It took all of 40 seconds to walk from my front door to Brudenell, and the evening ahead was indeed an undeserved break from the copious amount of reading and essays haunting me. The real Halloween nightmare.

Callum Beattie began the night, debuting a variety of unreleased songs and accumulating some new fans with his strong, Scottish, raspy tones. Despite being a soloist, the chemistry between him and the musicians emitted more of a band-like vibe, sounding almost like a love child of Take That and Twin Atlantic which I wasn’t upset about. Leeds band Marsicians followed, who, having played this staple venue before, were happy to be in front of a home crowd once again. Everything from their hair to their harmonies were faultless, with ‘Swimming’ really showcasing how in tune the boys were and how beautifully their vocals can glide seamlessly into an energetic guitar-riff-filled tune. I’d fully encourage anyone with ears to get tickets to their show at Church next March.

With enough time for the sold-out crowd to grab a drink and hit the loos, Clean Cut Kid ascended the stage and went right into ‘Runaway’, creating a contagious energy that didn’t waver for the next hour. Although lead man Mike Halls made it clear from the get-go that they’d play the album and that was it, the variety of tracks from Felt and his scouse humour didn’t disappoint. Following on with the crowd pleaser ‘Stay’, Mike then introduced Evelyn, band member and wife, and proceeded to make her incredibly uncomfortable as he encouraged the crowd to serenade her with ‘Evelyn’.

Calming things down with their “emo section about heartbreak”, ‘Brother of Mine’ and ‘Time to Let You Go’ had their moment in the sun. As expected, the iconic guitar riff burst through the speakers and the set was closed with their most popular record ‘Vitamin C’. As Evelyn and Mike’s voices melted into each other, they were joined by the entire venue, and with people on shoulders and hands in the air, it was one of the best Wednesdays I’ve had in a good while.

Andrea Loftus

Photo Credit: liverpoolecho.co.ulk