This is my Sound City: The Finale (Day 4)
Saturday marked the last day of Sound City and the glorious sun was out in force once again, with resulting in more than a few red faces walking towards various venues in the city centre. Today’s main attraction was Orlando, Felix and co of now well established, The Maccabees who were to play a matinee performance as well as an evening performance to cover all ages of the spectrum.
Tonight support came from Is Tropical and Los Campesinos!
Is Tropical, stem from London and are inspired by the fashion of a horror movie, well that’s how it would seem as three piece grace the stage of the 02 Academy with bandanas covering their mouth. The band come from the long line of electro inspired acts that seem to dominate today’s music industry but focus on the subtle elements of the genre with simple electro beats that like the band’s image sometimes appear foreboding such as in the start of their song, When O When, especially with the addition of bass heavy drums that dominate the majority of their music.
Los Campesinos! were next to take to stage, who my friend equated to being like the Blazin’ Squad of their genre with a dominant force of 8 members. Los Campesinos! despite what their name may say to you, are from Cardiff and released their debut album, We are Beautiful, We are Doomed in 2008. The band produce nothing but energetic indie pop, adopting what seems to be American accents which will no doubt make some readers of this review dismiss them instantaneously.
However, it works at times especially with the power of numerous vocalists in songs such as Romance is Boring, emphasising their self confessed ‘smutty’ lyrics. For indie pop, the band sometimes spin off to more heavy elements both vocally and rhythmically which occasionally throw the band off an equilibrium for me personally. For 8 members on stage, I have also heard bands that create equally bigger sounds without so much going on such as the rather odd use of violinists and it times I was screaming out for some elements to be withdrawn to produce a more coherent sound. None the less, they are worth a listen to and have been tipped by numerous critics.
Lastly tonight came the second performance of the day from The Maccabees, a band whose second album mistakably was overlooked by critics in my opinion, emerging as one of my favourites of last year.
Now Whitney is officially off the rails, Orlando and co are saving the love song and translating it for the modern audience through beautiful indie melodies and Orlando’s harmonious vocals. Despite this being their second performance on a boiling hot day (with little air inside a packed 02 Academy) the band were as fresh and energetic as ever belting out songs from their 2006 debut, Colour It In and of course, Wall of Arms (2009). The band had the crowd in their palms once again, with epic indie love songs such as First Love and Love You Better to the crowd arousing, Can You Give It and dance floor hits, X Ray and Latchmere (yes, the one about a wave machine). The band also added to their live show with the addition of saxophonists that complimented the band perfectly, in all the right places.
So that’s My Sound City. This year’s Sound City undoubtedly uncovered the musical heart of Liverpool once again, showcasing the finest in new and established bands from across the country and globe and reminded me once again why I love Liverpool.
