Photograph by Ian D. Hall

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Add a dash of the exotic and mysterious Faroe Islands to a band and already the thought of the type of music you might expect from one of the young groups in the city of Liverpool creating a huge amount of talk, the exceptionally good Clean Cut Kid, and you have a group worthy of taking a huge interest in.

Clean Cut Kid are Jake Ford, Tom Ashbrook, Oliver Hardakre, Michael Halls and Greta Svabo Bech and together they appeared on stage at Leaf ready to win over a new audience and spread the ever growing word on their excellent music.

The heady mix of perfect humour, the odd touch of self-deprecation as they explained what each song was about, those into great break-up songs will not be disappointed when they catch them live and above all an ability to match the sweet sentiments they poured over the ears of every audience member in the vicinity of the Bold Street tea rooms. Even those drinking away the late hours downstairs could be heard voicing their approval as the well-crafted songs filtered their way down through the staircase.

The band opened their slot at Leaf with In My Blood and Runaway, two songs that in all honesty could have been played anywhere in Liverpool on the night and would have been as keenly welcomed by any crowd in any venue.

Sometimes it can be a little disarming at what makes you appreciate a new young band so much, the energy they give of and their self-belief in their own creations is paramount but it needs a little extra. The city, always a creative vibe for musicians over the years, seems to be handing out something new to the bands making their way now. A new era of music is being heard, quite rightly in Liverpool and bands and solo artists such as Clean Cut Kid are proving to be a hit and the reason is, the adaptability to be something else, to have a voice that is not only theirs but as perhaps belonging to a city that is fast becoming the number one place for music again in the U.K.

Other songs played by this creative and well-spirited band included Time To Let You Go, Silence and Thunder and the savage but honest Brother of Mine.

Clean Cut Kid is a group of sparky and intelligent musicians who are not going to go away and thank goodness for that.

Ian D. Hall