Come one, come all! Shefu invite you to take part in their inaugural headline show. Behold one of the finest live acts in the north west, and discover that becoming a Shefoid is all but inevitable.
Anybody who has had a chance to speak to me about music has probably heard me talk about how strong the music scene in Liverpool is right now. Finally, it feels like the city is moving past a reliance on historical prestige, and emerging acts are being given the opportunity to finally put Merseyside back on the map.
Of course, there are the big names, like Circa Waves and The Wombats. Red Rum Club, Loathe, and Crawlers have been breaking out into the big time, whilst Gen And The Degenerates have finally been getting some much-deserved traction. But the next big name to come out of Liverpool I suspect will be the five-piece outfit Shefu.
Having caught them twice in a support slot, once for Queen Cult and once for the aforementioned Crawlers, I was absolutely not going to turn down the chance to catch the band’s first headline gig at the grassroots bastion of the Kazimier Stockroom. And that’s for one very simple reason: Shefu have an undefinable star quality that is impossible not to be swept up by.
Certainly, their songwriting capabilities are great, their musical talents are fantastic, and their stage presence is enthralling. But there are so many bands that possess these things that still lack that extra component Shefu possess, an indescribable sensation that you are watching something special unfold during their performances. And that has never been more true than during this show.
Even before stepping foot in the venue, you could sense the buzz, plenty people incorporating Shefu merch into their best outfits, which considering they are a band who only had one song out at the time, it takes some doing to create such an air of excitement and such a following. The Kazimier was packed full of Saturday night revellers beginning their evenings, adding to the sense of celebration. The Stockroom itself was unassuming; dark, with minimal but effective fluorescent lighting and zero barricade. Shefu ‘goody bags’, packing glow sticks, stickers, party hats, and signed prints, were made available for free on a first-come first-served basis.
Opening up the night was local singer-songwriter and one half of Bedlam, Betty Lou, who appeared to have quite the supportive following present in their audience. With a set of originals lined-up, Lou kicked things off with the bluesy number ‘Let’s Dance’, and immediately it was clear that her talent as a vocalist cannot be understated. Rich, with a resonant lower register and phenomenal control, culminating in an incredible talent for conveying conviction and emotion.
After the track ‘Northern Star’, Lou swaps out her electric guitar for an acoustic one (which, importantly, goes by the name of ‘Daisy’), and this is when her talent truly shows itself. ‘That Woman’ is a track that harnesses the vibes one might expect from Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’, whilst ‘Falling’ is absolutely the star of the show.
It can’t be described as anything other than a beautiful performance, with Lou’s vocal control truly taking centre stage to conjure melodies heavy with emotive weight, decorating the track with sonic light and shade that embellish upon the already heartbreaking lyricism (‘All I know is no one gets out alive/And I think I’m falling’).
After one final track, ‘Staring at Crows’, and a reminder to check out her material on Soundcloud, Lou departs the stage to resounding applause and cheering. Truly, Lou is a real talent in the making.
By this point in the evening, those who had party hats at their disposal had busted them out, and the room was beginning to fill up to the point of making its mirrors fog up. Shefu had only a handful of tickets available on the door, so it’s easy to assume the whole event had been sold out.
Danger Dog took to the stage next. And to my surprise, they weren’t perhaps an indie or alternative act, as is popular in the north west. Instead, the audience is suddenly blasted with a wall of loud, frenetic skramz-leaning midwest emo. It’s wholly unexpected, and at first, the crowd seems a little uncertain of what to make of it.
Guitars noodle their way through complex weaving passages whilst their vocalist delivers their lyrics with a mix of raw screams and wavering near-spoken word passages, and as they keep up their energy and bounce off of one another, it clicks with the audience. It’s incredibly fun to watch, their joy of performing music highly, highly infectious.
The energy is maintained throughout, even during their slower cuts (and even without the DVD copies of 2007 animated movie ‘Surf’s Up’ that they had intended to litter the stage with). The SpongeBob SquarePants introduction to one of the tracks has my friend, whom I had invited along knowing nothing of the acts, write ‘based’ in the notes I was scribbling down.
Danger Dog close out their set with an offer of one of their demo CDs for just £2, which I gladly picked up, the case little more than a recycled slipcase with some form of canine scribbled on it. The four-piece will be returning to the Kazimier Stockroom on September 1st, for an evening with Safest Spaces, Neiman, and Character Development; I assure you, I will certainly be in attendance.
The room had truly filled up, whilst just outside Saturday night was truly in full swing. A small collection of people had gathered at the back to pick up the one of the Danger Dog demos, whilst the set-up for Shefu took place on stage with haste.
Drummer Tom takes to the stage first, inviting us into the headline celebrations of the evening, before commencing a rolling big band rhythm as Shefu take charge of the evening, stepping up one by one. Even with, at the time of performing, a single song released, the crowd knows the live arsenal well enough to lap it up, singing the parts they have picked up from performances.
Of course, any grassroots gig wouldn’t be complete without some microphone issues, and almost immediately, vocalist Rose’s microphone cuts out. Not that they even seemed remotely bothered; mic or no mic, they continued to deliver a fantastic performance without acknowledging that anything was wrong, their voice actually still audible above the band thanks to its sheer power. If it was a test, Shefu passed it with flying colours, and the reward was the rest of set being free of technological issues.
An older track, written by guitarist Alice (whom also has work under the moniker ‘GammaGirl’), was brought out as a treat for the fans. ‘Silly Little Things’ is a melancholic, waltzing affair, with complex weaving instrumentation that exposes just how talented these musicians are. ‘Kick My Ass in Arizona’ follows this up; a gorgeous, intimate track that starts out slow, the harmonisation between Rose’s resonant lower register and bassist Shiv’s beautiful tender upper register is shiver inducing, as Rose takes to the audience and cuts a restless, listless figure, embracing the sentiment of the track perfectly.
Things ramp up at the climax of the track, with a punkish closing statement to the song that riles the audience back up just in time for what seems to have evolved into a fan-favourite track, ‘I Got Everything’. The perfect fuck-you track, the crowd lap up the performance, one which exudes confidence and sheer fun, especially as Rose and Alice bounce off one another throughout. Even those in the audience that may only know the band through the material they’ve released are evidently having a wildly enjoyable time, being treated to the full Shefu experience.
Of course, however, the biggest reception of the night would go to that aforementioned released track, ‘Chandler Bing’. A recklessly fun cut that is almost a little Scissor Sisters in its execution, the audience are in fine vocal form for this number, which only feeds into the fire of the band. Guitarist Ross particularly stands out on this performance, acting almost as a second frontperson that gets plenty of recognition from the audience.
Alas, before too long it was time for one final track, choosing to round off the evening with their latest single, the song-of-the-year contender that is ‘Thumb’. Slowly building from nothing, with lyricism that is as stark as it is stellar, it’s hard to think of a finer fit for the band to close their inaugural headline show with. The final chorus is simply rapturous; Rose’s vocals are extraordinary in their expansiveness and sheer power, threatening to lift the roof off the stockroom as they launch into a performance even they seem surprised by.
It’s uncertain who was celebrating this evening more as the curtains closed; the audience who had just witnessed the true birth of something special, or the band who seemed to understand just how important that performance had been for them. Shefu are not only already the full package, fantastic musicians and performers, but as I previously said, they carry with them something undefinable that makes it impossible to not find them utterly beguiling.
Every member of this outfit truly belongs on stage; there is reason to watch every each one of them when they perform, and there is no reason to take your eyes off of them, save to scrawl Shefu into the condensation fogging the mirrors on the wall. To have, at the time of the performance, just a single song on streaming services, yet be able to sell-out a show and have such a dedicated fanbase, is the sign of a band that carries prestige and star-quality; a band that carries a reason to talk about them.
Nothing is certain. But I’d be willing to place a decent bet on the future of Shefu being very, very bright. Get on board now.
Featured photo credit: glamgigpics
Follow the acts on social media below:
Shefu
Instagram // Threads // Spotify
Danger Dog
Betty Lou
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