Dave Monks presents: Abi Rose Kelly
Dave Monks presents: Abi Rose Kelly at the Cavern Club.
Wednesday 29th September 2021, Abi Rose Kelly and the Sunsleepers.
By Janet Harding.
It’s a cold and windy night in the historic maritime city of Liverpool, famed for its ‘Merseybeat ‘and ‘city sounds’. We make our way to tonight’s venue: the iconic Cavern Club. Situated on the equally iconic Matthew Street, it’s alive with music lovers, tourists and pub crawlers. A rich tapestry of sound emanates from every direction. The sound of singing, drums and guitars can be heard from inside most pubs and clubs, contributing to a building feeling of anticipation. It’s Wednesday night and in Liverpool, that’s gig night. It’s a friendly city, with a huge, musical beating heart, not forgetting of course the stunning backdrop of cultural and diverse architecture spanning centuries of history. You can’t help but love Liverpool and its well known Scouse identity. The original Cavern Club of course is long gone, but this far newer edition is now as legendary as its predecessor. It’s a sought after venue for musicians and enthusiasts alike and has become somewhat of a Mecca.
There is a real feeling of nostalgia and you can literally feel the creative history and past performances by music royalty and local talent in here. Some huge careers have famously started here in the Cavern Club, and it’s obvious this means a hell of a lot to Abi (Rose Kelly) and she doesn’t try to hide the fact. Tonight is an honour; it’s a BBC introducing lineup, handpicked by Dave Monks (BBC Radio Merseyside) himself. Abi (Rose Kelly) is no stranger to the BBC, receiving regular radio play with her original songs on Dave’s Monks’ show.
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Abi Rose Kelly had previously been gaining huge momentum and had been long listed for the 2020 ‘BBC Emerging Talent’ stage at Glastonbury before the pandemic forced all events to halt. Headlining this tonight puts her firmly back on the map, and she’s ready for big things. I’ve seen Abi (Rose Kelly) and her band, the Sunsleepers, numerous times; I know exactly what she is capable of. She’s a ‘must see’ performer and the Sunsleepers are right up there with her.
As expected, tonight she was indeed show-stopping. Her most recent boast is headlining the local bands’ day at Rivfest in nearby Warrington, Abi’s family home and former stomping ground. Now firmly Liverpool based, she’s a regular and favourite at venues across the city.
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Supports:
Kit- vocals/guitar,
Steve – keys/guitar,
Jack -bass.
Proceedings were started off by K.I.T, Liverpool based indie musician, who’s been performing since 2019. All original songs, performed impeccably, very well received. Most songs had been written and composed during the lockdown. K.I.T. is a regular on the Liverpool circuit and appears at many venues in and around the city. Inspired by the likes of ‘Laur’, ‘Troye Sivan’ and Jack Antonoff’, this was an impressive set and set the tone very well for what was to follow. Great guitar-based songs with a real Mersey inspired feeling to them, which sat very well within the iconic surroundings we were gathered at.
Setlist: From Earth to the Stars, Better, The Fire, Warm.
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Second support:
Ream Radomes – rhythm guitar/lead vocals.
Tom Houghton – lead guitar/backing vocals.
Archie Rimmer – bass
Liam Shields – drums
The second support tonight was Ask Elliot. The current lineup was formed in 2018, Tom and Liam, being cousins, have played together since childhood. Archie joined them in high school, and then Ream met them in college. Ask Elliot are a 4 piece indie pop, Liverpool based band, and have previously played such impressive venues as the O2 Academy, Liverpool, supporting ‘Spinn‘. As the set begins all 4 band members look to be having so much fun. This continues throughout the entire set! It’s infectious, it’s feel good, and it’s electric feels! Indie pop, fizzing tunes with a real vibrancy and freshness, very tightly performed.
Opening with ‘Olivia’ the band’s latest song, the large following they’ve brought with them know every word and dance nonstop. This feels like a party, it’s happy- making! It’s brilliant! In Ream’s (Radome’s) words “this song is about wanting the best for a certain person and appreciating the time spent with them, even when doing small things.”.This set was so much fun, breezy, light and energetic, it created a real buzz in the venue, closing on ‘By your Side’, This was a spectacular job by these enthusiastic, funky and happy-go- lucky lads.
Setlist: Olivia,She,Fow,Take it back ,2032 ,Settle ,By your side
………And so to ABI rose, Kelly………WOW !!!
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Abi Rose Kelly and the Sunsleepers.
Abi Kelly – vocals/guitar,
Isaac Sedgwick – bass,
Jamie Jenkins – lead guitar,
Sonny Price – drums.
This girl is driven – passionate and fierce on stage, a mixture of indie rock and grunge with a punk edge. There is a real darkness, an anger and an irony to her music, especially within the lyrics. People are excited, we recall looking forward to this. Chants for Abi startup as the band arrive on stage. Abi herself comes out and the place explodes! Opening with ‘Polaroids and Violence’, every one of us is singing along. She mumbles verses, growls words at us, then belts out the choruses, holding notes that give you goosebumps. There is a real grit to her music, but at the same time, it’s refined and well rehearsed. It’s perfection! Melancholy, almost angst-ridden themes are punctuated with a punk rock bang. The air of attitude she gives off with her on-stage persona keeps you glued to her! It’s cocky, it’s provocative; she has a real presence and she knows how to work a crowd. She rocks, she struts, she gestures, with a real ‘I know you’re loving it’ feel. She OWNS this stage! Jumping about, she covers every inch, acting up to photographers’ cameras and singing down mobile phones as fans film her. She s climbing on the drum kit, cavorting with the guitarists, mostly whilst still playing her own guitar and keeping her vocals in check perfectly at the same time. It’s impressive, this is some show! She s bolshy, and the crowd love it!!
Between songs, the persona is dropped and she s humble, down-to-earth and gives thanks continuously. The place is now banging. It’s upbeat, it’s cool, it’s loud! The crowd are chanting, the drumbeats are strong and the guitars have a raw feel, though each song is polished and well finished. The band is on fire, Isaac (Sedgwick) and Jamie (Jenkins) are bouncing and pogoing around with Abi and Sonny (Price) is often up on his feet whilst smashing out the beats. This is high energy. Songs like ‘James Corsa’, which as she stated herself needs no introduction, make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end and Sonny (Price) does an impeccable job drumming the instantly recognisable beats. The place has now become completely enthralled. ‘Kill the Waitress’, another firm fan favourite, in Abi s words:”it’s about being miserable and just dealing with it,” about facing angry people day after day and you become angry yourself. This is personal to Abi. By now it feels s primal in here, the crowd are wild, it’s really something to be a part of. Abi is nonchalant, she couldn’t care less, It ‘do you want a piece’ attitude magnified….then it’s over. We are left in total awe!!
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Abi and the guys from the band are straight out afterwards, and in with the crowd, thanking fans, chatting and mingling. It’s genuine appreciation. Abi is a great girl with an abundance of talent and energy and the lads of the Sunsleepers equally so. Tonight’s performance was total non-stop, fast-lane entertainment. The onstage persona is impressively done! Watch out for Abi rose Kelly, she’s going places, and when she does it won’t be quietly, with that voice and her talent for songwriting and performance she WILL arrive with one huge bang !!
Setlist: Polaroids and Violence, Friends, Ben’s song, James’, Corsa, The Hunter cover, People I see, Motion sickness, Kill the waitress’s.
