The gigs you don’t plan to go to are always the most fun. Let me just say this from the perspective of a hung-over man with a bad neck after head-banging all night, this was a spectacular gig. The night was filled, with energy, humour and some bloody good tunes! Heading out into Liverpool, during a thunderstorm might not have been my best idea, but once I was at the venue the storm had subsided, so I timed that pretty perfectly… Not! I have never been to the Outpost before, though I must have walked past it half a dozen times. The venue itself is tucked away in the back room of the bar. It felt like the TARDIS, there was a lot more space than I first thought. Which was perfect for the night ahead. There was a stuffy and heavy breath in the air and a rock show was about to begin, oh yeah it was going to be one of those kinda shows. I was prepared for a mad, mad evening of shenanigans.
Opening things up was the ever-entertaining Last Reserves. I’ve seen them so many times before, and there’s a reason I keep coming back time and time again. They’re that damn good. It’s good old-fashioned punk rock. Their bright spark of energy and fierce cutting lyricism packs a mighty wallop. Their set flowed from song to song in quick succession. Each song was loud and rawkus with the band matching one another’s energy levels and pushing it full force. Songs like “Inside Out”, “Six Months” and “Pink Bits” were some of my personal favourites of the set. Just because the set was chaotic, that doesn’t mean there wasn’t supreme technique on display. The tight control they had was truly something to behold.
The chug of the bass, the roar of the guitar, the tight rhythm of the drums and the boundary-pushing vocal performance. Everything just came together in the most glorious of ways. Every time I see Last Reserves play I think they just get better.
After a short break, Vulture Cult took to the stage. After a some technical difficulties at the start. They launched into a technically proficient and quite entertaining set. After the manic high that was Last Reserves, this was a very different kind of set. Honestly, it was something right up my alley. The chugging riffs and grooving bassline hit my ears and they had my attention from there. Their style was more controlled, but don’t let that fool you, they brought the heavy.
The grunge tone of the guitars added that little extra flavour to the sound. There are times when it felt like stoner rock with its sludgy groove and heavy basslines. I loved the depth of their sound and the overall production of the performance. They were pretty stoic at the beginning of the set, which gave way to madness as the show progressed. By the end of the performance, they were going for broke, rocking all out in full force. The crowd was really into it too. I was extremely impressed. I haven’t seen these guys since 2018 and they have come on leaps and bounds since then. I look forward to the next time I see them.
Finally, the headliners made their way to the stage. All the way from Brighton were the crazy lads in MY-HI. God damn! This was a fun one for sure. The frantic, chaos of this show was almost too much to bare. They have the ultimate mix of characteristics for a great live band. Energy, humour, talent and pure charisma. All of that put together makes for a special live experience. They made a small venue in Liverpool feel like a tent at Download Festival. Their set was filled to the brim with banger song after banger song. Their stage antics and personalities carried the show. The running joke of “Please take one step forward” after every song, got a chuckle out of me. However, when it comes to the music, I really loved the songs. It was just pure catharsis. The harsh twists and turns from the riffs. Their music was wild with lots of hard and intense moments to get the crowd riled up. The crowd was wild, with everyone dancing to the rabid sounds.
As the set progressed, the heat nearly became unbearable. You could feel the sweat in the air, and you could tell there was no slowing MY-HI down. They just kept piling on the noise and the crowd were more than happy to return the same energy right back to them. It was one of those sets that you could just get lost in the sonic attitude that filled the room. Finishing up the show with the lead guitarist invading the crowd and the full force of the band was unleashed. I had discovered this band the day of the gig, but I left the show a full fledged fan of the band.
God Damn! What a night. It was filled with drinks, moshing and laughter. What more can i ask for. Each band brought their own flavour of rock to the table and this reviewer had the best time. Like I said before, it’s always the shows that you don’t except to end up at, that are the best nights. I walked away from this night energised and hyped up and woke up sore the next morning. I would highly recommend checking all three bands out at to some point. I always love coming along to nights like these. There’s so much music out there to discover and checking out gigs like this usually leave a smile on my face. From the ferocity of Last Reserves, to the technical proficiency of Vulture Cult and closing with the pure madness that was MY-HI, all in all this was a great night out.
Photos and Words by Mick Birchall
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