome acoustic driven pop tunes, Rianne’s music sits somewhere in between Jade Bird and James. Her lyricism is clearly well thought out, and her songs have the ability to question yourself “how haven’t I heard this melody before?”. The pinnacle of the set was the closing track ‘Home’ which she dedicated to her second home, Liverpool, which obviously got a resounding applause. A very impressive and wholesome set.
Following Rianne was the latest YouTuber to turn from content creation to music, James Marriott. It was clear that there were several very dedicated fans of James at the front of the audience, highlighting the power of the internet in crafting genuine fans. James' music was pretty straightforward indie pop, with Strokes-esque riffs and chuggy power chords. Although a little basic in delivery, James and his band delivered an entertaining set. I’m excited to see how his career shapes out and whether he draws more influences from other genres.
Probably my favourite set of the whole weekend was from Walthamstow-born singer-songwriter Olivia Dean, an incredibly well performed and polished set. Backed up by her talented four-piece band, Olivia transported the crowd from the stuffy Scouse venue, to a sunny July in a proper festival field. Her voice was flawless throughout, and a special mention to her drummer who had insane chops. A particularly funny moment was when her banana shaped shaker was presented to her mid set. Olivia’s energy and presence on stage is dazzling and you can really see she puts everything into her performance. I just wish it was sunny.
The final performance of the weekend was from West-Sussex born Maisie Peters. Opening the set with the anthemic ‘Body Better’, Maisie and her tight band made it clear they were ready for their debut festival headline performance. Maisie has a knack for writing memorably and relatable diary entry songs, and it was clear the crowd were loving every moment. Peters had the audience in the palm of her hand, on stage with an easy confidence and taking time between songs to delve into the meaning of each story. A thoroughly impressive and entertaining headline set.
Overall Sound City festival was once again a great first stop on the UK festival calendar. The experimental venue arrangement worked pretty well, although I still believe the multiple small venue approach is where the festival thrives. Having to dart through Liverpool city centre, hopping from venue to venue is where the festival is at its peak personally. This lack of movement was especially seen on Sunday with gaping gaps between sets, with most people in the audience unsure what to do with their time. Despite this however, the festival was a great one, and with plenty of industry opportunities for emerging talent also, it is an incredibly important date in the UK music scene.
Words by Euan Blackman
Photography by Richard Mukuze
