Only three things in life are certain; death, taxes, and Boot Music showcasing some truly stellar musicians.
With their fingers firmly on the pulse of the best indie and alternative from the north west and beyond, Boot Music have been developing quite the reputation for spotting star talent; October Drift to Queen Cult, Crawlers to Shefu, they are consistently good at shining a spotlight on the artists who truly posses something that is impossible to ignore. Their latest showcase was no different.
Celebrating the release of Issue 4 of their physical magazine, an issue that features legendary Swedish rockers The Hives as the cover stars no less, Boot Music once more put on one of their fantastic musical showcases, and very kindly invited myself along to see it for myself.
The venue of choice was the legendary Jacaranda of Liverpool, which by the time I arrived, was already spilling out onto the street with crowds of Saturday night revellers. It wouldn’t take particularly long for the venue’s basement to also feel the same; even though I knew it was a sold out show, I was genuinely taken aback by how quickly the room filled up, long before a single note had even been played by any of the evening’s acts.
The excitement was clear, and that’s not surprising; speaking with other people invested in the Liverpool music scene, there’s an understanding that if Boot Music are hosting an event, it promises to be one of fantastic quality, and for the opening act at least, I was already able to vouch for that, with Montana via Liverpool singer-songwriter Bella Wright commencing proceedings.
This was, of course, hot off the heels of Wright’s new single ‘Ashtray’, which released earlier this month. I’ve already reviewed this track in detail here, but simply put, but it’s a raw, untamed look at being hooked on a love that only hurts you, written through Wright’s signature musics lens of fuzzy 90’s alt rock that at times verges on grunge and pop punk.
Wright took to the stage with her full band for this performance, featuring a line up of Carleigh McRitchie (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), Haiven Sellers (violin and backing vocals), Max Holden (lead guitar), Jerry Buxade (bass), and Jamie Munns (percussion), all of whom are fantastically talented musicians in their own right. Anyone who read my recent review of Centerfold’s debut single ‘Rewrite My Time’ might recognise those last two names in particular.
There’s little doubt that Wright is a wonderful singer, with her powerful upper register and smoky lower vocals both translating across fantastically on recordings, yet even I was taken aback by just how talented Wright is in a live context. Those intense vocal performances that feature on her studio material sounded even more effervescent, infused with an energy and character that Wright delivered with effortlessness.
On top of that, her stage presence was nothing short of enrapturing, each of her songs being delivered with playful dramatics and enthusiastic flair as she, and her band mates, somehow managed to make the cramped stage of the Jacaranda feel expansive with their sheer energy. The crowd couldn’t help but embrace Wright, maintaining full engagement; as one song closer, from somewhere deeper into the crowd floated the words ‘I love this’.
By the time Wright wound her set to a close with her two latest singles, ‘Worth The Crime’ and ‘Ashtray’, the room was buzzing with excitement. Those who knew the words sang along at the top of their voices, and those that didn’t danced enough for the rest of us; the atmosphere felt celebratory, and it was clear that the ensemble could feel this.
There was something that hung around the air of Bones that was hard to pinpoint. Their presence at first seemed perhaps nervous, casting quiet and unassuming figures on the stage. But all of that is blown apart as the band launch into their opening track with a sound that can only really be described as utterly monstrous, a tidal wave of crushingly heavy and ferociously noisy riffs that immediately grips your attention.
As the band blister through their set, that sound evolves and sprawls out, bringing psychedelic influences with the track ‘Prism’, whilst also taking you back to ‘Whatever People Say I Am[…]’ era Arctic Monkeys on the raucous ‘Fight Club’, each track showcasing that this is a special collection of musicians indeed, with a passion and technical proficiency that is marvellous to behold.
The band closed off their set with a track that is soon to be released; a behemoth of a track that easily approached the five minute mark, perhaps beyond, tying together elements of alternative rock and progressive rock into some raw, untamed beast of track… and that’s when it hit me, just why their presence in the stage felt so unique.
Bones keep a steady distance between the audience and themselves, a gap that has them enclosed in their own world. Banter between the songs is minimal. Yet strangely, this makes them all the more beguiling to watch. There’s a mystique, a weighty presence about them, as if they are utterly unfazed by it all, here to deliver a riotous performance and leave you with enough questions that has you desperate for more. Not once do you feel bored or disengaged with this band; they hook you in, and keep you there for the whole set.
Dare I say there feels something special about Bones?
By this point in the evening, it truly had begun to feel like a ‘who’s who’ of Liverpool based musicians. Members of Character Development, Shefu, and The Attic milled about the audience, solidifying the importance of Boot Music’s work in creating a strong community of musicians and music industry workers supporting one another.
Now, I’ll admit, I was skeptical of the headline act at first. Whilst, yes, I adored Jaws’ performance as Bruce in the legendary 1975 movie, I was curious how he would perform as a musician all these years later. A shark in the Jacaranda? Surely not.
It was clear though that Jaws The Shark was always born to do this. Immediately, vocalist and creative mastermind behind the music project Olly Bailey showcased a phenomenal ability to work a crowd, with a confident and effortlessly cool presence with just the smallest pinch of dramatic flair to make the whole thing feel like a true performance in every sense of the word.
This was the first headline show in Liverpool for Jaws, and despite being one member down, with their live drummer being unavailable for this for this performance, the outfit still managed to cultivate a fantastic presence in the venue, with their rough and ready punk sound interwoven with pop hooks translating across perfectly to the rowdy Liverpool crowd.
Jaws dropped their latest single ‘Silver Sun’ at the end of last month, accompanying the project’s EP of the same name. This track goes down a storm for both newcomers to the project, and pre-existing fans, a group of whom at the front of the venue were in particularly fine voice. Then, almost as if a reward for said longtime fans, Jaws launched in ‘Cold Feet’ from their debut EP, bringing a far rawer punk sound, but losing none of their slick swagger.
With another new EP on the horizon, Jaws The Shark treated us to an unreleased song from said project, and one that had yet to be performed live. Simply put, it sounded massive, with a fuzzy grunge wall of riffs blasting out from the project in a way that felt strangely reminiscent of Australian heavy rockers Ocean Grove. It’s certainly an indication that on his next release, Bailey means business.
Softer moments of the set, such as the driving power pop of ‘Didn’t Even Know What I Was Looking For’ carry just as much weight as those heavier moments, and really give Bailey chance to shine as a performer, his vocals packing a surprising amount of emotive weight when separated from the usual rough and ready punk swagger of his project.
Jaws The Shark close off their set with the fantastically catchy ‘Destroy the World’, the chorus of which has been stuck in my head ever since the concert, and the first track Bailey wrote for the project, ‘Demon Dream’, which provided a wonderfully rousing to note to close out an evening of fantastic music. I will be keeping my eyes eagerly peeled for the next EP from Jaws The Shark, along with any hint of a modern remake of that classic movie.
It’s been a bit of a glum time in Liverpool for musicians. The sudden closure of Jimmy’s was a major blow to the independent and grassroots scenes of the city, yet another venue left to rot despite a citywide promotional campaign from the council on being the ‘Music City’. Sure, we can host Eurovision, but if we don’t support our own music scene, does that even matter?
Thankfully, hope is not lost. There are genuine superheroes, such as Club Evol, This Feeling, No Play, and Boot Music, putting in incredible work to ensure that the music scene of this city continues to survive and thrive, and by extension, keeping so many hospitality and live music venues alive.
And if they unearth some genuine star talent along the way, just as Boot Music have been doing, even better.
Featured photo credit belongs to @robcrawford.
Issue 4 of Boot Music can be purchased here.
Follow the acts on social media below:
Bella Wright
Instagram // Spotify // Bandcamp
Bones
Jaws The Shark
VINYL FANTASY REVIEWS 
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