Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The Saturday of the Independent Pop Overthrow has always been a powerhouse of emotions in which to revel in the glory of a festival so enormous in its preparations that it puts many of its counterparts to shame. The setting of The Cavern was exactly the right staging for the I.P.O. and the weekend the main focal point as visitors to the city, the throng of human activity, make their way to the music capital of the U.K. in search of something new, fresh and hopefully exciting.

Oxfordshire’s The Dirty Royals were in town to add to that experience, to give a prospective of the undiluted dream that first came to the I.P.O. in Liverpool ten years ago. It was a dream that had maintained its high standard and whilst in many bands there is always a dip in the fabric of musical contribution or ability, in The Dirty Royals there was none to be heard or seen, just great music which enthralled the packed back stage area of The Cavern.

Ten years may have passed since they first strode the stage at the I.P.O. but the band still understand what it means to connect with a crowd, especially on the Saturday afternoon in which serious music lovers mingle with the curious and the mystery shopper in need of a drink, refreshment and a small ray of sunshine in their otherwise slate gray day.

Sunshine was in abundance for all three types who found their way down the stairs and to the back room, past the sound of the perennial Beatle cover being performed by the good and indifferent and the looks of those who possibly hadn’t seen daylight in a decade. Sunshine that was captured in songs such as Like A Sucker, I’m In Love, the excellent There’s A Riot Going On, Xeroxy Music, You Love Me Too Much and the great Josephine, sunshine that was framed by a band noticeably enjoying themselves on stage and being back in Liverpool and playing before a crowd determined to revel in the day and the music on offer.

The Saturday of the I.P.O has always been one in which to offer thanks to music, this year with The Dirty Royals in attendance was no exception to that hard and fast rule.

Ian D. Hall