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Infamous Liverpool venue, The Kazimier, came to life on Wednesday evening as a trio of bands come together for what is likely to be the last EVOL gig before the venue is closed.
The Vryll Society, who’s EP Pangea was released on Saturday the 23rd of Octboer, came to their hometown of Liverpool for the 11th show of their UK tour to grace the stage as the star attraction of the night.
The quintet where supported by fellow local band Sankofa as well as London band, Hidden Charms.Sankofa kicked off the night to an impressively sized audience, and boy, they did not disappoint. The 4 piece introduced us to the vibe of the night, lacing their performance with energy, passion, and an all-around feel good atmosphere. With the support of their home town behind them, they absolutely nailed the few songs they performed, and I’m sure they’ve made lasting impression on the majority of the crowd.
Hidden Charms followed suit, definitely not lacking in energy. Having heard only good things about this band, I was more than excited to finally see the lads in action. Was I underwhelmed? Far from it. As soon as they appeared, they absolutely owned the stage. Foot stomping and hair swishing fuelled the performance while the crowd seemed to be hooked on every chord. Since the performance, I have not stopped singing their praises, and don’t plan too anytime soon.
After the exhilarating sets so far, the bar was set high for the main guys of the night. Following a short break, the time came for The Vryll Society to take to the stage. The group, who have previously been known as The Dirty Rivers and Serotonin, have since reinvented themselves somewhat.
The melodic, psychedelic/space rock sound has had them compared to many great bands including Spacemen 3, The Horrors and even The Stone Roses. With an already well built fan base and reputation under their belts, it’s not surprising Deltasonic Records had so much faith when signing them.
Something to note was the sheer volume of people. The impressively sized crowd put the venue at full capacity, and truly gave us the sense that we were about to watch something special.
As the beginning chords of the bands most widely recognised song Beautiful Faces erupted, the crowd where silent, just absorbing the haunting vocals of lead singer Michael Ellis. Seeing the lads perform this live having listened to the recording of the track plenty of times just adds another dimension and rawness of their undeniable talent.
Not only where impressive vocals evident throughout, moves reminiscent of Ian Curtis really brought the crowd to life, creating a stir whilst mesmerising us simultaneously. Song after song, no energy or enthusiasm is lost. All five carry off each song like it was the first, showing no signs of slowing down as they perform songs, new and old.
Having powered though the majority of the set, it was time to wrap it up with the highly anticipated, and personal favourite, Deep Blue Skies. With the majority of the crowd having migrated to the front of the stage by this point, the atmosphere was excitable yet mellow while the chorus ripples through each of us, making it near impossible to not sway with the psychedelic rifts.
As the guys finally make their way off stage, the support this city have for The Vryll Society was unmistakable. After all, we are known as the city of music, and music doesn’t get much better than this…