Live music in Liverpool this week: 29 Jun - 6 Jul

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 29 Jun

Things get off to a classy start as veteran American songwriter Burt Bacharach pays a visit to the Philharmonic. With six Grammys and two Academy Awards under his belt, not to mention countless songs that can be suitably described as classic without anyone having to reach for The Big Book of Musical Clichés, it's safe to say this set is unlikely to have you staring at your watch and wondering when he'll start to play the hits.

Tonight the 88-year-old (!) plays hits from his back catalogue, and the hardest thing you'll have to do is remember the words to Baby It's You. Or Make It Easy On Yourself. Or Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head. Or... ach, you get the picture.
Philharmonic, 7.30pm, £45-70

Fri 1 Jul

Not much going on this particular date, except for LOL JKS EVERYTHING'S HAPPENING ON FRIDAY. While we cue up Rebecca Black on the office playlist, you'll probably want to head along to 81 Renshaw Street for the fifth edition of electronic music goldmine Emotion Wave. Starring Southport's own Glitchfield Plaines (purveyors of impressively stark menace, and a version of Nirvana's Negative Creep that'll leave you deeply unsettled) alongside the woozy ambience of Lo Five and Preston-based analog texturists Polypores, it's worth taking the chance to catch up on some dazzling local sounds.
81 Renshaw, 8pm, £3

Over in The Magnet, East Kilbride starlets The Lapelles bring their hotly-tipped anthems to Liverpool for the first time. With choruses the size of the city itself, a growing army of fans before they even released a note, and a plethora of industry tipsters waving excitably in their direction, big things are anticipated from the youthful quartert – in fact, we liked 'em so much we slapped 'em on the cover of our Scottish print edition this month. The kids are alright.
The Magnet, 7.30, £5

Also causing a stir are local tykes The Night Café, who rock up at Buyers Club on the same night. Their pristine pop has drawn comparison to the slick sounds of Fleetwood Mac and chart conquerors The 1975, but equally detectable is the influence of a singular Mancunian guitar icon: their fleet-fingered jangle recalls Johnny Marr's effervescence during his 80s peak. Pair this up with some thoroughly danceable grooves and you've got a winning formula.
Buyers Club, 7pm, £7

On a very different tip, Wakefield doom metallers Iron Void bring their heavy heavy monster sounds to Liverpool. Touring new double LP Doomsday, the trio's muscular riffery offers a powerful punch without shying away from melody or subtlety – not too shabby, all told. Support comes from impressively-named Blackburn sludgers Bastard of the Skies and the intense, low-end crunch of The Human Condition.
The Pilgrim, 7pm, £5

Sat 2 Jul

Strange Collective, photo: Stuart Moulding

So your band's releasing a record, and you'd like to celebrate with a show. Why not put together a celebration of all that's great and good about your local scene, rounding up a stack of the best bands in the vicinity for an all-day party?

That's what psyched-out garage noiseniks Strange Collective have done, ahead of the release of their delightfully fuzzy Super Touchy EP. For the bargain price of £4 (a fiver on the door), you get to watch the heroes of the hour alongside 12 of the city's finest, including the eclectic and eerie Bathymetry, kraut-tinged dreampoppers Rongo Rongo and idiosyncratic soundscapers Cavalier Song. Add it to your calendar immediately.
The Invisible Wind Factory, 1pm, £4 (£5 otd)

Now booking...

Last week we told you that Warpaint were all booked for Liverpool Music Week when it returns in October, and this week the festival gives us another weighty name to drop: movie maestro John Carpenter brings Lost Themes to the Olympia on 28 Oct, which surely cannot be missed. Keep an eye on these pages for more news on this year's Liverpool Music Week line-up, and book tickets over at the LMW website.

In other news...

XamVolo

Liverpool International Music Festival have unveiled another addition for their Summer Jam event in Sefton Park this summer: the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra open the main stage from 6.30pm on Friday 22 July.

The performance, titled Music City: Reimagined, features new interpretations of songs by the city's favourite performers, from John Lennon to Frankie Goes To Hollywood, while composer Kate Chadburn has also been working with four young artists from LIMF Academy for the event. The selected acts include SUEDEBROWN, Eleanor Nelly, XamVolo and Amique. 

Merseyrail Sound Station also returns this year, offering Merseyside's musicians the chance to win a year of professional music industry mentoring, plus recording time at the Wirral's Tankfield Studios and a year of free train travel on Merseyrail.

To enter, artists will need to film a video at one of the Sound Station Upload Locations (found at Liverpool Central, Liverpool South Parkway, Southport, Kirkby, Wallasey Grove Road, Hoylake & Hooton train stations) performing one original track. Next, post the video on the Sound Station Facebook wall at facebook.com/MerseyrailSoundStation, include a link to your music online. It's just that easy.