After an exhausting four days, music writer Peter Guy looks back at this year’s Sound City music festival

As America took hold in the Masque Theatre, the walls of Heebiejeebies dripped to Merseybeat romanticism as The Rascals were joined by Echo & The Bunnymen legend Will Sergeant powering through a set which included Iggy Pop’s The Passenger and The Ronettes’ Be My Baby.

Leading the way on the opening night were Texan fusion all-stars White Denim, who brought the O2 Academy to its knees with a devastating mix of guitar whirlwinds and propulsive rhythms reducing the crowd to a heaving mess of sodden bodies.

London trio The Invisible, at Korova, Liverpool’s Hot Club de Paris, Phantom Band and a whole host of secret gems topped off a day littered with moments to cherish.

Topping last year’s inaugural spectacular, the four-day event saw over 400 bands visit the City from all over the globe, with Antipodean bands The Sound Movement and The John Steel Singers proving particularly popular.

The event, which also included the premier screening of Liverpool novelist Kevin Sampson’s film Awaydays, attracted an estimated 40,000 music fans including leading executives from MTV, Youtube and Google.

With other highlights over the four days including a Caribbean musical showcase, a new exhibition by legendary music photographer Kevin Cummins and a fun-packed afternoon of football in the John Peel World Cup, it's safe to say Sound City 2010 can't come soon enough.

FOR extensive comment and reviews from all four nights of Liverpool Sound City and exclusive photographs from Mark McNulty, visit www. getintothis.co.uk