Sound City Liverpool announce The Reytons as Saturday headliner

Sound City is thrilled to announce that Sheffield indie heavyweights The Reytons will be headlining this year’s festival on Saturday 29th April, alongside rapidly rising pop star Maisie Peters who will headline on Sunday 30th April. Fresh off the back of releasing their new album ‘What’s Rock And Roll?’ which is set to become the band’s first UK #1 album imminently, The Reytons are gaining momentum at immense speed. Their live shows are renowned for their electrifying energy and almost tribalistic, unified atmosphere.

Their anthemic blend of huge indie chorus’ and down-to-earth lyricism has connected with hundreds of thousands of fans across the country and makes for the perfect festival climax. Sound City 2023 runs from 28th – 30th April 2023, with tickets on sale now via www.soundcity.uk.com.

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Welcoming music-loving attendees and artists from across the UK and the world over, Sound City takes place in its Liverpool home, a city with a buzzing live music scene and a rich musical heritage. It is the must-attend celebration of music discovery, and undisputedly the UK’s independent festival for new music, kicking off festival season with a plethora of the most exciting emerging acts spanning a multitude of genres.

Sound City is the UK’s lead festival for Keychange and thus, they consistently deliver a diverse and gender-balanced line-up full of the most exciting emerging artists making it the ultimate festival to discover the sounds of the future.

Peaness

Joining The Reytons on this second wave of artists for Sound City 2023 is local Merseyside’s Michael Aldag. Following his rise to fame on TikTok that offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the life of a young artist, Michael has amassed over 700,000 followers, releasing his debut EP ‘SOCIALIZING’ and earning high praise from the likes of CLASH, Dork and even ITV. Local female trio Peaness are renowned for their packed-out live shows and are not to be missed while The Sway have gained a cult following in Liverpool and will undoubtedly whip up a stir at the festival.

Other North-West act The K’s have a knack for getting crowds bouncing with their indie anthems while The Covasettes will be jumping across the M62 from Manchester to Liverpool for Sound City. The band has become a firm favourite of countless industry tastemakers such as Radio 1’s Jack Saunders and Gemma Bradley, 5Live’s Scott Mills and Fearne Cotton as well as BBC Introducing in Manchester, Sheffield and Northampton. 

Swim Deep

Having performed at Glastonbury and toured America alongside The 1975, Swim Deep are no strangers to creating memorable live sets. Following their innovative 2022 EP, they are set to make a huge return to the live stage at Sound City 2023.

Dylan John Thomas is quickly becoming one of the most acclaimed new songwriters around and will be bringing his Scottish charm to Liverpool in April. Indie quartet Overpass will also be joining the line-up; the midlands-based outfit have become renowned for their memorable live shows, playing countless sold-out gigs across the country and playing unforgettable sets at Isle of Wight, Truck and Y Not Festival. Their latest release made them cover stars of Spotify’s ‘Hot New Bands’ playlist and earned them a spot on TV’s Soccer AM.

Eclectic disco-pop songwriter Aflie Neal and heartfelt indie rock newcomer Tom A Smith are quickly becoming two of the most promising solo acts in the UK which has led to them both playing sold-out hometown shows and featuring on Spotify’s ‘Fresh Finds’ and ‘Proper Belters’ playlists respectively. Having already sold out Liverpool’s O2 Academy on their upcoming UK tour, lively indie outfit The K’s will be in high demand as they join the Sound City 2023 line-up, as will powerful indie-soul noisemakers Skinny Living who have built up a huge following thanks to their relatable lyricism and independent approach.

The Goddess Collective

Unapologetically bold, The Skinner Brothers have become widely known for their old-school rock and roll swagger and their unfiltered opinions on the music industry. Tracks like ‘Away Days’ and ‘Low’ have a football esc chanting quality that is truly infectious and makes for a fantastic live performance that any fans of The Reytons will be sure to love.

Also joining the lineup are a fantastic selection of upcoming artists from Leeds Conservatoire including dreamy indie-rapper, Kneeo, groove-laden songwriter, Lois, slick pop singer Tomi Robynne & Goddess Collective. Sound City Festival will take up residency at a new home on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April 2023. Mountford Hall at the Liverpool Guild of Students will play host to festival-goers this April. One of the city’s biggest live music venues, steeped in musical history with artists from Queen and The Buzzcocks to Jessie J and Dizzee Rascal having taken to Mountford Hall’s stage over the years.

The venue boasts a state-of-the-art light and sound system, and is just a 5-minute walk from Liverpool city centre.

Michael Aldag

New Music Friday

Ahead of the main Sound City festival weekend and rounding off the one-day conference, there will be a brand new nighttime music billing, running from 6pm-11pm on Friday 28th April titled ‘New Music Friday’. This new addition to the Sound City weekend will see the most exciting emerging artists perform across intimate local live music venues, as attendees are invited to explore Liverpool city centre. Sound City is renowned for uncovering new talent, with past alumni including Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Stormzy, Grimes, Yungblud, The 1975 and more.

Having just been named ‘Best Metropolitan Festival’ at the 2022 UK Festival Awards, Sound City has an unrivalled reputation for showcasing the next wave of new music from the UK and internationally and so ‘New Music Friday’ will be the perfect way to kick off the weekend in style, explore the thriving music scene in the heart of the city and discover your next favourite artist.

Apply to play

Sound City has partnered with Tunecore to launch their Apply To Play system for 2023 which allows emerging artists from across the country the chance to submit their music and join the 2023 festival line-up. As the UK’s leading festival and conference for new music and the loudest voice championing emerging artists in the North, Apply To Play is one of the core elements of Sound City as it allows the next wave of young musicians to be heard and showcase their amazing talent to over 5,000 daily attendees. Sound City has been providing the UK’s most exciting new artists their first taste of a festival stage for over 15 years, with alumni including Ed Sheeran, The 1975, Grimes, Stormzy, Lizzo, Yungblud and many more.

Artists can Apply To Play now.

Sound City Conference

The annual Sound City conference is the UK’s leading independent music conference and AIM UK’s ‘Conference in The North’. For over 15 years, Sound City has welcomed leading industry figures, emerging artists and aspiring music business professionals to Liverpool for a full-day programme of educational panels, in-conversations and networking parties. Sound City 2023 is the must-attend event for established music professionals and aspiring creatives alike, as music lovers and industry leaders from all over the world are welcomed to the North of England for an unrivalled day of innovative, forward-thinking industry discussion.

The first wave of in-conversations and panels will be announced on January 31st.

Taking place on 28th April 2023, tickets for the Sound City Conference are on sale now via www.soundcity.uk.com

Sponsors and Partners

Sound City are proud to partner with Arts Council England, CAPLL LTD,  scotts, Tessuti, SAE, Tunecore, Amplead, Bruntwood, Bundobust, gigseekr, Keychange, Leeds Conservatoire, Modern Sky, PRS Foundation, SAMA, SESAC and Vevo for their 2023 festival.

Image credits:
Sam McMahon
Jonny Nolan
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