The week leading up to Christmas is always great in Liverpool for gigs, with bands having one last hurrah before they start a new year plotting world domination. Its also a time when everyone goes out, with pubs full of once a year drinkers and divvies in antlers. So why not persuade your workmates or “the lads from school” to abandon the lowest common denominator bars this year, and get to one of these instead. They’ll think you’re dead cool, I promise.
The festive fun starts TONIGHT (Tuesday) with Christmas covers band The Eggnogs, Loose Moose String Band and Double Double Plus Good all playing Maguire’s on Renshaw Street (£2 in). DD+G have a couple of original Christmas compositions that are sure to feature, and I would imagine Loose Moose have a couple of Christmas crackers up their sleeves too (possibly quite literally). So if this won’t get you in the mood nothing will.
Thursday sees our mate The Tea Street Band play East Village Arts Club with our other mates Filter Distortion and not our mates, but I’m sure they are very nice, By The Sea. Tea Street Band shows famously go off. Tea Street Band gigs just before Christmas when no one is arsed about work any more are something else, and the stellar support will only help. Tickets are priced at £11.50 including booking fee but you can get them 2 for 1 if you type in the code PUDDING. What a nice Christmas present that is https://www.ticketweb.co.uk/event/tea-street-band-tickets/87503
Mad Friday madness can largely be avoided by going to the Red Sands EP launch at The Blade Factory (side of Camp and Furnace) hosted by Electone Records (£5). The Grim Fadango, The Romleys and Thomas McConnell make up an impressive bill, with Wicked Whispers doing a spot of DJing too.
Cast supported by The Hummingbirds are playing on Saturday night but its sold out so you’ve had it. So maybe go instead to a quite stupendous line up for the Broken Men record launch at District (£5). The boys and girls at Milk really know how to throw a party and have added Sugarmen, Dirty Rivers, Oxygen Thieves and Natalie McCool to the bill, as well as promised guest appearances from KOF and Dominic Dunn and their usual gang of resident DJ’s. A fiver! The only thing I can imagine would keep anyone from that is Sankofa launching their own EP at the Zanzibar on the same night (also £5), supported on the night by Mohebbi, Rook and the Ravens and Wild Eyes. However the nice people at Milk have said they will let you into District for £3 if you want to go to Sankofa first and head up for a dance later. But to throw another spanner in the works Liquidation are hosting a Christmas warehouse party at Haus on Greenland Street, with Beach Skulls playing live. WHY DOES EVERYTHING ALWAYS HAVE TO BE ON THE SAME NIGHT??? Gold Christmas star to anyone who manages to get all three.
If you are still standing, and remember folks the festive period is a marathon not a sprint, then Ian McNabb is playing a “home for Christmas” show at The Lomax (£5 tickets, £7.50 OTD). How lovely.
Personally I can’t get to any of them as I am flying out to Miami. This isn’t really relevant, I just thought I’d let you know.
Merry Christmas x
