In 2014, Matty Loughlin, who had been in lots of other bands before and then just sitting around in his flat playing his own songs endlessly, decided to set out again with the aim of being in a bit of a fluid ‘collective’, with people coming and going as and when, some gigs being solo, others not. This turned out to be a logistical nightmare so after all the stress that all that brought, he finally settled on the current line-up. He had ended up getting a gig down in Camden in the Dublin Castle where for some reason he was billed as a full band act (and promoters expected a full band) so in a mad panic and after about four days of intense practicing, it resulted in a band 'The Shipbuilders', which has over time evolved into the current line-up of Matty, his brother Andrew, Danny Lee and Sully on drums. Sully tightened them up and brought a rockabilly element to the sound and Jack Mac became their latest recruit. The name 'The Shipbuilders' comes from the Elvis Costello song 'Shipbuilding' with the core of the band lying in the working relationship between the two brothers. From their family links, to the docks, to their melodic Mersey inspirations, through to singer Matty Loughlin's rattling Scouse delivery, 'The Shipbuilders' ooze their hometown pride and even tag their songs on SoundCloud #Scouse.
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| Live at The Angus Tap and Grind, Liverpool 7th June 2021 - Photo by John Johnson |
Having honed their talents in The Zanzibar, they landed festival slots at Threshold and LIMF before closing the year in the final of the Merseyrail SoundStation final. They follow in the tradition of bands like 'The Coral', 'The Stands', 'The La's', 'The Bandits' and Edgar Jones and their unmistakably Mersey sound, that has roots in folk, sea shanties and blues, leads frontman Matty feeling that there wasn't a distinctive Liverpool sound at that moment. He felt, "the ghosts of 'The La's', 'Beefheart' and 'The Bandwagon' do always hang over guitar bands from these parts, which isn’t necessarily always a bad thing. Someone dubbed us 'Scouse Surf' the other day, which is a new one to me, but yeah I’ll have that!" That summer's bandstand gigs showed the current line-up really works. Their songs that deal in the reality and mythology of Liverpool life, in very much the same vein as 'The Coral', were delivered tightly and it felt like you'd known those melodies for years. But don't be mistaken into thinking they slip into cliche for there's plenty more to this class act than nods to 'Shack', 'Beefheart', 'The La's' and the Arthur Lee-tinged Stranger's Lament. Matty has said, " the main influences have always been artists like Tom Waits, Galaxie 500 and Love; people who venture into the weird and wonderful, but without ever sacrificing melody or focus. Lyrically, the ghost of James Joyce pops up a-plenty in the songs, and I'm a massive Leonard Cohen acolyte, but I always make sure I have a constant dose of Half Man Half Biscuit, lest I end up taking myself too seriously and disappear up my own proverbial."
'The Shipbuilders' exist as a melting pot where the surreal meets the sublime. Since releasing their first EP, 'Something in the Water' in 2016, the band have continuously expanded their sound and scope of influences, creating a world where sparkling pop wonders are nestled between Spanish Civil War laments, gypsy arias, and chaotic, shambolic odes to drinking, death and everything in between. All of this is done with added lashings of melody and the writings of Garcia Lorca and James Joyce, dictating that the wonder of the beauty of the world - and beyond - is never overlooked. On the back of their ‘Something in the Water EP’, they released their double A-Side, 'Fault Line' c/w 'Wild Atlantic Way' via Mai 68 Records in 2018, to great response. Their debut album, 'Spring Tide', which is due for release in 2022 via Mai 68 Records is a definitive lassoing of the band's journey to date, the ten tracks recorded with Danny Whitewood (BC Camplight, Ladytron) are a perfect distillation of their sound and vision and will be available on 12" vinyl, CD and digital download. A bonus CD, 'Neap Tide', featuring remixes, demos, extra tracks and versions sang in other languages will also be available for purchase on CD. Music blog Getintothis has called them in 2018, "Liverpool's finest gypsy-surf-rock band since, well... nobody!"
The band have also established their own 'Shipwrecked' club nights which over the past four years have played host to some of Merseyside's finest bands and spoken word artists, whilst raising funds and food for local foodbanks and charities. Such is the success of Shipwrecked, Summer 2021 saw the inaugral Shipwrecked Festival, a sold out all-day multi-stage event in Birkenhead's Future Yard, before the band took the event to Newport and Bristol in the autumn. They have toured across the UK and have featured regularly at festivals including Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool Music Week and played Kendal Calling. It has been said that they are possibly at their absolute best on their new single that will have you looking far into something that fascinates the whole world called, 'The Moon', a party-loving, mood-swinging, drink-chugging gem that will have you feeling that you have just witnessed something rather special.
see also :- http://www.thefootballvoice.com/2022/06/pool-of-sound-sarah-wolff.html
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