Live Review: Flyte - Arts Club, Liverpool 23/09/2025
Flyte deliver a stunning, emotive set, two years on from their last Liverpool performance, once again proving themselves master songwriters.
With the sad reality that winter is coming, and the nights are turning bitter and darker, we often reach for soothing, acoustic music to warm those long evenings. It feels like the perfect time for Flyte to return with their Between You And Me tour, promoting their fourth album. The new record, produced by the legendary Ethan Johns, is a more stripped-back and gentle affair.
Fittingly, Flyte opened with Emily and Me from the new album. Instantly, you’re captured by the stunning harmony blend of Will Taylor and Nick Hill, their vocals soaring in pitch-perfect unison. They followed with Losing You from 2021’s heartbreak record This Is Really Going to Hurt. It’s a particular favourite of mine, with its infectious McCartney-esque bassline and looping drum groove.
“My brother lives in Liverpool and is in the audience tonight,” Taylor shares. It’s clear the city holds a special place in the band’s heart, and this is reciprocated by the near sold-out Arts Club crowd, most of whom know every word. Support act Elanor Moss joined the stage for Alabaster, adding another beautiful layer to the vocal blend. The track also showcased Taylor’s Neil Young-inspired electric guitar wizardry, contrasting nicely with the more acoustic-driven moments of the night.
Flyte dipped into 2017’s The Loved Ones with Cathy Come Home, asking the crowd beforehand: “Who actually knows this album?” - to which most raised a hand. Songs like this highlight the duo’s breadth of songwriting, shifting effortlessly from intimate acoustic numbers to perfect power-pop.
Taylor admitted, “We’re just studio musicians, not performers, so we’re pretending we’re in the studio, and you guys just happen to be watching.” It truly was an honour to share that metaphorical studio space, as the band moved through gorgeous tracks such as Everyone’s a Winner and White Roses. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better live harmony act than Flyte - their sound recalls CSNY at their peak.
A quirky detail of the set was the lack of digital trickery. For drum machine and sample-driven tracks like Tough Love, the band used a tape recorder, spinning cassette tapes that sounded incredible. The pinnacle of the night came with their acapella cover of Archie, Marry Me, performed huddled around a single condenser microphone. The room fell silent, completely enraptured by the flawless vocal blend. At the end, Taylor quipped, “Yeah… we just did that.” Pure magic.
The encore closed with the beautiful Speech Bubble, from their self-titled 2023 record. Songwriter icon Billie Marten joined for this final number, her gorgeous voice weaving seamlessly into the outro refrain: “I just wanna make you happy.” Tonight, Flyte certainly made several hundred people very happy indeed.
Words by Euan Blackman
