Eric's relaunches in a bid to get back to 70s glory days

OMD performing at the relaunch of Eric's in Liverpool

The smell of fresh paint won’t last long at Liverpool club Eric’s, the 70s leather punk club now with a 21st century coat of gloss.

Soon it will smell of beer and the floor will stick to shoes while up and coming bands let rip their rock riffs in the sweaty basement.

That is Eric’s new dream. But here lies the problem: Eric’s was hugely successful and influential 40 years ago, by reinventing the club can that success be transported to today?

One thing that can’t be judged is a club’s future success based on the opening night - which is lucky for Eric.

OMD as the headlining act was a quirky finish to an otherwise bland evening – the Wirral synth-duo played their very first gig at Eric’s in its heyday.

They played their favourites and the nostalgia trip reeked like the freshly painted staircase down into the basement, where OMD fans and guest-listers drank from plastic bottles or cups.

Musical director Ethan Allen introduced the support act, Kids on Bridges, a group of pogo-loving, tracksuit wearing hipsters from Ormskirk.

With song titles like ‘Fast As You Can’, the Erasure replacements were all about loving the retro feel.

The nostalgia was starting to get sickly, despite KOB promising the newish sound of “dirty electro pop”.

Allen promises Eric’s will not be tired and routine, like some other venues in Liverpool, but was not willing to take a risk with fresh new bands, except blues players Xander and the Peace Pirates, who performed upstairs before and after OMD.

They were the real talents of the evening and in them the spirit of Eric’s is alive, but the majority of the night made the club to clichéd to be a real contender for music progression in Liverpool.

Its location and the selling of Eric’s T-shirts just makes the place seem like a tourist hot-spot that will play it loud but safe with nostalgia - like The Cavern does.

Liverpool does not need another Cavern so Eric’s has a momentous task ahead that will secure its place on the city’s musical map again.

Before full judgement can be passed, exciting acts like Trombone Shorty will play later this month. Then Terrorvision return to wreak havoc in November.

Eric’s is a reinvented club but if it wants to be new and fresh risks have to be taken and there was nothing risky about the launch night, Eric’s played it very safe indeed.

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