Marli - Liverpool Sound City

Spanish Caravan - 2nd May

Story by Isaac Bradley

06/05/2026

Marli brought an early spark to the weekend at Liverpool Sound City, opening proceedings inside the beautifully intimate Spanish Caravan stage on 2nd May. With the sun still hanging over Liverpool and crowds filtering in fresh-faced and expectant, the small space quickly filled, a sign that word is already spreading.

The Filipino-born, British-raised artist commands attention the moment she starts singing. Backed by a tight setup, a keyboard player playing a bright white Casio keyboard and a live drummer. Layered with samples, garage-inflected beats, and chopped vocal textures, her sound feels both intricate and immediate. There’s a deliberate tension between the organic and electronic elements, giving the set a restless, evolving energy. A graduate of Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the school founded by Paul McCartney, Marli’s technical grounding is obvious, but it never overshadows her instinct. Her voice is the real focal point: soulful, elastic, and surprisingly powerful, stretching effortlessly across a wide range that at times feels almost outsized for the room. Tracks like “Back to You” and “Selfish” land with confidence, but it’s her latest single, “Tension,” that defines the set, a controlled release of rhythm and vocal intensity that captures her current direction. A brief cover of Ariana Grande’s Twilight Zone adds a playful unpredictability.

With cowbells cutting through crisp percussion and cymbals accenting the layered production, the live drummer adds a physical pulse that elevates the performance beyond a typical electronic set. It’s this blend, precision and looseness, control and experimentation that makes Marli stand out. For an opening set, it feels less like a warm-up and more like a statement. In a packed corner of a festival just getting started, Marli made it clear she’s not just one to watch - she’s already arriving.