John Cale to headline Liverpool Sound City 2017
The Human League, Metronomy and The Kooks join the Velvet Underground legend as the festival expands to four nights
Liverpool Sound City will return in May 2017 for its tenth anniversary edition. Newly relocated to the city's Clarence Dock, and now set to expand from three to four nights, the festival opens on Thursday 25 May with a triumvirate of post-punk veterans: synth-poppers The Human League, Factory Records' A Certain Ratio, and the first appearance in 17 years by Art of Noise founders Dudley/Jeczalik/Langan, as they reboot their former outfit's 1986 album In Visible Silence.
On Friday 26 May, Carmarthenshire-born art-rock hero John Cale will play his defining band's debut album in full: this will be the only European performance of The Velvet Underground & Nico, in celebration of the record's 50th anniversary. Originally announced as a stand-alone show, this has now been absorbed into the Sound City weekend, with a limited number of additional tickets released, and Cale joining the festival's annual conference as a keynote speaker.
Saturday 27 May is headlined by Totnes electronic favourites Metronomy, whose acclaimed fifth album Summer 08 was released in July last year, joined by The Kills, Slaves, Peaches, The Hunna, Carl Barat & The Jackals, Pumarose and Fickle Friends.
Finally, The Kooks return to Sound City on Sunday 28 May to close out the festival for the first time since 2014. Also appearing that day will be White Lies, Local Natives, !!!, Milburn, Cabbage, The Sherlocks, and the city's own She Drew The Gun and The Vryll Society.
"We’ve pulled out all the stops for our tenth birthday," says festival CEO Dave Pichilingi. "We wanted to do something really special, not just to mark to occasion but also to reward all those loyal Sound Citizens who have come with us on this amazing journey. The term 'legend' is over-used these days but we have bona fide music legends on every single day of the festival and we still have lots more to announce. It’s going to be one hell of a party!"
Tickets for Sound City will be on sale on Friday 27 January from 9am, available at liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk