Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

In a night of music that the was refreshingly made up of a majority of female artists, the early part of the evening at Zanzibar did have one male act that was able by sheer force of will and overflowing talent stand at least on a level par with the acts that bookended them. With the likes of ME and Deboe performing in the venue, the very cool Arms and Hearts couldn’t have had a tougher competition if the superb Norwegian contingent of female artists that have made Liverpool their home had also got up onstage and blended their Nordic magic in a tribute to all things Northern Europe.

Arms and Hearts though were on very good form and bombarded the audience with a mix of songs that growled and snarled with the passion of a man fighting for the love of his life, or of a heavyweight boxer defending his coveted title. Yet through the outward masculinity and superb vocals by Steve Millar, there was a tenderness; a welcoming camaraderie, not just between the three men on stage but the affinity as songwriters in what they had heard their sister musicians do so well. There is no place ever for the male excuse of easy sexism and when a band as good Arms and Hearts show themselves to be just as considerate to the music, an empathy to like mind minded artists then there is hope in the world.

The three men on stage ploughed a relentless furrow, one so rich and deep that a squad of heavy horses couldn’t have done better, the music they offered was dynamic but with the subtly of beauty thrown in, the gravelly tones pitched at the right level and the tracks, something of revelation to anyone inside Zanzibar who hadn’t heard them before. This was not just a gig for the band, this was a showcase, time on stage in which to commend them and to be seen as a great addition to the night’s line up. In that they more than succeeded, they were just simply oozing talent. Tracks such as Hope, A Thousand Holes, the nod to the hipster in us all, On The Waterfront, the sanguine Set In Stone and the coolness of Save Me From The Night were greeted as if the boxing match had gone the full distance and nobody was unbowed.

Arms and Hearts are very enjoyable band in which to discover, perhaps for the first time but certainly not the last time.

Ian D. Hall