Liverpool’s indie scene just isn’t good enough

Over the summer, Liverpool’s beloved Bumper closed its doors for the final time, leaving the Liverpool indie music scene severely lacking. How can the city with its nightlife rated third on the ‘Things You Need to Do Before you Die’ bucket list still lack a good indie club?

Bumper had its ups and its downs, but what it was at least was something for everyone, blaring out the classic indie bangers until the early hours of a Wednesday. It had a mix, that was its trick – live rock bands and alternative DJ sets, Bumper catered for many tastes. But now the club’s dead and gone, what do we have? Level and Soho just don’t seem to cut it.

Raz has a way with the early 2000s that no other club can pull off, and Heebies chucks the odd indie track in there to tumultuous cheers, but there is very little that caters for the die-hard fans of the genre. There are a couple of more alternative nights that punters can experience but nothing consistent, nothing dependable, nothing like our good old Bumper.

Because sometimes it’s not about how well a DJ can mix an ‘80s classic with something off the top 40. Sometimes it’s not about going to a concert; sometimes it’s just about having a laugh with your mates when you shout Mr. Brightside at the top of your lungs. But unfortunately it’s getting to the point where you end up paying a premium for gig tickets to just scratch that alternative itch, which would be all well and good if they hadn’t closed the Kaz last year too!

Alternative nights that exist in Liverpool right now aren’t exactly cheap in themselves – we are students after all, out budgets don’t stretch that far.

too indie 4 u

But what does the future hold for old Bumper? ‘The Legion of Lost Souls’ opened 20th October and looks set to be an amazing new bar and social space, but it sure isn’t the spiritual successor to Bumper. So if not Legion, who will be?

It’s all well and good to sing Bumper’s praises now, but maybe we need to look ahead – it’s time for a new answer to the indie question. We need something student focused, dedicated to all things indie and alternative; somewhere that plays the classics as well as the contemporary. Somewhere affordable but not trashy. Or at the very least affordable, a little trash never hurt anyone.