LIVE REVIEW: Monks @ Quarry, Liverpool

Tucked away on the corner of Hardman Street, one of Liverpool’s most beloved grassroots venues, Quarry, begins to swell with swathes of eager fans of local band Monks, as they prepare for the final show of the year.

Photo Credit: Kieran Shayle

Stepping down into the newly re-opened venue, the intimate 250 capacity lent an air of exclusivity and mystique to the evening, which was only emphasised by the dimly-lit rooms, draped in veils of smoke and occasionally pierced by shard-like beams of light. It’s the kind of feeling that comes with being part of a secret club - and the crowd knows it - revelling in their status as soon-to-be viewers of one of the most exciting projects to come out of the local underground scene.

It was no surprise then, that when the Liverpool outfit finally emerged from the kaleidoscope of coloured smoke, their silhouettes alone broke the crowd out of their trance, and as the crowd erupt into ecstasy, the band respond in kind, opening with the psychedelically infused, dance-heavy ‘third location’.

With almost puppeteer-like control, lead singer, George Pomford, guides the crowd through entrancing, acidic soundscapes with impassioned vocals and as he slinks across stage, he dances while his bandmates become the new tour guides for the eclectic journey we’ve begun.

Drummer/beatmaker Kali Diston-Jones, who plays DJ decks at the band’s live gigs, shows off his Deep house proclivities in songs like ‘Salt Of The Earth’ and ‘Forever’ and complimenting him, is synthesist/keys Liam Daly’s subdued and sombre synth work, which seems to evolve and change over the course of every song – in particular -becoming more dominant in ‘Welcome Home’.

This is all accompanied by guitarist Nathan Johnson’s mastery in restraint, knowing where a giant, yawning chord can hang in the air, or whether to play as pseudo-percussion, bringing a pulsating rhythm that feels like your heartbeat in your ears, on songs like ‘Aquarius’ or, the electronically-revamped ‘Sundried’.

The night came to an end with the electro-house ‘third location 1-800 GIRLS’ remix, with George running into the crowd and singing along with fans. We felt a wave of euphoria wash over us as we stood in the middle of an electro whirlwind. It made for a rather poignant finish to the show and reminded us why Monks are so loved in the city.