News

Liverpool Sound City Announce First Wave Of Acts

• 28th Jan 2011

The UK’s coolest boutique urban festival, Liverpool Sound City, has just announced its first wave of acts performing over May 19th-21st across the city’s most iconic venues.

The raw and raucous Black Lips bring their American garage sound to Liverpool. Infamous for their intense shows and febrile atmospheres, the USA rockers are revered for their stage antics as much as their irrepressible sets. North West’s The Whip serve up a heavy, hectic dose of electro-rock whilst LSC faves Wave Machines return too; quixotic and enchanting in equal measure, the Liverpool-based band present the finest electro-pop ditties around. Keeping the stateside theme fresh, Baltimore hip-hop and rappers Spank Rock also make their debut.

Bastion of brilliant blues, Willy Mason, also stars. The USA folk songster writes music which belies his still tender age; his sound has evolved since his debut album, Where The Humans Eat, to encapsulate incredibly rich poignancy and heartache. Revered Liverpool indie rockers Sound of Guns also star, headlining one of the prime shows at the sumptuous and prestigious St George’s Hall.

There’s much more to savour at Liverpool Sound City. USA experimentalists Chain & The Gang also feature, as do the lo-fi charms of Chad Valley, Mugstar’s inspired psychedelic sounds, electro-punk outfit Handsome Furs and the vibrant Colourmusic.

There’s also music from local Liverpool lads The Sand Band, Ed Sheeran, Publicist, Those Dancing Days and don’t forget Forest Swords, a young Wirral-based artist who Pitchfork have heralded as one of their stars for 2011.

** Label Parties at Liverpool Sound City **
Liverpool Sound City has had a long standing tradition working with influential and key record labels, festivals and international websites – and 2011 is no different. There are already three seminal labels confirmed. Young Turks offer the mercurial Jamie XX. Not many people can release an album of the year, only to follow up that trick by remixing one of the albums of the year after, but if anyone can Jamie XX can. Bringing his live show to LSC, Jamie – one third (and beatmaker in chief) of The XX (whose 2009 debut ‘XX” pretty much cleaned up the end of year honours) – is forging a name as one of the most prolific remixers you’ll ever find, with his reworking of Gil Scott Heron’s stunning ‘We’re New Here’ being a heck of a case in point. Enigmatic mask-wearing SBTRKT’s house, funky techno and broken beat sojourns join Jamie. Bella Union present aural splendour and lush soundscapes from Lanterns On The Lake and Alessi's Ark, whilst Moshi Moshi host raucous Dalston Teeth!!!, Idiot Glee’s creative sampling genius and electro-synth-pop from Seattle’s Beat Connection. Liverpool’s own fine label Deltasonic showcases music from The Suzukis, The Red Suns, Dustland and The Oxygen Thieves.

** Michael Breidenbrücker Announced As Keynote Speaker **
Michael Breidenbrücker is a certified techie and has been involved with key advancements in recent years, including as one of the founders of Last.FM. He joins LSC as a keynote speaker. He recently collaborated with Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan to realise Inception the app, developing an evolution of the concepts of RjDj into a context aware 'dream machine.' The app was downloaded over 3 million times in its first month of release.
Michael joins Bella Union’s Simon Raymonde and Midlake’s Eric Pulido, with many more names to be announced.

** Price Increases **
Festival Wristbands and Full Delegate Passes for Liverpool Sound City are still an amazing £35 and £120 respectively. These prices rise again soon so get them while they are still amazing value for money.

** Over 3500 Bands Have Applied To Perform At LSC 2011 **
Already an incredible number of bands have applied to play at Liverpool Sound City from all over the world. David Pichilingi, the festival’s director, explains that:

“We’ve been overwhelmed with the positive energy out there from bands from all corners of the globe wanting to play at our international renown festival. Artists from over 20 different countries have already applied to play, and the number has swelled well beyond 3500, which we think is incredible and indicative of how far Liverpool Sound City has spread across the globe. We believe we have got one of the most clued-up and receptive audiences around, as well as hosting key industry players from all facets of the business at the highest levels here in the city for close to a week. It’s a brilliant opportunity for new acts to be showcased and for the next big things to be discovered here, right in Liverpool.”

** LSC – The UK’s Coolest Boutique Urban Festival **
Already established as an epoch-breaking music, arts, cultural and multi-media extravaganza, LSC is rich in burgeoning new sounds and styles from home-grown local bands through to the most dynamic and fresh talent sourced from around the world. LSC is replete with the latest film premiers, art exhibitions and is a cultural celebration of the city’s heritage and the wider scope of the UK’s contemporary music scene, championing current innovators and mavericks whilst heralding the next generation of futurists and avant-garde play-makers. Featuring such a broad array of interest, from the commemorative John Peel World Cup through to daily conferences with legendary keynote speakers and special guests, Liverpool Sound City is the only festival which brilliantly combines the diversity, eclecticism and vibrant spirit of Great Britain’s creative scene.

*** Keep checking link for more info ***

Liverpool Sound City 2011 takes place from Thursday 19th – Saturday 21st May
Ticketing info: 3-day Live Festival Wristbands £35 until March 1st
Full Delegate passes: £120 until February 10th
Tel: +44 151 707 9754
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