Live Review

Liverpool SoundCity – 02 Academy, Liverpool

• 21st May 2009

Liverpool SoundCity exploded back into action on Wednesday with a series of scintillating sonic displays across the city. Taking in over 30 venues are 400 bands from all over the world – with headline acts rubbing shoulders with the stars and starlets of the future – the opening day lived up to and beyond expectation.

Starting with a series of conferences at the Hard Day’s Night Hotel, delegates from far and wide flocked to SoundCity’s HQ within moments of the doors opening. Following the keynote opening speech, debates included the future of the UK music business and an enthralling talk from Mel Madalie, head of the independent UK label Champion Records, which led into the first evening of music.

Only its second year in and Liverpool Sound City’s musical remit has evolved greatly in scope and ambition, including the pioneering investigation into the music industry as a whole, The Trial, and also football fun at the John Peel World Cup.

Wednesday night featured everything from the big-room sounds of The Invisibles in the intimate confines of Korova over to raucous guitar flaying thrash-tastic sonic assaults from SSS and a rain-soaked evening did not dampen the excitement which had been building for weeks.

Texan three-piece White Denim wowed the O2 Academy with their blend of garage rock, psychedelic and blues after The Gay Blades had stoked up a packed crowd, the gig finishing on a rousing finale with Cage The Elephant’s army of adoring fans getting more than their money’s worth after another dynamite performance.
Elsewhere there followed wonky-pop from Hot Club De Paris’ Barfly commanding performance and penitent, melancholy musings from The Sand Band in an enthralled Zanzibar and it felt like SoundCity had never been away.