There’s no feeling quite like being at a gig that is somewhat different to the norm. Tonight, we have around 900 people packed into the Arts Club like sardines to witness a truly intimate moment with a band that are more used to bothering arenas. Even the format is different – rather than song after song we get the band (and especially frontman Andy Biersack) doing Q&A with the crowd ...
Read MoreOpening tonight’s proceedings are Graphic Nature. Stepping in for XL Life on the tour, the Kent metallers are very much in the modern vein of metalcore tinged deathcore. On record they are definitely worth checking out by fans of new nu-metal bands like Blood Youth and Death Blooms, but it’s live that this five-piece come to life. Harnessing the brutal guitars and bass of Emmure, and mashing that with harsh metal-hardcore vocals akin to Loathe, they are a splendid and invigorating assault on the senses.
Read MoreThe Arts Club in Liverpool often feels like a miniature amphitheater, what with its steeply stepped forum and decorated auditorium, so it seems a fitting venue for such a theatrical band as Sleep Token to bring their mysterious act to bear.
Local act Exploring Birdsong are an intriguing addition to the prog scene. The late 2019 release of their EP “The Thing With Feathers” has pushed them more explicitly into the limelight, and support slots of this stature will only serve them well.
Read MoreA quick glance at the ‘Fans also like’ on Spotify for any of tonight’s three bands tells you how coherent a line-up this is. Yes, you guessed it, they all feature in each other’s lists. Other bands that they supposedly share common ground with are, according to the algorithm-loving app, Mason Hill, Massive Wagons and Wayward Sons. But to be honest these three bands have very different sounds and potential paths, even if they all have classic rock at their core.
Read MoreFinally reaching the third installment of live music this week, I head tonight to the Arts Club in Liverpool City Centre. I had been there recently, attending the Russian World Cup troublemakers Pussy Riot. But this evening the performance is set in the smaller and more intimate room up the stairs; Jaret Reddick’s 5 U.K. shows Heartache & Hilarity tour or in other words '‘songs on acoustic and a few stories in between’.
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