LIVE: The Lathums, Mountford Hall, Liverpool 06/03/23

Review and live images by Jonathan Taylor

Instagram: jonathantaylorphotography

Following the release of their second album ‘From Nothing To a Little Bit More’ last Friday, which is laden with wry and observational story telling that covers the rollercoaster turns and dead ends of twenty something life, The Lathums head out on the road immediately on an 11 date UK tour.

The opening night of the tour finds the lads from Wigan playing to a sold out Mountford Hall in Liverpool.

The set opens with ‘Say My Name’, the first single off their latest album release. It proves already to be a fan favourite with the crowd in the venue singing back to the stage, whilst front man, Alex Moore, prowls the stage, microphone in hand, and suitably attired in a cream double breasted suit.

Up next is ‘Land and Sky’ which is followed by scar inspired ‘I See a Ghost’ and bigger hitter ‘Fight On’ which somewhat predictably gets an illustrious reaction from the packed venue.

Surprisingly early in the set, The Lathums most popular offering to date ‘The Great Escape’ plays out and the lyrics, ‘Can we give love a try? Love bombs fall from the sky. Can we give peace a try? Oh, John Lennon shouldn’t have died’, are a perfectly fitting lyrical tribute given tonight’s location.

Dropping the crowd favourites early doors, is testament to The Lathums confidence and self-belief in their ability for their new material to translate to the live stage and with that said the evening continues with the likes of ‘Lucky Bean’, ‘Crying Out’ and ‘Rise and Fall’, whilst drawing on the stability of such tracks ‘Circles of Faith’ and ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ from their debut album.

The penultimate track of the night ‘Struggle’ is emotional in sentiment and encapsulates yet again the incredible storytelling ability of front man Moore and the wonderfully anthemic ‘Artificial Screens’ builds beautifully to bring the evening to a close.

Tonight, was an absolute pleasure and epitomised the joys of live music, where people can gather together and sing along in unison as the sound of live music reverberates around the room. The Lathums may be a band in their infancy, but with their second album release under their belts on Island Records and an already dedicated fan base, the Northern four piece prove they clearly are on an upward trajectory and have the songs to back their ambition and self-belief.

Setlist:

Say My Name

Land and Sky

I See Your Ghost

Fight On

The Great Escape

Lucky Bean

Foolish Parley

I Know Pt 1

How Beautiful Life Can Be

All My Life

Circles of Faith