The Merseyside musicians you should be listening to right now

As a region our musical heritage is second to none. Let’s face it, Merseyside has been producing some of the biggest and best sounds since the 60s.

From the early days of Merseybeat, through punk, new wave, electronic, house and indie, there is no genre of music where you won’t find successful Merseyside musicians.

So what are you listening to right now? Here is our guide to eight local artists you should be listening to right now and the gigs to get in your diary.

Let us know your local recommendations!

Crawlers

If you already have tickets for their gig at The Invisible Wind Factory tomorrow, you won’t need us to tell you why you should be listening to Crawlers. If not, then now is the time to see this four piece who formed in Liverpool in 2018. They are Holly Minto on vocals, Amy Woodall on lead guitar, Liv Kettle on bass and Harry Breen on drums.

Citing Queens of the Stone Age and Nirvana as just two of their influences, Crawlers are currently on a UK tour which comes to the Invisible Wind Factory tomorrow (Saturday) before they head to Europe and America.

Their latest single Would You Come to my Funeral was named hottest record in the world by Radio 1’s Clara Amfo this week and backed by major label Polydor they are going places.

Get tickets for their latest tour here.

The Mysterines

Fronted by singer Lia Metcalfe, this Merseyside rock back have been selling out gigs and enjoying airplay on BBC 6 Music for the last couple of years.

They got to perform their particular style of grunge to a whole new audience when they opened for the Arctic Monkeys on their huge summer 2023 tour and are currently thought to be working on new material for release next year to follow up Reeling, which came out in 2022.

Keep up with their plans and download the single Begin Again here.

Red Rum Club

Tickets for their biggest gig to date went on sale today (Friday) and with a new single called Undertaker also just out and half way through an American tour, it’s a busy time for the lads from Crosby.

They bring their unique guitar and brass sound to the M&S Arena on April 5 next year after a run of gigs that will take them all over the UK. They also a new album Western Approaches out in February.

Red Rum Club played a home-town outdoor gig in Bootle in July at the Salt and Tar festival. The heavens opened and it poured down but the thousands who gathered to see them weren’t deterred and the sing along was as loud as ever to tracks like Would You Rather Be Lonely?, Kids Addicted and Ballerino.

Get tickets for their massive homecoming gig at the M&S Arena here.

Miles Kane

Kane returned to his rock and roll roots with his latest album One Man Band, his fifth long player, with standout tracks like Troubled Son and The Wonder giving him a top five record. 

Recorded in Liverpool, and with cousin James Skelly of The Coral co-writing some of the tracks, there were also contributions from Tom Ogden of Blossoms and Kieran Shudall of Liverpool band Circa Waves. There is also Baggio, a love letter to the Italian footballer who actually invited Kane to his home in Vicenza after hearing the track. 

He said: “It is probably the first time I have ever felt so nervous.” But the nerves were eased by a shared bottle of win with the football legend.

Wirral born Kane has played a few Liverpool gigs this year, two of them as part of the Eurovision celebrations. He is a huge fan of the contest.

You can stream One Man Band of get tickets for Kane’s UK tour, including a date in Manchester, here.

Jamie Webster

The phenomenal rise of Webster from playing for Liverpool football fans, to packing out the Pier Head is the stuff of dreams.

Such is the success of the former electrician, he has recently announced a headline gig in the massive surroundings of Sefton Park in July 2024. His third full length album, 10 For the People, comes out in February and is sure to follow his previous two releases into the top 10. 

From singing covers in city centre pubs to playing the famous BOSS nights, he has established himself as one of the best singer songwriters to come out of the UK in recent years. He played both the Avalon and Leftfield stages on two consecutive days at Glastonbury this year and kicks off a UK tour with two nights in Glasgow in November following a storming main stage set at the city’s TRNSMT festival in July.

Webster announced last month that he won’t be singing Liverpool FC songs for the foreseeable future preferring instead to concentrate on the song writing and political comments that have catapulted him from local hero to national star. He describes his new work as: “brimming with stories, lessons and calls to action. It’s about making people feel they’re not alone.”

You can get tickets for In the Park here.

CamelPhat

The Electronic DJs from Liverpool brought their huge show home to the Pier Head in July this year for the On the Waterfront festival before a summer schedule in Ibiza.

Mike Di Scala and Dave Whelan have been playing together and releasing music since 2004 and have enjoyed a string of hits, a Grammy nomination for the single Cola, and were named Best House Artist at the DJ Awards in 2018.

Their second album Spiritual Milk came out earlier this month and they are currently hopping between sets on the White Isle and in Los Angeles.

You can catch CamelPhat in Manchester on October 21 at The Warehouse Project, Depot Mayfield. Get tickets here.

The Wombats

The Wombats have been bringing us their brand of catchy indie guitar music for an unbelievable 15 years now.

Currently touring America, with support from fellow Scousers Red Rum Cub, they played a special gig before they left to celebrate the re-opening of Liverpool’s music venue the Arts Club.

Proving that they are still massively popular, their latest album Fix Yourself Not the World reached number one last year and their American tour will be followed by dates in Australia.

Zuzu

If cool guitar music with clever lyrics is your thing then Zuzu is for you.

Some people have dubbed her the Scouse Taylor Swift, but she is very much her own person and doesn’t need lazy stereotypes to make a success of her catchy music.

A well know Everton fan, she was one of the stars of the 90s themed retro third kit launch for the Blues’ this season, alongside fellow Evertonian musicians Megan Wynn and Starkey the Messenger.

The Liverpool singer songwriter is one of the stars of the Gathering Sounds Festival in Stockton on Tees next weekend, a traditional end of festival season pilgrimage for many music fans.

Before then you can catch her performing at Jimmy’s in Bold Street on September 28.

Get your tickets for the Jimmy’s gig here.

For more Merseyside musicians and music in the city click HERE!