Inner city festivals are undoubtedly important for the UK's underground scene. A gathering of bands from across the UK that draws in a collection of photographers, journalists, promoters and general music lovers. One of the best parts of these festivals is that not only do you get to see bands you already know and love play live but you're more than likely to stumble across new bands you've not come across previously that you'll end up adoring forever more. Liverpool Calling was no exception to this for me.
I had a pretty tight schedule of bands I wanted to photograph but until the first band off my list began I decided to stick around Phase One and watch the bands that were on there. (Also a quick note to say that Phase One is so cool and if you're in Liverpool you should definitely go and check it out, a vinyl shop, a bar, listening booths, a great stage and a beer garden, you couldn't ask for more.)
Whilst I was there I came across two bands I hadn't heard of before, both of which I instantly fell in love with. My favourite genre of music is 70s prog and psych rock, but generally all the music I listen to spans from 70s - 90s. So the bands that usually catch my attention in the underground scene are the ones with a bit of an old rock and roll sound to them. The Lemonade Fix were the first band I saw on, within in a minute of their first song I was completely drawn in. This Liverpool based four piece were giving off huge psychedelic vibes, the guitar licks and riffs were the main thing that put them in the psych category, but the baseline and rhythm of the drums accompanied this sound, considering they were one of the first bands on of the day their set was great, once I'd finished photographing them I was having a little boogie and taking in their wavvy vibes.
The next band I saw that caught my attention at Phase One were Monks, this five piece were following suit with the psychedelic sound, I was in my happy place for sure. For an early show time Monks put a lot of energy into their set, they were captivating to watch and their sense of style went hand in hand with the music which completed their overall look. They definitely gained new fans at Liverpool Calling, myself included.
The first band on my list to see were Himalayas, I've been listening to them for awhile now and have been eager to see them live. I'll be watching them again at Jimmy's in Manchester for Northern Exposure's gig on 9th August. Their set was worthy of being later in the night, and their sound definitely too big for 8pm. The Cardiff quartet are a blend of alt rock and punk that results in a sort of melodic chaos. Their songs are both lyrically and rhythmically catchy with a gritty edge that reminds me of bands like The Blinders.
Generation are yet another band I've heard nothing but praise about, I had high expectations for their set and I wasn't disappointed. They had a lot of energy and an on stage attitude that matches their punky online persona. Front man Dean Carne constantly moved around the stage and shouted the lyrics with a snarling force whilst the rest of the band
Hey Charlie are a band I am completely obsessed with, I listen to them on repeat all the time. They're empowering and bad ass and listening to them whilst walking down the street makes you feel like you can achieve anything. I saw them for the first time at When In Manchester but their set at Liverpool Calling topped even that, they thrashed about the stage, into the crowd and no point were they ever stood still. What I love about Hey Charlie is that it's rock music for girls, I don't mean that in an overly feminist sort of way, but simply that lyrically it's relatable to girls and that's fucking rad because yeah there's girl bands about but a lot of the time they don't seem to lyrically write about girly things. Hey Charlie are proving you can be a fucking bad ass and still be a girly girl.
I got a whole lotta love for False Heads, not only are they one of the best live bands around at the moment but they're some of the loveliest people you'll meet. This is as band that is as hard working as they are talented and deserve every bit of success they get, they just played the main stage at INmusic Festival in Croatia and I have no doubt they absolutely killed their set. They headlined Liverpool Calling on Friday night at EBGBS, as always they put 110% into their set, I've seen False Heads perform a fair few times now but this set was one of their best yet. Endlessly thrashing about the stage like a mad man, front man Luke Griffiths keeps the audience in anticipation constantly, never knowing what he's going to jump into or climb onto next. They played a lot of their known loved songs that the room was singing along to, well if you can call a madness of head thrashing singing. If you haven't already listened to False Heads you definitely should. They've got a huge UK tour coming up in September so you've got no excuse not to go see them.
Review & Photography by Holly Beson-Tams
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