Culture Vulture…Liverpool

Of course, the vibrant city has also had its fair share of criticism. Despite its colourful musical and theatrical history and plethora of museums, art galleries and historical buildings, when Liverpool won the Capital of Culture prize in 2003, the Evening Standard’s Brian Sewell allegedly declared that the result was “ludicrous”. The Manchester Evening News twisted the knife in and highlighted the city’s rivalries when it broke the news of Liverpool’s triumph; cheekily stating that the city’s victory was “boosted” by the success of Manchester’s Commonwealth games in 2004. But a touch of rivalry can go a long way. The gloves have come off – and all eyes are on Liverpool to prove its critics wrong in 2008.

Which is why TOUCH wants to show some love. So we’re going to celebrate the city’s musical past, present, and its ambitious future on these pages. A city that has created and inspired a wide number of musicians and artists, and spawned a few classic hits too…


The Sixties and Seventies:
The Liverpool music scene really got underway in the Sixties, when the Beatles burst on to the airwaves after beginning their career in the Cavern Club on Mathew Street. The fab four still bring millions of pounds to the economy and millions of visitors to the city every year, and their legacy is celebrated at the bustling Mathew Street Festival every August bank holiday. But the Beatles were not the only Liverpudlians topping the charts in the swinging Sixties, as musician-turned-matchmaker ‘Our Cilla’ Black had hits with You’re My World and Anyone Who Had A Heart. The Searchers and Gerry and The Pacemakers also hit the number-one spot, officially cementing the city’s musical influence over the world. The inspirational and legendary Liverpool DJ John Peel OBE joined BBC Radio 1 in 1967, and his eclectic musical taste became renowned. He was largely responsible for introducing audiences to punk rock, reggae and hip hop, although his experimental style often landed him in hot-water at the BBC. ‘John Peel Day’ is now held every year during the month of October.

In the Seventies the love affair with Scouser crooners continued, as Toxteth soul group The Real Thing became Britain’s biggest selling black group of the decade, with their most famous single, You To Me Are Everything hitting the number-one spot in the UK. Liverpool act Badfinger (who were signed to The Beatles’ Apple label) penned Harry Nilsson’s classic hit Without You, which was later covered by Mariah Carey. No one could argue that The Beatles didn’t know an international chart-topper when they heard one.

The Eighties and Nineties
Echo and The Bunnymen, The Lightning Seeds, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood took over the reigns of Liverpool’s musical monarchy in the Eighties, and The La’s began to generate hype after their rehearsals at the famous Flying Picket studios. In the Nineties, while the city’s superclub Cream became the centre of the dance music scene in the North, indie-groups Cast and Space both achieved top ten albums in the UK. And of course, before she was getting married/divorced/married again, having babies and plugging Iceland’s pork pies with Jason Donovan, Kerry Katona was a ‘pop star’ – storming the charts with Liverpool girl group Atomic Kitten.

Liverpool Music Today
The music of Merseyside is still going strong today, with Liverpool band The Coral achieving mainstream success and a Mercury Prize nomination in 2002. The Zutons must have known they had made it last year when Amy Winehouse managed to show up to record a cover of their 2006 song, Valerie with Mark Ronson – a track that stuck around for months despite being released only a year after the original. Albums from newcomers Candie Payne and rapper/singer KOF show promise for Liverpool’s musical future, and ex-Beatle Ringo Starr released his first solo album in three years in January 2008.

But it is the city’s Capital of Culture status that is really boosting the profile of its music scene, at a time when it was looking as though other British cities may be about to steal Liverpool’s record-breaking musical crown. The Echo arena opened in January of this year, giving international stars the opportunity to perform in the city (and giving Manchester’s MEN a run for its money). Councillor Warren Bradley, leader of Liverpool City Council and deputy chair of the Liverpool Culture Company, tells TOUCH: "The opening of the Echo Arena was a key milestone in Liverpool's regeneration. Not only will the arena be a fantastic addition to our world heritage skyline; it will also enable Liverpool to attract some of the biggest names in music." He’s right; the venue will welcome Rihanna to its stage in March and will also be home to the MTV Europe awards on 6 November.

A large number of other musical events and festivals are scheduled in the city throughout 2008, including The Chemical Brothers and Kaiser Chiefs performing at Liverpool Music Week between 29 November – 9 December. The biggest free African music festival in the UK, Africa Oye, will also be at Sefton Park on 21, 22 June.


The Urban Music Scene
Liverpool features regular soul and rare groove nights at the Magnet Club on Hardman Street, and the Albert Dock’s Baby Blue Club hosts R’n’B and hip hop nights on Fridays and Sundays, with recent guest appearances from Trevor Nelson and 1Xtra’s DJ B. The Camel Club on Wood Street plays R’n’B all week, and Birkenhead’s Bambuddha lounge plays R’n’B and hip hop every weekend. Nearby Southport has a lively jazz scene, and supports UK stars at its annual jazz festival on 29 May – 1 June every year – attracting visitors from as far afield as the US and Canada.

But while the urban scene is growing in Liverpool, many believe that there is still a lack of support for artists who write and perform urban music to showcase their talent. Yaw Owusu, co-founder of Liverpool’s Urbeats music company, says that the lack of a distribution network for urban talent was the reason why he set up Urbeats with his cousin (rapper KOF). “There’s a lack of finance and understanding of the urban scene,” he says, adding, “The fact that there are only six hours of urban radio time each week shows that there isn’t enough support for urban artists.”

Liverpool DJ Mike Edwards agrees. “There’s definitely a lot of urban talent on Merseyside, but there isn’t a platform for people to perform. It means that people who don’t work in the music industry don’t get much chance to hear the city’s urban musicians. Unlike London, Manchester and Birmingham, we don’t have any Grime or bashment nights here, although a few years ago it was hard to find a club willing to play R’n’B and hip hop all night. So it is getting better.”

The party is getting started. The future is looking bright for Liverpool. This is the moment where Liverpudlians need to seize the day and to show the world its rich diversity, humour, and passion. There’s more to Liverpool than football, fashion and the fab four. And I have to tell you, there’s nothing quite like a scouse party.