The inaugural Boot Fest arrived in Birkenhead late last month, and promised not just a selection of Merseyside’s finest upcoming talents, but appearances from Dead Air Records and Again Screen Printing.
Even on a fundamental level, the concept of Boot Music remains somewhat radically ambitious; print magazines on music in 2024 is unheard of, yet the team make it work with great success on the local scene. Boot Fest represented the perfect culmination of that ambition; this was a chance for the journalism and promotion group to truly make a mark on the landscape of Merseyside.
Before we discuss any music however, high commendation must be given to the venue.
Future Yard is special. In one corner, a ground of young musicians are huddled over sheets of A4 and an acoustic guitar. Fliers litter every shelf with all kinds of fantastic local talent from the creative world. Leaflets inform you of their sustainable food and the steps they’re taking to become a carbon-neutral venue, whilst a sign with ‘trans rights’ scribbled in it sits behind the bar.
Every inch of this venue feels vibrant, alive, filled with potential and art and joy. It transcends being a bar or a venue, but instead exists as a third space in its purest form; a place for humans to be human, to create and relax and have fun. It is a jewel in a town that has been left to rot by successive councils for so long, and radiates a sense of purpose that no other venue in the entire of the north west of England possesses.
The live music across the day even featured some of the finest sound quality from a live music event I have heard on a long time; their sound technicians of the day deserve high praise indeed.
And on top of all that, their almond mochas are fucking phenomenal.
Georgia Johnson takes to the stage with a collective of fantastic local talent backing her, including Eli Younger of Architect’s Daughter. Immediately, you are hit with rousing indie folk, with warm, cinematic instrumentals unfurling beneath compelling and powerful vocal melodies. Johnson sounds just as relevant as the rest of her singer songwriter peers, yet also readily embraces the rustic charm of folk music in a way that makes you immediately gravitate towards her performance.
‘Ghost Song’ packs driving, heartland rock vibes, with prominent lead guitar melodies soaring across gritty, distorted riffs. Johnson has a playful presence on stage, occupying far more than just the small spot behind the microphone. ‘Bear Hug’ is stated to be the title track of an upcoming project, and her proclamation that the track is quite simply about ‘being gay’ gets an enthusiastic welcome from the crowd.
A cover of ‘Kyoto’ by Phoebe Bridgers acts as a showcase for Johnson to show just where she sits in the musical realm right now, and gives the audience – many of whom are strangers to her music – something to latch on to that they will find familiar. It’s a thoroughly convincing performance, with Johnson approaching the track with enough of her own personality and energy to make it truly feel like it could have been written by her.
The set is closed off with what is described as ‘a big fuck you to all dads’. A track of heavy catharsis, ‘Out In The Cold’ is deceptively simple on the surface, hiding a groove that hooks you in and refuses to let go. Instruments build up from a stripped back foundation, layered over a walking pace kick drum, as if slowly being charged by Johnson’s own energy.
Between convincing musical performances and a warm and genuine personality, the audience is easily impressed by Johnson, remaining engaged and invested throughout the entirety of her set. She possesses a certain baseline combination apparent confidence and undeniable talent that makes it feel as though she belongs not just on this stage, but stages far, far bigger. Time will tell, but Johnson’s potential shines incredibly bright.
One of the key elements of ensuring that your music translates well to an audience is making that audience feel at ease in your presence. Toy Car, from the opening moments of their set, made it clear that they were already masters at this; as the band explode with slick, punchy rock’n’roll that is infused with modern indie sensibilities, it is immediately apparent that they live for their craft. Performance is something that is in the blood of these musicians.
Alongside their easy-going stage presence, the band pack an impressive rhythmic department that pulls off unexpected and off-kilter rhythms with ease. They blaze through their most recent single, ‘Better Than Before’, delivering a powerful, driving performance, crammed with gorgeous vocal harmonies and a genuinely compelling lead vocal performance. The rhythmic switch-up in the back half is electrifying, especially as the band introduce another layer of percussion to the line-up.
‘Useless’ brings bouncing 00’s vibes that you might expect from the likes of Jet, with an invigorating bass line that commands you to move. ‘Jurassic Park’, on the other hand, is a jagged punk cut that the band indicate will be from an upcoming project of currently undetermined length.
Their passion for extinct animals continues with ‘Thylacine’, named after the supposedly extinct Tasmanian Tiger; the vocalist declares that he remains a believer that they’re out there somewhere, and frankly, I’m with him on this one. It’s a funky number that manages to incorporate some unexpected grunge vibes, cleverly looking at the feeling of losing your own identity through the lens of extinction.
As Toy Car approach the end of their set, it becomes clear that they have all of the elements that an indie band needs to reach the next level; catchy songwriting, compelling stage presence, and buckets of charisma. There’s a vibrance to their performance that makes it hard to not find them both incredibly likeable and incredibly engaging. With their biggest headline show to date coming up on October, there has never been a better time to give Toy Car a try.
At every musical all-day event, one band must deal with the biggest challenge of them all; the mid-point of the line-up. The audience’s energy levels have dipped as time has gone on, and have yet to recover with the assistance of booze and good food. For Boot Fest, it was Juno’s duty to grapple with this hurdle, alongside the encroaching threat of heavy rain.
Thankfully, Juno are armed with an immense, relentless sound that crosses the boundary of indie and punk. As they blast through their track ‘One More Time’, you bare witness to an intensity that almost gives the impression that they band are at the mercy of their own music, controlled by thunderous walls of fuzzy guitars.
‘Cascade’ and ‘So You’ truly lean into the scrappy indie core of the band, whilst ‘Kiss Me’ thunders towards relentlessly, with reverb soaked guitars layered over bombastic, driving rhythms. In a local indie basement venue, you can imagine this track being an immediate pit starter, and that energy serves as the breakthrough for the band; the mid-point slump is slowly vanquished, with pockets of the crowd now truly on board with Juno’s Herculean take on indie.
Perhaps it is the force of their performance that lead to some unfortunate technical difficulties, with two guitars rendered unplayable. Thankfully, Toy Car were on hand to arm Juno once more, and the band rally into their psych-rock epic, ‘Visions’. The energetic climax on the back end of this track is a magnificent pay-off for the lengthy slow-burn build-up that the track presents as; it’s by far the band’s most unique track, and one that demonstrates their raw potential for expansive and intricate rock that transcends clear boundaries.
‘Go Slowly’ marks the band’s final track, and as the rain begins to slowly creep in, it was clear that Juno had put up a valiant enough effort to win over a challenging crowd. There is a youthful ferocity to their music, as the band bludgeon you with slab after slab of monstrously sized indie rock, and force you to pay attention to them.
As the very first notes of the set ring out, the crowd pours into the outdoors venue of the Future Yard. The buzz that surrounds The Sukis is palpable and infectious; this is a band that feels ready to explode into the mainstream consciousness of the indie rock world. Not only do they have an immaculate understanding of aesthetics, but manage to combine this with substantial, groovy indie that feels both familiar and distinct. Truly, The Sukis feel like the full package.
Despite the torrential downpour that now had set up camp over Birkenhead, The Sukis maintained a boundless and resolutely charming energy that being miserable in their presence an impossibility. Hitting big numbers in their catalog such as ‘Anamo’, the band almost seem to bounce off of the terrible weather conditions, delivering their performance with effortless coolness and charming audience interaction.
‘Morning Sun’ is buoyed by a swaggering, groovy energy, packed with glittering synths and choruses that are immense in scale. The band go on to play a cover of fellow Liverpool act Space’s ‘Female of the Species’, before moving on to an unreleased single entitled ‘Normal People’, based upon the Sally Rooney novel of the same title.
Pockets of the audience dance along with the summery energy of ‘Cherryade’, in defiance of the wet and overcast skies of Birkenhead. Guitarist James Miller is a particularly captivating and quirky presence throughout, unrestrained by the physical limitations of stage space. That capacity for simply not giving a damn plays out perfectly during the performance of ‘Imposter Syndrome’, as the band truly put on a show for the audience and the cameras.
By the time the band reach their closing track, ‘Becca’, it is clear they have not only won over the audience, but won a battle against the most formidable of foes: the English weather. The Sukis are a band of showmen of the highest calibre, taking what could have been a challenging performance, and ensuring that the audience had a wild time regardless of the circumstances.
With a support slot with the legendary Red Rum Club ahead of them, there is no doubt that if you haven’t heard The Sukis yet, you will do very, very soon.
Shefu are a band I have had the pleasure of seeing on numerous occasions by this point. From supporting bands such as Queen Cult and Crawlers, to their own incredible headline performance, Shefu have remained one of the most special bands on the Liverpool circuit, possessing a star quality that is impossible to truly define.
Now headlining Boot Fest, the band immediately open their set with a ferocity and confidence that I’ve yet to see from the band. Joined by Miller of The Sukis on guitar, you can sense that this is a band that have realised that their career could truly be starting to take them to some very exciting places.
Songs that have remained staples of the set list for quite some time sound punchier, tighter, and more fleshed out than ever before, truly embracing the glam rock undertones that punctuates much of what Shefu does. The banter from vocalist Rose Winn is genuinely laughter inducing, and keeps the audience hooked in tightly between songs.
The band promise that they’ll be treating listeners soon with a brand new single entitled ‘Smoke Show’. Funky percussive rhythms and bluesy guitar licks play out before a swaggering bass line comes to join the fray. It serves as an excellent upcoming single for the band, capturing the essence and technical proficiency of the band perfectly.
Back to familiar territory, the band then hit up their latest single, ‘BUTTERKNIFE’, which features a gorgeous guitar solo from Alice Oliphant during its live performances. The crowd sing along to the melody, well aqcuainted with the track’s perfect combination of melancholy and bombast. Performances of unreleased tracks ‘Spent’ and ‘Run Rabbit’ manage to maintain the energy and engagement just as much as any of the band’s singles do, and a lot of that comes down to the wonderful chemistry of Shefu.
Some outfits feel like nothing more than a collection of musicians existing as coworkers; music is nothing more than a business, and live shows are a business event. Shefu, however, feel truly like a collection of friends from the best trashy sitcom of the 00’s; the atmosphere they bring is one of warmth and welcoming, with just enough chaos to keep things truly fun and unpredictable. You don’t just want to watch Shefu; you want to be Shefu.
The vocal talents of Winn are displayed in all of their magnificence during the incredible one-two punch of live staple ‘Arizona’ and sophomore single ‘Thumb’, both of which see commanding, demanding vocal performances draped over luscious yet melancholic instrumentals that resonate with a deep, listless sense of longing. Even though an attempt by Winn to enter the audience is thwarted by a tiny microphone cable, the audience gift the band with a sea of swaying thumbs during the latter track’s winding verses.
Finally, time came to bring Boot Fest to a close, and Shefu launched into their trademark debut single, ‘Chandler Bing’. The bass is absolutely soaked in distortion, elevated the track to an entirely new level than ever before; the audience cannot resist dancing along to the thumping rhythms of this relentlessly catchy track. It marks a wonderful close to proceedings, ending the Fest on an exuberant, celebratory note.
Or perhaps it would have done if Shefu hadn’t put on a performance so commanding that the audience demanded a real, authentic encore; instead of disappearing from the stage for a moment in an illusion of an encore, the band are seen to joyfully scramble for an idea to satiate the appetite of the audience. Thankfully, Holly Minto of Crawlers was on hand to offer the perfect song request, and the band launch into a brilliant rendition of Chappell Roan’s ‘Red Wine Supernova’. This truly marked a wonderful close proceedings, ending the Fest on even more of an exuberant and celebratory note than before.
It is thoroughly unsurprising that, just as with The Sukis, Shefu have also been offered the opportunity to support Red Rum Club at Salt & Tar. Some acts resonate an undefinable star quality; both of these acts do that to the highest degree.
Anybody can tell you about the latest Taylor Swift or Harry Styles album. Anyone can give their opinions on the artwork for Charli XCX’s album, or the vision behind Beyoncé’s ongoing trilogy of records. But it takes a special kind of publication to keep their fingers on the pulse of local music quite how Boot Music manages to. Clearly, this is a project that understands the Merseyside music scene perfectly, pulling together the brightest talents to put on a show at the most exciting venue, ensuring that the entire project remains affordable, accessible, and enjoyable.
As the event continued on into the evening to the sound of Dance For Plants’ DJ set, it was clear that Boot Fest’s inaugural outing was a resounding success, acting as the perfect culmination of years of investing in the local music community. It comes as no surprise that Boot Fest 2025 is already in the works, with super early bird tickets available to purchase right now. So people of Merseyside, keep your eyes on Boot Music’s magazines, and your ears to the ground of the grassroots scene; you might be about to discover some incredible new talent.
Tickets for Boot Fest 2025 are available to purchase here.
Follow all involved via the links below:
Boot Music
Dead Air Records
AGAIN Sustainable Merch
Future Yard
Georgia Johnson
Toy Car
Juno
The Sukis
Instagram // Spotify // Twitter // TikTok
Shefu
Instagram // Spotify // Twitter // TikTok
Dance For Plants
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