It is all still a bit of a blur to be honest, but a good ‘I know I had a really good time but I wish I could remember a bit more of it’ sort of blur. The reason for this general blurriness was the annual festival of excess that is Liverpool Sound City. Now in its fourth year it once again featured a conference with some of the leading lights of the music and digital industries from across the world (as well as the likes of me and Chris Meehan from Sentric – but generally the panels were made up of really good people, honest!). There were over 2000 delegates making the Hilton hotel a really loud, and vibrant place to be. Highlights for me were Peter Hook and photographer Kev Cummins having a fiery debate about who had the right to exploit the copyright in photos of bands. (If you weren’t there Hooky is still upset that Cummins owns the copyright of the iconic pictures of Joy Division and that in theory he would have to pay the photographer to use pictures of his own band. Cummins point of view was that his photographs helped to define how people see the band and that he was therefore perfectly entitled to benefit from them.) It was a great art versus commerce debate and I’m sure Tony Wilson will have been looking down laughing throughout.
Of course there were some boring panels- why do I always get stuck talking about funding? But there were loads of great sessions with the likes of Sean from Drowned in Sound, Lynden from Domino (my favourite panellist), and a very entertaining bloggers session. Award for funniest panellist goes to Chris Meehan from Sentric. I know Sentric is a great business but he is one of Britain’s funniest men and should really be on stage (although it would have to be in theatres that allowed him to smoke and drink on stage).
Well done to Jon Paul Waddington for making this easily the best constructed, informative and entertaining music conference I’ve been to anywhere in the world. This isnt just my view – loads of industry people I spoke to were raving about how good it was, what a great time they were having in Liverpool and how they couldn’t wait to come back. In between sessions I showed my new mates from Tromso (host of an earlier Sound City event) around the Baltic Triangle creative area of the city and then kept bumping into them at gigs throughout the event.
The most visible bit of the festival is obviously the live music and there were over 360 bands playing at over 30 venues and it was absolutely brilliant. So, I have to admit, my memories of the nights do tend to be a bit hit and miss but I can remember some real highlights. The Kooks aren’t my favourite band but their show at The Bombed Out Church was absolutely spectacular and will be talked about for many years by those lucky enough to get in (there were hundreds locked outside). Delta Maid played a great set there too and you really need to see her live. She has got loads more to offer than her record suggests. Thursday ended up with the wild girls from Vision+Media (normally known as Sally, Haley, and Caroline) losing their minds to the wonderful The Whip, who once again conjured up a rowdy and captivating show in the early hours at a bouncing Kazimier. Can’t be sure but think I went home then.
On Friday night the real highlight for me was one of my favourite bands of recent years The Black Lips. The lads from Atlanta brought forth their usual brand of dirty, garage grungy pop which set the crowd on fire and then almost spilled over into violence as the venue’s bouncers tried to take the band on in a fight. Their final tension filled closer with the band directing all their venom in the direction of the security staff was something that will stick with me for ever. (And I’ve assured it is on Utube so check it out).
On the Saturday I had to go to a wedding – sometimes families really do get in the way- but re-emerged to see local lads Cast to a storming set in a new venue in the Catholic Cathedral Crypt. Sound of Guns played in the splendour of St Georges Hall and were as good as ever, and later on I managed to catch the young fire of The Ladykillers who continue to improve every time I see them. But there was loads of other stuff which is coming back to me in flashes: Steve Mason was wonderful as were the likes of Wave Machines, Yuck, Willy Nelson, and just too many others to recall.
Saturday ended up with a party at Static for the hard working Sound City staff, and for hangers on like me. In short a bunch of old men who have drunk too much beer and stayed up too late and are once again proving they cant dance- even though they have been dancing to the same tunes for 20 years.
So roll on Sound City 2012 – you owe it to yourselves to be there.
