The new year has well and truly started and we’re all kicking back into gear (slowly). So, what better way to get back into the swing of things than heading over to Future Yard, for the annual Toucantango Onomatoposter, an international poster exhibition that takes over the Birkenhead venue. This year, the festival coincided with wonderful live performances from Do Nothing and alright (okay) who both delivered killer sets.
However, we must first touch on how beautiful the venue spaces looked adorned in the vibrant poster collections of Toucantango! The yellow seated area around the bar became a wonderous array of colour, with posters for bands big and small dotted all around the walls. The live screen-printing taking place in the main room also added an energy to the space. Having posters dotted around and a central point of interest away from the stage in the form of the printing station meant that the crowd didn’t stagnate during the intervals. Instead, people were constantly walking around admiring their surroundings and chatting excitedly about their favourite designs.
After we’d sampled the poster selection we enjoyed a fiery set from local boys alright (okay). Undoubtedly one of our favourite live acts on Merseyside, the quartet were especially up for it on the night. The energy of frontman Alex Usher oozed out as he bounded around the stage and jumped off it into the crowd to get people moving. Yet, what stood out especially was the interplay between the guitar and bass lines. The sound was on point, allowing your attention to drift between the interwoven rhythms and hitting you with a whack when the harsh tones and big riffs kicked in!
Do Nothing proceeded to offer a more considered set, exploring the atmospheric sounds of their 2023 album ‘Snake Sideways’ with a sultry finesse. Of course, upbeat, singalong fan favourites like ‘Nerve’ and ‘New Life’ stood out, drawing a chorus of tipsy vocals from the crowd. However, the intricate instrumental performances and swirling soundscapes of their deeper cuts were absorbing and hint at the direction the band wish to take themselves.
An undeniably fun evening elevated by the visual feast on by Wirral’s finest print makers!
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