Liverpool gig calendar: what’s on in Autumn Winter 2015

With the nights starting to draw in and summer holidays becoming a distant memory, Getintothis’ Paul Higham provides an indispensable guide to best of Liverpool’s autumn gig calendar. 

With summer now a mere speck in the rear view mirror and the festival wellies stored away for another year, one of the year’s most exciting gig seasons is set to begin in earnest. With so much going on you could be forgiven for finding it a bit daunting but, as ever, we at Getintothis have compiled a handy one-stop gig guide to suit your every needs.

Liverpool Music Week has rightly commanded lots of attention – and with the likes of Holly Herndon, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Deerhunter heading to town, why wouldn’t it – but outside of that there is a hell of a lot happening to suit a wide variety of musical tastes and interests – and that is just what has been announced already.

So, get your diaries out and start planning your gig-going adventures for the next few months. And don’t forget to let us know on Twitter or Facebook what you’re most looking forward to. And if you need tempting or an education on any artist playing in this list – just check out our playlist below.

Beak> at The Kazimier – September 3 2015

Portishead‘s Geoff Barrow brings his starkly minimalist krautrock inspired side-project to The Kazimier in what is sure to be one of the most eagerly anticipated gig of the autumn season.

Read our full preview here.

Get The Blessing at The Kazimier – September 4 2015

Marking Act II of something of a Portishead double-bill, rhythm maestros Jim Barr and Clive Deamer bring Get The Blessing to The Kazimier. Harnessing the twin forces of jazz and rock, we can expect thumping tunes and monster beats from one of the most original and exciting bands around.

Funeral For A Friend at The Kazimier – September 6 2015

Welsh hardcore trailblazers Funeral For A Friend created an impression with their breakthrough debut album  Casually Dressed and Deep In Conversation way back in 2003. Having experimented with a more eclectic style, recent offerings suggest a return to their hardcore roots. Their most recent release Chapter and Verse is perhaps their most consistent record since their acclaimed debut.

Richard Thompson at Philharmonic Hall – September 8 2015

Legendary folk guitarist Richard Thompson found fame in the 1960s and 1970s playing with Fairport Convention and his former wife Linda Thompson. In the intervening years he has certainly been both busy and willing to embrace a variety of styles. 2013’s Electric, produced in Nashville by Buddy Miller, saw him hit the road as a power trio while new album, Still, recorded in Wilco‘s loft and produced by Jeff Tweedy, suggests that he’s not quite ready to ease into a well-deserved retirement.

Tame Impala at Liverpool Olympia – September 9 2015

As one of the leading lights of the psychedelic revival and always renowned for a spectacular live show, the visit of Kevin Parker‘s Tame Impala to Liverpool created a huge buzz when announced earlier this year. For those unable to wait until Liverpool Psych Fest later in the month, this will provide welcome opportunity to satisfy those psychedelic urges.

Read our full preview here.

I Speak Machine at The Kazimier – September 11 2015

I Speak Machine are comprised of synth-playing vocalist Tara Busch and filmmaker Maf Lewis. Inspired in part by the works of Ennio Morricone and Sergio Leone the duo make haunting soundscapes that overlay entirely complementary filmwork. The music and visuals are created in unison and so are afforded equal prominence in the pair’s work. Counting Ultravoxx‘s John Foxx as a fan, this promises to be an interesting night.

La Shark at Studio 2 – September 11 2015

Zany Londoners La Shark have developed an enviable reputation as an exciting life proposition. With the band time and again belying the easy, if lazy, accusations of pastiche novelty, Studio 2 should provide a welcome and intimate setting for the group’s distinctive blend of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club inspired electro-funk .

Stephen Steinbrink at Studio 2 – September 12 2015

In many instances American folk singers with back-stories in the main carry a cynical whiff of inauthenticity. Not so with Stephen Steinbrink. Hailing from Phoenix Arizona, Steinbrink escaped drab suburbia as a teenager to travel America in a modern day On The Road narrative. With a prolific output having recorded seven albums since 2008, 2014’s Arranged Waves marked a significant progression in his young career. A quirkily distinctive alt-folk-pop LP, it marries lyrical whimsy with deceptively complex song structures.

Read our full preview here.

Lonelady at Liverpool Central Library – September 12 2015  

As part of the Loud in Libraries series, Manchester’s Lonelady will bring the sounds of latest album Hinterland to Liverpool later this month. Where her debut album was a more minimalist affair, the follow-up is much more expansive. Rich in textures and driven by relentless grooves it’s music to both think and dance to yet all the while echoing the post-industrial fragility of urban life.

Read our full preview here.

The Polyphonic Spree at Arts Club – September 15 2015

Possibly the most densely populated group to hit a Liverpool stage this autumn, Texas’s Polyphonic Spree are renowned for bringing together upwards of 20 musicians and singers. Choral and symphonic, their music can best be described as orchestral pop, channelling the classicism of the likes of The Beach Boys or The Beatles into an something unifying and uplifting.

Richard Dawson and Asiq Nargile at The Kazimier – September 16 2015

Having previously captivated a densely packed Shipping Forecast earlier this year Richard Dawson makes a welcome Liverpool return – only this time accompanied by Tiblisi, Georgia’s Asiq Nargille. With both drawing on a rich folk heritage, this should prove to be a real thrill. Ex-Easter Island Head have been announced in support.

Read our full preview here and our review of his last Liverpool date here.

Art Garfunkel at Philharmonic Hall – September 16 2015

Having moved to reassure fans that his voice has returned to something near its honeyed pristine best, Art Garfunkel gets set to celebrate its renaissance in the refurbished surroundings of Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall. With hopes of a Simon and Garfunkel reunion seemingly dashed, this might just be the best alternative.   

Read our full preview here.

Sweet Baboo at Leaf Café – September 17 2015

Cult Welsh singer, Mark Riley favourite and sometime Cate Le Bon bassist, Sweet Baboo brings the delicate charms of newly released LP, The Boombox Ballads to Leaf this September. Last seen in this city playing guitar for close friend H Hawkline, this gig will provide opportunity to showcase his own talents centre-stage. Support comes from Silent Sleep and Liverpool newcomers Year Of The Fiery Horse.

Read our full preview here.

William Basinski at The Kazimier – September 17 2015

Minimal New York recording artist William Basinski will make a rare Liverpool appearance as part of Saisonscape, a quarterly series of events that celebrates the changing of the seasons. Famed for his Disintegration Loops that creates music out of the gradual decay of tape, Basinski seems the perfect choice to mark the transition from summer to autumn.

Read our full preview here.

Ratboy at Studio 2 – September 18 2015

Hot on the heels of a recent slot supporting Circa Waves at the O2 Academy, Ratboy has been making waves with his mishmash of styles that draws heavily on the well-trodden tradition of working-class story-telling. Snarling and disaffected, this debut headline tour promises much more than a man-with-guitar solo outing.

Read our full preview here.

Rebeka at Studio 2 – September 23 2015

Polish electro-duo Rebeka create original and experimental pop music. Crude and raw, as a live outfit we can expect a more thrillingly chaotic performance than the more carefully considered studio arrangements. Armed with vintage keyboards and blaring synthesisers their music will combine elements of disco, techno and 80s synth-pop.

Peace, Splashh and Yak at O2 Academy – September 24 2015

Peace, it would appear, must love playing Liverpool. After ushering in the New year with two sold-out shows at The Kazimier in January the band returned to play a blistering headline set at Sound City in May. Looking to renew the mutual bond of affection, Peace will kick off a nationwide headline tour in what is fast becoming their second home.

Read our full preview here.

Louis Berry at Arts Club – September 26 2015

With a new EP, Rebel, set for a September release, GIT One To Watch award winner, Louis Berry will bring his powerful brand of sit-up-and-take-notice rock and roll to The Arts Club. Gritty, energetic and celebrating old-fashioned virtues this is set to appeal to fans of the likes of Alex Turner and Miles Kane.

Read our full preview here.

The Icicle Works at O2 Academy – September 26 2015

Resident curmudgeon Ian McNabb takes a break from putting the world to rights on social media to revive his much-loved and critically successful 1980s New Wave band The Icicle Works for a special one-off gig in his home city.

ESG at The Kazimier – September 27 2015

Founded by the Scroggins sisters and hailing from the South Bronx area of New York, ESG have had a profound impact on modern music as one of the few to similarly influence hip-hop and indie-rock as well as post punk and disco scenes. Starting out in the early 1980s, their live shows are the stuff of legend and they even have a new album, What More Can You Take?! set for release in November.

Read our full preview here.

Oneirogen / Moon Zero at The Kazimier – September 29 2015

Two bands with a reputation in the world of atmospheric heavy music make a special visit to Liverpool, their only UK show outside London as part of whistlestop European tour. Oneirogen is the stage name of New York based composer, Mario Diaz De Leon who makes music rich entrancing and enveloping music rich in textured synths and doom-laden drones. Moon Zero excels at tortured ambience and richly unforgiving drone and has honed his sound by recording site-specific music in London’s cavernous churches. Much like Tim Hecker, his craft is in his ability to understand space and its effect on sound, imbuing his music with a relentless ambient echo.

Etches at Arts Club – October 1 2015

One of Liverpool’s more interesting bands, Etches blend effortless synth-pop with taut post-punk guitar rock. Blurring the boundaries between electronica and guitar music, Etches make a distinctive noise and excel in melding complexly intricate and unusual time signatures and arrangements. Their debut EP will be launched at the event, with lead single Do Nothing recently signed to London indie Fierce Panda.

Monica Heldal at Studio 2 – October 2 2015

Award winning and acclaimed Norwegian singer and guitarist Monica Heldal makes a welcome pit-stop at Liverpool’s intimate Studio 2. With a style drawing influence from the world of folk and blues, her finger-picking style recalls Nick Drake. With 2013’s debut album Boy From The North drawing strong reviews for its emotional depth and lyrical tenderness, this should be a night that appeals to fans of ruminative and confessionally honest Americana.

Rain at The Magnet – October 2 2015

Liverpool band Rain continue their comeback from a 20 year hiatus with a gig at The Magnet. With a new album on the cards this will be an opportunity to hear new material mingle with old favourites like 1991’s Lemonstone Desired.

Read our full preview here.

Reeves Gabrels at Studio 2 – October 3 2015

Currently a member of The Cure since 2012, guitarist and producer Reeves Gabrels is best known for his long association with David Bowie. Gabrels is an improvisatory guitarist who veers between rock classicism and sonic experimentalism often within the same song. Since relocating to Nashville, Gabrels has played sporadically as a power trio alongside Kevin Hornback and Jeff Brown and it is with this trio that he has released his latest album Reeves Gabrels and his Imaginary Fr13nds.

Inheaven, The Big Moon and VANT at The Magnet – October 5 2015

This is looking like a pretty special night as three of the country’s emerging talents embark on the Neu Tour 2015. From South London Inheaven are an intriguing prospect. Their shoegaze sound manages to be snarling and aggressive yet harmoniously melodic. Julian Casablancas is a fan and the influence of The Strokes on the band’s sound is clearly audible on recently released single, Regeneration.

Fellow Londoners Vant offer a confidently taut take on minimal American punk-inspired guitar pop. The spirit of The Strokes hangs heavily here too, albeit delivered at breakneck pace. The sort of act you’d expect to make for a thrilling live band.

The Big Moon are similarly new kids on the block from London. By accounts so invigorated on seeing The Fat White Family they chose to start a band we suspect the press release might compare them to The Slits or to PJ Harvey whereas Elastica or Palma Violets would be closer to the mark.

Squeeze at Philharmonic Hall – October 5 2015

Believe it or not, and having yielded hits such as Up The Junction and Cool For Cats, the songwriting partnership of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook has been compared to Lennon and McCartney. While that might be stretching it a touch, Squeeze have a dedicated and loyal fanbase who are set to be rewarded with the release of Cradle To The Grave, which, on its October release will be the group’s first new album this century.

Xiu Xiu at The Kazimier – October 6 2015

With the will-he-won’t-he saga of David Lynch seemingly now resolved, it seems an opportune time for Xiu Xiu to bring their music of Twin Peaks to The Kazimier. With a reputation for doing their own thing, you’re never sure what Xiu Xiu might do and how they will interpret the music. One of the most intriguing gigs in the calendar.

Read our full preview here.

Euros Childs at Leaf Café – October 8 2015

One-time Norman Blake collaborator and former Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci frontman Euros Childs will bring his brand of wonky Welsh experimental pop. Always entertaining and engaging this will be a richly enjoyable night.

The Bohicas at Arts Club – October 8 2015

Having kicked up something of a storm earlier this year at Sound City, the quick return of The Bohicas to Liverpool will no doubt prove to be popular. While their spiky, bluesy brand of infectious rock ‘n’ roll brings little new to the table, those too young to see the likes of The Strokes or The White Stripes in their turn-of-the-milennium pomp will lap this up.

Blossoms at O2 Academy – October 9 2015

There is a real buzz about Manchester’s Blossoms at the moment with the band having signed a new record deal with Virgin EMI Records. Despite hailing from the wrong side of the M62, the band have a strong connection with Liverpool since coming to the attention of The Coral‘s James Skelly who released the band’s debut single on his Skeleton Key record label.

Ride at O2 Academy – October 11 2015

Following rave reviews of their show in Manchester earlier this year, there was a real sense of excitement when Oxford’s revered alternative shoegazers Ride announced a welcome Liverpool date. With Andy Bell having latterly been treading water in Oasis, this will prove a timely reminder that he and Mark Gardener were once at the forefront of one of the most iconically creative bands of their generation.

Cupids at Shipping Forecast – October 13 2015

Donovan at Philharmonic Hall – October 13 2015

The new Dylan confirms his longevity with a 50th anniversary tour. We don’t know about you but we haven’t been able to take him seriously since that excruciating scene in Don’t Look Back.

Girls Names at Shipping Forecast – October 15 2015

Northern Ireland’s Girls Names will celebrate the October 2 release of their third album Arms Around A Vision with a headline slot in the Shipping Forecast. The new album promises a continued evolution in the band’s sound which has moved on from jangly surf pop to a more noise inflected experimental racket full of distorted guitars and aggressively taut rhythms. Single Reticence suggests a more European minimalism evoking Bowie‘s Berlin through a post-punk dissonant haze.

Vetiver at Leaf Café – October 17 2015

Stalwarts of the freak-folk scene that gave rise to the likes of Devendra Barnhart and Joanna Newsom, Vetiver showcase a new sound on their latest album Complete Strangers. In bandleader Andy Cabic‘s willingness to embrace a more diverse artistic direction this gig is likely to offer a window into the creative process.

Read our full preview here.

Sales at Shipping Forecast – October 17 2015

Enigmatic and surreal Sales are a lo-fi pop band hailing from Orlando, Florida. Their sound is formed around the duo of Laura Morgan‘s wistful and breathless vocals delivered over Jordan Shih‘s gently upbeat guitars and delicately fuzzy synth. It possesses a dreamlike, swoonsome quality and, with the duo having created a buzz in the blogosphere, this could prove a popular event.

Read our full preview here.

Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba at Philharmonic Music Room – October 19 2015

With Africa Oyé once again proving Liverpool to retain a thirst for that continent’s music, the soon-to-be-inaiugurated Music Room at the rear of the Philharmonic Hall will play host to Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba in October. The duo from Mali, fresh from releasing a career defining album Ba Power, will bring a sound centred around Bassekou’s mastery of the Ngoni, a form of African lute. Augmented by propulsive rhythms and the distortive effects of a wah wah pedal this will no doubt prove a compelling spectacle.

Ron Sexsmith at Epstein Theatre – October 20 2015

Veteran Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith has been making melancholic and introspective folk-pop records since the 1980s developing a reputation as one of the best songwiters of his generation. A former winner of a Juno award, latest album Carousel One is a more upbeat affair reflecting a gradual trend away from the elegant sadness of his early work.

The Vryll Society at The Kazimier – October 21 2015

Newly signed to Merseyside’s revered Deltasonic label, The Vryll Society were perhaps the standout band on the opening weekend of this year’s FestEVOL where they channelled early Verve through a self-confident proggy swagger. Seemingly getting better with each showing, their growing hypnotic grooves will more than justify a merited headline slot at The Kazimier prior to its sad demise.

Spector at 02 Academy – October 22 2015

A long time in the making, London’s indie four-piece Spector have finally emerged with their follow-up album to 2012’s Enjoy It While It Lasts. Surprisingly choosing to release in the lost summer months, Moth Boys is a bold and confident record. Time will tell if Spector can avoid falling between two stools; being not quite alternative enough for artistic and critical adulation yet unlikely to be selling out stadiums any time soon.

Read our full preview here.

The Phantom Band at Shipping Forecast – October 22 2015

After a seemingly interminable hiatus we can rejoice that, not only are The Phantom Band back producing typically assured and inventive music, but they are set to make a quicker return to Liverpool after a Kazimier gig last year. Essentially an art school folk band, this Glasgow group meld a sprawling range of influences over an insistent krautrock propulsion and into something pretty special indeed. Just take a listen to recent records Strange Friends and its counterpart Fears Trending if you don’t believe us.

Read our full preview here.

Richard Hawley at Grand Central Hall – October 23 2015

Sheffield singer and former Longpigs guitarist Richard Hawley will make a welcome return to Liverpool in the under-used surroundings of Grand Central Hall as part of Liverpool Music Week. Having played a much talked about show at the Philharmonic Hall a couple of years back, this booking will rightly be regarded as something of a coup by Liverpool Music Week organiser Mike Deane. His date comes on the back of the release of his latest album Hollow Meadows which is due out on September 11.

Read our full preview here.

Holly Herndon at The Kazimier (Liverpool Music Week) – October 23 2015

Holly Herndon is an American composer, musician and sound artist based in San Francisco. Combining the minimalist avant-garde with thumping techno beats, Herndon is a renowned collaborator and is famed for using her own programming language to create customised instruments and unique vocal processes. With her textured and densely layered experimental electronic masterpiece Platform having recently been released on 4AD to universal critical acclaim, Liverpool Music Week will provide the perfect opportunity to see a genuine avant-garde innovator at the height of her powers.

Health at The Kazimier (Liverpool Music Week) – October 25 2015

Leftfield noise-rockers HEALTH will play their fifth Liverpool date as part of Liverpool Music Week this autumn. Having previously played alongside Crystal Castles as well as incendiary shows of their own at the much missed Korova and the soon to be much missed Kazimier, this gig will be eagerly anticipated among Liverpool’s music loving community,

Read our full preview here.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor at Camp and Furnace (Liverpool Music Week) – October 27 2015

The buzz when this was announced was incredible. Following up some memorable Liverpool Music Week gigs last year was never going to prove easy but organisers have pulled off a major coup in persuading enigmatic Canadian post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor to make their debut Liverpool performance at Camp and Furnace. This will be incredible.

Read our full preview here.

The Proclaimers at Philharmonic Hall – October 28 2015

The use of 988’s I’m Gonna Be (500 miles) for 2007’s Comic Relief has possibly proved a blessing and a curse for Edinburgh’s Reid twins. While certainly it has helped to bring the band to the fore, for many it has allowed them to be unfairly maligned as a novelty band. Sure they sing in a distinctive style that is not to all tastes, but The Proclaimers at heart are a marriage of folk traditions with a punk sensibility which, when allied to strong nods towards country music sentiments, has produced too many memorable and poignantly affecting songs to list here.

Josh T Pearson at Scandinavian Church (Liverpool Music Week) – October 28 2015

Josh T Pearson, whose solo follow-up to his work in the cult Lift To Experience, Last Of The Country Gentlemen was released on Bella Union to critical acclaim in 2011 will play The Scandinavian Church this autumn as part of Liverpool Music Week. His live shows often belie his recorded material, the intensity of which is happily broken by frequently humorous, often ribald and always entertaining monologues.

Dog Is Dead at Studio 2 – October 30 2015

Harmonious and inoffensive indie-jazz five piece hailing from West Bridgford Nottingham. Apparently the band underwent something of a rebrand in 2014, changing their name from Dog Is Dead to D.I.D. We’re not sure if this ushered in a change in artistic direction – head to Studio 2 in October to find out.

Best Coast at The Kazimier (Liverpool Music Week) – October 30 2015

Best Coast are comprised of songwriter and guitarist Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno and emerged from the underground with their 2010 debut album Crazy For You. Initially influenced by surf-pop and 60s garage rock, their debut album revelled in its strong lo-fi sensibilities. Follow-up album, 2012’s The Only Place, was a much more polished affair and revealed strong country and 70s MOR influences. With 2013’s Fade Away EP suggesting that the band had immersed themselves in the music of My Bloody Valentine or even Mazzy Star, the duo seemed set to return to their lo-fi, alternative roots. This is confirmed by new album California Nights which embraces the fuzz and recalls 90s alt-rock.

Deerhunter / Gang of Four at Camp and Furnace (Liverpool Music Week) – October 31 2015

This year’s closing party looks set to be another spectacular affair. Deerhunter will headline as part of a wider UK tour in support of forthcoming new album Fading Frontier. After the lo-fi rock wig-outs of Monomania the new album promises a return to the more kaleidoscopic sounds of the likes of Halcyon Digest or Microcastle and will no doubt explore the sort of subtly textured ambient soundscapes at which the band so excel. With contributions from Stereolab‘s Tim Gane and Broadcast‘s James Cargill, this promises to be a particularly special and much anticipated release.

Also on the bill are post-punk legends Gang of Four who look set to assert their continued relevance in this uncertain and increasingly fragmentary political age. 

Read our full preview here.

The Computers at The Kazimier – November 2 2015

Exeter’s The Computers grew initially as a garage-rock leaning post-hardcore band before broadening their sound to include more blues and soul influences.

Gong at The Kazimier – November 3 2015

Legendary Franco-British progressive rock band Gong make a long-awaited Kazimier debut this November. Formed in 1967 by Australian Daevid Allen the band have long had a fluid line-up, perhaps rivalling only The Fall in their extensive alumni. Following the death of Allen from cancer earlier this year, the current incarnation of the band have continued to perform at his express wish. Expect therefore an evening high on emotion as the band play tribute to their recently departed figurehead.

Read our full preview here.

ABC at Philharmonic Hall – November 4 2015

Despite ABC now essentially being a solo project for Martin Fry this is a show that is likely to prove a big draw with, it has to be said, ticket prices to match. I guess its fair to say that Fry knows the demographic and the financial clout of his fanbase but, with the prospect of hearing the all-time classic sounds of Lexicon of Love, many might determine it to be worth the money.

Foals at Liverpool Olympia – November 6 2015

Oxford’s angular indie art-rock heroes Foals caused something of a stir with their recent announcement of a headline show at Liverpool’s Olympia. With tickets selling out in minutes this gig seems to have really captured Liverpool’s gig-goers’ imagination. Justifiably so too, with Foals experimental yet sparsely minimal math-rock sounds making them a compelling live band.

Read our full preview here.

Michael Head at Philharmonic Music Room – November 6 2015

A charity night in support of Merseyside HIV charity Sahir House sees Michael Head, fresh from the re-release of The Magical World of The Strands, set to play the newly opened versatile performance space provided by the Philharmonic Hall’s Music Room. Head‘s acoustic set will be performed alongside Sense of Sound singers at the climax of an evening set to feature House of Suarez, Clare Campbell and Gerry Potter.

The Magic Band at The Kazimier – November 8 2015

Renowned as the backing band for Captain Beefheart, John ‘Drumbo’ French reformed the Magic Band in the early 2000s winning over a sceptical reaction with typically thrilling live performances, notably at All Tomorrow’s Parties festival. With the group’s distinctively intricate psychedelic blues this will be a rare opportunity to hear the sounds of Beefheart performed in their glorious magnificence in Liverpool.

Titus Andronicus at The Kazimier – November 12 2015

Rock operas have a peculiar history and are often justifiably derided. Titus Andronicus are a band that have never lacked confidence with their sprawling sophomore album The Monitor drawing on a thematic concept of the American Civil War. As such it came as little surprise that their new LP, The Most Lamentable Tragedy, has been billed as a rock opera. At over 90 minutes long it has been described in typically overblown terms by singer and lyricist Patrick Stickles as a “complicated metaphor about manic depression, melding elements of philosophy, psychology, and science fiction through the plight of one troubled protagonist’s inner demons”.  

Read our full preview here.

Bill Ryder-Jones at District – 14 November 2015

Fresh from announcing details of his third studio album, West Kirby County Primary, Bill Ryder-Jones will stop-off at Liverpool’s District as part of a larger nationwide headline tour. With the new album having been recorded in his childhood bedroom at his mother’s house, it promises to be an intimate affair offering insight into his private world.

Read our full preview here.

Ezra Furman at The Kazimier – November 15 2015

Cross-dressing oddball Ezra Furman hits the Kazimier with a thrillingly idiosyncratic take on the near-ubiquitous garage-rock genre. Influenced by the likes of The Velvet Underground, Furman‘s shows are joyous, rapturously received affairs.

Read our full preview here.

Beans On Toast at The Kazimier – November 17 2015

You know for sure when there’s a new Beans On Toast album coming out. Every year the cult Essex folk singer releases an album on December 1 to mark his birthday. You don’t therefore need to be an expert soothsayer to suggest that this Kazimier gig will be in support of a new album set to be released a fortnight later.

Thea Gilmore at Philharmonic Music Room – November 17 2015

British singer songwriter Thea Gilmore grew up surrounded by the music of her parents and as such the influences of the likes of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan and Fairport Convention loom heavily over her work. A terrific singer and a skilful songwriter, Gilmore has released 15 albums in her career and yet is still only 35. This year’s Ghosts and Graffiti follows on from albums reinterpreting the work of Bob Dylan and Sandy Denny.

Mark Billingham and My Darling Clementine at Philharmonic Music Room – November 18 2015

Crime fiction and Americana music often occupy similar territory. If pain, loss and violence are literary mainstays they equally find a home in the richly dark world of country music. That so, this collaborative event between acclaimed crime writer Mark Billingham and the husband and wife duo of Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish who make up My Darling Clementine seems a perfect marriage. As a collaboration they will present The Other Half, country-noir storytelling set in a Memphis bar and told from the differing perspectives of three couples. There may even be a murder or two thrown in for good measure.

Buzzcocks at The Kazimier – November 19 2015

The influential power-punk Buzzcocks, founded by Pete Shelley in Bolton in 1976, head to The Kazimier this November. Always blessed with a pop sensibility and the energy of punk Buzzcocks were an important influence on Manchester’s music scene and the growth of independent record labels.

Read our full preview here.

Sons of Kemet at The Kazimier – November 21 2015

Sons of Kemet are a British jazz band featuring two drummer and combinations of saxophone, clarinet and tuba. Drawing influence from jazz, and rock as well as Caribbean folk and African music, Sons of Kemet were winners of Best Jazz Act at the 2013 Mobo Awards.

Shellsuit at The Shipping Forecast – November 21 2015

On their 2014 album Wednesday Morning, Bootle Strand, Liverpool duo Shelllsuit manage to effect a hazy blend of beauty and vitriol as they rail against the iniquities of modern life in this age of austerity. Proving that anger can exist without the the spitting rage of Sleaford Mods, their’s is an exercise in understated subtlety and laconic humour and is none the worse for it.     

New Order at Liverpool Olympia – November 22 2015

Pioneers of alternative dance music and electro-pop, New Order will play Liverpool Olympia this autumn in support of a brand new album Music Complete, the group’s first album of new material since the acrimonious departure of bassist Peter Hook.

Read our full preview here.

Palma Violets at The Kazimier – November 24 2015

Riotous Londoners Palma Violets will bring their raucous brand of scuzzy indie-rock to The Kazimier this November. Openly rejecting any attempts to sound professional, the charm of the band is its chaotic unpredictability. Recalling the post-punk energy of The Gun Club as well as the pub-rock spirit of Dr Feelgood, this looks set to be a wild night. 

This Is The Kit at Leaf Café – November 26 2015

The new album Bashed Out from the Kate Stables-led band is produced by The National‘s Aaron Dessner and additionally features contributions from his brother Bryce. Straddling the tightrope between alt-rock and folk, This Is The Kit come to life as a live band with their sound transforming itself into a more full-bodied electric psychedelic folk-rock force.

Read our full preview here.

Ronnie Spector at Philharmonic Hall – November 28 2015

Billed as the bad girl of rock ‘n’ roll, Ronnie Spector was the original singer of The Ronnettes. Best known for a string of 60s Phil Spector produced hits such as Baby I Love You, The Best Part Of Breaking Up and Walking In The Rain, Spector has remained active. 1999’s album She Talks To Rainbows was critically received while she has popped up providing guest vocals on The Misfits and Raveonettes albums as well as covering Back To Black in tribute to the late Amy Winehouse.

Courtney Barnett at O2 Academy – December 1 2015

Melbourne’s indie darling Courtney Barnett turned plenty of heads with her debut long player Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit as the whole world succumbed to its slacker-rock charms. In combining early 90s indie-fuzz with wryly literate laconic observations Courtney Barnett has struck on a winning formula. 

Read our full preview here.

Public Enemy at O2 Academy – December 2 2105

Hip-hop legends Public Enemy make a rare Liverpool visit to this December. Having made acclaimed performances at the likes of Glastonbury Festival and ATP Festival in Iceland we’re sure this will be a very special show that will capitalise on Liverpool’s renewed thirst for all things hip-hop.

Read our full preview here.

Turin Brakes at The Kazimier – December 4 2015

Enduring folk-rock duo who shot to prominence with the release of 2002’s acclaimed Ether Song. Since then, and  although their career has not quite hit the heights that it perhaps otherwise deserved, Turin Brakes have quietly gone about their business releasing albums of quiet accomplishment, latterly on the Cooking Vinyl label.

Space at Epstein Theatre – December 4 2015

Space will no doubt be looking to relive the halcyon days of the mid-to-late 90s when they achieved unlikely chart success with a series of quirkily irreverent singles such as Neighbourhood and Female of The Species.

Cast at Philharmonic Hall – December 5 2015

John Power-led Liverpool favourites Cast will play a special one-off December performance at The Philharmonic Hall, to mark the 20th anniversary of All Change, backed by unique orchestral arrangements from Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Reports from their recent Kazimier gig suggested the band were triumphantly received, this outing might be a little more restrained but promises to be no less enjoyable.

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John Bramwell at Philharmonic Music Room – December 5 2015

I Am Kloot frontman John Bramwell to make a solo performance in Liverpool’s newest performance space. With his day band he kicked up a storm at the O2 Academy earlier this year. Check out the review of that night here.

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Hooton Tennis Club at The Kazimier – December 8 2015

The Wirral’s Hooton Tennis Club are a real Liverpool success story and by the time you read this you’ll no doubt already have your ears glued to their debut album Highest Point In CliffTown. A product of the Carl Hunter‘s Label Recordings, the group have gone from strength to strength since being spotted by Jeff Barrett at Sound City. Spiky and arresting as a live act they draw worthy comparison to the likes of Pavement and Parquet Courts.

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Deaf School at The Kazimier – December 9 and 10 2015

With the first gig to be announced selling out in mega-quick time, Liverpool’s influential art-rock band Deaf School  will play two special pre-Christmas gigs at The Kazimier. Expect lots of love in the room – as well as many a misty eye at one of the last nights at the venue that will endure only in our collective memory.

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The Zombies at Arts Club – December 10 2015

Led by mainstays Rod Argent and Colin Blundstone, The Zombies, formed in 1961, were one of the most significant British psychedelic bands of the original era. Their most acclaimed album Odyssey and Oracle is an all-time classic and has been placed at number 100 in Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the best 500 albums of all time.

The Charlatans at O2 Academy – December 18 2015

Tim Burgess takes a break from running his Tim Peaks Diner to bring indie stalwarts The Charlatans to Liverpool for a pre-Christmas show at the O2 Academy. Having endured the death of two original members tragedy it seems has never been far away from The Charlatans yet it is to their credit that they have survived and seemingly got stronger. Indeed, new album Modern Nature is the strongest set of songs they’ve released in some time.

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