WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE TWO HUGE FESTEVOL EVENTS AT IWF!
Liverpool’s legendary promoters, EVOL, are about to host two huge all day FESTEVOL events at Invisible Wind Factory following the sell out success of their first event at Future Yard. The Liverpool events on Sat 7th August and Sat 14th August complete the trilogy of live music extravaganzas and are set to be epic!
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE! For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
The recent Wirral event, featuring The Mysterines, ZUZU, Seafoam Green and a whole host of local talent, was one of the best live music events since lockdown — here we check out what’s in store for the next two and talk to EVOL Head Honcho Revo Ziganda….
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE! For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
Sat 7th August
On Saturday 7th August acclaimed electronic producer Kelly Lee Owens makes her Liverpool debut in support of her critically lauded sophomore album ‘Inner Song’ alongside Yorkshire synth pop live force Working Men’s Club returning to the city following their success at the BBC 6 Music Festival a couple of years back.
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE!
Liverpool’s beautifully idiosyncratic electronic trio Stealing Sheep perform their 2019 Heavenly Records album ‘Big Wows’ and FestEvol stalwarts the mighty Tea Street Band return to the fold armed to the teeth with freshly recorded material from their forthcoming and highly anticipated third album.
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE!
Sat 14th August
Saturday 14th August sees a slight switch in musical styles from dance to more traditional indie as London four piece The Big Moon return to the city after selling out their early 2020 O2 Academy show in support of their Top 20 album ‘Walking Like We Do’. Uptempo Halifax three piece The Orielles also make a graceful return bringing their seamless second album ‘Disco Volador’ to life at the Wind Factory after an absence of four years.
For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
Indie rock group Black Honey make a third return after hitting the chart highs with a No. 7 album ‘Written & Directed’ earlier this year and Sheffield pop sensation Rebecca Lucy Taylor formerly of the group Slow Club makes her Evol and Liverpool debut as Self Esteem.
For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
A chat with EVOL’s Revo Ziganda….
LVL: What a first event at Future Yard! You must be pretty happy and excited for the next two events?
Revo: I think overjoyed is the word. It’s been a very long 18 months with gig venues closed so to work at a brand new venue, on our doorstep in Birkenhead where the people that run it understand gigs and work with promoters was a gulp of fresh air.
The day itself was exceptional with a great vibe, all the bands hanging out and watching each other and an audience that wanted to see live music again all without restrictions. The all dayers at the Invisible Wind Factory should be off the scale, a fantastic venue with a natural festival feel, an incredible line up with some of the hottest artists from around the UK and a beautiful supporting cast of groups from Merseyside, all weaved together in a cohesive whole. My team and I can’t wait for it.
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE! For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
LVL: So, what can we expect from the two IWF events?
Revo: The venue is perfect for an all day festival event. We have two floors of outstanding live music with headliners like Kelly Lee Owens, Working Men’s Club, Stealing Sheep, The Tea Street Band, IST IST, Black Honey, The Orielles, The Big Moon and Self Esteem — all are artists that are playing major festival events and you can’t escape them on BBC 6 Music.
A heavyweight Merseyside contingent playing who’ll all be dying to play, artists like Pixey, Silent-K, Eyesore & The Jinx, Psycho Comedy, and Podge and then we have some superb DJs spinning tunes all day in the venue’s garden area including special guests Primal Scream producer Jagz Kooner and Welsh radio presenter Katie Owen. All round good vibes.
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE! For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
LVL: Which acts are you most looking forward to seeing at these next two events?
Revo: All of them to be honest, there’s so much to watch and enjoy. Kelly Lee Owens will be playing her acclaimed album Inner Song live for the first time anywhere which is a coup for FestEvol. Working Men’s Club will be playing their Top 10 debut album, Stealing Sheep are always incredible to watch and never really play the same set twice, The Tea Street Band are back with a new record and will be playing all the hits.
From bands like Oranj Son, The Merchants, Hannah’s Little Sister and Honey Motel who open the days the quality runs throughout, all of the artists are busy and have new releases so the line up is really exciting. It’s a twelve hour marathon session on two Saturdays in August after nothing happening for 18 months so it will be good just to be back enjoying live music again.
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE! For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
LVL: As a promoter, you strike a really good balance of featuring well known acts alongside homegrown talent. Which local bands and artists have you been most impressed with recently?
Revo: I have my favourites, Red Rum Club, The Mysterines and Zuzu are groups I really love and have been working with from their first embryo shows up to playing O2 Academy and the University, it’s been great to watch and be a small part of their ascent. Then there’s a newer wave of the new wave with artists like The Peach Fuzz, Ali Horn, Gen & The Degenerates, Pixey, Zee Davine and the mighty DSM-IV.
As a promoter I always try and get local talent on the bills with touring artists, sometimes I have to argue with agents and it’s not always easy but I try my best to give bands from the region a platform and something to aim for. Once they’ve had a taste it usually propels them to greater things and instils a strong work ethic.
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE! For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
LVL: What are your most memorable EVOL gigs/events over the years?
Revo: There are so many as we’ve been promoting in Liverpool for 18 years. I can remember the very first booking at EBGBs basement with The Fat Truckers who came down from Sheffield, a few months later Bloc Party sold out the venue, then we had O2 or Carling back then Academy shows with Arctic Monkeys, Kooks and The Faint.
Then myself and Ladytron opened the Korova venue and that was pretty much six nights a week and almost everyone played — Foals, Friendly Fires, Metronomy, The Maccabees, Florence And The Machine, Miles Kane, 2manydjs, Reverend And The Makers, CSS and so many more. I have some really great memories of that place and when that closed The Kazimier happened and our first show there was The xx. The venues first sell out and we had some great bands from the US play there like Les Savy Fav and Hip Hop artists like KRS-One and Action Bronson.
Down the line the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Courtney Barnett and Animal Collective at the O2 and more recently groups like White Denim and Andrew W.K.. I think before the pandemic the last show that was completely off the scale was Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, that was something else but I could go on all day talking about the amazing artists that we’ve stuck our necks out on and brought to the city, we’re talking hundreds and hundreds.
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE! For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
LVL: What are your plans for the future following these next two extravaganzas?
Revo: I’m going to shut down for a week right after the second FestEvol. My team and I have put months of hard work into the shows and everything has been heightened by the uncertainty that Covid has brought into play, restrictions being extended and so forth.
Liverpool is not an easy animal to tame at the best of times but during a pandemic things haven’t been made easy so we’re going to enjoy these all dayers, watch all the bands and then take a break before launching into the bookings program from September — we have about 40 shows to promote then. There’s no real sleep time, if I get a full week off before all that I’ll be very lucky but my plan is to enjoy everything we do for as long as it last.
FestEvol / Sat 7th Aug & Sat 14th Aug, 1pm — 1am / Invisible Wind Factory
For tickets to 7th Aug event CLICK HERE!
For tickets to 14th Aug event CLICK HERE!
Images courtesy of New Sound Generation, FestEvol video courtesy of Ben Roberts of Polyphonica