Getintothis End of Year Picks as chosen by artists and bands
From established greats to the future of Merseyside music, an array of Liverpool’s best and brightest bands pick out their personal peaks of the year, and give us their tips for what lies ahead.
The year 2017 has been quite a milestone for many within the Merseyside music scene, with plenty of our region’s acts pushing against a tide of obstacles to deliver brilliant new sounds and performances to our senses.
As you may well have seen in our recent Getintothis’ New Breed of 2017, the fight for music acts, especially new ones, to flourish today is real and very much at large.
From a lack of resources, the continued shadow of gentrification closing our creative spaces or any number of variables that continue to shit upon our talent from a great height, there are most definitely issues that need to be addressed and tackled together by all within the community.
But amongst this, there are signs of hope.
This year has seen acts like She Drew The Gun and The Vryll Society continue to fly the flag for our region’s talent, with a swathe of critical acclaim following stellar performances at Glastonbury and SXSW respectively, while the blossoming stages of Wrong Festival and Positive Vibrations Festival of Reggae continue to thrive. Meanwhile, the next wave of fresh acts to grace us with their gifts is perhaps the richest it has been for many a year.
None so is this demonstrated then in our own Deep Cuts nights. What started out as an idea among friends, has swiftly snowballed into arguably one of the premier nights to see new artists from across the Northwest and beyond.
Whether it be the Nordic angelic harmonies of I See Rivers, the blistering Scouse hip hop from Beyond Average or fuzz laden rock riffs from Pale Rider, once a month people who have a genuine love and hunger for new music, have come to see what surprises are in store as they climb the stairs to the top of the Buyers Club.
For this writer at least, it provides both pride and optimism in what we are doing and what the future may hold for our region. Despite all the struggles that our artists may face, we are sure that they will continue to bring incredible sounds to our senses. How we help them to flourish more is where the real work begins. Craig MacDonald
Xam Volo
Xam Volo
Top Albums of 2017:
Rapsody – Laila’s Wisdom
Moses Sumney – Aromanticism
Kelela – Take Me Apart
Daniel Caesar – Freudian
MXXWLL – Beats Vol. 1
Top Track of 2017:
Moses Sumney – Doomed
Top Gigs of 2017:
Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles – Koko, London
Event of 2017
“First sold out headline show in October”
Music Tip for 2018
Sub Blue and SPXKEN
Cabbage
Cabbage
Top Albums of 2017:
Idles – Brutalism
The Moonlandingz – Interplanetary Class Classics
Sleaford Mods – English Tapas
Stormzy – Gang Signs and Prayer
Top Track of 2017:
Morrissey – Spent The Day In Bed
Big Shaq – Man’s Not Hot
Pins – Serve The Rich
Top Gigs of 2017:
Flaming Lips – Festival No.6
Shame – By:Larm Festival, Oslo
Weaves – Eagle Inn, Salford
Kate Tempset – Glastonbury
Cage The Elephant – BBK, Bilbao
The Blinders – Festival No.6
Event of 2017
Y not Festival
Emmaus 20th Birthday Bash
Music Tip for 2018
Afghan Sand Gang, No Friendz, False Advertising and MOLD
She Drew The Gun at The GIT Awards 2017
She Drew The Gun
Top Albums of 2017:
Kendrick Lamar – Damn
“Hats off to Compton’s finest and the current king of Hip Hop. He’s making one hell of a soundtrack to his life. Humble. Pride. DNA.”
Timber Timbre – Sincerely Future Pollution
“A nice little change in direction and I don’t think it was too obvious, warm wavy synths, its’ slightly sexier than before, dark desert music, lyrics as always, evoking stories straight out of a Hunter S Thompson comic strip book. Velvet Gloves. Grifting. Sewer Blues.”
Cigarettes After Sex – Cigarettes After Sex
“I thought at first listen it might be too much to have an album all at this pace but it’s just different and lovely, I’m a sucker for an androgynous vocal but mostly I just like the songs, K sucks you in from the start.”
King Krule – The Ooz
“Just like the slackness of it, the vocals, almost spoken word, its a bit of a cauldron of sounds and almost like a live stream of consciousness jazz band, but think it’s the mood of it that stays with you.”
Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Navigator
“Beautiful country tinged, Latin flavoured, protest storytelling, with the bonus of being a sci-fi concept album. Just gutted I didn’t get onto these before their recent Liverpool gig.”
Top Track of 2017:
Hers – What Once Was
Top Gigs of 2017:
Weezer – SXSW, Austin
“Ticked a gigantic box for me finally seeing one of my favourite bands of all time and in a relatively small hall in Austin were they played a proper greatest hits set. Say it ain’t soooooooo.”
Radiohead – Glastonbury.
“Had to pick one and although both Chic and Barry Gibb were unreal I just cant get past that part where Johnny Greenwood’s guitar came in on Creep and everyone’s faces were like Phwaaaat. I’ve seen Radiohead at their own gigs which can feel a little bit one way like you’re just taking in every moment, witnessing the best band in the world, which is fair, but always wanted to see them at a festival where people are a little bit more, well, wild. Outstanding.”
Conor Oberst – La Maroquinerie, Paris
“When you get whisked off to Paris by your girl to see one of your all time songwriting heroes, that.”
Kate Tempest – Deer Shed
“The heavens opened pretty much as soon as she came out onstage for this, her first headliner, perfect weather to catch Let Them Eat Chaos in its full apocalyptic glory.”
Flamingods – Kilburn Garden Party
“Something about the glorious Scottish coastal background, the Castle grounds, the woodland stage, the sun going down, the friends, the magic kicking in, the perfect psychedelic explosion on stage. Brand new.”
Event of 2017
Skeleton Coast
“Too many good festivals this year but just got to give it to Alfie and Martin for pulling off an amazing Skeleton Coast, from Jane Weaver to Marvin Powell, to Cabbage the gigs were boss.”
Music Tip for 2018
Mamatung, Marvin Powell, The Mysterines and Colonel Mustard.
Ali Horn
Ali Horn
Top Albums of 2017:
Grandaddy – Last Place
Oh Sees – Orc
Guantanamo Baywatch – Desert Center
Jesus and Mary Chain – Damage and Joy
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana
Top Tracks of 2017:
TV/ME – Space Geno
The Orielles – Sugar Tastes Like Salt
Gintis – Dennis/ Oh My Little Malcontent
Top Gigs of 2017:
Robbie Williams/ Erausure – Ethiad Stadium, Manchester
King Khan & The Shrines/ King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Beaches Brew Festival
Event of 2017
Smithdown Road Festival/ Beaches Brew Festival
Music Tip for 2018
Jalen N’Gonda
Peaness
Peaness
Top Albums of 2017:
Ryan Adams – Prisoner
Everything Everything – A Fever Dream
The Big Moon – Love in the 4th Dimension
John Mayer – The Search for Everything
Queens of The Stone Age – Villans
Top Tracks of 2017:
Get Inuit/ Indoors Pets – All My Friends
Real Estate – Darling
Alvvays – In Undertow
The Shins – Name For You
Courtney Barnett & Kurt Vile – Over Everything
Top Gigs of 2017:
The Shins – Green Man Festival – “I cried a bit”
Event of 2017
“2000 Trees was amazing for us because it was our first ever festival and people actually turned up haha!”
Music Tip for 2018
Indoor Pets
Pale Rider
Pale Rider
Top Albums of 2017:
The Black Angels – Death Song
Oh Sees – Orc
Thundercat – Drunk
King Krule – The Ooz
Jane Weaver – Modern Kosmology
Top Tracks of 2017:
BRMC – Little Thing Gone Wild
Trudy and the Romance – Is There A Place I Can Go
Top Gigs of 2017:
The Black Angles – Liverpool Pysch Fest
The Lucid Dream – Shipping Forecast
Fast N’ Bulbous – District
Event of 2017
Liverpool Pysch Fest
Fast N’ Bulbous
Music Tip for 2018
Eyesore & the Jinx
The Orielles
The Orielles
Top Albums of 2017:
Grandaddy – Last Place
Happyness – Write In
Girl Ray – Earl Grey
ESG – Keep On Moving
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Sketches of Brunswick East
Top Tracks of 2017:
Laetitia Sadier – The Berlin Friend
Trudy and the Romance – Ruff Ryder
Baxter Dury – Miami
LCD Soundsystem – Other Voices
Omni – Equestrian
Top Gigs of 2017:
The Pastels – The White Hotel, Salford
Tops – The Ritz, Manchester
Liverpool Psych Fest
Plain Vanilla – EBGBS, Liverpool
A Certain Ratio – The Ritz, Manchester
Event of 2017
20th Century Women – “Film soundtrack & social commentary! EVERYONE needs to watch this film!”
Music Tips for 2018
“Keep your eyes on Party Hardly, Starwheel and Fat Spatula! All three are insanely good bands that supported us on tour and genuinely blew our minds and made us nervous to follow them.”
St. Jude the Obscure
St Jude and The Obscure
Top Albums of 2017:
Aldous Harding– Party
Big Thief – Capacity
Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked At Me
Top Tracks of 2017:
Big Thief – Mary
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Sad Waters
Top Gigs of 2017:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Manchester Arena
Conor Oberst & Big Thief – O2 Academy, Liverpool
Aldous Harding – Gorilla, Manchester
The Magnetic Fields – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Event of 2017
Women’s March
Music Tip for 2018
A Lovely War, Kepla and Dialect.
Black Pulp
Black Pulp
Top Albums of 2017:
War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Loyle Carner – Yesterday’s Gone
Top Tracks of 2017:
Everything Everything – Night of the Long Knives
Blaenavon – My Bark is Your Bite
Will Joseph Cook – Water’s Gone Cold
Top Gigs of 2017:
Astles – Leaf, Merseyrail Sound Station Final “absolutley spellbinding”
Bad Sounds – Jimmys, Manchester
Event of 2017
“Re-opening of Manchester Arena show; music in the face of adversity is the best kind of music”
Music Tip for 2018
Mary Miller
Mary Miller
Top Albums of 2017:
SZA – Ctrl
Tyler The Creator – Flower Boy
Goldlink – At What Cost
Loyle Carner – Yesterday’s Gone
Mount Kimbie – Love What Survives
Top Track of 2017:
SZA – Prom
Top Gig of 2017:
Jungle – Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool Music Week
Event of 2017
LIMF
Music Tip for 2018
Smerz
Strange Collective
Strange Collective
Top Album of 2017:
Thee Oh Sees – Orc
Top Track of 2017:
Thee Oh Sees – Animated Violence
Top Gig of 2017:
Liverpool Psych Fest
Event of 2017
Liverpool Psych Fest
Music Tip for 2018
Eyesore and The Jinx, Yamerer
Eyesore and the Jinx
Eyesore & The Jinx
Top Albums of 2017:
The Moonlandingz – Interplanetary Class Classics
Duds – Of a Nature or Degree
Protomartyr – Relatives in Descent
Omni – Multi-task
Alex Cameron – Forced Witness
Top Tracks of 2017:
Protomartyr – My Children
Cigarettes After Sex – Apocalypse
Goat Girl – Cracker Drool
Top Gigs of 2017:
The Fall, Hookworms – Arts Club, Liverpool
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Manchester Arena, Manchester
Events of 2017
“2017 General Election/Labour Party gains, National League play-off final (until the 41st minute)
and the demise of Hollywood.”
Music Tips for 2018
Mincemeat, Shame
Vryll Society
The Vryll Society
Top Albums of 2017:
Charlotte Gainsbourg – Rest
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – Flying Microtonal Banana
Foxygen – Hang
The War On Drugs – A Deeper Understanding
Queens of The Stone Age – Villains
Top Gigs of 2017:
Radiohead – Manchester Cricket Ground
Mac DeMarco – Liverpool Guild of Students
CHIC – Echo Arena
Jamiroquai – MEN Arena
Todd Terje – The Underground
Event of 2017
“Our biggest event of 2017 was definitely playing SXSW over in Austin, Texas – It was our first visit over to the States and we absolutely buzzed off it and we cant wait to get back over there!”
Music Tip for 2018
” Make sure you get on our album!”
Hooton Tennis Club
Hooton Tennis Club
Top Albums of 2017:
Golden Teacher – No Luscious Life
POND – The Weather
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Sketches on Brunswick East
Hand Habits – Wildly Idle
Kendrick Lamar – Damn
Top Track of 2017:
The Jesus and Mary Chain – Two of Us
Top Gig of 2017:
The Goon Sax – Manchester Ritz, Manchester
Events of 2017
Sgt Pepper anniversary events
Music Tip for 2018
Confidence Man
Samurai Kip
Samurai Kip
Top Album of 2017:
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Sketches of Brunswick East
Top Tracks of 2017:
Jo Mary – Wife Song
The Blurred Sun Band – St Bride
Wild Fruit Art Collective – Under The Hooves
Top Gig of 2017:
Alfa Mist – 24 Kitchen Street
Event of 2017
Smithdown Road Festival
Music Tip for 2018
“We’re struggling to think of anymore. We haven’t kept up to date with what’s come out this year, we mostly listen to older music anyway apart from local bands.”
Katie Mac
Katie Mac
Top Albums of 2017:
Laura Marling – Semper Femina
Shilpa Ray – Door Girl
St Vincent – Masseducation
Alexandra Savior – Belladonna of Sadness
Arcade Fire – Everything Now
Top Track of 2017:
Laura Marling – Nothing, Not Nearly
Top Gig of 2017:
Lianne La Havas at Glastonbury
Event of 2017
Glastonbury
Music Tip for 2018
Seprona
SPQR
SPQR
Top Albums of 2017:
Mr Jukes – God First
Everything Everything – A Fever Dream
Jamie Lenman – Devolver
LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
Kendrick Lamar – Damn
Top Track of 2017:
Everything Everything – Put Me Together – ” So hard to choose one! I cant even remember last month let alone this past year!”
Top Gig of 2017:
Mr Jukes in Manchester – “we danced so hard!”
Events of 2017
“ Our EP Launch show! Playing to well over 100 people that were there to see us! What?! Very grateful for the experience. Felt very much like this IS all worthwhile after all, to see people enjoying themselves.”
Music Tips for 2018
” Does this mean a tip to fellow musicians? Or a tip to who’s going to be the next big thing next year? I’m not really into doing the latter so I’ll give you a tip! Put your real fans and people who care first! Look after them and they look after you!”
Wild Fruit Art Collective
Wild Fruit Art Collective
Top Albums of 2017:
Richard Dawson – Peasant
Madonnatron – Madonnatron
Mount Eerie – A Crow Looked At Me
Jo Mary – Songs to shit to Vol. 1
Thurston Moore – Rock n Roll Consciousness
Top Tracks of 2017:
The National – Guilty Party
Beija Flo – One of those things
LCD Soundsystem – Black Screen
RongoRongo – Black Rain
Top Gig of 2017:
“Wild Fruit Art Collective/ District’ support Labour gig with Wild Fruit Art Collective, Ohmns, Jo Mary, Samurai Kip, The Floormen and more from the corridor!”
Event of 2017
Wrong Festival
Music Tips for 2018
RongoRongo and Jo Mary
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