As I was back in Liverpool for the weekend from Ibiza, the plan was to relax and gather my breath from an exhilarating first third of the season on the White Isle. But laying on my sofa scrolling through twitter on Saturday evening I noticed LIMF (Liverpool International Music Festival) was on this very weekend in the city. So we headed to “Europe’s largest free music event” on the Sunday afternoon/evening at Sefton Park, where there were plenty out and about and a stage which read, “Come one come all, the best festivals in life are free”.

There had been plenty of bands and acts on through the weekend, and we arrived in time to see headliners The Wombats gearing up for their set. The Wombats have a good affinity with the city, they played to a large open air crowd outside St George’s Hall for the launch event of Liverpool’s European Capital Of Culture festivities in 2008. At Sefton Park played a great set that included the likes of Give Me A Try, Jump Into The Fog, Moving To New York, Techno Fan before ending on Let’s Dance To Joy Division.

It was a lovely evening with friends, listening to good music in the sunshine with a couple of beers.  As daytime turned into a hot and balmy summer’s night we headed to Liverpool’s O2 Academy where local (and international) band The Lightening Seeds were headlining an LIMF/Eric’s/Evol night. Eric’s was a massively influential club in Liverpool back in the day, and indeed Ian Broudie, lead singer of The Lightening Seeds said, “Eric’s was a club for eccentrics in the city of eccentrics”. The Lightening Seeds went on to play a brilliant set, tune after tune, including the likes of Life Of Riley, All I Want, Sense and Change, amongst others. The Lightening Seeds for me are one of the most underrated bands of a generation. 99% of bands would do anything for a back catalogue as good as theirs, Ian Broudie is a genius.

The Lightening Seeds closing LIMF at O2 Academy was a fitting end to a great weekend of events. Here’s to next year!

 

 

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