In one of the most famous musical cities in the world, It takes something very special to stand out from the already impressive catalogue of indie Belters..
Something that’s becoming less and less of an issue for Casino.
This Gig was the fourth time I have been lucky enough to catch them, its been interesting to watch them build on the already solid setlist, with foundations in place from when they wrote and performed under previous band name “The Sonder”. The name change happening I’m told, Due to another band already claiming the name, This seemed to me like a bit of a win. Now being able to rebrand and rebuild the band under the name Casino, Running with an aesthetic that reflects their soulful swagger and classy musicianship.
The five piece Soul/Blues/Indie band Hailing from Liverpool hosted a night of free music in the Jacaranda’s sister venue Phase One, Who also deserve praise for these shows that take place twice a week, hosting a revolving door of some of the best acts in the city.
A Fantastic venue that’s perfect for these more intimate stripped back acoustic sets, Where it seems to be commonplace for bands and artists to test out new material, And on this is occasion that is where the crowd were seriously spoilt..
The night was started off by Ellis Murphy earlier in the evening who took to the stage to play a solo acoustic set. Ellis is another Liverpool artist doing a fantastic job of standing out from the crowd, Playing a solid set of his now signature Folk Tunes to warm the crowd. Not hard to see why most people where just as excited to see Ellis play, a powerful voice backed by very moving guitar parts and harmonica solos that felt like the icing on the cake, the only thing that had me disappointed when seeing Ellis play here, wasn’t anything that he did or didn’t do, but simply that this was the second time I’ve seen him play an I’m still yet to catch him with a full band behind him playing a headline show which after this show I decided is something I need to see.
Casino took to the stage just before 9pm to get stuck into a very extensive set consisting of twelve songs to start us off, treating the crowd to a variety of already popular releases from under their previous name and current with plenty of new tunes to give everyone a taste of what’s coming soon.
The first half of the set lasted just under an hour, before taking a break an returning about half an hour later to throw another eleven solid songs at the crowd… this felt like value for money if you’d paid £20, It was noted a few times by lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dillon Kelly that it was very much appreciated that people had braved the miserable soggy weather to venture down to get involved. Didn’t feel like much of a hardship when you noticed most people where up and moving during a gig that was intended to be seated.
The thing that stood out to me more than anything was how tight the band played together, Boasting a fantastic rhythm section consisting of Anton Jackson bringing the funk with those incredible baselines and Jamie Wild bringing the Thunder in equal measure. A tight knit group playing like a band far beyond their years.
The Melodic Icing on the cake was provided by Casino’s newest member Tom Donoghue on Lead guitar and Oliver Stone on the keys, I feel its important to note with lead guitarists, That it is easy to go overboard an go nuts, But here Both Donoghue and Stone compliment the vibe of the songs perfectly, Adding to what is quickly becoming the signature style of the group.. *insert salt bae gif*
For those not lucky enough to be at the show on Thursday you can catch Casino in Hull on the 24th of march supporting Edgar Summertime Jones, Your City Festival in stoke-on-Trent on the 27th of May with something special up their sleeve being teased and after selling out a headline show in Jimmys Last month I personally can’t wait to see what they do next.
Words and Photos: ST, Photos: ST/Band Media
Links:
Casino Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casino.uk.band
Ellis Murphy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellis.murphy.731
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