It was not so much of a dim light at the end of the tunnel but an omnipresent Mersey-musical-glare that lit up the Williamson Tunnels yesterday evening in what must have been the city's most unusual gig of the week.
Event promoters Harvest Sun chose the Edge Hill tunnel site with confidence, promising before the concert it was going to be a night of "sights, sounds and surroundings". Their prediction stood true.
The setting just shows what hidden gems this city holds if you dare to, literally, scratch beneath the surface.
A large glass structure hangs over a tunnel mouth housing a bar. A giant window front looks out onto the regular and monotonous. It looks like any normal venue.
Turn around 180 degrees and you will be confronted by something entirely irregular. Glass meets brick and a low arch way curves out the tunnel itself. Twenty metres or so into the darkness a stage stands, where the last night some of the city's finest bands strummed their trade.
It was over 200 years ago that eccentric land owner Joseph Williamson ordered men to burrow beneath the city's outskirts, creating a maze of tunnels and caverns. Today part of the labyrinth is open to the public in the shape of a heritage centre. Last night it doubled up as a gig venue.
Daybreak opened proceedings early on before debutant's Mercury 13 took the stage. On a night entirely filled by local bands they managed to raise more than a few positive eyebrows with a mature touch of upbeat indie-pop-rock.
DJ Aaron Ellis fed songs to the amassed sell out crowd - a positive mixture of local 'music and football' aficionados - inbetween sets.
The penultimate offering was Misery Guts. The Merseyside four-piece have garnered acclaim and excitement in equal measures in recent months with a rare breed of a acoustic psychedelia.
Overriding vocals successfully grabbed the audience's attention while incessant rhythmic plucking bounced off the low ceiling. Definitley near the summit of any 'ones to watch' list.
However, it was headliners The Maybes? that most were there to see. Ever presents on the Liverpool music scene for over half a decade The Maybes? command, and warrant, a loyal following.
Gliding through a set made up of predominantly unreleased tracks they demonstrated the coolness and professionalness that made their first album, and early catalogue of songs, so seamlessly smooth.
Old track Trick of the Light was a literal crowd pleaser with frontman Nick Ellis bowing to an audience request to play the song that he went to explain as an "anti-hymn".
As ever they drew their set to a close with an extended version of the instrumental flagship dance-rock anthem Promise. A fitting end to the night.
Organisers Harvest Sun basked in the shine at the end telling Click Liverpool: "We just want to say thank you to the people who the made effort to come down. It's appreciated. The night wasn't about us it was about the music and the people who made it special".
After hosting a highly successful afternoon of music at the 'Bombed Out Church' in August their intention is to continue in the same erratic vein.
"At the moment we're thinking maybe November but it's more than likely going to be December. The venue has yet to be decided but in true Harvest Sun fashion it will be special. Keep your eyes and ears peeled" they told us. We will do.
8/10.
An exciting venue with a line-up to match.
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