Greetings comrades! The late summer sun pours forth its resplendent glory, reflecting off the computer screen and making it irritatingly difficult to see what we’ve just typed, but minor quibbles aside, you find Clash in a good mood.
Remember all that glum talk of venue closures a few months back? Yeh, that sucked, so we’re suitably psyched to report that there’s a brand new space opening from the end of August: Sound Food & Drink, situated in the former Hemingway’s Café on Duke Street, looks likely to fill the void left gaping by the loss of the once-mighty Korova. There’s a two-week launch program from August 24th, including an opening night with live performances from Silent Sleep, Ivy And The Chance, The Hey Pedros and the ever-charming Loose Moose String Band. From September 10th, a weekly club night schedule will involve classic grooves from Hail Hail Rock’n’Roll (Mondays), the Gold Soundz team spinning your favourite alt rock classics (Thursdays), and a chance to soothe your aching heads with the Sunday Social (umm, you figure it out). There’s also an exciting menu promised – pretty awesome stuff, no?
And speaking of awesome, let’s talk about something utterly fucking rad-tastic (shurrup, that’s perfectly acceptable slang for a grown man to use). For Rhys Chatham is about to hit town, and he’s gonna create a sound so loud your ears will possibly never forgive you. The legendary composer breezed through our fair city last year to play with loveable post-everything maniacs a.P.A.t.T., leaving a trail of dropped jaws and blown minds in his wake. This time the ante is upped somewhat; a huge ensemble of local musicians has been assembled for a performance of ‘A Crimson Grail’ at the Anglican Cathedral on Friday 14th September. So that’s 100 guitars and 8 basses. Earplugs much? Almost definitely. The best part of all this is that it’s absolutely FREE, thanks to the good people at Samizdat Promotions and Liverpool Biennial. Got all that? Good.
Meanwhile there’s the usual list of excellent shows coming up over the next few months. EVOL is its usual busy self, pulling in the demented snarl of Wet Nuns (Shipping Forecast, 20/09), Field Music’s oddball indie musings (Kazimier, 6/10), sumptuous misery from Dry The River (Kazimier, 24/10) and the sweeping majesty of Two Gallants (Leaf, 27/10). They also host three bona fide unmissable shows, so get your diaries out. First, proto-electronica psych pioneers Silver Apples drop into The Kazimier on 30th September, in advance of their forthcoming album, before Manchester’s most-talked-about PINS blow minds post-punk style at The Shipping Forecast (10/10). Next, Ian Svenonius’ sublimely silly Chain & The Gang project hit the same venue on 29th October. They were the talk of Sound City in 2011, despite little more than a moderate-sized audience turning up – come see what you missed out on.
Behind The Wall Of Sleep continue to seek out the best in heavy psych and general interesting noises, and Expo 70’s divine improve stylings lay waste to Mello Mello on Sunday 23rd September. Harvest Sun, meanwhile, have been putting all of their energies into the awesome-looking Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia. Headlined by Dead Skeletons, The Time And Space Machine and Wolf People, the line-up also features Hookworms, Edgar Summertyme, Milkmaid, ex-Spacemen 3 drummer Rosco and local astronauts Mugstar. That all takes place at Camp And Furnace on Saturday 29th September, so sort tickets now. And because they ain’t no slouches, they’re also bringing Allo Darlin’ to The Kazimier on the 8th September. Seriously, when do these guys sleep? Anyway, that should keep you all busy. I’m off to catch some of those magnificent rays… aw, fuck, it’s raining now. Ah well, easy come, easy go.
Words by Will Fitzpatrick
