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Festival preview: Liverpool Sound City

• 28th Apr 2014

Liverpool’s premiere music festival and industry conference returns this year with a bit more bang for its buck and some big names on the bill, but who are those hidden gems you might be missing further down the line up? Our editor Jamie Otsa picks out the best of the rest of the artists you should be keeping an eye on and a few unmissable live acts.

Bad Rabbits
Saturday 3rd May – 11pm – The Kazimier

All the way from Boston and already sporting support slots with Wu-Tang Clan, Passion Pit, Deftones, Travie McCoy, T-Pain, GlassJaw, Common and John Legend (not to mention a killer performance on the Vans Warped Tour) this intriguing quintet merge a nu-wave of R&B with golden age hip hop and post-rock to tantalising effect. Guaranteed to raise the roof at The Kazimier on the Saturday night with a huge party vibe.

Denai Moore
Friday 2nd May – 7pm – East Village Arts Club Loft

We’ve covered her on the site before, so you might be familiar with Jamaica-born Stratford-raised Moore. With a voice like liquid gold and the kind of bare-boned songs infused with honesty and pure emotion that made a household name of Bon Iver, this deliciously raw songwriter should be causing a few bleary eyes on the Friday – bring some tissues.

Fickle Friends
Friday 2nd May – 8.30pm – The Kazimier

Another from the Glasswerk Introducing alumni pile, Brighton’s Fickle Friends have since been featured on BBC Radio 1, The Line Of Best Fit, Pitchfork, District MTV and more. Big shiny pop rock made for radio and festival-alongs that should go down a treat if the weather holds out and we get a nice sunny Friday night at The Kaz.

FINDLAY
Friday 2nd May – The Zanzibar – 12.15am

The sultry FINDLAY is no stranger to Liverpool and she rolled through Korova a few months back to a rapturous reception following latest single ‘Greasy Love’ – a raucous, racy stomp through red light district territory by way of Yeah Yeah Yeah’s and Jack White. What’s not to like about a smoking hot woman with a bag of attitude and some cracking tunes?

NINETAILS
Thursday 1st May – Nation – 9.00pm

Not a phrase we like to throw around easily here at Glasswerk but Ninetails are genuinely one of the most exciting bands to come out of Liverpool in recent memory. The three-piece have just released their masterful new record ‘Quiet Confidence’ – an experimental but focused offering that sees them wielding melody and instrumental skill to heady effect on their unique brand of futuristic ambient indie. About as cinematic as it’s going to get this year.

The Physics House Band
Saturday 3rd May – Screenadelica @ The Black-E – 10.00pm

Anyone looking to have their noodle tested by some serious musicians should look no further than The Physics House Band this weekend for a master class in math-rock trickery. Once you see how fresh faced the talent behind their intense sound is, you’ll be left wondering why you can only still play Lithium by Nirvana really badly even though you’re in your 30’s. This band are incredible live, a must see.

Youth Man
Thursday 1st May – Factory – 8pm

Much has been made of this intense Birmingham punk trio’s live show, and with good reason. Front woman Kaila Whyte is a whirling dervish who snarls and squeals like a caged animal while the furious waves of psychedelic-tinged punk that emanate from the band crash headlong into the first few rows of the audience. If you’re a fan of Bad Brains, Black Flag and 80’s hardcore then Youth Man might just be your new favourite band – there’s more to them than meets the eye and once you scratch the surface you might find some unexpected shades of early Radiohead too.