Uhh oh, the big one. The long day, the clashes, the likelihood of over imbibing. All things to factor into gig planning for Saturday at Liverpool’s Sound City.

The huge clash for me comes with the excellent Red Rum Club at 10pm in Grand Central. These local guys know to the beat how to put on a fantastic show, and I’ve never been disappointed. Against them are Manchester/Wigan Garden Party, a promising band, with quality indie sewn into their gizzards, a band I should have seen in Manchester the other day, but missed through being too knackered. Garden Party play Kazimier Stockroom at 10.20.

I’m gonna stick my neck out and call it that Garden Party will be the right shout, after what will amount to an all day sesh. Not saying anything about the undoubted power of this band (and I’ve heard nothing buy good tings about Garden Party live) but with less of a crowd, there might be a slightly less hectic vibe, not as rammed or hot, and also then I’m in the right place without risk of falling over, for shoutyboy thrash merchants Fuzz Lightyear (11.10 pm in the same venue) right at the end of a long day.

My day is likely to begin with those Brighton art rock funk bunny maniacs Youth Sector at 2.50 at Jackaranda. Another band I saw recently, I think my beloved will love Youth Sector and they will have a great lively, fun feel to open up day 2. Think of bands like early Elvis Costello, XTC, Hazel O’Connor and David Byrne, all brought up to date with added bang.

One of the bands for Saturday is Galway’s The Clockworks who are at Shipping Forecast at 3.40. With a song title like Enough is Never Enough and The Future Is Not What It Was you might be thinking a Bond film song, but you will get a treat of thrusting biting indie, perhaps with shades of sounds that the likes of Shame, Idles and The Clash would love.

I’m gonna have a lazy day, as that means we are also in the right place for Voodoos, at 4.30 at the Shipping Forecast, who my beloved particularly liked, when they supported Lathums in Leeds quite a while back. She rated them more than the main act, and there’s a lot to like with their riotous bangers. I would have bought some music, as I did with the Lathums first CD which currently seems to fetch £200 notes. Ker-ching as my mum might say.

Another band I’ve been desperate to catch are Stanleys, and the timing works for 5.35 at Grand Central although I appreciate I’m not going to be alone with choosing these melodic Wigan lads. I can see these guys hitting Lathums heights in due course.

Local guys STONE are my cornerstone, must see band of Saturday, and they truly seem on fire at present. With Finn’s biting raps and vocals, and the strong tight tunes behind him, there’s something cutting edge special about this band. Another group destined for a huge future in my view. Here they play at the Arts Club Theatre at 8.15.

Straight after are the amazing, hard Courting at 9.15, and although I saw them last week, I want more.

In the middle of this lot of bangers, I will need some change of pace and a chance for my bleeding ears to get a bit of calm. So, I’m totally looking forward to a slice of quality home spun solo ballads, courtesy of Tom Joshua from the North East (how does that corner of the world produce such quality). Tom will be at LEAF at 7.15 and I’m gonna love it.

So I’ve jumped around a bit….to recap it’s

Youth Sector 2.50

The Clockworks 3.40

Voodoos 4.30

Stanleys 5.35

Tom Joshua 7.15

Stone 8.15

Courting 9.15

Garden Party 10.20

Fuzz Lightyear 11.10

I’ll be one happy soul if I get to all these.

Chris R