“A lively and intriguing space for buoying genre-bending local talent.”
Outer Waves Festival made its debut over the weekend as a new alternative arts festival, promising to “fill a cultural gap in Liverpool’s existing festival landscape.” I’ve often found the term ‘alternative’ a bit vague – but with BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend happening just around the corner, Outer Waves felt like a haven for locals who like their music a little more underground and left of field. For brevity’s sake, I’ll focus on the performances I caught, highlighting the acts that left the strongest impression.
Outer Space took place at both Invisible Wind Factory and next door in Make, a maker space hub for local artists on the North docks. These two venerable venues proved to be well up to the task of platforming such an ambitious and jam-packed event. Early on Saturday, Nil00 served up some pleasant, lo-fi offerings earlier in the day, the twinkly, electronic pop fused with the catchy, sentimental lyrics befitting the intimacy of the Make stage. I hadn’t paid much attention to Nil00 before this weekend – aside from hearing the occasional snippet used in Instagram reels – but after seeing them live, I’ll be keeping an eye on whatever they do next.
Later on, the electronic dance trio Transmission Towers took the same stage, and from the outset, we were kept fully engaged by lead singer Eleanor Mante’s commanding stage presence. Her distinct vocals reminded me of a ‘Warm Leatherette’-era Grace Jones.The evening’s celebrations continued with Hyperdawn, a Manchester duo who create experimental, transportive soundscapes that make use of looping piano arpeggios and live reel-to-reel tape recorders on stage. I enjoyed watching their process on stage and seeing the pair completely immersed and focused on meticulously building the levels of each section. Gravitating from piano to feeding the tape recorder, to loop station, and back, it was hard not to be impressed by their ability to create such a uniquely hypnotic sound.
Saturday night was then headlined by the unmissable Ex-Easter Island Head, a Liverpool-based percussion ensemble that last year released their critically acclaimed album, Norther, and drew a sizeable crowd of swaying attendees with their bold and dreamy instrumentals. During the track, ‘Magnetic Language,’ the musicians recorded live vocals which were then sampled through one of the guitar pickups, producing sounds that felt deeply human but made unfamiliar by the layering of multiple, simultaneous rhythms. Their performance captured the essence of experimental music – pure intention led by instinct, free from ego. This, for me, was the best set of the festival.
Sunday brought new swathes of talent to sample, and in between dodging rain droplets and indulging in incredible food from Pierogi and Pickles, I gravitated to some enjoyable performances by European Taxis, Ex Agent, and Silverwingkiller. Of those, Silverwingkiller was the standout; a duo of punky, chanting ravers conducting thoroughly enjoyable chaos behind beefy synths and relentless breakbeats.
The evening wore on, and with it brought Mandy, Indiana as well as cosmic rocker headliners, Gong. When it comes to Gong, the current iteration of the longstanding psychedelic group from the 70s, it felt as though something was missing. The performance itself was perfectly acceptable, perhaps a little stilted and stale. For me, they lacked the conviction and energy of the festival’s previous acts, and coming on after the powerhouses that are Mandy, Indiana only emphasised this.
As the weekend drew to a close, I was left reflecting on how vital festivals like Outer Waves are. Liverpool’s once-thriving grassroots scene of gigs, art shows, and club nights has been hollowed out by rising rents and redevelopment. That’s why Outer Waves feels so significant: it doesn’t just offer an alternative to the mainstream, it champions a scene that’s fighting to survive.