The Big Condo Records Weekender is a wonderful grass roots festival which is 100 percent independent and fantastic for upcoming bands and artists; even more so for gig -goers looking to find their next favourite act.
We spoke to a few people who had attended the previous Weekenders at Big Condo Records, and they said:
“The atmosphere was great! Everyone loves Big Condo Records and the whole team is so helpful.”
“The Weekender has a joyous atmosphere and, for most acts, it’s their first festival experience as performers. You could see that the whole Big Condo Records team are there to help and we couldn’t wait to see what was on offer throughout the Weekender of 2024!”
The Weekender opens on Friday 7th June at Café Tabac, ZanziBar and The Shipping Forecast in Liverpool’s music district. This year it kicks off with local Skelmersdale-based band Empty Space; lead singer Steve said “we’ve prepared a great set for us theis special event, so come down.” A highlight will be future dance-pop artist Natalya, who’s recently released her debut single ‘’Home’’ which is available now on Spotify. Natalya is an amazing artist, and she is definitely a must-see at the Big Condo Records Weekender on the Emphasized Stage. The Alts have just recently signed to Big Condo Records and released their debut single ‘’Fortune Teller,’’ recently selling out their single launch party in Liverpool. They’ll be bringing their Pysch-indie alt rock sound for gig goers. The Alts’ frontman Ronnie Musker said ‘’We are doing a stripped back acoustic set on this one and we can’t wait to take the stage’’.
For the opening day on the Eminent Stage we have one of Wigan’s up-and-coming bands called Underclass. They’ve been enjoying the festival season after recently delivering amazing performances at Skemfest and supporting a collective of bands in the North West with their rock music. We’re excited to see Twilight Avenue take centre stage too. This rock band hail from Southport and bring a diverse performance style and, after a season of festivals, they have warmed up to deliver when the lights shine at the ZanziBar on the 7th June. Also performing and opening the Big Condo Records Weekender are signed label artists Charliee, Emma Wharton and John Sibbering who have all just come back from the Big Condo Records 33 City, Town, and Village ‘We The Label Tour’ which was an amazing experience for all.
The Big Condo Records Weekender is 9 Stages with 100 acts over 3 days. This is one of the few festivals able to claim they have something for everyone. The Worlds of pop, folk, country, indie, rock, metal, jazz, rap and whatever genre you can think of are all on display. Bands are travelling from all over to perform – from London, Newcastle, Bradford, Bristol and as far away as Guernsey.
Last year’s opening night was amazing and we expect the same this year.
On the Saturday 8th June the Crescendo stage at The Shipping Forecast looks like one not to be missed, with the Wandering Fish travelling up from Wrexham. We’ve seen these guys perform before and not only were they amazing, but super-cool dudes too and they’ll be bringing their unique sound to the stage. Wirral-based band Little Tree will also be performing on the Crescendo stage, having had a run of sold out shows and recently headlining at Rockpoint records in New Brighton. What to expect? An electric, sizzling set from these guys who are masters of their craft.
Saturday is filled with acts and bands for people with interests in, and a taste for, World Music. Major highlights for Saturday are Kiera Marsland, Mike Ryan and The Glass Skies who recently came back from the Big Condo Records 33 City, Town and Village ‘We the Label Tour,’ venturing to London, Glasgow, South Wales and beyond. One to also watch on the Saturday is Strider, a new band based in the North West. They’ve just released their new single ‘’Say Your Prayers’’ which they will be performing at the festival. Another to look out for is Idyllic, also hailing from the North West. They’re enjoying festival season, with so many Liverpool and Manchester performances boxed off, and they’ve released a couple of singles including their EP ‘Five x Five’ with songs like ‘405 Line’ and ‘Pink Velvet Dreams.’ You should make sure they’re on your schedule.
So 3 days of non-stop Independent music will leave you mightily impressed, and the Sunday finale will also be delivering, massively. We have a Birmingham-based band who are’t scared of their greens and that’s the infamous Rat Salad. We saw these guys perform on the Big Condo Records tour in Birmingham; they scream Nirvana vibes and we can’t wait to see them shine in Liverpool. We have American roots duo Oakley Starr, consisting of Lauren Jennifer and Ziggy Phoenix whose sound has been described as “Sucking the souls from every heartbreaker in the room and spitting them back out into goblets of whisky!”
Frontier hailing from Chester are a highlight and a must watch; they bring their Indie rock feel and super awesome stage presence to the Frisson stage, alongside acts like Kristian Rogerson who is a country folk artist from the Wirral. Kristian is currently building a cult following with his charm and charisma.
A top pick to definitely take in is Little Miss with lead singer Brooke. Little Miss is a Liverpool Indie alt rock pop band who are currently in the studio preparing for a debut release. We saw Brooke smash it in February at Kiera Marsland’s Annie single launch party, and she has amazing stage presence and vocals; we can’t wait!
Rhi-B will be performing at the Kazimier Stockroom on the Rhythmical stage.
Rhi is a new artist who is inspired by reggae vibes, so expect a lot of Reggae- type music in her set. She will also be performing with local rapper SB and they’re set to light up the stage, so make sure you catch her.
We have newcomer Melody Littleton from Nantwich bringing those scene queen-type vibes; expect a great performance from her. Also, we have London Rap artist OTB bringing the real-life lyricism to the table, taking you on a journey of story telling 101 with a blessed flow and style. Do not miss newcomer Emilie Culshaw, who has an angelic voice and great stage presence, with a set mixed with original and covers to keep you engaged.
We are definitely looking forward to seeing Liverpool’s very own Indie alt band Hawksy Park; they have a new single out called ‘Adlam Road’ and they’ll be performing this live. Their sets are energetic, so expect to get sweaty!
Castles in Canopy are travelling up from Manchester bringing their Indie pop to Liverpool and we can’t wait to see them. Recently they’ve been supported by Amazing Radio and the BBC. They’ve just released ‘’Take A Picture With Me,’ which is available on Spotify, so go and stream it so you know the words for when they’re bopping. Major highlights for Sunday are Miss Stylie, Zenith, Amber Elara, Donno, and Brian Hobbs who have all recently come back from the Big Condo Records 33 City, Town and Village ‘We The Label Tour,’ venturing to Leeds, Hull, Birmingham and many other locations.
So many amazing bands are set to hit the stages over the three days and we can’t wait to see it all unfold. Hopefully we get to see them all. So much dancing and fun over the 3 days – we can’t wait until the Big Condo Records Weekender 2024 starts, so to see all the acts who’ll be performing check the Big Condo Records Weekender Poster!