THE FRONT ROW

If Sound City’s first day was dominated by hometown artists, then day two probably belonged to Scotland. There were some prominent outliers, a powerful performance from local band Reignmaker in the Grand Central Hall was followed by a typically timeless set from local legend Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band. However, blistering, back-to-back-to-back shows from The Rah’s, Brooke Combe, and The Snuts meant the Scots took Sunday.

If you were feeling a bit flat after your day one Sound City exertions, then you could have done worse than start day two off at The Jacaranda with local four-piece Room Two.

A very late addition to the festival line-up (the band’s drummer had to fly back from Amsterdam, only landing in the UK that morning!) they got Sunday off to a vibrant start. Denim-clad lead singer and guitarist Michael Duffy is a gregarious frontman who likes a bit of banter with the crowd. ‘Alright Liverpool! Who’s already on their third pint of the day then?’ was his opening line. The unresponsive crowd were obviously pacing themselves and Duffy answered his own question with a quizzical ‘Just me then?’. Opening songs Come On and Weight in Gold, were fuel-injected ‘Rhythm and Blues’ stompers, while with their cover of Gimme Shelter, and their most recent single Change, Room Two displayed their classic rock credentials.

Staying in the basement of The Jacaranda, next up was former Scuttlers frontman Kaiden Nolan with his band. Nolan definitely has his feet confidently planted in two camps. He can’t deny his Manchester indie guitar band background. But he wants to bring the funk too.

Apart from latest single Thought of U & I, which had a more relaxed R’n’B vibe, most of Nolan’s set, including Build The Fire, the disco-infused Dear Faith, and the bouncy There are No Futures Here, could be described as funky, anthemic, indie rock. That last song also won the converted ‘Most Puzzling Lyric of the Day Award’ with what I heard as ‘You’d be happy as a puppy with an electronic face on, Babe!’.

Flat Party most definitely didn’t live up to their moniker. There was nothing flat about their performance at a packed, sweaty, Kazimier Stockroom. Frontman Jack Lawther was Julian Copesque in the way he animatedly commanded the stage. He and his Bath Spa University alumni mate, guitarist Rory O’Rourke ripped up the room spearheading the six-piece band with numbers such as Glances In The Dark, Fish, and Aching For Living. A totally engaging and immersive mix of jagged post-punk rock and new-pop from London was well received by the Sound City crowd.

Rapidly rising through the ranks of up-and-coming Liverpool bands are local five-piece Reignmaker. Purveyors of psychedelically tinged indie-rock the band seemed to effortlessly sail through their set. Frontman Jude Williams was nonchalantly charismatic as he delivered his soaring vocals to tunes such as the swirling We Go Round, the euphoric Hope I’m Not Alone, and the anthemic Find My Own Way.

Reignmaker’s textured songs were bulging with indie rock melodies, full to overflowing with dramatic guitar riffs and intricate hooks, and were delivered with a youthful, uplifting optimism. It wasn’t so much a good performance by Reignmaker. It was more a performance given by a band who knew they are good, watching a crowd come to the same conclusion.

It was then time for one of the most eagerly anticipated performances of the weekend – Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band in the Grand Central Hall. Head has always been held in high esteem by what feels like generations of Liverpool music makers for his ability to conjure up a succession of timeless, majestic, melodious songs. Thankfully, judging by the raft of critical acclaim lauded on to his last album Dear Scott, the rest of the country seems to have finally caught on.

Head’s set mixed songs from that album – Kismet, Gino and Rico, Broken Beauty, with newer material – The Human Race, Ciao Ciao Bambino, and Tout Suite, from brand new album Loophole (released on 17 May), with some old Shack crowd-pleasers – Comedy and Meant To Be. The most poignant point in the set, and indeed of the weekend, came when Head played Streets of Kenny. Appearing in front of many family members he dedicated the song to his recently deceased father, declaring ‘He always thought it was about him anyway’.

Tucked away in the rear corner of Spanish Caravan were Edinburgh based alt-rockers The Rah’s. They lined up in a rigid 1-2-2 formation with drummer Neale Gray at the back and a front two of guitarist Jordan McIntyre and vocalist Jack McLeod. Spanish Caravan is one of those venues that does not have a raised stage so unless you were in the first couple of rows you had little chance of glimpsing the band.

McLeod did his best to rectify the situation by climbing on the bases holding up the speaker tops and performing the majority of the set from an elevated position. From those lofty heights he delivered the vocals to a pacey, punchy set that included the song’s She’s Not, I’ve Never Been Wrong, Blood For Gold, Departure, and concluded with Land of Dreamers.

Heading back to Grand Central Hall there was just enough time glimpse Brooke Combe and her band perform her soulful stomper Are You With Me Baby? to a packed room. Judging by the appreciative response at the end of her set it would appear that the answer to that particular question would have been in the affirmative.

Bringing down the curtain on Sound City, and doing so in some style were The Snuts. As I watched from the top of the balcony in Grand Central Hall you could see a wispy steam rising for the punters in the stalls. As The Snuts entered the stage and Jack Cochrane launched into opening song Novastar, those people morphed into an undulating swell of bodies. The Snuts brought their visual ‘A’ game’ to Sound City. Playing in-front of a backdrop of a myriad of TV screens displaying flashing images of their songs (sometimes at near subliminal speed) Cochrane, Joe McGillveray, Callum Wilson, and Jordan Mackay were often barely visible through a fog of smoke.

The human swell became a roller as The Snuts raced through a set that contained Millionaires, Yoyo, Hallelujah Moment, The Rodeo, and Maybe California. By the time The Snuts reached Gloria, and Elephants those rollers had turned into spinning vortexes. At one point in the set Cochrane said ‘We love coming to Liverpool because you’re the only one’s who understand us‘. On one level I think he meant the accent. But perhaps there was a deeper meaning, evidenced most strongly by the reception given to Burn The Empire, a song whose message resonated strongly with the citizens of the People’s Republic of Liverpool. Sound City ’24 came to a raucous, if incongruous close with the Liverpool crowd lustily singing the praises of the second city of the Empire – Glasgow.

Well, nearly the end.

If you were one of the first 100 festival wristband holders to present yourself at Sidedoor at the bottom of Seel Street, or you had purchased an additional ticket, then you got to see The K’s play at the Sound City closing Party. Sidedoor looks like a great place to have a party, but it rather lacks something as a live music venue. A stage. The band were on the same floor level as the crowd separated by a small crash barrier. As singer Jamie Boyle commented as he walked onto stage ‘Fucking Hell Liverpool! How close are you? I can see the whites of your eyes!

It didn’t matter too much, as the band sounded excellent, and you’re never going to have a bad time listening to tunes as good as Hoping Maybe, Got A Feeling, and Hometown. Sound City ’24 came to an end sometime around 12:30 on Monday morning. The K’s finished their set by segueing between a Ewan McColl song about the city of his birth, and a tune referencing the city where events ignited the First World War. Both those cities have changed with time. I’m sure they are both nice cities. But they can’t be Sound Cities.

Words – Ian Dunphy and Duncan Grant.

Photos – Alison Dunphy