Luke Fenlon: Liverpool Sound City review & pictures

Liverpudlian troubadour Luke Fenlon lit up The Masque during the first night of Sound City with his debut Summer.

Not long back from LA, Luke continues his dizzying ascent, confidently motoring through the foundations to his debut album, which will hopefully be released later this year.

The cello scything through the air like a Bernard Hermann score gives Fenlon’s band a markedly different aspect from many other acoustic led guitar groups, bringing melody to the fore without the need to include another guitarist.

Smiling at the audience from beneath his mop of immaculately scruffy Bob Dylan hair, his cherubic looks have the female fans hooked, but ‘Demons’ and ‘Anger’ point towards the darker elements in his catalogue.

‘Summer’ by complete contrast, showcases the brighter side of Fenlon’s songs, the Buffalo Springfield backing shimmering like a heat haze. A song that cries out for festival audiences bellowing the ending refrain back at its author, the set indicates that there may well be more already in the songwriter’s material ready to go when larger stages beckon.

Photos: Ash Williams