Here’s some highlights

The Kiara Elles-Sunday

Standard Fare - Secret Little Sweetheart

The Kiara Elles- ‘Savoir Fare’

Standard Fare -”Love Just Doesn’t Stop”

THE KIARA ELLES

STANDARD FARE

SUZUKI METHOD

Smiths Disco Fun

Face book event here

Sick in conjunction with The Von Pip Musical Express present a night of musical mayhem from some of the best new bands around ….

14th May – Zanzibar Club , Liverpool . £ 4-00 in.

Live Music From

STANDARD FARE

http://www.myspace.com/standardfare

INTERVIEW HERE

Their début album The Noyelle Beat on the legendary Thee SPC label has had the critics all a quiver.

“A riot of hormones, cut-to-the-chase lyrics, bolshie girl-boy vocals and jingle-jangle propusion…The best and most loveable aspects of indie guitar music.”
The Sunday Times

“An album that is as close to perfection as you could hope for.”
Artrocker

“Is it one of the best albums I’ve heard so far this year? Hell yeah.”
The Line Of Best Fit

“If you’re a fan of The Long Blondes or Sky Larkin you’ll bloody Love them!”
High Voltage

“Despite wearing its musical DNA on its sleeve, the Noyelle Beat is a collection of fabulous tunes that deserve to stand on their own for a new audience.”
Sounds XP

“Standard Fare are reassuringly John Peel old style indie, with pristine Orange Juice guitars allied to a singularly romantic kitchen sink sense of melodrama much beloved by the likes of The Smiths.The VPME

THE KIARA ELLES

http://www.myspace.com/thekiaraelles

INTERVIEW HERE

About to release their fantastic début album “Slide Over”, here’s a chance to catch em now before they go huge !

“Sharp, Smart & Snappy!” -Huw Stephens Radio 1

“One of those out-of-nowhere indie records that has the man in the street singing along to a guitar riff. Odio will go blog / indie disco / charts / car advert in a matter of months”. -The Guardian

“No-one makes a noise like this, an enigmatic singer combines brilliantly with wailing guitars to create a catalogue of tunes that convulse like they’re in the electric chair. ” – Chris Martin NME Radio

SUZUKI METHOD

http://www.myspace.com/suzukimethodmusic

“Formed in Salford (2006) out of a need for musical progress amidst the post Oasis Mancunian hangover, Suzuki Method fuse together a blend of black dance music tainted with jagged guitars, fierce beats and soaring melodies to create unique landscapes. The 6 piece draw from a wide range of influences, everything from the work of Albert Finney to the pulses and beeps of Detroit techno. The band are rapidly gaining acclaim and radio play, and with a heat win on XFM unsigned and an invitation to In The City, Suzuki Method are forcing there way in!”

An EP is coming soon

COMA
http://www.myspace.com/1234coma

Coma are a relatively new band formed from the carnage and dust of Phil and Billys old bands …..they arrive armed with new songs and fresh enthusiasm . Influences include R.E.M / The Chameleon’s / Pearl Jam / Ramones / Mummy Call’s / N Young / Him and Nirvana as well as general Punk n Dirge.

PLUS The best Smiths / Morrissey Disco in town !

Doors Open 7.30 – Doors close 3.00 am
All this for FOUR of your earth pounds…

Thanks to everybody who turned up for last weeks Sick Night/ Folk Upstairs/ Smiths/ Morrissey Disco. We had a great time -it means a lot to us when people say it’s the best night out they’ve had in ages…Big thanks to all the bands, who were fantastic , special mention to the Indelicates who  undertook an epic 12 hour round trip in order to play.  We really appreciated it x.

There’s a review of the night here on The VPME

And here are some photos and video from the night. Watch this space for details of the next one. Cheers JK & VP x

“America/ Our Daughters Will Never Be Free “

“We Love You Tania” By The Indelicates

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Bony Ghosts

“The Curse” By Bony Ghosts

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“Tommy” - Marc Sunderland

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Panic! Smiths/Mozza Disco

Smiths fans make off with posters shocker! Maybe it will become an end of night tradition ? Saves us the work of taking them all down I suppose !! 

Sick! presents live music

(Click banner below for tickets)

THE INDELICATES-

Simon Indelicate : Lead Guitar/Vocals

Julia Indelicate : Piano/Vocals

Alastair Clayton : Guitars

Kate Newberry : Bass

Ed van Beinum : Drums

http://www.myspace.com/theindelicates

“Neo-Brecht/Weill theatricality? Check. Profane razor strop wit? Check. Irreverent misanthropy? Check. Scathing socio-cultural critiques? Check. Acid sweet indiepop songcraft? Check. Meet the fabulously unfashionable, unfashionably fabulous Indelicates.”

–ROLLING STONE

“Stunning.”– NME

“Unashamedly intelligent bands with purpose and agenda are thin on the ground. This is why the indelicates have been my favourite new band in every end of year poll I’ve been asked to complete in the last four years, but that is not enough. They are going to become the answer to every question put to me; Favourite film? the Indelicates. Favourite book? the Indelicates My view on the American Primaries? The Indelicates How many sugars in my tea ? the Indelicates. Until they get the recognition they deserve.“

– EDDIE ARGOS, ART BRUT, in MUSIK EXPRESS

“The Indelicates are political punk musos attempting to bring the poetry back into pop”

– THE GUARDIAN

“It’s impossible to overstate how much music today needs The Indelicates; in our darkest hour, hope may yet be at hand”

– THE FLY

read the interview

BONY GHOSTS

http://www.myspace.com/bonyghosts

“…RIOTOUSLY TALENTED...”

Observer Music Monthly

“…ANTHEMIC MUSIC INDEED…“

Tom Robinson, Radio Six

“…MUSIC DESERVING OF LARGE CROWDS…”

Manchester Sandman Magazine

“…THE LAST SONG OF THEIR SET MADE THE HAIRS ON THE BACK OF MY NECK STAND UP…“

Sheffield Sandman Magazine

RAGZ ( Full Band)

http://www.myspace.com/ragzmusic

‘Baring her soul through beautifully crafted songs delivered with such a powerful and evocative voice, Ragz is always special, tonight she is spellbindingly magnificent.’ - The Fly

‘Siren with star quality.’ – Jade Wright, Liverpool Echo

‘Watching her live is fantastic, she made people cry’

- Phillip Harvery & Joel Ransom, PureFM

Read the Interview

‘ one of the most incredible voices I’d heard in a live setting – the crowd were held rapt in her sway’ - The VPME

All this plus a Smiths/Indie disco to finish for only £ 4-00

Music promotion? Is it worth the stress? You book the venue, try and get the right mix of bands, design the flyers and posters, arrange time scales with printers, sort out the PR, work out logistics and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!!! Stumbling blocks are of course, an inevitability, bands drop out, want different time slots and you of course want to keep them all happy because your ethos has been that you will only book acts that you actually like. You’ve heard about shitty promoters and you certainly don’t want to be associated with that type of charlatan, so you put your heart and soul into the event. Yet despite your idealism you will always come up against that age old compromise, bums on seats vs artistic integrity and there’s the rub, because as sure as Arsene Wenger is a complete cockhead you WILL have to comprise your vision to some degree, that’s just ‘the way it works.’ The night eventually seems to take over your life and at one point your family start to ask who the strange bearded man in the front room on the PC actually is? ‘Do we know each other?’ On other occasions you feel like you’re wrestling with jelly and wonder if it’s worth the stress. Let’s face it putting on 12 bands in one night over two floors is fairly ambitious, some would say slightly unhinged but maybe it would be even more ambitious and insane to review all the bands we had on the bill for our “Sick!” night at the Zanzibar Club in Liverpool. With that in mind I’ll concentrate on some of the edited highlights which is of course no slight on the other bands on the bill who were all superb.

This Devastated Fan kicked off proceedings downstairs with a powerful set replete with killer guitar riffs and singer and guitarist Robbie Cavanagh’s emotive, impassioned vocals.

With the sort of timing that would make a Swiss watchmaker blush a system was  in place that ensured that when a band finished downstairs, a set began upstairs – so in theory it was possible to see all 12 bands on the bill without needing to bend the fabric of time And so as This Devastated fan completed their set upstairs was getting ready for a more chilled vibe in the form of “The Folk Upstairs” featuring fabulous acoustic sets from Carrie Hayden Maxi Dunn (who was launching her latest album “Welcome To Soonville”) plus Sensorites and The Big Iam

Things really started buzzing downstairs with a blistering set from the Mono Lps a band who manage to combine just the right amount of endearing cheek with streetwise tales from the urban prairie. Their guitar/cello (yes cello!) driven brand of rock really had the crowd bouncing like spacehoppers and proved why they are such a hit on the local scene. Highlight of the set was a new song they hadn’t played before ‘Watch The Games That You Play’ which had the ladies in the audience screaming with delight even before they noticed singer Ste’s flies were inadvertently parked at half mast.!

And so to the headliners …

Watching a band as good as Polly Mackey And The Pleasure Principle made all those sleepless nights worthwhile, because this is what we wanted the night to be all about, putting on upcoming bands in an intimate venue which has a fantastic PA system and hopefully reminding the audience just how great live music can be. After watching Polly MacKey’s sound check it was apparent to me that she must have the word “talent” written through her like a stick of rock, the sheer quality of her song writing and her amazing voice are the first thing that strike you about this girl. It must drive her to distraction when people constantly reference her age because when you hear somebody who has the ability to write insightful, literate, intelligent music that is both moving and inspiring it shouldn’t matter whether that person is 18 or 80. However, I have to admit if this is the sort of quality song writing she is able to produce at 18, it’s frightening to think just how good she may become. At tonight’s gig Polly and her band the Pleasure Principle played with the assurance of seasoned veterans producing a set shot through with brilliance which not only demonstrated her wonderful voice but also what fine musicians her band are. Songs like ‘The Way It Works,’ ‘The Wall,’‘Seriously’ and the three fantastic new numbers the band performed ‘Control,’ ‘Higher,’ and ‘Silent Film’ all served notice that here is a major talent who is worth a hundred of the dreadful, karaoke, fame seeking wannabes with whom a brainwashed Joe Public seems to be in the thrall of via the medium of prime time TV. Yet it’s singer songwriters like Polly with whom the future of music rests, it’s people with this sort of natural talent that can lead the fight back against soulless corporate mass produced pop and it fills you with hope that a brighter musical future maybe about to dawn.

Nobody can dispute the fact that ‘Britain’s got talent,’ but you won’t find it on Saturday night TV overseen by two gurning, sniggering Geordie dwarves. Nope, you’ll find it here in venues like this one were people play music for the love of the act not just for the rewards it may bring. Of course the music industry is littered with broken dreams and unfulfilled promise and talent alone is never a guarantee of success, a glance at the latest chart confirms that fact, but Polly seems to have the right people around her and tonight the band were quite superb, totally justifying my faith in getting them booked.

I suppose if I were to have a stab at objectivity I might say maybe Polly’s stage craft might be something that could be improved in terms of interaction, banter and general demeanour. She may give off a slightly aloof vibe, (but maybe that’s because she’s uber cool) and maybe that is one thing that will come with more experience, but to be honest when the music’s so good, who really cares? She’s here to sing and not perform stand up comedy or acrobatics and when her voice takes over, quite frankly that’s all the interaction you need. She’ll be on Jool’s Holland within three years if there’s any justice.

Next up were Manchester’s finest, Run Toto Run, a band I’d always enjoyed and had yet to see live, so booking them for tonight’s show was a bit of a treat. When I first came across the band the term “twee electro folk” was oft bandied about and I suppose there was some justification in using this description. But this evening’s performance took the band to another level and made me discard the twee tag forever. Their layered synths, samples and beats plus Rachael Kitcheside’s mellifluous vocals conjured up the welcome spectre of bands such as Dubstar and St. Etienne more so than earnest folk singers with great big beards and rough sweaters hewn from nettles and brambles (and that’s just the ladies!) Their sound has expanded almost beyond recognition; Rachael’s voice has always been imbued with a rich, melodic loveliness but possibly was a little too cute and fey for some folk, but now it seems so much stronger and full of real emotive power. Their new songs can no longer be classed as whimsical for they show a real depth and range and are underpinned by a pulsating electronic pop sensibility. It’s the sound of a band that has found their feet and is now blossoming into all that they want to be. When Rachael sings it can stop you in your tracks and to be honest it really does take something special to stop me mid-pint!!

They have retained their playful, magical sense of wonder but are now producing a far more expansive and rewarding sound than even I thought possible! This set proved that the band have made their way out of the gingerbread forest and are ready to kick some serious ass! And it looked like at one point as if Rachael was ready to do just that in relation to at least one chap in the assembled throng tonight. Initially she appeared somewhat concerned regarding a poor fellow at the front of the stage who appeared to be experiencing some kind of apoplectic fit, an aberration of the mind if you will. However on closer inspection it became apparent that the strange spectacle unfolding before our eyes was in fact a bizarre and singularly inept attempt at expressing emotion via the medium of dance!! This strange fellow bore an uncanny resemblance to the ‘The Haitian’ from the TV show ‘Heroes’ and although he jerked about enthusiastically and with great energy it soon became apparent his superpower arsenal did not include the ability to dance in a coherent and co-ordinated fashion. Still this was a minor hiccup and after the hapless chump was ejected Run Toto Run produced a set that was pretty much flawless, highlights included ‘Plastic Gold,’ ‘Welcoming Committee,’ upcoming single ‘Catch My Breath’ and the live debut of a new song ‘Girl On The Escalator.’ After the gig Rachael did admit that the dancing miscreant was a little off putting, which you can understand, I mean how do you keep a straight face when somebody’s convulsing in front of you in a fashion that can best be described as Mr Bean on some seriously bad acid!

Run Toto Run proved that anybody who dismisses them as mere twee, electro folksters simply haven’t been listening to how the band have developed, they still have their quirkiness but have allied that to some killer pop tunes which are mature and evocative and so much more than mere flights of fancy …..listen and learn…..

Here’s their version of Bombay Bicycle Clubs “Always Like This”

The final band of the night were tripped out electro folksters Bagheera who are tipped by everyone from “BBC Introducing” to Steve Lamacq for big things and despite it being after midnight the lads gave a fabulous performance. It’s difficult to pigeon hold their sound but hey ho, lets try . If you imagine an electro shoegaze version of Fleet Foxes and replace the slightly twee rustic acoustic sound with guitar pedals, electro bleeps, synths and tribal drumming this may roughly point in a direction that begets a greater understanding of were Bagheera are coming from.

So, music promotion? Is it worth the hassle? Well, you ain’t gonna get rich quick that’s for sure, you might age ten years in a month, and if there’s a couple of you involved accept the fact that you won’t always see eye to eye on every detail. But if you really love music and are passionate about helping provide a platform for bands you love to perform upon, if you are a UN Peace keeping force made flesh and willing to accept some compromises for the greater good, then yeah it’s undoubtedly well worth it and very fulfilling. Because at the end of the day, it’s really is all about the music!

This review original appeared on Altsounds.com. and the VPME An edited version can be viewed here

Stay tuned for more info!