From May 15 to May 22, Liverpool is hosting the 2022 International Pop Overthrow. Each day, multiple artists from Europe and the USA will be performing at the historic Cavern Club and Cavern Pub. It’s Karma It’s Cool performs on Wednesday May 18th, and Jim Styring took the time to answer a few questions about the band’s participation in this event.

1). You’re performing two sets at Liverpool IPO on May 18th, at the Cavern Club, as well as the Cavern Pub, Is this your first time performing at these venues? Are these the most historic locations you’ve played?

Yes, we are, and very much looking forward to being a part of such a prestigious festival! We play the Cavern Pub at 8.15pm and The Cavern Club at 10pm. Anyone who’s played at IPO will tell you what a great experience it is, for both band and audience, everyone’s there to have a good time. And you get to discover some great new bands, too.

2). The eight-day roster is one of the most ambitious I’ve seen, with a number of artists flying in from the USA. Have you participated in this kind of event before? Do you normally play on a single bill, or with a supporting act?

Bands fly in from all over the globe to be part of Liverpool IPO, I guess playing the Cavern Club is on most bands bucket lists. If you’re lucky enough to be invited, how could you refuse? I’ve played IPO several times before and it never disappoints. There’s a great vibe and the Liverpool crowds are always very welcoming and friendly. We’ve played with support bands, we’ve been the support band, we’re just happy to play to folks who want to hear us. 

3). What can folks expect from your two sets? Do you plan to stick close to “Homesick for our Future Destinations” and other IKIC releases? Do you have any surprises planned?

We’ll be playing songs from all three of our releases, ‘Hipsters and Aeroplanes’ ‘Woke Up In Hollywood’ and ‘Homesick for our Future Destinations’ With only a 30-minute set time, it’s hard to know what to play and what to leave out, hopefully we’ve got the balance right. We’ll play songs people will expect, but throw a couple of surprises in there, too.

4). What kind of performing schedule have you had since the release of “Homesick for our Future Destinations?” Have you found more venues opening back up for live shows?

Obviously, Covid put a stop to bands getting out and playing live. Hopefully, things are improving, and we can all get back out there doing what we love. We recently played a big show in our home city of Lincoln, supporting legendary Liverpool band, Space. That was a lot of fun, and a sign things might just be getting back to some kind of normality. 

5). What’s next for the band after this? 

As announced last week, we’re incredibly excited to be welcoming Peter Holsapple to the band for the recording 3 new songs. Peter was co-founder of jangle-pop band, The dB’s, as well as auxiliary guitarist and keyboardist for REM on their huge Green world tour. He also played with them on their multi-platinum album, Out Of Time. We’re releasing a series of ‘digital only’ singles over the coming months, so look out for more details, release dates, etc. very soon.