LIVERPOOL Sound City, the largest metropolitan music and arts festival in the UK, kicks-off this weekend with a line-up boasting exciting up-and-coming and established names in music.
Flying the Scottish flag at the festival are the band of the moment, Glasgow’s The Amazing Snakeheads who take to the stage on the opening day (Thursday 1st May). Dundee’s breakthrough band Model Aeroplanes recently played a greatly received set at at Wide Days showcase in Edinburgh; they will play on Friday, while electronic synth pioneers Prides will take to the stage on Saturday.
Here’s our top picks throughout the weekend of ones to watch and the ones you definitely don’t want to miss;
Ones to watch on Thursday 1st May: Fat White Family who are guaranteed to blow the roof off the venue with their legendary live antics and energy, local’s Circa Waves are sure to show why Liverpool still has a plethora of talent worth getting excited about while Heavenly Records’ The Wytches and Melbourne-born Courtney Barnett will play tracks from their new EP’s.
Friday provides an epic mix of established and up-and-coming talent; take Model Aeroplanes for example- this band have come a long way since their small set at T in the Park in 2013, their live sets something of a talking point throughout 2014, Bristol’s electronic two-piece Fuck Buttons provide something that will surely stand out amongst a guitar-heavy line-up.
Our ones to watch list also includes Josh Record who will put out his debut album Pillars in the summer. East India Youth‘s album ‘Total Strife Forever’ is quite possibly one of the most promising and inventive records of 2014 so far, it will be interesting to see how William Doyle transcends that live.
The big names of the day come in the form of Albert Hammond JR who is in Liverpool on a solo capacity but fans will no doubt be hoping for a live glimpse into his new band’s work since the reveal at SXSW last month. Royal Blood and Wolf Alice also play on the second day of the festival, the latter a band you can catch at T in the Park in July.
Saturday gives us a great mix of electronic, dance and indie with Glasgow’s electronic three-piece Prides, New York’s hottest new band Public Access TV and the band of the moment ever since that set at Glastonbury last year, Jagwar Ma.
One of our favourite sessions from 2013 had to be Kodaline‘s, and we can’t wait to catch them at Liverpool Sound City now they have been playing new material at shows around the country. Watch the session here.
Public Service Broadcasting always put on a show to be seen with their stage design, props and high energy tracks. And finally feminine-twinned alt rock band The Beaches are doing it for the girls on Saturday, bringing the noise with their energetic set.
Tickets for Liverpool Sound City are still available for purchase. Click here for more details.
