By Radka Hostašová
Over the past two years, the cultural scene around the world, including music festivals, was shrouded in silence as an unfortunate result of the global pandemic. However, the year 2022 symbolizes the revival of many cultural programmes, injecting a lot of expectation and excitement.
With a number of cultural events taking place in Liverpool this year, organisations are starting to recover from the long break and are returning with even more drive and devotion. In fact, the announcement of a new era for the Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF) proves it. Like many other large-scale events, LIMF used the downtime to re-evaluate the whole concept of the event and embrace new visions and ambitions.
LIMF 2022 falls on the last weekend of July and unlike in previous years, the programme is spread across various indoor and outdoor venues in the city. This new approach brings more diversity and allows the attendees to plan their own itinerary by choosing between the genres as well as venues. LIMF has confirmed a collaboration with M&S Bank Arena, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, St. Lukes Bombed Out Church, The Merchant, Invisible Wind Factory, The Arts Club, and many more.
This year’s festival also aims to go beyond mere entertainment and as a response to a range of social issues and tensions, conveys a broader message. Therefore, the programme has been built to address social justice, equality and inclusion. In other words, with the theme ‘Power To The People & Purpose’, LIMF celebrates humanity, its power, beauty, and influence.
Looking at the line-up of the 3-day event, the organisers have summoned both national and international names together with new progressive voices and sounds. To give you a little brief of what awaits, LIMF 2022 will kick off with UB40 Featuring Ali Cambell on Friday 29th June in M&S Bank Arena. However, if reggae music is not your cup of tea, you can opt for hip-hop with De La Soul, as they headline the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Alternatively, there’s the sound and visual installation SYSTEM By Gaika situated in the Invisible Wind Factory.
Saturday will follow up with the same ambition, featuring a wide range of genres and styles. Visitors can choose from a Jazz Happening in Ettie’s, a basement bar situated beneath Bold Street, a mixture of U.K. Garage and R&B by Donae hosted by Arts Club Liverpool, and much more. Night owls can also enjoy the afterparty thrown by The Merchant with DJs Greg Wilson and Roisin W, until early morning.
And finally, Sunday culminates with the fusion of genres including rock, indie, reggae, and soul. Namely, Camp and Furnace in Baltic Triangle will host Liverpool indie rock band The Zutons and guests, while the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall will experience a unique encounter of Cuban and Jamaican music Havana Meets Kingston.
Overall, LIMF has returned with a desire to create a diverse, multi-cultural space for people to learn, share and connect. Alongside the music programme, this year’s festival introduces a brand new visual element to the program. Namely, Liverpool John Moores University will present the ‘Still Do The Right Thing’ exhibition, exploring the relationship between music, art, fashion, and activism.
For more information and to get tickets for LIMF 2022 visit https://www.limfestival.com/