Merseyside bands tune up for Glastonbury debuts

May 5 2008 by Phil Key, Liverpool Daily Post

FIVE Merseyside bands will be appearing at this year’s Glastonbury Festival in June.

But, before that, the five in question will be appearing on the same bill at Liverpool’s Carling Academy.

The bands – Elle S’Appelle, Married to the Sea, The Daisy Riots, The Rascals and the tongue-twisting The Seal Cub Clubbing Club – will all be part of the Left Field at Glastonbury.

This is a union-organised stage with a Left Wing bias. This year, for example, veteran left-winger Tony Benn will be among those taking to the stage.

In fact, Tony Benn can claim some musical credibility. A little while back, a collection of his speeches was set to music by Charles Bailey and issued as a music disc.

Also on the bill in Glastonbury with be regulars like Billy Bragg, but the Merseyside quintet will be making their first appearances.

Two of the bands are from Liverpool, two from Wirral and one from – of all places – Southport.

The Liverpool bands are the three-piece, one girl, two guys, Elle S’Appelle (who got their name from a Google search), and the indie band Married to the Sea.

From Wirral come The Rascals, discovered playing at The Magnet, and The Seal Cub Clubbing Club who also run a book club at their gigs.

The Southport group is The Daisy Riots. Organisers of the Left Field felt they wanted to be involved in Liverpool’s City of Culture celebrations, hence the Left Field’s Merseyside showcase at the Carling Academy on Wednesday, May 14.

As part of a reciprocal agreement with the Culture Company, the five bands will be featured in a special segment at the Glastonbury Festival.

The Liverpool show will raise money for Anti Slavery International, a movement which combats modern-day slavery.

Left Field director Geoff Martin said: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring a little bit of Glastonbury to the City of Culture and to take a little bit of Liverpool down to Worthy Farm in June.”