Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

To a generation born in the 1970s or before, Sunday afternoons were always consigned to the part of the week labelled most dull, it was the time of the week that came after the fun and revelry of a Saturday night and the near horror of an ever encroaching Monday. It was time for a walk to somewhere there was never open, for people to have a Sunday nap after dinner with the family or if they were really fortunate, being asked to do something in the garden or even painting the window frames.

Sunday afternoons were never fun, they certainly didn’t involve live music in a venue that has been showcasing some incredible bands over the last few weeks, such is the fortune to anyone born after 1990 to have this opportunity to watch this event and not be hindered by the memory of being stuck inside whilst the black and white film was playing in a room where people snored and slept their lives away.

For the four lads that make up the superb band Caves, Andy Pink, Dan Carney, Jon Huntley and Dan Walsh, the fact that that they realise how fortunate they are to be performing to audiences in Zanzibar on Seel Street only adds to their appeal. The music they perform is tantalising, big to the extreme and with gentleness that makes the sound they dish out to those listening very approachable and alluringly accomplished.

There is also zeal, an enthusiasm that is infectious as the notes swirl over the heads of those making their way to Zanzibar and drops with a playful eagerness into the ears and minds of any music lover. With the traditional instruments grabbing the attention the songs took on a life that make Sunday afternoons in the modern world a cool place to be. The appearance of a trumpet on one of the songs took the interest into a new higher plane and raised a smile usually reserved for bands that merge and fuse rock with the brass with minimum effort. It was a great touch and added to the enjoyment of the entire set.

The band performed half a dozen tracks with superb elegance and spirited humour that you would expect, even demand from four lads making their way through university. Tracks such as Open Arms, the cool We Used To Dream, the outrageously insistent and vocally brilliant Swim and the set closer Oh Amy stamped a seal of approval on Caves that will be hard to break.

A fantastic find and wonderfully entertaining!

Ian D. Hall