The Cavern Club – Liverpool. What is there to say. One of the world’s most iconic music venues best known as the birthplace of The Beatles, first opening it doors on 16th January 1957.
This submarine-like structure encases a magical, mysterious world below the busy waves of Mathew Street, where bands and friends come together in a colourful, enclosed environment. This place never sleeps. And if music is your drug of choice, then the Cavern would be your ‘Dr Robert’. There is literally music playing from midday until late, 8 days a week. Sorry, I mean 7. I’ll stop referencing the Beatles now. I’m sorry.
Thursday saw The Cavern play host to Indigo Violets, a four piece rock outfit who’d travelled all the way from the rugged beauty of Galway, Ireland. It felt fitting, really, Liverpool has long been dubbed “the 33rd county of Ireland,” thanks to its deep roots and rich Irish heritage. Apparently, a staggering 75% of Liverpudlians can trace their ancestry back across the Irish Sea. Must be true, the man on the ‘Hop On Hop Off’ bus told me so.
Indigo Violets, emerging as “one of Ireland’s most exciting new acts” in the country’s growing rock revival movement, formed only just over 12 months ago. The band consist of frontman Jamie “Echo” Harte on Lead vocals and guitar, Eric Reilly, Bassist and vocals, Ted “Fuzzy Head” Barrett Drummer and founding member, Garreth Dunleavy on guitar.
Usually, on my way to shoot a band, I try to get myself in the mood by diving into their repertoire. This time I stumbled across a track titled “The Same God Created Us” instantly likeable, quickly earned itself a few quick taps on the volume button. It boasts a chorus I could imagine (my personal guitar hero) James Dean Bradfield singing. Before long, it was soundtracking my entire drive down the M6 before meeting with Garreth and the lads just outside Sgt. Peppers bar.
Its a freezing cold January evening but it took all of ten seconds for their warmth and beautiful smiles to cut through the chill. They’re the kind of people who make conversation feel natural straight away, open, upbeat, and genuinely lovely to be around. It didn’t take long before I found myself looking forward to hearing what they had in store. I asked Garreth how the band got together.
Apparently, the whole saga kicked off in September 2024 when Garreth and Eric were half cut in Murphy’s Bar after a rake o’ creamy pints, goin’ ‘Jaysus lads, we should start a feckin’ band, sure why wouldn’t we?,’ Meanwhile, ‘Echo’ was about round-town busking, trying to coax coins from wandering tourists, and Ted was discovered thumping away on his drum kit in his bedroom on Instagram. One by one, the “wasted talents” were rounded up, dragged into the fold by Garreth and just like that, the band was born. The bands first gig was in April 2025 – yes, that’s less than 12 months ago.
Apologies for the attempt to retell the story with a ‘Galway flavour’. The original version was told to me far more beautifully, (with fewer embellishments). What is certain, though, is that while this band may still be in its infancy, their approach is remarkably mature and focused. What started as a casual chat in a bar just sixteen months ago has now carried them all the way to a world renowned stage in one of the planet’s true music cities: Liverpool. It’s clear they know exactly the direction they’re heading. And after a quick pre gig ‘stalk’ through their socials, it’s equally clear they’ve got the right people in their corner to help them get there.
Following the first band ‘Ryder’ and a little after 10pm, IV take to the stage of The Caverns ‘Live Lounge’. From the second their first song kicked in “The Same God Created Us”, they remined me why supporting original acts matters. Their sound is an addictive blend of rugged edge and melodic charm which feels unmistakably rooted in Ireland’s storytelling tradition but pushed forward with a healthy dose of contemporary rock confidence. They radiated an easy chemistry between each other.
I’d already sampled their opening track on the journey in but ‘Hey you’ the track that followed was equally appealing to the ears.
I’m gonna be honest now, you’d have to be asleep not to hear this band’s influences, and understandably, U2 practically shouts from the stage. Echo’s whole demeanour had that unmistakable Vertigo style punch, delivered with the same fire and chest forward conviction. It’s living proof that influences don’t just “creep in”, they will crash through the door whether a band invites them or not. It a little like the ‘Manchester effect’, spend five minutes in that musical ecosystem and you’re walking out with at least a trace of Oasis baked into your DNA. Pretending otherwise is pointless. Some bands embrace it, some deny it. Hearing a band’s influences isn’t some cardinal sin, for me, it gives the music depth, lineage, and texture. When they can take those familiar flavours and twist them into something uniquely theirs, I don’t believe it dilutes their identity but amplifies it. That’s exactly what’s happening here, and I loved it. Echo’s voice was impressive, bold and powerful, and is definitely built for the stage with a level of intensity that carries the same full throttle energy you’d expect from a high impact rock frontman. Gotta give his trousers a shout-out too, that almost orange camo paired with the “I mean business” leather boots was a look, one you don’t forget.
Eric Reilly’s turn to step into the spotlight for the next two tracks, Nasty and Getting Nowhere With You, revealing not just his confident bass work but an impressive vocal performance to match. What struck me most was just how evenly the talent is spread across this band. Every member pulls their weight, and it shows. There’s no noticeable ego, no single figure trying to dominate the spotlight, just a genuine, well balanced chemistry where the stage is shared with intention and (seemingly) a lot of heart and mutual respect which you feed off.
Ted Barrett. My god, this chap can drum. Within seconds you know when you’re watching someone who knows what they’re doing. The metronomic machine never lost energy. You couldn’t take your eyes—or ears—off him. He lifted the entire gig and if Indigo Violets are climbing fast, he’s definitely one of the biggest reasons why.
Across the 30 minute set, the beautiful lead guitar work drew me in. Garreth and Echo delivered beautifully melodic lines with a level of precision and interplay that, at several points, made me forget I was supposed to be shooting. Instead, I found myself simply watching, drawn in by the intricacy and expressiveness unfolding onstage. They had the perfect blend. Delicate when it needed to be, then suddenly blooming into richer, more expansive passages. It was the kind of performance that invites you to lean in, to follow the thread of each line just to see where it goes. What surprised me most was how much I wanted to revisit the songs afterward. Having never heard of the band before, I had no idea which track was which in the moment, but the urge to find out was immediate. That’s the mark of a band doing something compelling, they make you care before you even know their full names.
Their sound carries an authentic, lived in warmth rather than a manufactured gloss. It’s clearly the product of musicians who genuinely enjoy creating music together. What’s most striking about Indigo Violets is their balance. They’re energetic without rushing, soulful without slipping into sentimentality, and polished without losing that essential rough around the-edges spark that make their sound a little bit exciting. Their set moved confidently between punchy, driving numbers and the more atmospheric tracks that had me captured.
The crowd had somewhat thinned out following Ryder which I thought was a real shame. A shame for the punters that had just missed out on 30 minutes of the birth of this impressive band, giving it their all at their first time in this awesome city. If this gig was anything to go by, Indigo Violets are a band worth keeping an eye on. They possess the musicality, presence, and heart to win over audiences anywhere they play. If they stayed around long enough to listen.
If you’re in Belfast in June you will be able to catch them at Mandella Hall on the 26th, supporting Oasis Tribute ‘Oasis Supernova’.
I’ve got to be honest: there’s a growing trend that’s really starting to grate. More and more original artists/bands who are pouring their guts into writing, refining, and performing their own material—are being booked as support acts for tribute bands. Last year, I saw a tribute appear on the headline stage at a major festival. For me, it feels completely backwards. I’ve got nothing against Tributes. They’ve have absolutely helped keep venues alive. They make live music affordable, familiar, and accessible. I get it. They have their place 100%. But why are artists who are creating something new being treated like the warm up act for bands whose entire existence is built on recreating someone else’s songs? How did an industry get to a point where it accepts the only way an original band can get decent exposure is by piggybacking on the popularity of a tribute band, who themselves are piggybacking on the legacy of the real band? It’s upside down. It’s creatively bleak. And it sends the message that original music is worth less than nostalgia, no matter the talent, craft, or ambition behind it. It really shouldn’t be this way. If anything, tributes should be supporting original artists, helping bring in crowds that might not otherwise take a chance on new music. I mean, can you imagine Fontaines DC or Inhaler supporting a tribute?
I find it sad that we’ve normalised the idea that the imitators get the spotlight while the innovators get the leftovers. It’s time we questioned that.
If you’re thinking about taking a chance on a new band, make it these guys. Go see them live, grab some merch, have a chat after the show, you won’t regret it. They’re not just talented, they’re genuinely lovely people, and as they grow, I’ll be right there on the sidelines, watching their success, cheering them on.
Here’s a musical twist that genuinely deserves celebrating: Indigo Violets have already pulled off something pretty extraordinary. U2 themselves never actually played The Cavern Club—despite the persistent myth among some fans—though they did wander into Eric’s across the street back in the early ’80s.
What an achievement – they’ve already done what U2 never did. They’ve stepped onto that legendary Cavern Club stage in their own right, beating their iconic Irish neighbours to the post. In the vast tapestry of music history, it might seem like a small footnote, but for a rising band shaping their own identity, it’s a brilliant, brag worthy milestone.
A moment that says they’re not just following a path—they’re carving one.
One of their own.
Words and Photos by Shavorne Wilbraham
