Max & Harvey 02 2 Academy Liverpool on Friday 8th April

Max and Harvey were finally able to take the stage again for their “This is not a Phase” tour in the 02 2 Academy Liverpool on Friday 8th April after this tour was rescheduled due to Covid and it’s safe to say their break from touring made them hungry to perform again, the energy they brought to the venue was simply insane; I had the best night, both photographing the pair of them and simply being in the crowd enjoying their gig. Prior to the show, I knew of both Max and Harvey as they often pop up in my TikTok feed, and I also remember seeing them on The X factor: Celebrity edition back in 2019. Often before gigs, I’ll check out the artist’s music and I soon came to the realisation Max and Harvey are just the sort of artists I’d listen to, fun, upbeat pop music: perfect for me! My best friend is also a massive fan of the boys and told me about how incredible Max and Harvey are live, therefore I went into the gig with high expectations thanks to her which were most definitely exceeded!

On the lineup for the evening, was obviously the talented headliners Max and Harvey, who myself and the crowd were very excited to see, with support from the lovely Capri Everitt, whose name was new to me, however I was just as excited to see her perform and discover a new artist to add to my playlists.

Capri Everitt_Credit: Elodie Hadfield

The first thing that struck me about Capri was her energy, she was jumping across the stage getting the crowd involved singing, dancing and jumping with her. She also looked stunning on stage and her sense of style was so cool. She was performing in this yellow oversized varsity jacket and white tie top, which contrasted with the stage lighting and make her stand out from the business of the stage. She sang a couple covers of songs from a variety of artists; however, the one that stuck in my mind was of Justin Bieber’s “Hold On” which got the crowd bouncing about and singing along. There were four girls in front of me that Capri gave a little shoutout to for their energy and rightly so they were bouncing up and down like no tomorrow belting out the Justin Bieber lyrics. Capri finished her upbeat set with her single “Not Your Toy”. The song is all about standing up for yourself and not letting anyone walk over you, and this message was very much reinforced through Capri’s sassy performance of the song, which made the crowd join in and dance along in the same sassy manner. I’m definitely going to check out more of Capri’s music and add some of her tracks to my playlists ( “Not Your Toy” was added yesterday to my “What I’m currently listening to” playlist), as well as keeping up with her social media’s and new releases. If you want feel good, pure pop music Capri Everitt is your girl!

As I mentioned briefly before, I checked out Max and Harvey’s music before coming along to the gig and added some of my favourite songs of theirs to a playlist so I was ready to sing along with the crowd! Being a photographer, I often also get asked to review gigs and there’s nothing better than reviewing a gig you have stood and sung along to all evening!

Once the stage went dark after Capri’s set, the crowd became overcome with excitement, the sense of giddiness filled the academy. The crowd was chatting away about how excited they were to see Max and Harvey take the stage. There’s something so thrilling about sitting in the photo pit waiting for the artists to take the stage, while you can feel the restlessness of the crowd behind you. The lights went down over the audience, and the screams of 500 people bounced around the venue. There was a couple of minutes intro, played by their band which warmed the crowd up for the main act: Max and Harvey, who came running out on stage, evidently just as excited as the crowd to kick off the show.

Max&Harvey_Credit: Elodie Hadfield

I was exceptionally happy when I checked the setlist, which was attached to the stage floor, and saw I was still going to be in the photo pit when the boys performed my favourite song “Drown”; it’s safe to say I did indeed sing along while photographing the boys. The energy both Max and Harvey brought to the stage was unmatched and this energy didn’t drop once throughout the whole gig. It’s so evident how much performing and hearing people singing your lyrics back means to both of them, they get such a high from performing and it’s simply amazing to see. Their stage presence and the way they interact with the crowd is also incredible, both the boys picked out girls in the crowd and sang lyrics just to them, making the girl’s evenings I’m sure, as well as generally getting the crowd bouncing and dancing about, through their insane levels of energy. Their gig was just such a feel good show, and I walked away from it smiling and I actually messaged my best friend straight away and said “Can we go and see Max and Harvey please when they tour again, whether I’m photographing them or not”, that’s how much I enjoyed the show!

Max and Harvey’s penultimate song was a single called “Lonely” which was most definitely a crowd favourite! The crowd was the loudest they had been all night when they played this song and they were belting out the words at the top of their lungs, I was among the crowd also singing along. They then concluded their set with their new single that was realised April 1st “No Way”.

Max&Harvey_Credit: Elodie Hadfield

The crowd chanting for this song during the encore repeatedly shouting “No Way, No Way, No way” and it’s safe to say the boys didn’t disappoint with this one. They came running make on stage, full of energy ready to give the best performance of the night! The crowd was simply loving it, excited to see such a new release performed live. Honestly, as you can probably tell, I can’t say enough good things about Max and Harvey and their performance in Liverpool on Friday 8th April. I’ll 100% be going to see them again whether I’m photographing and reviewing their gig or just for a fun night out with my best friend!

Review and Photography by Elodie Hadfield

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