So Long, Good Friday’s 1st year is a roaring success
The first edition of Liverpool’s So Long, Good Friday festival delivered a standout day of live music.
Photo: Harry Proctor
On the 3rd of April, Liverpool welcomed a new festival: So Long, Good Friday. This one-day event hosted a mix of musical artists in the city’s Baltic Triangle region, across five of its great venues. The day started with a fast and easy pick up of the wristband from Arts Bar, followed by a quick pint before the day’s events, after which it was a non-stop run of back-to-back gigs, with just enough time to have a quick smoke here and there before moving swiftly on to the next venue with another set of fresh music.
The first stop of the day was District with the festival’s very first band, At The Gallery. Although they are relatively new and were a bit nervous between songs, they performed very well. They were able to create an ethereal atmosphere — almost a dreamscape — which switched towards that kind of smooth and easy new Californian rock sound.
They played New Old Ways, an upbeat track that kept the dreamy vibe, as well as introducing some psychedelic-like riffs and a lead guitar that kicked up the energy, rounding off to a very solid song proving that this trio is one to keep an eye on.
Photo: Harry Proctor
From there, it was a very quick walk over to Hangar 34 to try and catch the start of a last-minute addition to my list. Thankfully, the Baltic is easy to navigate and the venues are not too far apart from each other.
I was able to see the beginning of Mickey Callisto’s set, who was set to perform later in the day, at around 10:30pm but, due to scheduling conflicts with a charity gig, had to have his performance moved to much earlier.
Mickey was a great crowd entertainer, sporting a classic white Adidas tracksuit. He moved across the stage throughout all of his songs, engaging with the crowd with a comedic “cheeky” attitude, and eventually stripping off his top and hopping into the crowd to perform one of his later tracks.
The music is reminiscent of Elton John and Queen, with orchestral-cum-big-band backing tracks, which he records in his bedroom. The track Slave To The Man, all about working under bad managers, was a great example of this, starting off as a piano ballad and later moving into that grander feeling that you’d get from a Queen song. The songs all had those electronic and ‘80s sounds rooted in them.
The seven-piece group MLEKO were on next at Furnace. This large group were the first to introduce a bit of jazz-punk to the day, with the sound loud, harsh, and discordant. Yet, having said that, the brass players, especially the sax, added a more solemn feeling at the start of some of the tracks while altogether accentuating the emotional feeling of the other members and their instruments, such as in Gub Rock, where the sax plays a focal part. The harmony of the band in general was excellent, which is important in a larger band to ensure that it doesn’t all feel too overwhelming.
All of this means that the band were able to pull off the slower piano in the opening of their first track, and the high-energy punk essence at the end of their set flawlessly. They are also set to drop a new EP very soon, so make sure to keep an eye out on their socials.
Liverpool local Hank Bee and her band were then performing in District. Another larger ensemble with six members performing all in all. These guys brought a modern folk sound with them, especially since the group included a steel guitar and a violin. The combination of these two instruments seemed to bring the sound of the whole band together while Hank’s vocals had an almost British twist on the classic country twang.
The band played some new songs, including 10:23, which utilises the whole group’s instrumental talents, as well as Corner, their first single and last song of the set. The set was consistent, even with switches from electric to acoustic, providing shifts from a more energetic tone to something a bit slower and more considerate.
As I was leaving District after a wonderful set, the sun was slowly starting to disappear from the sky, and I could see the Liverpool Cathedral looming over the Baltic triangle, its red bricks looking brilliant in the golden light of the afternoon. I could see why the festival chose the Baltic as its festival grounds. It’s not just the pretty views but also the artistic soul of the region. I was surrounded by artisan cafes and shops, one of which I was going to be heading to very soon.
But first, it was time for a quick dash between four different sets, with the first being World News, who were performing at Camp. They are a four-piece band consisting of lead guitar and vocals, rhythm guitar, bass and drums. They gave off that true classic indie rock band feeling with a bit of shoegaze thrown in there. The group’s interplay and the synchronisation between all the guitarists was one of the standouts of this set, the other being the band’s wardrobe, a set of button-ups with ties, and the bassist rocking it with a full pin-striped suit.
Second in the dash around from venue to venue were credits, who were playing back at District. Another mix of a guitarist and a drummer. With four guitars, all of which had great interplay providing another hit of classic indie rock, with a mix of electric, acoustic and bass. At times, they even leaned more into the borders of what sounded like dad rock, adding more charm to the tracks.
The vocalist was versatile with his switching from electric to acoustic, while the rhythm and bass supported him with backing vocals, all in all giving this set a good sense of harmony.
Penultimate during the dash were Kissing People in Hangar 34. A three-piece from across the UK who brought a fun and energetic presence, not only on stage between themselves but also out in the crowd, with fantastic crowd engagement, especially for an up-and-coming band. The music itself was lively and engaging subtly, highlighted mostly by the shared vocals of all members, which made the music feel like a real passion project. This is definitely a band to keep track of as they perform more gigs across the UK and hopefully release studio recordings soon. They definitely have the potential to be a group with a dedicated following.
Photo: Harry Proctor
The last act during my dash around was Little Grandad, who were performing in possibly the most interesting venue of the day, Lost Art, which usually serves as a skate shop.
As I arrived, I saw something for the first and only time during the festival: a queue. Most of the other venues were rather large and able to accommodate bigger crowds. Until this point, I was able to give myself enough time to get in to find a good spot; however, the hectic last few acts meant that for a little while I had to be content with listening to the band from the outside as the one-in-one-out queue moved slowly closer to the door.
During this, I had the opportunity to see some of the event staff interacting with other festival-goers as I heard what sounded like a Californian garage band from behind the glass doors. These two members of staff were incredibly friendly and were quick to let potential queuers know that the venue might be a tough one to get into as they approached, as well as striking up a friendly conversation with the people at the front of the line. It was a good example of the friendliness and effectiveness that I had experienced from the staff throughout the day.
Once inside, I got to see a four-piece band nestled in an alcove of this cool skater shop, between everything skater culture, not just boards, but also hoodies, t-shirts and trainers. All of which you’d be sure to spot people wearing just around the corner in Baltic’s iconic skate park. I imagine this is what it feels like to be watching a small pop gig in Cali.
The band themselves harmonised brilliantly between drums, electric guitars and the acoustic guitar. The lead vocals were reminiscent of the ‘90s grunge scene, while a surprise trumpet elevated their sound altogether. This is another band I will be keeping an eye on.
After a short break, it was time to head back to Camp for TTSSFU. From here, it would be an easy switch between Camp and Furnace as they’re both housed in the same building. The first thing I noticed was the band’s outfits: shirts and ties, with the vocalist wearing a long, pale green dress. The combination of this with the stage dressing in Camp almost made me feel like I was seeing a band playing prom night. Maybe it was this setup that made me feel like so many of their songs would fit perfectly in a coming-of-age film.
Despite some technical issues, the band gave a great performance. The lead singer used her impressive vocal range to its full extent, with the bassist’s backing vocals enhancing them. The singer was wonderfully engaging with the crowd, including winding up her mic’s cable so that she could run through the crowd towards the end of the set. Here, everybody she came close to became even more enamoured with the music, and it all came together very well, as members of the crowd banded together to hold the wire above their heads, allowing her to be free throughout the floor.
She ended the set on a high-energy kick with I Hope You Die, a song about killing your rapist, where she called for a quickly arranged mosh pit, and finished the track off by screaming “die” over and over until the song fell to a crescendo. I can imagine that, when given a longer set, this band would give one hell of a memorable show.
Photo: Harry Proctor
It was over to Furnace next to catch as much of Opus Kink as I could. This was the first of the longer acts of the evening, with a 45-minute set as opposed to the usual 30 minutes all other acts were allotted up to now, which meant that this set clashed a lot more than most of the others before this.
The band itself was another kick of those jazz-punk vibes, consisting of keys, lead guitar, rhythm, sax, trumpet and drums. The keyboardist was extremely energetic and helped the punk vibe the band was bringing, making for the more prevailing genre of influence, even though some ska elements were showing their face too. Ultimately, the band felt like some early post-ska punk with a solid vibe and an enthralled crowd.
One last time in Camp for an overdue return to Liverpool from The Orielles, who gave us one of the select few hour-long sets. Starting with a spacey backing track, the likes of which would show up in a lot more of their tracks throughout the set, then moving into an alt-rock sound, starting slow but getting more and more energetic. This sound mix worked well through the drummer, vocalist on bass and the lead guitar, who also utilised a DJ controller and provided backing vocals.
The longer set gave the band not only the opportunity to play some songs from this year’s new album, but also to show off the lead guitarist’s positive energy on stage. The seamless switch from gentle galactic sounds to upbeat, faster pace was interspersed with excellent psychedelic riffs.
The standout moment for me was definitely towards the end of the set, where the lead vocalist’s vocal tuner was turned up several notches, giving them an even more ethereal sound. This was excellent alone, but was most certainly accentuated by their bass-boosted guitar, making me feel the soundwaves hit my body with every stroke of the strings. The Orielles most certainly left an impression.
And finally, we ventured back to Furnace for the headliner of the festival, Fat Dog. I could tell that this was a set people were excited for, as the room filled up much quicker than any of the others and the crowd were ready to go from the very start.
The performance began with a voice announcing a “one-minute warning”, getting everyone to push a little closer to the front and take up their positions for the next hour. As soon as the choral backing track finished and the first beat dropped, the mosh pit started; it would only end when the band put away their instruments at the very end of the set.
The music is all hard punk with an injection of that ska DNA from the sax and the two drummers. With Wither, King of Slugs, Running, and of course, Peace Song, the band played some of its big hits with a great reaction from the crowd as they cheered from every new song’s opening notes.
As people crowd surfed, the vocalist spent most of his time pressed against the front barrier, as the band on stage was interplaying and running about, drawing even more of a buzz from the listeners. You can see why these guys were chosen as the headliner. Fat Dog are performing at even more festivals this year, and I’m sure they will bring the same fantastic energy to all of them.
The atmosphere was spirited, the songs were back-to-back, and the crowd was excited. This was an excellent end to the main acts of the festival.
The festival wasn’t over just yet, as the main line-up was followed by two late-night Monks DJ sets with a 45-minute interlude set from SILVERWINGKILLER, who had covered the spot Mickey Callisto was originally set to have. Several other bands played on the day, including Pevova, Honeyglaze and more.
This festival was incredibly well organised, with a full set list and map of the venue’s location easily accessible on their Instagram; the staff were approachable and friendly, and directions for queues and amenities were clearly marked. They managed to bring together some amazing acts in brilliant venues across a growing creative district in Liverpool. If this is only year one, I’m excited to see what the festival’s future holds.
All photos by Harry Proctor.
