​As Liverpool Music Week is closing, we’ve very sadly come to the end of DIY’s Breaking Out series. The band ending the unforgettable series, coming from Brighton boasting some great singles, Abattoir Blues brought their post-punk noise to the Arts Club Loft, our own writer-photographer, James Ainsworth went down to capture the event.

But firstly, we had Queen Zee and the Sasstones. Having first seen Queen Zee at SFN’s gig in the Buyers Club, I can certainly say Queen Zee where a hell of a lot better than their previous set. Maybe it’s the fact they were boasting an extra member but they seemed to be a lot more musically proficient last night. 

Queen Zee played an amazing set, bringing the energy of both the room and the audience right up, very apt for the closing gig of Breaking Out. 

With the lead singer bursting onto the stage wearing a skirt, t-shirt and bra, which he absolutely owned. Then proceeding to bash out some great songs accompanied by a second guitarist and drummer. He even made time to visit the audience’s side of the stage grabbing a member by the collar and singing into his face, which both parties seemed to love. 

While the other band members held down the groove on stage. However, they did seem to have a few technical issues, with guitar feedback, instrument malfunction and other minor issues saying “this has been a terrible set, but I hope you enjoyed it.” They defiantly made up for this though, playing a rendition of Electric Six’s “Gay Bar”, which had the crowd screaming and ended the set flawlessly.

Then we had Indigo Moon who brought their psychedelic bluesy sound to the scene. With powerful, soulful vocals of lead singer Ash Colley, Indigo Moon gave the audience the nice relaxed but epic set we needed after Queen Zee. Indigo Moon showed their great technical prowess with great instrumentation from all members of the band adding another fantastic layer to the nights show. We’re left not being able to wait until we next see them. 

Next, we had the final support, Elevant who brought back the energy of Queen Zee. Playing a very proficient set, Elevant played to an absolutely packed room who all seemed to be there just for them. It’s no wonder, they were fantastic, bringing their indie-rock sounds to the scene. The guitarist for Indigo Moon also seemed to join them on stage, which shows beautifully how all the bands interact and get on with each other, showing that music is music and is there to be enjoyed. 

Finally, the main event. Abattoir Blues. Abattoir Blues played to a noticeably empty room, all the audience members seemed to just come for the opening acts, seemingly Elevant. Which is a shame as Abattoir Blues blew the roof off the Arts Club with their post-punk sound. Abattoir Blues had a great contrast between their melodic technical playing and the harsh, booming voice of lead singer, Harry Waugh. Although, they didn’t interact well with the audience, if at all, and when they did Waugh mumbled and whispered, surly a band this monstrous couldn’t be scared to perform or speak to their audience. 

Which is a shame because they really where good. Their thunderous sound blew everyone away and had, what was left of the audience pounding. 

This show was perfect for the final show of the wonderful series that has been DIY’s Breaking Out. With only Cat’s Eyes and the highly anticipated LMW Closing Party left of Liverpool Music Week, we are already looking forward to next year! 

Words and photography by James Ainsworth.