Thursday, January 29 saw the Cavern play host to Indigo Violets, a four-piece rock outfit who travelled all the way from the rugged beauty of Galway, Ireland.
It felt fitting really. Liverpool has long been dubbed the 33rd county of Ireland, thanks to its deep roots and rich Irish heritage.
Indigo Violets, emerging as one of Ireland’s most exciting new act in the country’s growing rock revival movement, formed just over 12 months ago.
The band consists of frontman Jamie ‘Echo’ Harte on lead vocals and guitar, Eric Reilly (bass and vocals), Ted ‘Fuzzy Head’ Barrett (drums) and founding member, Garreth Dunleavy on guitar.
Usually, on my way to shoot a band, I try to get myself in the mood by diving into their repertoire. I stumbled across a track titled The Same God Created Us. It was instantly likeable and quickly earned itself a few quick taps on the volume button.
It boasts a chorus I could imagine my personal guitar hero, James Dean Bradfield, singing. Before long, it was soundtracking my entire drive down the M6 before meeting with Garreth and the lads just outside Sgt. Peppers bar.
It was a freezing cold January evening, but it took all of 10 seconds for their warmth and beautiful smiles to cut through the chill. They’re the kind of people who make conversation feel natural straight away, open, upbeat and genuinely lovely to be around.
It didn’t take long before I found myself looking forward to hearing what they had in store.
I asked Garreth how the band got together. Apparently, the whole saga kicked off in September 2024 when Garreth and Eric were half cut in Murphy’s Bar after a rake o’ creamy pints, going, ‘Jaysus lads, we should start a feckin’ band sure, why wouldn’t we?’
Meanwhile, Echo was about round-town busking, trying to coax coins from wandering tourists, and Ted was discovered thumping away on his drum kit in his bedroom on Instagram.
One by one, the wasted talents were rounded up, dragged into the fold by Garreth and just like that, the band was born.
Their first gig was in April 2025 – yes, that’s less than 12 months ago. While this band may still be in its infancy, their approach is remarkably mature and focused.
What started as a casual chat in a bar just 16 months ago has now carried them all the way to a world-renowned stage in one of the planet’s true music cities.
It is clear they know exactly the direction they’re heading, and after a quick pre-gig browse through their socials, it’s equally clear they’ve got the right people in their corner to help them get there.
Following the first band, Ryder, and a little after 10pm, Indigo Violets take to the stage of the Cavern’s Live Lounge stage.
From the second their first song kicked in, they reminded me why supporting original acts matters.
Their sound is an addictive blend of rugged edge and melodic charm, which feels unmistakablyrooted in Ireland’s storytelling tradition but pushed forward with a healthy dose of contemporary rock confidence.
They radiated an easy chemistry with each other.
I had already sampled their opening track on the journey there, but Hey You, the track that followed, was equally appealing to the ears.
I’m going to be honest now, you’d have to be asleep not to hear this band’s influences. Understandably, U2 practically shouts from the stage. Echo’s whole demeanour has that unmistakable Vertigo-style punch, delivered with the same fire and chest-forward conviction.
Hearing a band’s influences isn’t a cardinal sin. For me, it gives the music depth, lineage and texture. When they can take those familiar flavours and twist them into something uniquely theirs, I don’t believe it dilutes their identity but amplifies it. That was exactly what was happening here.
Echo’s voice was impressive, bold and powerful, and is definitely built
for the stage with a level of intensity that carries the same full-throttle energy you would expect from a high-impact rock frontman. You have to give his trousers a shout-out, too. That almost-orange camo paired with the ‘I mean business’ leather boots was a look you don’t forget.
Eric Reilly’s turn to step into the spotlight for the next two tracks, Nasty and Getting Nowhere With You revealing not just his confident bass work but an impressive vocal performance to match.
Ted Barrett: my God, this chap can drum.
The metronomic machine never lost energy. You couldn’t take your eyes or ears off him. He lifted the entire gig and if Indigo Violets are climbing fast, he is definitely one of the biggest reasons why.
Across the 30-minute set, the beautiful lead guitar work drew me in. D and Echo
delivered beautifully melodic lines with a level of precision and interplay that, at
several points, made me forget I was supposed to be shooting.
Instead, I found myself simply watching, drawn in by the intricacy and expressiveness unfolding onstage. They had the perfect blend: delicate when it needed to be, then suddenly blooming into richer, more expansive passages.
It was the kind of performance that invites you to lean in, to follow the thread of each line just to see where it goes.
Their sound carries an authentic, lived-in warmth rather than a manufactured gloss.
It’s clearly the product of musicians who genuinely enjoy creating music together.
What’s most striking about Indigo Violets is their balance: they’re energetic without rushing, soulful without slipping into sentimentality and polished without losing that essential rough-around-the-edges spark that makes their sound a little bit exciting.
Their set moved confidently between punchy, driving numbers and the more
atmospheric tracks that had me captured.
Indigo Violets have already pulled off something pretty extraordinary. U2 themselves never actually played the Cavern Club, despite the persistent myth among some fans, though they did wander into Eric’s across the street back in the early 1980s.
What an achievement! They’ve already done what U2 never did: they’ve stepped onto that legendary Cavern Club stage in their own right, beating their iconic Irish compatriots to the post.
In the vast tapestry of music history, it might seem like a small footnote, but for a rising band shaping their own identity, it’s a brilliant, brag-worthy milestone.
A moment that says they’re not just following a path—they’re carving one of their own.
You can follow Indigo Violets here and listen to their released music here.
Mersey Music 