The Heavy North with Casino and Leonie and the Lawless at Arts Club Theatre, Liverpool Saturday 24th September 2022

 

 

WORDS BY JANET HARDING / IMAGES WARREN MILLAR

 

It’s Liverpool tonight and it’s a bustling and busy city this Saturday night. Bold Street is brimming with people. The rich aromas greet us on the old Rope Walks and the heady sounds of live music blend with bass heavy club music and drift out of venues as we pass. Up in the Georgian quarter is one special venue indeed, the 02 Arts Club, Liverpool, and with a line up that’s equal in merit, I can already feel it’s going to be a great night. Not only is our headline the sublimely brilliant ‘The Heavy North’, but with special guests Casino and Leonie and the Lawless we’ve one cracking night of music ahead – and the musical cherry on top of tonight’s delights: The Heavy North’s new album ‘Electric soul machine’ is to be performed by a 12 piece band!

In the larger of the two venues at Arts Club we find ourselves in the so called ‘Amphitheatre’ – 1300 capacity and sold out – so the crowd feels will be immense once it fills up later! Having been a theatre for some 200 years or so, opening sometime in the early 1800s, some musical, literary and artistic greats have been presented here. It’s rumoured that Charles Dickens read extracts of his works on this very stage in the grand amphitheatre. Originally being the meeting place for the first Art Institute outside of London, you can feel the rich, creative history seeping from the walls and fixtures of this quirky and fascinating place. Still retaining much of its original features, the look and feel is more of the later part of the 19th century and early 20th century. Red painted walls and pillars with flaking paint, gold cornicing and plaster mouldings. It’s a real feel of faded grandeur, shabby chic, very in the style of Moulin Rouge; it could easily be the subject of a Toulouse Lautrec poster.

Leonie and the Lawless

Opening the proceedings tonight it’s Leonie and the Lawless. A five piece, female band fronted by Leonie Jakobi, who I have to say looks amazing in leopard print flares tonight! Launching straight into the set, it’s one hell of a sound: very high energy, the vibe is good and high up there. Initially I get, straight away, 70s glam rock type feels, a real T-Rex quality…actually quite like the Clause sounds. It’s cool and toe tappy, with an added funk to it, the drum beats strong and stompy; there’s a humming, glam bass line; changes in tempo midway through some tracks. It’s great listening. Performance is strong, very watchable and as a front woman Leonie captures and holds our full attention. Lots of dancing and guitar swinging, the entire band look to be having such a blast and genuinely look as if they love being up there. The vocal is very good, slight country sounding… that drawl…a higher tone, but with personality, a gravel to it when required.

It’s announced that tonight’s is only the second gig they’ve played as a band, my guess is we’ll be seeing lots more. It’s clearly very well rehearsed and very well put together. There’s a beautiful depth of tone in the vocal; her voice ‘smiles’ if that makes sense? Think up-tempo, gypsy rock, shimmery folk indie meets glam rock and 70s US rock n roll; Susie Quattro with a southern edge; .guitar riffs give that new York style rock n roll of the Pink Era sound. It’s multi faceted, very original, cleverly selected influences put together exceptionally.

A very worthy start tonight and in a genre so different from our headline act that it’s brought diversity and variety into the mix. Very impressed with that, I’ll be following Leonie and the Lawless. A cracking set, well done – Second performance as a band – then I cannot wait to see the growth within this band and its sounds!

 

 

Casino

Next is 5 piece band, Casino. It’s pretty full throughout our venue now and this male fronted, retro cool, soul band seem to have a great following…and it’s getting lively! The set begins and WOW, real 60s and 70s sounds. It’s skippy, fast paced, jazz funk beats, real Northern Soul – think Wigan Casino back in its heyday. Soulful, dance inducing, feel good sounds; it’s electric in here now. The vibe is chilled, laid back, but with a controlled energy behind it. It’s exciting and high vibrational; the crowd are bouncing. The vocal is quite something else – strong, characterful, rich, brimming with soul and joyfulness, with a chalkiness. The harmonies with backing vocal are exquisite and the musicianship is excellent…very clean and very tight. The sound has a real vintage, atmospheric, original era sense to it. If you heard these tracks on the radio you could be forgiven for thinking they were original tracks from that era. We’ve been musically transported back through time, shifted to a place of tank tops and wide trousers, peaked leather pork pie hats, dingy social club halls and scattered talcum powder on dance floors. It’s actually quite magical how well this band have captured the feels of an entire era, as well as the musical genre with their sound.

It’s a delight to watch, and impossible not to love, or not to dance…or smile…its bloody wonderful! Rounded, soft bass lines, soft cymbal work, extended instrumentals highlighting smooth guitar riffs and the iconic 60s sounds of Hammond organ and brass sections, with that vocal, that out of this world, show- stoppingly great, soulful, joyous, mellow, slightly nasal textured vocal that is just made for this genre. A nonstop, upbeat, feel good set – very sing along, dance making. This band is on fire, burning up these Northern Soul sounds! What a gift from the music gods this band is! Casino …keep the faith. Bloody fantastic.

Set List:

1/ Love go on

2/ Visions

3/ Fool for you

4/ Little Peace

5/ Then it hit me

6/ By your side

7/ Let me down

8/ Back in the day

 

 

The Heavy North – Headline

So tonight’s is to be one epic event for our headliner, The Heavy North. Not only is it the album launch, but it’s the final date of the recent tour, and a home coming to boot. Liverpool based, it’s only fitting to have a home town, celebration style gig…and at this iconic venue too. ‘Electric soul machine’ was started during the recent pandemic, in lockdown, and is the band’s debut album. Recorded with the same 12 piece band that will perform before us here tonight, this album truly is something to behold. I’ve been listening to it over and over, and there s not a bad track on it, and it really has a fascinating quality, an addictiveness. Its plentiful sounds and mixture of themes have you so you can’t help but sing along – it’s quite phenomenal. A mix of soul, rock, garage and blues is how the band describe it, with inspiration as diverse, ranging from Fleetwood Mac, the Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath and Otis Redding. A real eclectic mix, a varied and wide range. I’m not gonna lie, I’m excited for this, and it seems I’m not alone. The now full to capacity venue feels exactly the same; it’s positively banging in here now.

So when in an utter explosion of musical energy, the Heavy North arrive in front of us and begin their set, this crowd goes off…and I’ll tell you …shit’s getting lost in here tonight now! Heart pounding beats are laid down, crashing indie rock guitar lines; the keys bring an almost psychedelic element. It’s to be one outstanding performance! Lead vocal is exquisite, gnarly, throaty, and full of texture, raw with layers of gravel and grate. I’m getting Kings of Leon feels, and can definitely detect that Rolling Stones inspiration. It’s easy to get carried off in this thunderous musical storm of sounds; it’s engulfing, all consuming, we want to soak up the rain of this musical storm cloud and we do, quite readily. We love it. Mosh pit is in full action, everyone is bouncing, the heat levels have risen and this centuries old venue is alive and rocking.

The guys are bounding around on stage, throwing themselves about. We have breathtakingly long instrumentals with epic guitar lead sections, musically this band are at the top of their game; it’s on point tonight, very concise and very well crafted sounds. Echoing and complex bass lines, jagged, juddering guitars and wahwah and Hammond all combine to make something spectacular. The vocal is commanding – so much expression and feeling, the feels now are of classic rock n roll, of American style anthems, of long road trips down Route 66 on hot summer days with the top down and these sounds blasting from the radio. Up-tempo, catchy hooks, what’s not to love? The kind of songs that feel already familiar. For such a fast paced set the energy put in doesn’t falter in the slightest at any point.

 

 

And then the band are joined on stage by two female backing vocalists, a string section and brass section. Once the set begins again with these additions, let me tell you, it’s mesmerising. The sound is immense. The strings add a smoothness, eeriness; almost sadness whist the brass gives that funky, soul jazz element. The female backing vocals bring a powerful effect to that already unique and amazing voice. It’s honestly on another level now. A full and comprehensive set, between songs thanks are given and there’s banter.

It’s been one memorable gig tonight…the Heavy North blew the roof off…and then some. Don’t just take my word for it, Listen to this album, it’s bloody brilliant, and as a live band these guys more than deliver. I’m left exhausted, dishevelled and properly on Cloud 9. What a night! So many influences are perfectly paid tribute to, and one definitive, refined sound is what they’ve produced, and to hear it tonight in its entirety has been an amazing experience.10 out of 10. Smashed it guys!

 

 

 

Set List:

1/ Bring me love

2/ Lying to yourself

3/ Some Good Lovin

4/ Frida

5/ Don’t you wait for me

6/ Breathe (in the air)

7/ The Genie

8/ Darkness in your eyes

9/ She gets me higher

10/ Awake

11/ No good

12/ Satisfy you

13/ Better change

14/ To the wind I go

15/ Falling down on you

16/As Long as you’re here with me

 

 

 

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