LIVE REVIEW: BITE, dollop & Ava Fitz @ The Jacaranda, Liverpool

In the groovy Underworld of Slater Street’s Jacaranda, Ava Fitz took to the stage with her guitarist James Ryan. An Alt Rock artist from Liverpool, her quiet and understated demeanour quickly gave way to charged, lilting vocals that filled the Jacaranda with the same presence as any full band. Alongside other gripping and emotion-packed originals such as ‘Without You’ and ‘Veronica’, Ava introduced her latest track ‘Leonardo’, an enchanting song inspired by the artist DaVinci.

Photo Credit: Paul Lang

Elegant even in her Rockier pulses, with a semi-acoustic guitarist who infused her angelic vocals with even greater power and whose Beckham jersey was a pleasant hint at his ability to bend melodies, Ava knows who she is, where she is going and will undoubtedly be taking a following with her. 

Photo Credit: Paul Lang

Next to seize the stage was the Indie band Dollop, who hurled into the kind of loud, boisterous Rock you can feel on your skin. Adorned with shades and a luminescent green shirt, frontman Stan maintained cool composure amongst Rocky wails, growls and enticing originals such as ‘A Dog Indoors’ and ‘Floating Voter’. With guitar leads like snakes across the small stage and drummer Reuel outputting rolling thunder with trailing snare rolls and slashing cymbals, the band created a post-punk jungle underlit with psychedelia.

Photo Credit: Paul Lang

Headlining this electric gig was the beloved Liverpool four-piece, Bite, who met their eager crowd with a sauntering “hello, hello, hello” before bursting into favourites such as ‘For Love’ and their latest sensation ‘Move Around’. With intoxicatingly groovy tunes embracing the band’s Funk and Soul undertones, perhaps most invigorating was the band’s connection to their wild and dancing fans, earning an implored encore, immersing the crowd in a sexy cover of ‘Black Magic Woman’, and, in the words of frontman Joe Bowles, the general feeling of “Arrrrebaaaaaa!”