The last few shows and festivals have been great. Strummercamp and Eden Festival were particularly memorable.
Bernard O'Leary, comedy editor at The Skinny described my most recent Edinburgh set as 'a controlled nervous breakdown in the name of art.'
He went on to say:
'Intense, powerful stuff - really liked him. He seems to be just as intense offstage too... more people like him please.'
Cheers Bernard.
Louder Than War also described my sound as 'a rousing attack........ blood and guts passion.'
I'm playing three in a row with Ghost Mice at the end of June, and releasing my new single in late July/early August.
Cheers PAL.
BL xxx
Dear readers,
I have been neglecting you on this here website, and for that I am sorry.
I have been extremely busy recording the follow-up to the Ghosts Of Punk Rock, which is now sold out as a physical release, and playing shows.
On that note, I have just been announced at Fest in Gainesville, Florida, which will form part of my first American tour.
Click the link below to see my page:
I am also playing Leeds, Liverpool and Strummercamp at the end of this month. Full dates available in the TOUR section of this site....
More great news coming very soon!
Thank YOU always,
BL xx
'I like this dude’s style, we have here another artiste worthy of consideration..... Mr Liar - you are on my list to check out!'
Full brand new review of 'The Ghosts Of Punk Rock' on Fungalpunk (scroll down on site).
EP available HERE (while very limited stocks last).
Cheers, Billy Liar xx
Brand new review of 'The Ghosts Of Punk Rock' on Subba-Cultcha:
'Billy Liar has an incredible sense of dynamics upon which his bottomless pit of frustrations can be unfurled. It’s his natural aesthetic this folky/punk/country doom method of lyrical expressionism that captures every lurching mood swing within the simplistic frame of a man and his guitar..... His greatest summing up of exasperation so far... Billy Liar earns his stripes in the real places among the real emotions. '
Full review available below:
BL xx
Adam Morrow was kind enough to combine footage from 2012 and 2011's performances at the mighty Book Yer Ane Fest (including the instore at Groucho's), with the title track of my new EP.
Massive props to Adam, everyone at the shows, and of course everyone at Make-That-A-Take Records.
Check it out below......
Cheers!
BL x
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First review of 'The Ghosts Of Punk Rock', describes it as going from being a 'very good acoustic punk troubadour to a level that leaves that behind and sees him settling shoulder to shoulder with some of the people that he would consider to be his influences.'
Read the full review here:
Get it here, while stocks last!: http://officialbillyliar.bandcamp.com/
And get in touch if you'd like a review copy!
Cheers, BL x
My brand new limited edition EP, 'The Ghosts Of Punk Rock' is now available to order through bandcamp.
There's not many copies, so when it's gone............it's gone!
Cheers, BL xx
The lovely folks at Make-That-A-Take Records have released a brand new compilation featuring the title track from my new EP, 'The Ghosts Of Punk Rock', along with tracks from my good pals Oi Polloi, Mark McCabe, Davey Nolan, Uniforms, Maxwell's Dead, Question The Mark, Dave Hughes and many more.
Purchase a copy here!
BL xx
Thank you to everyone that put us on, played with us and came out to the shows on the January tour. I had one of the best times ever ever.
Massive thanks to Tim Loud and the X Ray Cat for making it so fun.
Here's a sneak preview of me playing the title track of my new, super-limited-edition EP, 'The Ghosts Of Punk Rock', in a house in Scotland.....
BL xx
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Good day to you!
The 'Shut Up And Sing' tour has been fucking excellent so far.
Thanks to all the folk who've been coming out to the shows, and everyone that has put us on. Full dates are available on the right hand side of this page.
Just to let you know, for anyone who missed us on Thursday night, or would like to see us again (tell yer pals!), we'll be playing Edinburgh on Monday night at Pivo. (It's under the Black Bull, at the top of Leith Street), and as well as Tim Loud and the X-Ray Cat, I will be joined by Davey Nolan. It's a free show so come check it out!
Also, here's another video from the Golden Hour tour I did at the end of last year. This is a track off my limited release EP, the Ghosts Of Punk Rock, which is OUT NOW, only available at shows.....
Cheeeeeeeers!! See you on the road..........!
BL xx
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I am very happy to announce that to coincide with my January tour, I will be releasing a brand new, limited edition EP entitled 'The Ghosts Of Punk Rock.'
This EP will only be available at shows to the first 100 people, and will be hand numbered and beautiful! It includes four exclusive tracks, that have not been released anywhere else, and a full colour sleeve, with lyric inlay, and is to be released via Forest Records and Make-That-A-Take Records.
Come and get one on tour!
BL xx
Good afternoon good afternoon good afternoon.
I am touring with the honourable gentlemen Tim Loud and the X-Ray Cat later this month.
Here is a list of dates and places:
JAN 17TH - EDINBURGH - THE FOREST
JAN 18TH - ABERDEEN - SALTOUN ARMS
JAN 19TH - DUNDEE - CERERBUS
JAN 21ST - EDINBURGH - PIVO
JAN 22ND - SCARBOROUGH - THE SPA
JAN 23RD - KING'S LYNN - DR THIRSTY'S
JAN 24TH - WARRINGTON - THE LOUNGE
JAN 25TH - SOWERBY BRIDGE - THE PUZZLE HALL
JAN 26TH - LIVERPOOL - SOUND (early show!)
JAN 27TH - NANTWICH - THE WHITE HORSE
JAN 28TH - MANCHESTER - FUEL
JAN 29TH - LONDON - THE WHEELBARROW
JAN 30TH - BRISTOL - STAG & HOUNDS
JAN 31ST - LEEDS - SANTIAGO'S
BL x
I hope you enjoyed the wee man's birthday, eating mince pies until you were sick and whatever filthy stuff you get up to.
Here's a video of me playing a brand new song on a bus in Newcastle. Big thanks to everyone on the Golden Hour tour, and also to Luke Fleming for filming this.....
BL xx
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Thanks so much to everyone at the last few shows, in particular Liverpool, Pie Race Festival, Book Yer Ane Fest and Rebellion Xmas Special.
I'm now buried in the studio until mid January, when I'll be back with a UK tour and also brand new tracks.
WATCH THIS SPACE!!!
BL xx
The Golden Hour tour was fucking great. Thanks a lot for coming out to the shows.
I also loved playing Rally and Broad in Edinburgh. It was ace.
I'm hitting Aberdeen this month on the 10th, and then I'm off to play Liverpool and Leeds at the end of the month.
Leeds is Pie Race Festival 2012 so expect it to be a special one!
Oh, and then there's Book Yer Ane Fest at the start of December.............
AND some MASSIVE news to come. That's right. FUCKING BIG.
Watch THIS space.
Cheers pal.
BL xxxx
Thank you to everyone at the TV Smith show, particularly TV, Bryan and Hamish (Citrus Club), the Pink Dogs, Fishbones & Alison, Larry & Eve, and everyone else that came along. It was a great night.
This week, I am hitting the road as part of the Golden Hour arts collective. We've toured the UK and Europe many times. This time, I will be joining the merry band to hit Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester.
In Newcastle, we are playing onboard a bus during the afternoon which will be parked on Northumberland Street. In Sheffield, we are playing at the Haggler's Corner in the evening, and in Salford, Manchester, we are playing the Kings Arms, as well as on the bus.
At these gigs, I will be performing alongside the aural and musical delights of Hailey Beavis, William Letford, Degna Stone, Anneliese Mackintosh, Ryan Van Winkle, Supernova & Kate Garrett and..... The Payroll Union.
Golden Hour is......
An unforgettable cabaret style cavalcade of new writing, blistering, blissful music, and infused dance performances all in a beautiful space.
The Golden Hour has packed houses throughout the world -- from the Edinburgh International Book Festival all the way to Melbourne with stops in Berlin, Paris, Beirut and Montreal. We’ve selected a zesty melange of talent -- those who will make you pause, ponder, dance and stomp. All specially infused - a feast for all your senses.
See YOU there? xx
Portugal was one of my favourite tours ever. I loved meeting all the other bands that I played with, and all the people that came out to the shows.
I will definitely come back next year. Thanks in particular to Bruno for pulling the whole thing together, and Jose in Barcelos, Old Trees in Coimbra, Edgar, Taberna, and the CRHC in Caldas, The Skrotes in Lisbon, and Jofi Cape in Porto. You are all incredible!
I'm very pleased to announce that I'm playing Edinburgh on Friday 5th October with the mighty TV Smith, from 70s punk legends, The Adverts.
I toured Scotland with TV not that long ago, and it was a real honour to tour with someone that I've been listening to since I was 14, so for ten years now! 'Bored Teenagers' was one of the first punk songs I really fell in love with. He's an amazing lyricist and song writer, and has never stopped writing amazing music.
Come and see us at the Citrus Club on Friday 5th October. Tickets are available from Ripping Records.
Alternatively, check out his official site for full listings:
Good day to YOU!
I just got back from Strummer Of Love Festival in Somerset. It was really incredible. A beautiful setting, and an amazing line-up. I had the pleasure of meeting Mick Jones, and seeing him perform some of my favourite songs of all time, with the Justice Tonight band. Seeing The Pogues with Shane MacGowan was pretty special too. Kate Tempest and Beans On Toast were as excellent as expected, as were The Jim Jones Revue, Frank Turner, Billy Bragg........... the list goes on! Thank you to everyone that saw me play, and a big thank you to Jay, Lizzie, Jamie, Trish and everyone else at Strummerville, and also the Strummercamp crew who were on fine form all weekend!
Also......... TA DAAAH. I'm touring Portugal. Check the 'gigs' section of my site, or even just take a wee look at the right hand side of this home page, and you can see where I'm playing.
Well excited.
More news very soon.
Thanks,
Love Billy xx
Thank you so much to everyone who came to see me at Rebellion. Thanks in particular to Jennie and the Rebellion team, and all the other awesome bands. That was my favourite one yet. My friend Jamie filmed quite a lot of footage, so there will be some video updates soon.
In the meantime, I am currently booking dates for a UK tour in October.
Contact me here if you want to book me, or just want me to play near you: booking@billyliarmusic.com
Thank you!
BL xx
Hello.
From tomorrow, I will be at Rebellion Festival until next Monday.
If you are there, let's hang out. I'm playing twice on Friday. Once, running an open mic - come make some noise with me!, and once as a full set. - come, and listen to some brand new songs I've never played before.
If you are not there, then I will be slow at replying to emails, but I don't hate you. I promise. Unless of course I actually do hate you, in which case I am not sorry at all. But fuck you. Umm. Yeah. Thanks.
Bye. BL xx
P.S. Here's a flyer for my sets. Click on the picture for a link to the full Rebellion site.
A massive thank you to everyone that helped put me on in Germany, and came out to the shows. Without all of you, it would have been impossible. I played some of my favourite shows ever, and met some of my favourite people ever. I can't wait to come back and see you soon!
Thank you also to Sandy and everyone at Lovemusic in Glasgow, and also Mike and all the wonderful Forest/Golden Hour folk for your great work in Stirling at the Junk Rooms.
Tonight, I'm rocking the Ale House Festival in Edinburgh. On stage bang on 9pm. And it's free. Should be a good one!
Cheers,
BL x
I will be playing Berlin at the Wagenburg Lohmühle on Sunday 8th July, and also Trier at Palastgarten Trier on Thursday 12th July, before flying home on Friday.
Please note the Berlin show is an early one, and I´ll be ON STAGE promptly at 6pm. These are most likely the final German dates this time round, so if I am missing out your town or city, get in touch, and I´ll try and make sure I can make it next time!! I will be back later this year. Please contact me via the rather self-explanatory 'contact' page on my site.
Full tour dates are available in the 'gigs' section of my site.
Thanks very much!
BL xx
I'm very happy to let you know my time in the recording studio was even better than I'd hoped for last week. I can't wait for you to hear it. I'm back in the studio once I get back off tour, and then aiming for a release of my new single at the end of July/early August.
I leave for my German dates early tomorrow.... dates confirmed so far are available in the 'gigs' section, or if you scroll down this blog.
In the meantime, Antipop Records were nice enough to pick me as their No.1 act to watch at Rebellion Festival 2012. Here's what they had to say.....
'This guy could play the main stage at Empress Ballroom and keep the crowd interested. When he stands, he stands alone. When he sings, his heart pours out. He is a leader and a poet. Despite his young age, Billy Liar radiates wisdom beyond his years. A must hear if ever there was a silent tip for Rebellion 2012.'
You can check out the full list by clicking on the link below:
Rebellion is looking like one of the best line-ups so far, with bands such as Rancid, Public Image Ltd, Social Distortion, Off With Their Heads, Star Fucking Hipsters, TV Smith (and The Valentines), Roughneck Riot, Acid Drop, The Vermin Suicides, Pascal Briggs & the Stokers, The Grit........ and fellow acoustic acts, such as Ginger Wildheart, Kevin Seconds, Craig Temple (Moral Dilemma), Mark McCabe, Ed Ache (I.C.H), El Morgan, Perkie, Mike Only, Dave Hughes, Paul Carter, Louise Distras, Emma Hallows and Ren Spits At Magpies.
Jeez. That was a mouthful!
More information, and complete line-up of Rebellion Festival are available here:
Also, I'm happy to announce I'll be playing a homecoming show in Edinburgh, as part of the Ale House Festival 2012. The Ale House put in a lot of work throughout the year, maintaining the Edinburgh folk scene, so I'm proud to be asked to play. I'm one of the headliners on Saturday 21st July, along with the incredible Aaron Wright, and it's also a free show (which is always nice!).
Oh, and before I forget, I will be playing my first show in Stirling on Wednesday 18th July.................. and it looks like I'll be touring Portugal in September......... more on both of those very soon!!
Hopefully see lots of you in Germany!
Cheers!!
BL x
It's exciting times as the Spice Girls are set to reunite for the launch of the musical, Viva Forever.
In other news, I'll be playing the Ramones Museum in Berlin on Monday 9th July (following Desperado in Bielefeld on Friday 6th July, and Stoned in Leipzig on Saturday 7th). Cannot wait for this.
More German dates to follow shortly......
Also, advance tickets for my show with the mighty Franz Nicolay are available from the Make-That-A-Take-Records website. Click on the cowpunk below to get one......!
Franz needs no introduction, but I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with him several times now and he's blown me away each and every time. As well as his illustrious solo career, he has played in The Hold Steady, Star Fucking Hipsters, Leftover Crack, Against Me! and the World Inferno Friendship Society. This show is not to be missed.
BL xx
I'm excited to announce several things!
First off, I'm playing Glasgow this Friday (22nd June) at the Roxy 171 (formerly The Liquid Ship). I'm playing with my good friend Stina Marie Claire, who is one of my favourite songwriters, and it's a very intimate setting.
I am hitting the studio next week, and will be bringing out a new release of some kind in July, via Make-That-A-Take Records, in time for Rebellion and Strummer of Love festivals in August.
And then after the studio, I'm heading straight to Germany to play a few dates. There are two confirmed at the moment, but I'll possibly be announcing a few more over the next week. At the moment, I'm hitting Bielefeld on Friday 6th July and Leipzig on Saturday 7th July.
I'm back in Glasgow to play an instore at Lovemusic with my good pals The Murderburgers, Uniforms, Roscoe Vacant and Jonzip on 14th July, and I also just got asked to play Dundee with Franz Nicolay at the end of August.
More news very soon..............................................!
Cheers, BL xx
I'm very excited to be playing Strummercamp tomorrow afternoon (Saturday 2nd June), as my set last year was one of the most fun I've ever played. There's some fantastic bands playing this year, including legends like New Model Army, and great pals of mine like Roughneck Riot, Acid Drop, Bootscraper and Population, and then on Sunday, I'm heading to Liverpool to play with my good friends the Murderburgers and Moral Dilemma. If you're at either of these....... come and say hello! Cheers! BL xx
DEAR LEEDS.
Due to a personal issue, I will not be able to attend my gig with Oi Polloi and Suicide State tomorrow evening. The gig is very much still going ahead but I unfortunately will not be there. I'll be back very soon, I promise. Apologies!
BL x
I am honoured to announce the release of a benefit album, which I have been asked to contribute a track to, which is in aid of Diabetes research and to help out my friend Lenny Thomas who was recently hospitalised.
Earlier this year my friend (and Sorry & The Sinatras/ex-Trashlight Vision drummer) Lenny Thomas was hospitalised with a pretty severe injury to his foot. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse and became further complicated by his pre-existing diabetes and Lenny was hospitalised for quite some time. He’s slowly but surely on the mend now but medical bills are piling up and he’s likely to lose months of work if he’s even able to go back.
Released on April 6th, the compilation will feature songs from the likes of The Wildhearts, Michael Monroe, Piggy D (Rob Zombie), Steve Conte & the Crazy Truth, Eureka Machines, Billy Liar, Sorry & The Sinatras, The Loyalties, and many more.
Find out more info, and purchase the compilation here:
Billy is currently busy in the studio, writing and recording the follow-up to his latest release, 'It Starts Here', but is taking time out to play in Edinburgh, supporting the mighty Thomas Truax.
Straight outta Wowtown (via NYC), one-man band Thomas Truax is famed for his array of bizarre homemade instruments (including the now-legendary 'Hornicator'), captivating live performances, and ground-breaking recordings. He crafts some very potent songs, poetically evocative and rich with melancholy. He's recently collaborated on projects with Jarvis Cocker and Amanda Palmer and upped his profile considerably with acclaimed covers album 'Songs From The Films Of David Lynch'. His new tour concentrates mostly on a unique presentation -replete with visuals- of his latest CD 'Monthly Journal' , which was written and released in 12 intervals over 12 months of the past year.
"Inventive and Romantic" - TimeOut
"Truax is shaping up nicely as one of the great rock eccentrics" - Uncut
"Genius." - NME
Check out more about Thomas Truax by clicking the poster above. Many thanks to Mr Jason Morton for the beautiful artwork.
Billy is very pleased to be joining the line-up of Strummercamp, for the second year running in 2012. Strummercamp was one of Billy's favourite events in 2011, and is sure to be a highlight of 2012 too.
Bands that so far have been announced for this year's festival include New Model Army, the Jim Jones Revue, Neck and Goldblade, and Billy's pals in Bootscraper, Acid Drop, The Murderburgers and Faintest Idea, and many more will be announced over the next few months.
Keep checking this website for more tour updates!
You can learn more about Strummercamp 2012, and book tickets here:
News just in!
Billy has just been confirmed for Rebellion Festival 2012.
Rebellion Festival is the biggest punk and hardcore festival in the world and it takes place in Blackpool every August.
This will be Billy Liar's third year running at Rebellion, and as well as playing a set, he will be running an open mic stage throughout one of the days of the festival, so come along and sing some songs with him!
Also confirmed for Rebellion 2012 so far are: Rancid, Public Image Ltd, The Slackers, TV Smith, UK Subs, Subhumans.......
More information and tickets are available here:
Billy can't wait to play Book Yer Ane Fest for the third year running in Dundee from 2-4th December.
BYAF is based at Kage from 2-3rd, and Dexters on the 4th. Billy will be performing on Sunday 4th, and also performing at an instore at Groucho Records on Saturday morning.
Book Yer Ane Fest is a three-day DIY festival of punk/hardcore/emo goodness to benefit the charity, Safe-Tay.
Also performing throughout the weekend are bands and acts such as Leatherface, Franz Nicolay, Chris T-T, Bangers, The Living Daylights, Uniforms and Antillectual.
If you can't make it to Dundee, Billy will be performing an intimate set with Franz Nicolay and Chris T-T in Edinburgh on Monday 5th December at the Banshee Labyrinth.
Find out more about the organisers of Book Yer Ane Fest; the incredible Make That A Take Records, by clicking the poster below:
Billy is very pleased to announce he is joining the ranks of Strummerville.
Strummerville is a registered charity that gives support to aspiring musicians and help to projects that help change the world through music.
Set up by the friends and family of Joe Strummer in the year after his death, the charity seeks to reflect Joe's unique contribution to the music world by offering support,
resources and performance opportunities to artists who would not normally have access to them.
Bands that have previously received help from Strummerville include Frank Turner, Beans On Toast and Mumford & Sons, and supporters include Mick Jones, Billy Bragg and Don Letts.
Click on the Strummerville logo to see Billy's page:
