Live music in Liverpool this week: 1-7 Feb

Unmissable electronic collaborations, returning nu-metallers, forgotten boy bands... this week has everything

We dive into the listings to bring you the essential guide to gigs in Liverpool this week – plus the latest news on festivals, tour announcements and more. Think we've missed something? Hit up will@theskinny.co.uk with the details... 

Wed 1 Feb

Something pretty special to kick things off: a jaw-dropping collaboration between Factory Floor's Nik Colk Void and critically acclaimed composer Klara Lewis, in the finery of the Phil's Music Room. The former's various experiments in electronic sound projects have made her one of the foremost artists of her generation, while Lewis' own star has risen considerably since her 2014 debut album was released to much fanfare. The phrase 'not to be missed' gets tossed around a lot these days... BUT SERIOUSLY. NOT TO BE MISSED.
Philharmonic Music Room, 8pm, £10.50

Thu 2 Feb

Things get a bit more party when Two Door Cinema Club come to town. As with virtually every date on this tour, their visit to the Guild is already sold out, so we dunno what to tell you in terms of sorting a ticket (touts are bad, kids). Still, their recent Manchester show found the band on great form, so y'know. 
Guild of Students, 7pm, £sold out

The first in a new series of shows presented by the Getintothis blog, Deep Cuts gathers together some of the city's finest up and coming musical talent for a door price that even Oliver Twist could probably stretch to. Hyperactive guitar-manglers Little Triggers kick off the first edition, with support from the appropriately scuzzy Laurie Shaw, sheeny shiny synth-poppers HICARI, deft electronica maverick Lo Five and ambient explorer Spirit Level. Marvellous.
Buyers Club, 7.30pm, £3

Fri 3 Feb

Another gear shift, as Sheffield's Carbine get the weekend going with some quality beatdown metal. Gnarly in all the right measures, they offer the sort of riffs that make you want to punch a hole in the side of a mountain, with some neat diversions into raw-throated hardcore to boot. Support comes from Glass Harbour, Depravity, Defeatist and Starve to Survive: a bout of low-cost heaviosity is a helluva way to celebrate Friday night.
Maguire's Pizza Bar, 7pm, £5

Sat 4 Feb

Take one listen to Matthew Hegarty, aka Matthew and the Atlas, and you could easily be forgiven for thinking that the London singer-songwriter has been listening very closely to his Springsteen, Gaslight Anthem and Arcade Fire records. Certainly, that tremulous vocal draws comparison with all three, although his own music takes influence from both folkier and synthier spheres. Catch him playing highlights from latest album Temple to see for yourself.
Studio 2, 7pm, £9.50

Anyone familiar with Liverpool bands Jazzhands or Coffee And Cake For Funerals should know that a meeting of the minds responsible should be pretty special. Bisch Nadar (self-described as " a riff-driven, key-laden beatdown of rock rhythms") are just that, and they launch their debut single at tonight's Yeah Buddy! DIY-sponsored show. Glasgow's epic alt rockers Verse Metrics provide sterling support, as do locals Forever in Debt and Oya Paya.
Maguire's Pizza Bar, 8pm, £5

Mon 6 Feb

Hey, remember Union J? The One Direction that sadly went in a downwards direction? We actually thought they'd split up, but in a horrific bout of X-Factor confusion it turns out we were thinking of JLS, who went their separate ways in 2013 – around about the same time as Union J's debut album dropped. Not very poptimistic of us, eh? Oh well, here they are anyway. 
O2 Academy, 7.30pm, £20

Tue 7 Feb

Speaking of bands we'd imagined had probably split up by now, if you'd told us in 2002 that Skindred would still be riffing away 15 years later, we'd... well, we'd have been jolly well surprised. Still, their fusion of heavy ragers with reggae and dubstep lives on, and how! Most recent album Volume found 'em on furious form, and tonight sees 'em joined by fellow nu-metal survivors Raging Speedhorn and hotly-tipped local upstarts Death Blooms. 'Get the fuck up,' etc.
O2 Academy, 7pm, £20.50

Now booking

With Pulled Apart by Horses added to an already impressive line-up (Wild Beasts, anyone? The Parrots? Ulrika Spacek?) FestEvol Gardens looks set for an excellent year at its new home in the Invisible Wind Factory. 30 April, see the Evol website for ticket details.

The shimmering psych-pop of The Besnard Lakes has always gone down a storm here on Merseyside, and latest album A Coliseum Complex Museum finds them in the form of their career ("Mystical and psychedelic... a big, blown-out prog adventure," we said). 23 May, The Magnet, buy tickets here.