Saturday
After a successful attempt at consolidation last year, Sound City is once again back to its roots—the lineup is sprawling; the venues are smaller and dingier (that’s a compliment, by the way); and the bubble of excitement around discovering something genuinely fresh and new is a lot more tangible. Like its bigger, southerly cousin The Great Escape, Sound City is where a lot of these acts will likely have their first taste of real exposure. The sounds and styles represented are much more varied this time, too, albeit with notable pop and indie skews that have always been its bread-and-butter.
It certainly fits with the cast of headliners, of which Saturday finds Caity Baser topping the bill. Maybe she’s not in the same stratum of megastar-in-waiting as last year’s ingénue Maisie Peters, but there’s also a vast difference in her smart, witty, explicitly TikTokable pop that’s already gotten her so far. After all, honest-to-goodness charting hits don’t lie as far as popularity goes. Joining her on top(-ish) are Red Rum Club, the ‘mid-afternoon headliners’ (still not sure what that actually means, tbh) who arguably have just as much groundswell, if not more given that this is a hometown show. They recently sold out Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena, for perspective, and given there’s nothing this city loves more than an indie smash and a local success story, don’t expect this to be a restrained or sporadic affair.
Speaking of indie smashes, once again a not-unsubstantial portion of the bill seems to be vying for that very accolade. It’s common practice here, and the flood of upstarts earnestly plying such a marketable indie sound is by no means subtle. Still, there’s a market for that; if that’s what you’re looking for, Sound City continues to spoil you for choice. So with that in mind, on Saturday, we’ve got *deep breath* The Family Rain, The Kairos, King No-One, The Sway, Soft Launch, Megan Wyn, Balancing Act, The Rosadocs, The Lags, The Dream Machine and Keyside. It’s more than enough to keep the indie fans slaked, but there’s also plenty more distinctive stuff in the same sphere that’s arguably worth more of a look. Top of that bracket are Good Neighbours, the global viral sensations for whom ‘groundswell’ can be felt on the Richter scale. It’ll only take a bit more music for them to properly explode, which makes this feel like an indie-pop demonstration of far greater importance than the norm. Elsewhere, WOO and Maxwell Varey are just as straightforward as the norm but with bigger, more refined sounds, while the western clop of In The Ranks and various degrees of a folk twinge from The Odds and The Drivers Club can similarly stand out. There’s also shoegaze from Bleach Lab and the skeletal, post-punk-infused fare of Viji, for a further couple of steps away from the baseline.
Similarly, there’s the crop of singer-songwriters, adjacent to these scenes, but for whom the hope of this being The Moment is just as clear. Just take Ryan Rooney, cousin of Wayne Rooney but pleasant keeping nepotism accusations at bay with aspirations of being the next Jamie Webster. Toby Sebastian and Neil Noa are too far off the same path, while Alex Spencer returns to the festival with a Bugg / Gallagher-shaped dream in tow. As for the rest, the insular, small-scale bedroom-pop cues influence Finnlay K, Miles Kemp and Joshua Epithet. Not far away in the realms of soft-focus fare comes the piercingly tart voice of Boebeck, as well as the folk leanings of Georgia Johnson, Sophie May and Kristina Stead. Finally, to tie up some stray loose ends, Antony Szmierek continues to justify his one-to-watch status with a distinct hip-hop and spoken-word flavour; Jack Valero casts his net back towards the ‘60s; and Seb Lowe opts for swinging alt-rock.
Going back to pop, though, this can often be one of the more interesting crop of acts to observe, just for the nature of contemporary pop that doesn’t typically give the fledgling years of an artist’s career a look-in. Sure, Caity Baser isn’t a household name, but there’s a noteworthy presence there, all the same; for someone like Olivia Lunny, you could argue that she’s yet to break into the mainstream field she’d be right at home in. She’s already got a collaboration with Bhad Bhabie under her belt, so that’s…a start. Beyond that, CHARL comes across like a humbler take on Ariana Grande’s style, while Lo Lauren and Natalie Shay have stuck to endlessly enjoyable synthpop. (You could probably throw ex-Anteros frontwoman Lala Hayden in there, too.) On a similar bent—and arguably the real kicker to this bunch of acts—Deco make their return after bringing one of the highlights of last year, as a technicolour ‘80s throwback with barrels of charisma that’s unlikely to have changed in the interim. That’s likely where pop’s colours are nailed the most firmly, but there’s still some diversity to be found. Flowerovlove and Viddy bring their individual flavours of indie-pop; Dont Make It Weird is fittingly off-kilter; and Kitty and Food House find themselves flying the flag of hyperpop with noteworthy effectiveness.
As for the rest, it’s a bit more scattered, though also arguably where some of the most clear-cut gems are. Obviously Gen And The Degenerates have been having a great time as of late, now bringing their smart, incisive alt-rock back home in weekend’s true highlights. SPIDER arrives to drill in some brash punk representation, while Cameron Hayes and the hotly-tipped G!RLBAND do the same for pop-rock, and Red Coven sit as shredded classic rock’s sole name. There’s also a suite of post-punk of varying stripes, led by risers-of-the-moment Welly, and flanked by Half Happy, Coal Mob, Pynch and Kiosk. As for R&B, soul and hip-hop, it’s admittedly slim pickings, but Ruvimbo, Rushbands and LeeTz all arrive with something to prove. Finally, Freakin’ Disco, this year’s singular unclassifiable musical hydra in their fusion of jazz, rock, electronica and any other sundry styles in their reach. A true outlier on this bill, but not unwelcome in the slightest.
Sunday
Sunday brings another swathe of indie to fill the gaps of the day before, now claiming the very top of the bill for itself. The Snuts take the top spot today, another case of relative B-listers in their field with the momentum to justify something more grand as this. They’ve never been terrific, but fair play to them—this does feel earned and in-keeping with the general theme of Sound City. As for their undercard, Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band fit the ‘local legends’ profile in some circles, but there’s enough going on here to justify a look-in regardless. On the fringes of indie via progressive-pop, you’ll find the exploratory instincts of a veteran of the trade in full bloom.
In terms of the rest of the indie crowd, Corella and Reignmaker have each been enjoying waves of success recently, and Delights’ glittery soul and disco influences might be enough to put them at the top of the pile alone. Of course, there’s also the string of names to rattle off who are deep in their sound’s ordinary grounds—Rosellas, Forgetting The Future, Flat Party, The Rolling People, Skylights, M60, The Rahs, East Exchange, Dovegate and Shefu. Thankfully, there’s once again a nice handful breaking out of that, which does encompass Terra Twin by virtue of being fronted by actor Maxim Baldry. That’s something, right? Well, there’s also the softer indie-pop of Vox Rea; the low-slung grunge side of Fräulein; the big, expansive shoegaze touches of Wings Of Desire (which is clearly a name belonging to a symphonic-metal band, but oh well); the grit and soul of Honey Motel; and DellaXOZ, whose evocative indie-pop comes affixed with the slightest touches of hyperpop modernity.
Surely you’d agree that’s a more varied crop overall, which is only a good thing. Variety and diversity are what the best musical environments are founded on, after all, and it does appear as though Sunday’s lineup is more aware of that. In just the soloists and singer-songwriters, Brooke Combe is the highest billed, brandishing a lush mix of soul, R&B and indie that’s not unlike Amy Winehouse in places. The likeness card also applies to the rattling, Amy McDonald-esque rock of Nadia Sheikh and the distinct glances at Paolo Nutini given by Casino. As for further indie-leaning fare, there’s ample choice from Xenia, Kaiden Nolan, Caitlin Eve and Mitch Sanders, while Fiona Lennon opts for well-constructed folk that’s not quite the forte of her similarly-Scouse namesake, but that’s no reason to hold it against her. Finally, there’s Dove Ellis, who currently has no released music, but seems well-liked for a blues-rock twist to your standard soloist fare.
What’s perhaps most surprising is a legitimate push for rock representation on Sunday’s bill, going fairly deep in for a varied group of up-and-comers. Most notable are Home Counties who’ll be celebrating the release weekend of their debut full-length, and showing exactly why they’ve withstood the post-punk purge thanks to some stellar pop nous. Not to say more standard genre fare isn’t available, either; Aerial Salad are a good choice to lead the charge, with The Talking Shop and Pomona not far behind. Beyond that is a neat little package of Britrock revivalism courtesy of ARXX, Jaws The Shark and Interlaker, the latter noteworthy as the new melding of minds of Lonely The Brave and Arcane Roots alumni that’s a tantalising prospect even on paper. Meanwhile, Venus Grrrls lead a punk wave with some considerable buzz behind them, with the crumpled garage-rock of Issy Suttie and the shoestring pop-punk of Yee Loi to follow. There’s also a ‘90s melange of grunge, alt-metal and anything else exclusively found in that decade from Bl!ss; and Nxdia, striving to split the difference between nu-gen edge and a keen ear for an indie-inspired palette.
By comparison, pop finds itself a bit sparser this time, though not without its notable proprietors. Shakura S’Aida is absolutely a wildcard as an established blues artist and actor appearing in such shows as Schitt’s Creek and Batwoman, but hey, why not? Similarly off-piste are Adora, with the look and reggaeton flair of a Eurovision act that just feels a little misplaced in the Kazimier Stockroom, a venue like a literal shed. Either way, it’s great to see these kinds of weird bookings, especially when the rest do seem to follow suit. In pop shaped by warping house and with a Teenage Dirtbag cover at her disposal, Myra Monoka certainly feels distinct. There’s also further variety from Danelia’s high rate of gloss; earnest pop-soul from Justin Peng; and dark-pop from Saya Noé.
Finally—the rest, though there’s a bit less to get through this time. Notably, pure hip-hop gets more of a seat, thanks to Kaniva’s drill, Meduulla’s lush, jazzy rap and Maxi Zee’s more swirling and enigmatic fare. Might as well attach R&B onto that too, from Joy Mumford and Finite with their greater jazz impulse. There’s also the hypnogogic glitch-pop of pecq; Spanish-language hyperpop from Sila Lua; and Chinese post-rock from Sound Fragment, to cover any remaining bases.
Words by Luke Nuttall
Liverpool Sound City Festival takes place across Liverpool on 4th-5th May 2024. For more information, go to https://www.soundcity.uk.com.
