Modern Marriage

live at Round The Corner

Liverpool

15/12/2022

with support from Big Bad Cat and Haiku Waifu 

I’m heading through the bitter cold tonight, to one of the hidden gems of the Liverpool music scene. Round The Corner is the host to local three-piece ‘Modern Marriage‘ this evening and although Christmas is drawing near I don’t doubt that it will be as busy as their other gigs have been this last year. It’s one of my last few shows of 2022 and I’m excited to spend the night with a band that I’ve consistently revisited since I started photographing gigs last spring.

Heading upstairs to the venue I’m saying hello to regulars and familiar faces to their gigs, Modern Marriage are building a following who can’t get enough of this band. 

Round The Corner has not been on my radar for too long, but recently I’ve noticed that more and more bands are choosing to play here. Whilst it’s only a small venue, it’s a cosy space to watch great bands and the owners are very friendly and welcoming.

Most people are outside in the upstairs roof garden area even though the temperature is minus 6 or something ridiculous, but as soon as tonight’s first act starts everybody piles inside to show their support.

(Big Bad Cat_Credit: Nathan Cole)

‘Big Bad Cat‘ opens tonight’s music with an interesting lineup of bass, trumpet, keyboard vocals and guitars. This Liverpool six-piece gives off sounds that I don’t hear much of at live shows these days, ska and reggae and it is a refreshing change in tone, they have a cool stylish groove and I can tell they are very well-practiced. “Haunting Me” is a stand out of their set tonight, singer Villas tells me afterwards that it’s a modern-day horror classic about “things that go bump in the night” and it really got everyone warmed up and moving around, ready for the rest of tonight’s bands.

‘Haiku Waifu‘ were up next and this two piece come on stage with a passion ready to make some noise. And indeed, they make a lot of noise! It grabs everyone’s attention straight away, nobody could ignore the sound and vibrations coming from this power duo, these lads are super loud. “He Goat” best summarises this band, it’s a song full of energy and they get a great reception. The guitar echoes through the room whilst both Dave’s and Andy’s vocals boom out which gets heads eagerly nodding through this song and the rest of their set, amazing to see.

(Haiku Waifu_Credit: Nathan Cole)

‘Modern Marriage‘ are ready to take the stage after watching the support bands and chatting with the punters. They walk on stage to “Bang Bang” by Nancy Sinatra, with each of them wearing a hat or scarf ready to get this winter gig started, drummer Danny is getting into the festive spirit with a Christmas hat and the band gets a huge cheer from the revellers out front as they start up. Lead singer Ben’s Tranmere Rovers scarf soon comes off after he puts all of his energy into the start of the band’s set.

They open up with “Gerry And His Pacemaker” which gives everyone a taste of what we’re in for here. The crowd is moving with their hands in the air showing how eager they are to hear their favourite tunes. This Merseyside band spend the night belting out their unique and catchy tunes and I don’t think I’ve come across a group quite as interesting as Modern Marriage with their set of unusual and quirky topics. “Radnor Canned Water” is a song that stands out as something I’ve never heard anybody sing about. I’m told after the gig that it’s about the cost of living crisis and how the band were once charged £2 for a can of water at a previous gig. It unfolded to be a contagious rock song that nobody could get enough of and the lyrics were shouted straight back at the band by their loyal followers.

(Modern Marriage_Credit: Nathan Cole)

Whilst the band is relatively new to the scene, they always play to a group of enthusiastic fans as well as new listeners that join in with their energy and the group at the front of the stage tonight are excitedly bouncing around with their arms around each other as the band plays their epic set! “The Ballad of Kenny The Ticketman” is definitely a crowd favourite and another new song “Lewey’s Got A Two-Piece” also gets a great reception, this song has a Latin feel about it and I’m impressed that this band has such an eclectic set.

Between songs, the band entertain everyone with witty one-liners and the crowd doesn’t hesitate to joke back and sometimes, heckel. Someone tells Ben that “Tranmere are shit” and he doesn’t argue, replying with “yes we are”. It feels like the band is one with their audience tonight as everyone gets involved and jokes around, interacting with the three lads on stage.

Bass player Lewis proclaims he has an important message for us as we get his “fact of the day”, he tells us that too many sprouts are wasted across the Christmas period. Everybody cheers him on as he continues to preach about seasonal food wastage giving us facts and figures about sprouts and Christmas dinners. “Speke Now” is another stand out of their set here, everyone is singing along, arms in the air. All three band members are giving it their all up there tonight, always looking enthusiastic and inventive, we get a short impromptu version of The Dead Kennedy’s song “Too Drunk To Fuck” while Lewis fixes some problems with his bass. The guys clearly love what they are doing and it extends to the audience one hundred per cent who share in their excitement. 

(Modern Marriage_Crowd_Credit: Nathan Cole)

They finish with a two-song encore and another stand-out for me tonight is the song “Modern Marriage”, I haven’t heard this one before and I’ve been to a few MM gigs now, I’m surprised by how many tunes this band has.

Once again, I’m leaving a Modern Marriage gig excited to hear more and I’m eager to see what they’re up to next.  I know that they have been working on material in the studio and I can’t wait to hear what they’ve been doing.

Speaking to their manager David as the band packs their gear away on the stage, he tells me that 2023 is going to be a very busy year for them and says that the band really need to get their album finished and says they have a spring release planned for their debut single, which is all recorded and ready to go. 

I’ll be keeping an eye out for them in the new year for sure!

I leave the gig feeling like I’ve been to a big party, and this is what a Modern Marriage show always feels like. I always enjoy shooting them and for anyone who hasn’t seen this band yet, check them out soon.

Review and photography:  Nathan Cole.

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