It’s independent music week which always heralds great live music and a host of talented bands at your favourite local venue, in my case, Jimmy’s in Liverpool which plays host to London based punks False Heads with support from Pearl Hearts.
The gig space is in a basement below the Jimmy’s bar so very ‘atmospheric’ and cool space to catch some of the most promising up and coming talent eyeball to eyeball!
First up are local band, Zetland. They raced through a collection of melodic, bluesy tracks. They are fantastic and it’ll be interesting to see how they develop.
Next act is the duo, Pearl Hearts who’re promoting their upcoming new album. This two-piece rock band from London have been on our ‘must see’ list for some so it was great to finally catch them live.
The Pearl Hearts consists of Kirsty Lowery (vocals and guitar) and Sara Leigh (drums). With a strong track record, the duo have supported bands like Blues Pills and Garbage during recent tours. Tonight, the girls play a short, eight track set. New songs like ‘Wild me’ or ‘More’ mix well with more established tracks ‘Lara’ and ‘Suck it up’ and made for a perfect combination. Really, can’t wait until April when the new album hits the shelves.
Our ears get a short break before Luke Griffiths (frontman/lead guitar), Jake Elliot (bass) and Barney Nash (drums/backing vocals), aka False Heads hit the stage. Having seen False Heads few times before, in front of crowds large and small, there is no doubt that every time they play they give their all.
The have band already released two albums so plenty of scope for an entertaining set. ‘It’s All There But You’re Dreaming’ which was created during lockdown, while ‘Sick Moon’ was released last year. Both are giant slabs of hook laden punk rock with a carefully crafted song structures – think Royal Blood with real depth.
Energetic frontman Luke Griffiths throws himself about the stage, jumping onto drums and playing solos lying flat on the floor! What a performance! They are an impressive live proposition. Fans of Nirvana or Biffy Clyro take note, welcome to your new favourite band!
Raw guitar energy and powerful drumming never let up the whole gig. You can clearly see the band’s progression as new songs are more melodically, but retain the rawness of the first album. Tonight’s set is a perfect combination of those two.
Hopefully this is band is going to achieve great things in near future and if get the chance to see them live, don’t hesitate.
Words and pictures: Tom Adam