"Liverpool’s finest gypsy-surf-rock band since, well… nobody, we guess? They are solely unique in every pleasant aspect. From the on-stage theatrics to sheer song writing skill. Influences from the likes of Tom Waits and Love are clear – but only in the way you seem to catch every so often. An influence that doesn’t dictate sound." - Getintothis.com, 2018.
Can gypsy-surf-rock be a thing? It can, and The Shipbuilders are it.
Hailing from Liverpool, UK, The Shipbuilders have created a sound of their own by mining the innocent, blue-eyed melodies of The Everly Brothers and ghosts of Mersey-past (Beatles/Searchers/The La's), before enveloping them in the fuzz and chaos of Galaxie 500 and adding a final coating of the essence of laments of the sea and the desert. Songs of drinking, death and burning the barns exist alongside wide-eyed lovesick serenades, all sending smoke rings to the spirits of James Joyce, Lorca and Leonard Cohen.
On the back of 2017’s ‘Something in the Water EP’, The Shipbuilders released their double A-Side ‘Fault Line/Wild Atlantic Way’ via Mai 68 Records in 2018, to great response ("...somewhere between a sea shanty romp and explosive psych rock... an incessantly catchy fan favourite with a killer chorus" -Clashmusic.com), including airplay and sales as wide afield as America, Australia and Canada, in addition to local and national radio play (BBC 6Music, Soho Radio).
Since, The Shipbuilders have readied 2019's first single, due for release in April 2019, coinciding with a run of UK-wide dates, covering the length and breadth of the country, including a number of festival dates. The band are currently working with Liverpool Sound City's Artist Development scheme and are plotting the recording and release of their debut album.
Furthermore, the band continue to host their quarterly ‘Shipwrecked’ nights, which attracts stellar acts with national coverage such as Sunstack Jones and Silent Sleep.
But don't just take the band's word for it..
"With galloping drums and waning guitars, they seem to have expertly fused the genius of Morricone and Moroder to create upbeat Western-inspired indie with just a hint of disco..." - Bido Lito!, 2017
"Indeed there is a strong sense of place and identity to the Shipbuilders‘ work that recalls a rich lineage of Merseyside sounds. The band meander with loose-limbed effortlessness through an infectiously catchy blend of twisted blues, jangly psychedelia and sea shanty-recalling storytelling." - Getintothis.co.uk
"..we really are in the presence of a great group of lads who know how to put a song together; the change in tempo, passionate sounds and show-stopping chorus ensure everyone will take this band seriously.." - Amusicalpriority.co.uk
Up the 'builders!