Running La Vida Liverpool magazine singlehandedly means working long hours and although I promote so many different events, it’s very rare I get the chance to actually attend one! However, on Friday 18th October I enjoyed a rare night off and attended a phenomenal gig at Liverpool’s iconic Zanzibar Club.
Taking a trip down memory lane and reminiscing about gigs I attended there as a spritely 18-year-old some 20 or so years ago, witnessing the likes of The Coral do their thing, I headed to the legendary venue with great anticipation. This time it was all about Seattle based grunge outfit Skating Polly, with support from The Empty Page and Steel, and I was excited to be transported back to my youth.
The nostalgic experience and re-kindling of my love for the wonderful Zanzibar came courtesy of John King from Sound Night Out and Michael Coates from Moonfrog, who have been working tirelessly to bring some incredible international acts to the city — purely for the love of music. Their events have been receiving rave reviews and in this instance they came together to put on a gig of the highest order!
Packing out the Zanzibar Club and bringing back its glory days, the night first featured Steel — a promising local band who have been making a name for themselves. They certainly did that night — demonstrating great stage presence and energy. Definitely one to watch and it reminded me of watching grass roots bands at the legendary Valhalla night back in the early 00s.
They were followed by The Empty Page — the emphatic punk outfit from Manchester who have enjoyed airtime from BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 1 and who have been compared to Radiohead, Bjork, Kate Bush, Amanda Palmer and Patti Smith. Poignantly building up to emphatic crescendos, they put on a dynamic showcase worthy of any headline slot — what a band and what a way to set up the Seattle trio, Skating Polly!
When Skating Polly took to the stage for their second ever Liverpool show, it was clear that they had already attained a cult-like following here in the UK. Having recently enjoyed airplay on BBC 6 Music, the grunge outfit are a juggernaut that’s showing no sign of slowing down — with explosive energy, a kick ass attitude and mean riffs!
With Kurt Mayo on drums and Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse smashing the guitars and vocals, Skating Polly had the venue rocking and brought the kind of female rock attitude and energy that Debbie Harry would be proud of! Hitting all the notes, at times I likened them to Alanis Morissette on steroids — such stunning voices but ready to explode at any point — both beautiful and destructive in the same breath.
As I smoked a post-gig cigarette outside The Zanzibar Club, I recalled standing in the exact same spot following a legendary night there around 20 years ago. I felt a sense of triumph and defiance as thanks to hardworking and passionate promoters like John King and Michael Coates, the Liverpool music scene is still very much alive — despite facing all sorts of adversities and venues closing at an alarming rate.
I am so pleased that I took some time out to attend this incredible gig and I have promised myself to attend more nights like this — I strongly encourage you to do the same. Take a break from the norm and go check out a band you’ve never heard of before at one of Liverpool’s fantastic live music venues — these amazing promoters deserve it and these fantastic venues need it! See you at a boss gig soon!
FOR MORE ABOUT SOUND NIGHT OUT VISIT THE WEBSITE AND FOLLOW MOONFROG ON FACEBOOK
