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The old adage goes… All good things must eventually come to an end and this year’s Liverpool Music Week was sadly no exception. Each year has gotten bigger and better, with legends such as Horror Master John Carpenter gracing the stages.
Purple Revolver attended as many shows as possible, so we could bring you up to date reviews on a 9 day festival that oozed local and raw talent from every pore. Liverpool Music Week’s closing party served as a valiant reminder of what makes this such a naturally creative city.
Our venue of choice for the closing party was the newly founded Meraki (pronounced Mur-ah-key). Situated on Dickson Road, the venue is a vibrant addition to the rapidly developing North Docklands. Housed in a former warehouse and with the weather taking a turn for the worse our first thoughts were to wrap up warm.
Coldness aside, Meraki did not disappoint. When you are presented with eight bands that possess such undeniable talent, it’s hard to let the weather dampen your spirits; both literally and metaphorically.
Although the venue is still essentially in the set up stages, there was something special about watching the bands within a warehouse in it’s raw state. It set a certain ambience that matched the style of bands performing perfectly.
One of the main acts we wanted to watch were Liverpool based Cavalry. The band dominated the stage with haunting vocals, animated stage presence and superb instrumentals.
Their music lies reminiscent of bands such as Elbow or White Lies and had the crowd dancing and having fun. The lead singer animatedly left the stage to sing in between the dancing bodies, whilst the rest of the band energetically played on stage.
One thing we have to note about Cavalry is the obvious connection they have with each other, not only are they talented but they also seemed to genuinely love creating music together.
Our favourite song by the band is An Understanding, but every song was brilliantly executed. We expect big things from these guys, we know what they have planned for next year but for you to find out, you’ll have to keep your eyes peeled for our exclusive video interview!
Further acts to notice were Norwegian trio I See Rivers, with their folk style songs and stunning vocals. On speaking to Purple Revolver the girls came across as genuinely sweet and laid back, excitedly recapping how just last year they couldn’t get tickets for the LMW closing party yet this year they were one of the acts performing.
Next on the stage were brand new Oya Paya who seemed to have a lot of followers in the crowd. Their unique stage presence and subtle angsty rap promise big things for these guys. Here at Purple Revolver we noticed how each band seemed in their element, delivering a contagious high from band to audience.
Our final watch of the night were quirky, avant-garde Bonnacons of Doom who’s performance was full of trippy riffs and heavy psych beats. They were definitely one of the crowd favourites for the night as they took to the stage in circle mirrored masks. It provided the band with an air of mystery that matched their heavy, noise rock music.
Meraki deserves a huge shout out for executing the night so smoothly. The owners, who we spoke to back stage, are lovely people and we’re delighted to discover they aim to bring more creativity to the city.
That’s why Meraki shone as a perfect location for this year’s LMW Closing Party- creativity is what this festival showcases.
It’s sad to say goodbye but we’re already counting down the days until next year and keep your eyes peeled for our video coverage from this year’s amazing LMW.