WORDS JANET HARDING / IMAGES WARREN MILLAR
It’s icy under foot tonight, the cold can really be felt in Liverpool city centre, but I’ve no doubts whatsoever that the temperatures will be soaring soon, as the gig we attend tonight IS gonna be a scorcher – in temperature, in content and in sound! Tonight we see the explosive Reytons, and I’m excited. Although I love this band, this is to be my first time seeing them live, and not only that but tonight’s special guests truly are very special. We have Leigh’s very own The Lottery Winners who never fail to bring it, and from Birmingham, The Clause, who last time I saw them blew me away. What a line up! We’re at the 02 Academy Liverpool right by Liverpool Lime Street station, in the larger of the 2 venues here, perfect! And as we enter there’s already quite a crowd and a buzz.
The Clause
Pearce Macca – Vocals
Niall Fennell – Drums
Jonny Fyffe – Bass
Liam Deakin – Guitar
So, kicking off tonight’s event is the uber cool, indie rock, 4 piece band, The Clause. These guys are so suited to a big stage, and fill it instantly with their presence. They bring that real effortless cool with them onstage and immediately launch into one fast paced set. It’s a real rock n roll vibe, deliciously long intros with ear worm guitar riffs and soaring bass lines. This band are very watchable and bring so much energy and real showmanship – dancing around the stage, swinging guitars and high kicking; it’s full throttle stuff! They’ve got the crowd going, it’s bouncing. Up tempo, guitars glisten and the beat drives, alternating between a 90s indie dance beat and a real 70s glam rock, T- Rex type feel… especially the track ‘Cruella’. It’s a rich tapestry of influences and sounds woven cleverly together. Our front man, Pearce, has an even and smooth vocal, but with a grate that comes and goes when needed, then at other times a punk like scream; it all works stunningly. Brilliant retro sounds, banging tunes with originality and a crispness and modern indie rock feel. Excellently performed. I’m bowled over again. Yet again I urge you to see The Clause live… fast moving, foot stomping, dance inducing brilliance!
Set List:
1/ Time of our Lives
2/ Electric
3/ Cruella
4/ Hate the Player
5/ Forever Young
6/ Sixteen
7/ In My Element
The Lottery Winners
Thom Rylance – vocals/guitar
Robert Lally – guitar/vocals)
Katie Lloyd – bass/vocals
Joe Singleton – drums
Next up are the wonderful Lottery Winners. Already being a huge fan of this band, I know a top class performance is guaranteed. We’re not disappointed. Arriving on stage to cheers, our front man, Thom, explains that it’s just not good enough and he’d like to arrive like some massive rock star, so can he go off stage and come back again, but this time as he walks on, as an audience can we go wild?. Obviously as a crowd we completely indulge him, and he seems happy enough this time. It’s then on with the set. High vibrational, feel good, joyous and cheery sunshine feels abound! The Lottery Winners just make us smile, it’s what they do and they do it very well. All band members do not stop smiling throughout the set and the energy they give off is just so happy making. With front man, Thom, we get banter and joviality, adding to the uplifting feels. The sounds are melodic, soaring harmonies, electro slightly retro feels, shimmering guitars and skippy, up tempo beats. Singing along is encouraged and we’re all asked to participate in singing choruses, which the now packed out venue readily join in with. Thom’s vocal is light, fresh, full of character and lifts us just that little bit higher, and he manages to hold loud, powerful notes for extended periods. Lyrics are witty and the whole sound gels together perfectly. Song styles are very individual and varied but easily identifiable as Lottery Winners’. This band are so likeable, they spread so much positivity, it’s just infectious. Love it! I’ve no doubt Thom really need not ask for crowds to ‘pretend’ he’s some massive rock star – he earns and deserves all mania and wild applause – the entire band do! Get some Lottery Winners’ music in your life! We all need some Lottery Winners in our life!
Set List:
1/ Headlock
2/ Favourite Flavour
3/ Much Better
4/ Meaning of Life
5/ Start Again
6/ 21
The Reytons
Jonny Yerrell – vocals
Lee Holland – bass
Joe O’Brien – guitar
Jamie Todd – drums
So just over half way through a full UK Academy tour, after playing numerous festivals around the country and after supporting Gerry Cinnamon, The Reytons hit Liverpool full force tonight. After their debut album ‘Kids Off The Estate’ hit number 11 in the official UK album charts, the follow up tour last year sold out every venue within hours. Now having a reputation for ferocious and wild live sets, they have a reputation that now precedes them, and it’s widely known that crowd experience at a Reytons gig is frenzied and wild ; they’ve amassed a huge and loyal following country wide. So, belting ourselves in…the venue lights dim and bright white lights begin flashing in sequence from on stage amid a fog of dry ice. Whilst a prolonged backing track plays, the afore mentioned crowd wilds are already in full force – a bouncing crowd loudly chant “here we, here we, here we fucking go” – it’s almost football terrace like.
The band arrive on stage and the crowd erupts. To the intro of ‘Low life’ the musical fuse is lit and in one hell of an impactful detonation the dynamite explodes and the set begins. The crowd has gone completely mental now, it’s untamed, bouncing, pogoing, people on shoulders, beer showering down on us from every direction, chanting along every word . On stage the guys are burning it up, colossal energy is poured into this. The drum kit is getting beaten…hammered; these driving beats, steady, building, fast, hard, punk-like then real distinctive, crashing indie, guitar lines are jagged, raw, crunching and jutting. We can feel the bass lines through our bodies into our feet as the floor pounds beneath us. This entire venue is alive and a sea of bobbing heads is visible to what seems like the horizon. That’s the impact The Reytons have – and it’s as wild as expected, but brilliant to be part of. Vocal is deep, clear, loud and exaggerated. Very distinctive, that Yorkshire accent is fully played up and it works superbly, it’s that real hard core, indie sound we just love.
Performance is very tight, excellent musicianship and sound is second to none. There’s a real rawness to it, it feels gritty, real. I can’t not compare it to early Arctic Monkeys, it’s crying out to be, (anyone after that rawness of early Arctic Monkeys needs to check this band out) but it’s of its own kind. The influence is theirs, of course it is, but it’s original. As the set continues in epic style like a musical tornado, so do the wilds. It’s one banging, and I mean BANGING, set. No lie! No holds barred, crazy, runaway train of rock n roll, and these guys give everything they’ve got.
It doesn’t slow down or let up for one second, then in the encore for ‘Slice of lime’ it gets wilder. I mean, we knew this would be the song that went off, but this is like spontaneous combustion en masse! I’m left bedraggled, breathless, probably bruised, and boy will I ache tomorrow, but what an absolutely blistering gig! Gig of a lifetime. I mean, these lads play, and they play with everything they’ve got to give, and the fans are so up for it! Stand out gig for me. With such immense energy, presence and the gritty, seedy, observational and witty and very clever lyrics. it’s a winner. Really, check out The Reytons…but be prepared if you see them live, it’s a rough ride…but one of the best you’ll likely ever go on!
Set List:
1/ Low Life
2/ Red Smoke
3/ Antibiotics
4/ Retro Emporium
5/ Landslide
6/ Cash in Hand and Fake ID’s
7/ Harrison Lesser
8/ Headache
9/ Tallest Man in the Nightclub
10/ Could do better
11/ On the back burner
12/ Billy Big Bollocks
13/ Broke Boys Cartel
14/ Slice of Lime
15/ Kids off the Estate
16/ Avalanche
FOLLOW REYTONS
FOLLOW THE LOTTERY WINNERS
FOLLOW THE CLAUSE
Warren is a live music and festival photographer based in Cheshire and covers gigs/festivals mostly in the North West of England. He has been photographing live music for over 10 years and has covered major artists and festivals
