Author: Uncover

By Radka Hostašová

Have you ever thought of becoming a tourist in your own city? By traveling and exploring new places, we usually pack a suitcase and head away from our hometown, heading towards exotic countries and different cultures. Discovering the unknown generally provides us with excitement and curiosity. Perhaps, the Covid pandemic has changed the perception of traveling, and one of the few benefits of Covid restrictions was the expansion of domestic tourism as the only possibility of people’s getaway. However, what if we narrow the national tourism into an even smaller category; namely, sightseeing within our hometown? 

If we consider Liverpool, visiting the Royal Albert Dock, the Cathedrals, or Anfield Stadium, to name just a few top tourist attractions, are probably the recommendations we would give to tourists. In fact, these touristic areas are commonly avoided by locals due to the often large crowds. Therefore, we’ve prepared a short guide to remind you of places worth visiting in Liverpool, that as a local you might not have thought to visit.

1. Strawberry Field

Most of us probably know the song ‘Strawberry Fields Forever‘ by The Beatles. To understand more of the iconic lyrics as well as uncover the story of John Lennon, Strawberry Field is a good place to start.

In 2019 Strawberry Field was opened to the public for the first time, with an exhibition on its history, a cafe, shop and a training centre for young people with special educational needs. Located in Woolton Village, Strawberry Field offers a tour around the interactive exhibition or a peaceful walk in adjacent gardens. With a link to activities of The Salvation Army, this place bears the idea of mindfulness, wellbeing, and togetherness.

All sales through the exhibition, café and shop fund the Steps at Strawberry Field programmes, aimed at those with learning difficulties or other barriers to employment.

2. Western Approaches Museum

Amongst the number of museums across Merseyside, Western Approaches is one of the more obscure ones. Calling this museum a hidden gem is quite an appropriate term as the venue is located in an underground bunker. The self-guided tour around the labyrinth of rooms tells a story of the British Armed Forces during the Second World War, involving a range of authentic objects and documents. So if you don’t fear closed spaces, head to the Liverpool Town Hall – the Western Approaches Museum is located in the basement. 

3. Sudley House

Sudley House is a Victorian mansion located in Mossley Hill, currently under the administration of the National Museums Liverpool. Back in the 19th century, Sudley House used to be a residence of a Victorian merchant George Holt and his family. Driven by a lifelong love for art, George Holt spent his inherited fortune and trading profits on filling the house with valuable artworks and pieces of expensive furniture. These days, Sudley House is open for the public to experience the heritage of this wealthy Victorian family and admire the glorious interior. 

4. Berry and Rye Bar

Berry and Rye Bar is a place that addresses important historical events from a different perspective. Themed as a secret bar, this small venue in Liverpool city centre reflects on Prohibition dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. As a customer, you will be provided with an authentic experience including dim lights, menus hidden in vintage books, and 1930s style jazz music. Berry and Rye Bar is simply a great place to spend a memorable night out.

5. Allerton Towers

Liverpool has some fantastic parks and green spaces, with Sefton Park and Calderston Parks being two of the most popular destinations for a Sunday stroll. But, there’s several Liverpool public gardens that are quieter, if you’re looking for some solitude. If you walk up to Woolton Road, you’ll reach Allerton Towers – a gem amongst the parks with remains of the historical manor and Italianate colonnade in the centre, surrounded by green areas with diverse botanical species. The landscape of Allerton Towers is full of hidden corners and crannies that might enhance your weekend walk with a touch of mystery. 

6. Queen Avenue

Even as a regular around Liverpool city centre, you might not have discovered a tiny path off Castle Street named Queen Avenue. These days, the secret passage is mainly occupied by independent art galleries as well as classy wine stores. Lined with historical shop windows and vintage lamp posts, the spirit of Queen Avenue will take you back in time.

By Rhiannon Lewis

I had the privilege of snatching a little preview of ‘Barely Visible’ a few weeks ago – a new theatre performance incorporating a 100-foot pole into an exploration of the queer experience. Part-dance, part semi-autobiographical monologue, Rowena Gander (the sole performer) stretches out to the audience at the very seams of the space, her defiant and often ironic words pushing past the barriers of the fourth wall and into the audience’s consciousness. 

It takes a few minutes for the audience to settle into the exchange that they learn, encouraging their response- by the end, gasping freely at Gander’s incredible dexterity and fierce strength, with scatters of applause. There are moments we, as the audience, feel suspended with Gander, raised into flight, but a smart remark, an elegant descent, and laughter punctuates the air, and the audience is back on known ground- not airborne after all. 

But that’s the greatest strength of Gander’s performance- for there is an understanding that though Gander’s ability to articulate her body will, likely, far exceed our own, she speaks of an experience that many share. “Dirty”- the snarling recorded voice lashes out in the darkness. She looks up, face smeared with mud. She smiles prettily, puts on make-up and totters on invisible stilettos, a posture that starkly contrasts her usual easy, confident gait. This articulates not only the queer experience, but that of women, of ‘other’. The show portrays that expectation impressed upon us to fit into acceptable ways of being. Rowena emulates this, the restriction is painful and she struggles to stand, to be. Then she punches out of those constraints, quite literally, flying above the audience.

We take a collective breath. For though we can’t all move with the intelligence and skill of Rowena Gander, there are always ways for us to break out, fly- to expand beyond expectations that we otherwise might have allowed to restrain us. It is a reminder in itself breathtaking to behold.

‘Barely Visible’ Creative Team

Dircted by Elinor Randle
Performed by Rowena Gander
Original sound score by Noel Jones
Lighting design by Phil Saunders
Produced by Claire Bigley – Please contact Claire for all booking inquiries – Claire@tmesistheatre.com
This work is supported Arts Council England and by Unity Theatre as part of their Open Artist Callout.
Photography by Andrew Ness

‘Barely Visible’ is touring around Liverpool, performing at Edge Hill University on 15 March and Square Chapel in Halifax on the 6th April (more performances to be added).

By Radka Hostašová

After announcing the development of a brand new, multi-purpose facility named after Yoko Ono, Liverpool has recently enhanced its cultural sphere with a large venue designed to listen to live music. The Tung Auditorium, as a part of the University of Liverpool’s Yoko Ono Lennon Centre, opened its doors to the public at the beginning of the year 2022.

The building is located on the university campus, on the corner of Oxford Street and Groove Street, and serves the purposes of performers and concert-goers, as well as the students and lecturers. Whereas the Tung Auditorium represents the concert hall, Paul Brett Lecture Theatre offers a space for art students to undertake professional world-class sessions. 

The Tung Auditorium is significantly contributing to Liverpool’s cultural domain. Firstly, naming the centre after John Lennon and Yoko Ono builds on the musical heritage of the region and materializes the memory of an iconic artistic couple. Additionally, the Tung Auditorium is unique for its size and modern layout as the concert hall can host up to 400 visitors and provides a stage for large-scale orchestras. And finally, an advanced architectonic plan also comes along with excellent acoustic properties. The hall is equipped with cutting-edge technology that can be adjusted to accommodate ensembles of various sizes and genres.

Moving towards an artistic program, the Tung Auditorium embraces a broad range of musical styles. The audience can choose between classical music, jazz, folk, or electronic and alternative music. However, the diverse production does not only consist of a variety of genres. The programme combines the recitals of music students with high-profile national and international artists in order to attract a large group of attendees with different preferences. 

Besides the evening events, The Tung Auditorium functions as a hub for a regular series of midday concerts, previously held at the Victoria Gallery & Museum. As an outcome of relocating the Lunchtime Concert Series to a spacious modern hall, the project can further expand and address more visitors across Merseyside. 

Overall, the Tung Auditorium’s programme strategy is clearly complex. Along with bringing a high-quality music experience to its audience, the venue intends to broaden the audience’s knowledge through interactive workshops related to the music world.

Moreover, it brings up the concept of community and togetherness – both the key ideas of John Lennon and Yoko Ono which formed their approach towards life and society. In fact, without the collective financial support of the community the plans for building this new cultural centre might never have come to fruition. To honour the individuals and organisations who contributed to fund the venue, each seat in the Tung Auditorium is marked with the donor’s name.  

To find out more about The Tung Auditorium and their programme of events visit https://thetungauditorium.com/

By Francesca-Lily McIntosh

Ask Elliot was formed in 2018 after cousins Tom Houghton (lead guitar), Liam Shields (drummer) and classmate Archie Rimmer (bass) met Ream Radomes (lead vocalist). Ask Elliot have played shows across multiple venues in Liverpool such as the Arts Club, the Zanzibar Club and recently showcased in Modern Age Music’s ‘Ones to Watch’ series at Jimmy’s in Liverpool. As they now begin to expand beyond Liverpool, now is the time to get to know Ask Elliot and their plans for the future.

Uncover Liverpool: As things are slowly getting back to normal and the music industry is beginning to thrive once again, how does it feel to be able to play live gigs again?

Ream: It feels really good. A year and a half of gigging was taken away from us and we were really beginning to take off in 2019. We were hitting a point where doors were opening up for us, but it’s very reassuring how we’re gigging again, and things are the same way as they were.

Uncover: Is there a story behind the band name?

Liam: Me and Tom were at our mutual nans’ for a Chinese takeaway, and we were trying to think of a band name. We were struggling and Tom’s sister, Lucy, has a friend called Elliot who is renowned as being quite clever. Someone said, ‘why don’t we ask Elliot?’ and I think it was my dad who said why don’t we just go with Ask Elliot? 

Uncover: We are well and truly hooked on you guys – Our favourites have to be Honey, By Your Side and Flowers of White. Do you each have a favourite single?

Archie: Probably to listen to By Your Side but to do in the studio was Settle Down.

Tom: Mine would be Olivia at the minute.

Liam: My favourite changes every day but right now it’s Flowers of White.

Ream: I like them all for different reasons, but the top of the list would be Olivia and Settle Down. However, we do have another single coming out soon. It’s a short one but it makes me move and I like that about the next one.

Uncover: We are really looking forward to seeing what’s next for you. What does 2022 look like for Ask Elliot?

Ream: So far, we have just been preparing, like I said we have a single coming up so we’re getting on with polishing material for that, doing all of the boring promotional things. 

This year we’ve planned to take a break from recording, so after this single we are going to go out and play as many gigs as possible.

Our gig at Jimmy’s on the 27th of January was a really good opportunity for us because the promoter we were working with said that they would like to work with us in the future, so hopefully it will open some doors for us outside of Liverpool.

Our aim now is to expand outside of Liverpool and to get people knowing who we are as far and wide as we can.

Uncover: Liverpool must be the perfect place for a band to set their roots in, do you think being so local to Liverpool and its popular music scene has supported you as a band?

Ream: I do feel like it has given us a lot of momentum at the start of our journey and I’m not sure we could have done that in any other place. 

The scene is very close-knit. We are friends with other bands, and we often get presented opportunities through them. 

I think it has helped a lot and there are a lot more opportunities here, however we only started in Liverpool so it’s all we know really.

Uncover: You have already announced you have some new music lined up for us, can you tell us when we can look out for your next single? Can you give us a word to describe it?

Ream: It’s very much pencilled in and up in the air at the moment but around March is where we’re aiming, so very soon. I would say energetic. 

Liam: Bouncy.

Archie: I would say three: In your face.

While we look out for their next in-your-face single, guaranteed to get you moving, you can stream Ask Elliot on Spotify and Apple Music and follow the guys on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

By Radka Hostašová

Half term is here already and as spring is still not in sight the options for outdoor adventures are quite limited. However, we are bringing a few tips for exciting activities in Liverpool to entertain children during the two-week break.  

From a variety of museums, cinemas and concert halls, to art hubs and creative workshops, the possibilities of spending leisure time exploring the cultural field are endless. Plus these activities are perfect for the whole family.

Discovery Zone At The Beatles Story

Every weekend, The Beatles Story opens its Discovery Zone to introduce younger audiences to the musical heritage of one of the most famous bands in the world. By using different interactive sources including screens, musical instruments and karaoke, children can playfully learn about the band and taste the feeling of being a musician. 

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the song ‘Love Me Do’, The Beatles Story has also prepared a special Valentine’s weekend program, where children can craft a paper heart while listening to all the love-related recordings by The Beatles. 

Potterspool at Otterspool Adventure Park

Otterspool Adventure Park invites all the little ones for a magical tour around Hogwarts. During their Potterspool event complete with wizards, spells, and illusions, children can participate in a Potterspool Parade, take a ride in a flying car with Ron Weasley or visit the famous Platform 9¾. The day culminates with a performance in the Great Show Hall. 

Throughout the event, families will be provided with a range of thematic refreshments including Bertie Botts, chocolate frogs, and many more. Potterspool runs every day from the 19th to the 27th of February, and booking your tickets is required prior to the event.

National Museums Liverpool

If you choose to spend a day exploring new things, World Museum Liverpool presents a number of exhibitions to accommodate the whole family. For example, the World Museum Liverpool hosts a permanent display of of critters at their Bug House, where from very close up, visitors can observe real tarantulas, scorpions, or caterpillars. However, if this sounds too creepy, you can visit the live Aquarium, or discover the beginning of life on Earth at the Dinosaur exhibition. you can even visit the wonderful Planetarium.

To complete the expedition, you can get a treat from the café situated on the ground floor of the museum, visit a shop selling plentiful gifts and merchandising, or have a rest in the picnic area on the upper floor. 

Moreover, the Museum of Liverpool located at the Pier Head offers a programme called Little Liverpool for young children under age 6. During the 30 minute session running each day, young participants will experience the world’s heritage through interactive activities, games, and crafty tasks. 

Drama Weeks In Everyman & Playhouse

And finally, Everyman & Playhouse Theatres has scheduled Drama Weeks – classes full of games, improvisation, and storytelling. One-week courses are spread in daily sessions running from 10am to 4pm. Each week carries different topics and ideas, however, every course is concluded with a Friday afternoon performance for parents. Drama Weeks are a great way to develop children’s creativity and teach them the basics of drama skills. Bookings for the course are now open, and you can pick the dates and times that suit you the best.

You can discover hundreds of events happening in Liverpool and across the Liverpool City Region in our What’s On section.

By Tilly Foulkes

Celebrate the Year of the Tiger with the Chinese New Year events happening in Liverpool this February.

The pandemic has previously halted in-person celebrations, but 2022 will see them return once again. Locals and tourists alike gather at the Chinese Ceremonial Archway to celebrate the annual Chinese New Year Festival. The archway is the door to the oldest Chinese community in Europe, and this year the streets will once more be embellished with lanterns as the dragon shares good luck through traditional Chinese dance.

Great George Sqaure’s stage is set to host live performances throughout the day, while buildings will be lit up in red to honour the traditions of Chinese New Year.

That’s not all – there will be plenty of activities and things to explore, no matter where your interests lie. Art workshops with creative exercises, a storytelling bus and a multitude of food stalls for visitors to sample Chinese food will be running all day. And if you aren’t able to make it down then there’s no need to miss out – there’s an abundance of online workshops, activities and opportunities to watch archive footage available.

Culture Liverpool has commissioned all of the new pieces of work to complement the free traditional Chinese New Year celebrations which includes dragon, unicorn and Lucky Man parades, firecracker displays, family workshops, Tai Chi demonstrations, a small fairground and food stalls. Activity will take place from 11am-5.30pm on Sunday 6 February.

New for this year are:

• From Friday 4 to Sunday 6 February, a 3D animated Water Tiger will prowl around the tower inside St Luke’s Church (the Bombed Out Church). Taking place from 6-9pm each night, the projections will transform the tower into a Chinese pagoda, complete with lanterns designed by local schools and community groups. The show, which lasts for ten minutes and will run on a loop each evening, is free but there is an ask for donations for the venue.  The work has been created by Focal Studios, Scenegraph Studios in collaboration with the Bombed Out Church.
• Work is under way on a new mural will take pride of place in Great George Square playground courtesy of Zap Graffiti which is bringing together an award-winning Beijing artist, Tang Shou, and local youngsters who will create a piece of art which symbolises what the Year of the Tiger means to them.

New commissions taking place on Sunday 6 February

• Pagoda Arts will shine a spotlight on Tian – an up-and-coming young band made up of east/southeast Asian artists who perform a blend of original east-meets-west tracks. They will take to the stage in Great George Square at 2.20pm and 3.50pm, and will play a ticketed event at the Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music Room that evening.
• From 5.15pm, Bring The Fire Project will showcase their incredible skills at the Chinese Arch with a specially created Chinese New Year performance which will incorporate traditional martial arts. They will be joined by Hung Gar Kung Fu’s illuminated dragon and lion.
• Dance company Movema explore the cultural history of Chinese New Year and have produced contemporary work which embraces our diverse communities and celebrates what makes Liverpool so unique and special.  A series of pop-up performances will take place in the afternoon, in and around Chinatown with on-stage activity at 3.10pm and 4.25pm.
• Visually stunning Feng Huang (Chinese Phoenix) street animation will appear at the Bombed Out Church at 1.45pm.
• The Black-e Youth Circus present, Triumph of the Tiger, a short story told through circus skills, illuminations and costume involving young people aged 6 to 18 years. Involving ground-based and aerial performance, it will create a beautiful illuminated spectacle to tell a simple tale of how we can overcome adversity. The costumes and LED illuminations will be coloured to represent the five tigers from Ancient Chinese myths. The performance involves a collaboration with Bring The Fire Project. Throughout the day The Black-e will also be offering circus skills taster workshops on Nelson Street for members of the public to participate in and a beanbag making workshop.

Building up to the main day of activity, from this week thousands of Chinese lanterns will adorn the city centre streets, and from Sunday 30 January a number of buildings will be illuminated in red in honour of the new year – signifying good fortune and joy to everyone. These buildings include the Cunard, Port of Liverpool, Liverpool Town Hall, St George’s Hall, Central Library Picton Colonnades, Toxteth Library, Everyman & Playhouse Theatres, the Martin Luther King building, Mersey Gateway Bridge and University of Liverpool’s Yoko Ono Centre. The Royal Liver Building and the Radio City tower will light up on Tuesday 1 February which is Chinese New Year.

Saturday, February 5th will see FACT celebrating with their World Wide Wontons workshop,  sharing stories and recipes that express what togetherness and family mean to each other.

The festivities don’t end there though – The Lady Lever Art Gallery will also be hosting events on February 12th in celebration, too. The Chinese New Year is sure to be a buzzing celebration all round!

To discover even more events visit our What’s On section.

By Radka Hostašová

Engagement with young visitors has become a common practice across many cultural venues. It is a good way to introduce children to valuable pieces of art and historical artefacts. Moreover, a museum visit can enhance a child’s imagination and help to understand the world around them.

However, there is no doubt that mere wandering around the expositions is generally not enough to attract children’s attention. Instead, galleries and museums employ various interactive activities and practical exercises to raise a new generation of regular visitors. 

As one of the most popular cultural settings in the city, The World Museum Liverpool offers a wide program for children of various ages. Besides the educational sessions for schools and families, the museum has recently launched Craft at the Museum workshops to support children’s creativity and imagination. The program mainly addresses preschoolers, as the workshops take place between 10 am and 12 pm.

The classes are running now and continuing on a weekly basis until 27 of February. There’s no need to book a space for the class, just drop in and get straight to work! All craft supplies are provided by the course, and the museum only requires parents to supervise their children during the session. 

And what is the idea of the workshops? The World Museum Liverpool mainly draws inspiration from their current collections. Therefore, children will be making artworks that reflect on particular displays, for example, a live Aquarium installation or a permanent exhibition of Ancient Egypt. Craft at the Museum is simply a creative, playful, and educational way to introduce children to a world cultural heritage.

To find even more creative events, check out our What’s On section.

By Francesca-Lily McIntosh

Jump back into live theatre in 2022 with this useful guide to get you started. Here are six shows that Liverpool has to offer this year, ranging from family productions to comedy shows and historical adventures – there really is something for everyone!

Liverpool Empire Theatre

With its central location on Lime Street, the Liverpool Empire Theatre now stands as the largest two-tier auditorium in the UK, seating 2,348 people. Now full of life once again, here are just two of the many shows Liverpool Empire has to offer in 2022.

Jersey Boys

Wednesday 26th January – Saturday 5th February 2022

The award-winning musical Jersey Boys returns to the Liverpool Empire to kickstart 2022. Based on the story of the 1960s rock band The Four Seasons, Jersey Boys features all of their popular hits along with an insight of how Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons came to be.

Tickets start from £13.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Tuesday 22nd – Saturday 26th February 2022

Be one of the first to see this brand-new stage musical, rumoured to transport you into a world of fantasy and magic. Adapted from one of Disney’s classic movies of the same name, Bedknobs and Broomsticks is a family-friendly show that follows three orphaned children and their journey after discovering witchcraft and magic.

Tickets start from £13.

Everyman and Playhouse Theatre

Liverpool’s Everyman and Playhouse theatres came together in 2004 under the same management and alongside theatre productions, the theatres create endless opportunities for young people aged 14-25 with their award-winning Young Everyman Playhouse (YEP) programme. Here are two showings suitable for an older audience at the Everyman and the Playhouse.

Cherry Jezebel

Tuesday 8th – Saturday 26th March 2022

Enter the world of drag artist Cherry Brandy, her best friend Heidi, and their queer family in this new drama at the Everyman. This story is said to celebrate queerness whilst exploring the struggles of growing up queer in Liverpool and building a place of safety and belonging.

Tickets start from £10, suitable for age 16+

Sheila’s Island

Tuesday 5th – Saturday 9th April 2022

Described as ‘the Office meets Lord of the Flies meets Miranda’, Sheila’s Island is a new comedy at the Playhouse. It follows the characters of Sheila, Denise, Julie and Faye and their disastrous team-building weekend, with Sheila stranding the team on a Lake District Island. 

Tickets start from £10, suitable for age 13+

Royal Court Theatre

The Royal Court theatre is also located in central Liverpool and promises a great night out with a pre-show cabaret style dining experience. Not only does the Royal Court produce eight long running shows a year but it plays its part in the community, offering free acting classes for all abilities; the Royal Court Youth Theatre and a community choir which anyone can take part in.

Offered Up

Wednesday 22nd June – Saturday 9th July 2022

Fancy a historical adventure? Showing at Liverpool’s Royal Court Studio, Offered Up is an exciting thriller set in 1645 during the English Civil War. It follows an innkeeper and his daughter’s struggles during the war and their additional problems brought to them by guests.

Tickets start from £10.

YNWA: Let’s Talk About Six…Baby

Friday 29th July – Saturday 27th August 2022

Finally, for the football fans of Liverpool, YNWA is a show that dives into the history of Liverpool Football Club. Celebrating Liverpool’s sixth UEFA Champion’s League trophy, YWNA has been said to be the ‘ultimate show for Liverpool fans’ as it brings 125 years of football history to life.

Tickets start from £14.

To discover more theatre shows and much more visit our What’s on section.

By Radka Hostašová

January is a time of new year’s resolutions, significant changes and fresh beginnings. For those who have decided to embrace more creativity and bring original ideas to life, Liverpool has something to offer. Besides a variety of art and craft classes organised by different cultural venues around the city, independent community organisation Writing on the Wall has prepared a great opportunity for creatives with a passion for writing. 

Based in the Toxteth area, Writing on the Wall has a history of celebrating diversity and togetherness through writing. The key idea is to support people who are facing social exclusion caused by long-term unemployment, cultural inequality or any kind of abuse. Their latest program called Write to Work is a 12-weeks online course focused on developing writing skills and exploring the area of publishing. The entire course consists of writing workshops, social meet-ups and one-to-one classes. Moreover, participants will get a chance to learn from successful authors coming from different backgrounds and with particular areas of interest. 

Composing a piece of writing does not necessarily mean becoming a novelist. These days, creative writing exists in a limitless number of forms, such as social media and blogs, adverts, reviews, or screenplays. Within the 12-weeks program, Write to Work will cover the basis of all the areas mentioned above and beyond. However, most importantly, the main aim of the course is to provide support to all attendants throughout their creative journey and offer a safe virtual hub, where everyone can freely share thoughts and ideas. 

Write to Work starts on the 8 February and will be held entirely online. Applications are now open, with the deadline to apply the 26 January. All the details and criteria for eligibility can be found on the Writing on the Wall’s website.