Live music in Liverpool this week: 20-26 July

We dive into the listings to bring you this 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 20 Jul

Looking for a guaranteed good time? We've got you covered – Toronto quartet Weaves fashion a glorious racket from explosions of FX-laden scree so wonky that you'll wonder if you've accidentally managed to detach your ears from the left side of your brain. The comb of Jasmyn Burke's vocals and Morgan Waters' guitar create a wiry, potent sound that might get your head nodding appreciatively in the direction of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs' angular tension, but this is a delightful mess of pop eccentricity that dances to no one's tune but its own.
Studio 2, 7pm, £6

Fri 22 Jul

Local riff monsters Carcer City begin their UK jaunt with a hometown show at Bumper – their debut album Infinite Unknown is due for releae on 16 September via Stay Sick Recordings, so here's your chance to familiarise yourself with their deafening anthems. Support comes courtesy of Loathe, whose marriage of metalcore with downtempo ambience is also starting to turn heads.
Bumper, 7pm, £6

Those who prefer their punk to be somewhat spikier might want to head down to Maguire's for an anti-austerity show featuring 'socialist puke-punks' Bad Mood alongside the debut appearance of rock'n'roll punkas La Potencia Bruta, who number ex-members of much-missed The Mighty Saguaro among their ranks. There's also off-kilter comedy from Jack Evans, as recommended by these pages just last year. Solid advice, natch.
Maguire's Pizza Bar, 8pm, free entry

The reborn Lomax closed once more last year in unfortunate circumstances, but its loyal regulars have worked hard since then to keep its memory alive. Anyone currently wishing to raise a glass to the Cumberland Street venue might want to head along to The Magnet, where a plethora of venue favourites lead the celebrations in a reunion-cum-tribute show. Dotted across two stages, the line-up currently includes Black Seasons, The Dead Cassettes, Steve Thompson & The Incidents, Hillhouse and PJ Walker, which should see everyone geting suitably frazzled with booze and nostalgia.
The Magnet, 6pm, £5

Sat 23 Jul

There's another hefty line-up over at District, meanwhile: Banksfest is a fundraiser for local music fan and regular gig-goer Mike Bankier, currently fighting leukaemia. The bill features appearances from Strange Collective, Psycho Comedy, Beatnik Hurricane, The Shipbuilders, We Are Catchers, AJHD, FUSS, Jo Mary and The Fugates, with an acoustic set from Timo Tierney of The Tea Street Band in the bag to boot. There are also DJ sets, raffles and stalls, making for an eventful day out for a good cause.
District, 7pm, £6

Over at Maguire's, there's the option of Antipop's LIMP event. Billed as an alternative to Liverpool International Music Festival's punk restrospective shows (also taking place this weekend – more info further down this column), the evening takes in effervescent rockers Takotsubo Men (featuring ex-members of 90s favourites Cecil) and the welcome return of Tom Vamos.

In the true spirit of DIY, this show also marks the first sets for two brand new bands: garage-soaked hardcore oddballs Wanweird and new punk trio Snakes Eveywhere , who comprise singer-songwriter Katy McGrath and ex-members of Day With Mary. NEAT.
Maguire's Pizza Bar, 8pm, £5

If Liverpool's music scene has come to love one thing over the years, it's a nice bit of mythology. You may well have heard many stories about The Crucial Three or Lee Mavers, each as likely to be fact as fiction. The oft-questioned reality of The Pies, however, has gone down in local legend thanks to their wilfully peripheral existence and a certain proclivity towards motorway graffiti. With their debut album finally ready for public consumption after 30 years of theory, they present a launch party in the finery of St George's Hall: your best chance to find out the truth behind a musical Mersey mystery.
St George's Hall, 7.30, £12

London-based post-poppers Everywhere first formed in Sweden before relocating to the UK in 2012. They've drawn comparison to the shimmering post-punk of The Cure, but there are also hints of The Killers' soaring indie anthems in the likes of latest single Some Other Dude. Catch 'em alongside locals Ellie & Ben, The Profile and Vanilla Grits.
Zanzibar, 7.30, £4 tickets/£5 OTD

Sun 24 Jul

Motherwell hip-hop/pop-punk crossover tykes The Lafontaines pay a visit The Arts Club. Their debut album Class appeared last year through 889 Records, and saw them mentioned in the same breath as fellow Scots rap alumni such as Hector Bizerk and Loki. It's the live arena where their energy truly shine, however: a mixture of crushing guitars and social commentary that continues to attract new listeners to their flock.
Arts Club, 7pm, £6

Liverpool International Music Festival 2016

LIMF returns this weekend, with the main event being the free Summer Jam multi-stage extravaganza at Sefton Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (22-24 Jul). Get up to speed with our guide to five local favourites to check out, including dreampop wonders Scarlet. and neo-soul talent XamVolo; head over to the LIMF website for a full rundown of this year's line-up.

Now booking...

With a lengthy string of shows announced this week, it's best that we first draw your attention to Peaches' show at the Invisible Wind Factory (11 Nov). Unsurprisingly, tickets sold out almost instantly, but we're here to bring you the good news: more tickets have been released! Snap 'em up now before they disappear again.

Also important for your calendar: antifolk superstar, comics wunderkind and famous Crass worshipper Jeffrey Lewis brings Los Bolts to the Buyers Club (19 Aug); the genre-hopping Jamie T heads along to the Olympia (13 Oct); and New York duo We Are Scientists visit The Arts Club (19 Oct).

A little further into the future, Throwing Muses livewire and all-round star Kristin Hersh plays a solo set at The Music Room (19 Nov); songwriter and sometime Squeeze member Nick Harper comes to The Arts Club (25 Nov), where indie-folkster Emmy The Great also pays a visit (2 Dec); and folk singer Seth Lakeman pops along to the Philharmonic (6 Dec).