Farewell Aligners…  Live Events present the Aligners at Jimmy’s, Liverpool 29th October 2021 

Aligners 

Nathan Greenfield-vocals/guitar 

Elliot Joynson-lead guitar 

Arthur Pennington-bass 

Kurtis Murphy-drums

This is bittersweet. Tonight is to be the final event for the Aligners.  It’s something I’ve been looking forward to musically, but I don’t mind saying I will be genuinely gutted that there will never again be an Aligners gig to attend. After 3 years together (formally known as la Scala, then changing the name in 2019 to Aligners) Nathan (Greenfield), Kurtis (Murphy), Elliot (Joynson), and Arthur (Pennington) have decided to call it a day – they are all off to university, and fitting in the time for a band had become impossible. 

I have absolutely no doubt we will see each of them doing great things musically in the future. We’ve been promised a treat tonight in the form of la Scala songs which haven’t been performed in a while, of course, to go alongside the Aligners’ songs we know and love. I’ve got a lot of time for this band; the guys are great and genuinely put heart and soul into their music.

A crisp, cold, and dark Liverpool is tonight’s setting; back in the ‘sound city’, and happy to be so. It’s the bohemian heart of town; Bold street leads upwards towards Liverpools Chinatown, and further, to Mount Pleasant. It’s a creative hub; a hive of activity.  A mixture of sounds, sights, and amazing smells of diverse food greets us. Quirky and unusual cafes, bars, pubs, clubs, and shops create a real hippie creatives feel.  An eclectic mix: history, vintage, retro, and modern, but rather than competing for our attention, they happily fuse, giving off a real buzz. This famous street is brimming with history, known locally as ‘Rope Walks’ as in bygone centuries, in rope manufacturing, Bold Street was used to measure the lengths of rope out along the street, measuring the exact length needed for sailing ships of the time. Of course, Liverpool is known for its maritime history. It’s very nostalgia-inducing, and it’s alive tonight, with people out for the night, soaking up the ‘Avant Garde environment, many adorned in Halloween costumes.

Aligners at Jimmy’s by Christabel

The venue itself, Jimmy’s, is situated at the top end of Bold Street; it’s a magnificent example of Victorian architecture. Originally the old Havelock building, built in 1850 to house amongst other things, photography studios in its loft space, this very grand building curves around the top of the street and faces the bombed out church, another of Liverpool’s iconic sights. This venue is not only steeped in history but has musical connections in its past too. The building once housed the infamous Cabin Club, known for its peculiarity and idiosyncrasies, it was the place to be for nonconformists, creatives, and hipsters. George Harrison cites the Cabin Club as inspiring his song ‘Don’t Bother Me’ as he took refuge here whilst being chased by wild fans and the press. 

Inside is a vast contrast…it couldn’t be farther removed from its classical exterior.  Surreal and psychedelic, you seem to have just stepped into a Peter Blake artwork.  An explosion of colour hits you. A wall of luminous wax lamps converging onto jungle like themes and memorabilia from music, neon signs used in the album artwork from ‘the 1975’ being among them. The performance area is situated in the basement and has a different feel again. more stripped back, more industrial: exposed pipework and air ducts on the ceilings, but on the walls are collages of musical photography and icons from music history. It’s a great space, very dark and atmospheric, and perfect for seeing live bands play. Some pretty big names have played this stage and not forgetting the abundance of rich local talent. It’s a great setting for tonight’s farewell gig and Aligners sit very comfortably within these surroundings.

Aligners at Jimmy’s by Christabel

So on to our headliner for tonight, and what a headliner, what a show!  Warrington based, 4 piece indie band, the super wonderful Aligners. The lads are psyched, you can clearly see that. I’ve been reliably informed by Kurtis (Murphy} that they’ve been practising hard.  This showed!  I’ve been lucky enough to have seen Aligners a fair few times now, and I can assure they’re great entertainment.  We’ve all been anticipating this, and are ready for what turns out to be one hell of a show. 

The guys assemble on stage, all smiles.  It’s pretty packed in here. They have a brilliant turn out. Launching into ‘Sixties Hearse‘ instantly the place is bouncing.  This is a fan favourite and a real party starting number. A vibrant, shimmery, guitars song, with fading intro which runs into the most catchy guitar riff; a strong base undercurrent adds to the feel and consistent and controlled drumming, along with Nathan’s (Greenfield’s) light and breezy voice. Everyone’s singing along. The song is about a break up, the guy’s hung up on the girl, who’s just had enough, so he’s using alcohol to cope with the feelings of rejection.  It’s an easy to relate to theme.  It’s now come alive in here: laughing, dancing, singing and clapping.  It feels joyous, the band are having a ball, that’s obvious, and it’s infectious. It’s feel good, crashing, indie music at its best as the songs roll out, working the crowd up a notch each time, You can feel the heat, the lads are sweating- they literally play their hearts out and it sounds and feels incredible. 

Tonight feels different, They never disappoint, but this has a more heartfelt feel to it, It means the world to them and there’s an added feeling of just having fun and the enjoyment of their craft. The energy they create is being directed right back at us, It’s such a good vibe, we are all in our element! There s real camaraderie on stage, The lads are all dancing with each other and hugging and hi-fiving between songs. It’s a great thing to be a part of. 

Among tonight’s supporters who’ve turned out for this finale are ‘Meatbehindabeat’s Alan Jacob, Warrington Arts and Music’s Lee Harman and Seagoth’s Georgia Ochoa and Hannah Gannon. It’s a real party now.  As a front man Nathan is laid back and comfortable in his surroundings and gives it his very all – banter with the crowd and continually giving thanks and shout-outs between songs. ‘Sugar Honey Ice Tea’ and ‘Jumped the Gun’ have got the place in frenzy mode, Kurtis (Murphy) is smashing his drum kit,  Elliot (Joynson) and Arthur (Pennington) are bouncing around, swinging their guitars and Nathan (Greenfield) during instrumentals is often bent over, strumming his guitar vigorously. It’s the kind of gig you love to be at – It elevates you; you remember what a joy music can be. 

Aligners at Jimmy’s by Christabel

After what feels like no time at all, it’s final song time.  Ending with ‘Hours’ was always going to be emotional. Everyone sings every word along with them in this much extended version. Wow, what a finish. The applause is deafening, foot stamping, clapping, screaming, cheering. It’s euphoric.  It’s hastily decided to do an encore, but with no more material a song will be played again. Nathan announces song choices down the mic.  The consensus (decided by how loud the response was to each song title) is another performance of ‘Sixties Hearse.’  To say this blew the roof off would be a huge understatement. It went off….this feels like being in the eye of a musical storm. The guys play hard, really play hard.  Kurtis is bouncing at the drums; Elliot literally played so hard his fingers bled. Nathan and Arthur are bouncing around, overjoyed. 

This was one memorable encore, and one that will stay with each and every one of us.  Chanting ‘She said…Boy don’t ever come back’, the crowd are drinking up every last drop of Aligners’ nectar they possibly can. Finally having to wind it up (Elliot’s white guitar is now blood stained), the lads give thanks in abundance, lining up for one last ‘band pic’ on stage, It’s emotional. The entire night has been a joy. the Aligners put everything into this final performance and it went down superbly well. 

Aligners at Jimmy’s by Christabel

Aligners, you made our evening. I for one am so gonna miss your gigs but feel so proud, knowing you, of all you’ve achieved. 4 lovely, cool, genuine lads with real creativity and musical talent. It’s been an honour and pleasure to have been a part of your story and I feel privileged to have been part of this epic farewell.  You leave us all with great memories and some banging tunes!  I look forward to each of your journeys onwards. Tonight has been one adrenalin-fuelled, hot, sweaty, energetic, guitar screaming, loud bass banging, drum smashing, heartfelt send off.  

Apologies for rusty renditions of old songs not visited in a while – there was no need, You were seamless, we all loved every minute. From all of my heart, thank you Aligners: Nathan, Kurt, Elliot and Arthur, I wish you all the very best and every success.  We WILL see great things from all of you. If you’ve never seen Aligners play live, sadly you have now missed something truly special, but please, go check out their songs.

End of an era.  You went out in true style Farewell Aligners.

Set list:

Sixties Hearse

All of your Friends

Traditional

Sugar Honey Ice Tea

Stall

Not a Love Song

Get Out

By My Side

Jumped the Gun

Bloom

Hours

Sixties Hearse (again)