Community Post Type: News

From Friday 21 February to Sunday 11 May, FACT presents two compelling exhibitions by artists Christopher Kulendran Thomas and Bahar Noorizadeh. The exhibitions invite visitors to explore the intersection of media, technology, and global politics, with Christopher Kulendran Thomas showcasing a major new body of work, Safe Zone, alongside a reimagined staging of Bahar Noorizadeh’s film Free to Choose.

Within these powerful exhibitions, the artists encourage audiences to reconsider their relationship with politics, technology, economics, and societal structures while reflecting on how momentous events have shaped the world as we understand it today.

Christopher Kulendran Thomas’s work explores the legacies of imperialism. A British artist of Sri Lankan Tamil descent, Kulendran Thomas has been using artificial intelligencentechnologies over the last decade to examine the foundational fictions of Western individualism. His new exhibition, Safe Zone, features two bodies of work that metabolise the historical mediums of soft power: a series of paintings and a video work that auto-edits television footage. The exhibition at FACT marks the work’s UK premiere.

At the centre of this exhibition is Peace Core (2024), a new work co-commissioned by FACT in partnership with WIELS and Artspace Sydney, and produced with Kulendran Thomas’ long-term collaborator, Annika Kuhlmann. The rotating sphere sculpture consists of 24-screens that transmit a continuous stream of television footage broadcast in the moments before channels cut live to the unfolding events of 11 September 2001. Peace Core employs an artificial intelligence algorithm to continuously edit over 24,000 clips into an infinitely evolving sequence, accompanied by a soundscape that keeps remixing thesounds and music broadcast that morning on American television. It draws on the visual language of #corecore, an internet aesthetic combining seemingly unrelated videos, images, and soundbites to evoke a shared emotional response to the overwhelming nature of contemporary existence.

With this exhibition, Kulendran Thomas asks audiences to reflect on the overlooked connections stemming from the global geopolitical shifts triggered by the ‘War on Terror’, in which unrelated independence movements were rebranded as terrorist organisations following the 9/11 attacks on the United States. This rhetoric provided the Sri Lankan government with justification for ‘counterterrorism’ measures in the Tamil homeland of Eelam. Previously a self-governed independent state that Kulendran Thomas’s family is from, these measures led to the Mullivaikkal Massacre in 2009.

Illuminated by the glow of Peace Core is a series of new paintings that use AI-generated images to imagine these events. Abstracting the work of early Sri Lankan modernists, the images are composed using a neural network trained on the colonial art history that was first brought to Sri Lanka by European settlers. The largest painting in the series shares its dimensions with Pablo Picasso’s Guernica. While Picasso’s masterpiece depicted the widely reported horrors of the massacre in Guernica during The Spanish Civil War, the events at Mullivaikkal remained largely undocumented due to the expulsion of foreign journalists. With no outside witnesses to the atrocities in Mullivaikkal, Kulendran Thomas’ paintings are imagined through a networked collective consciousness of other events
represented across art history and rendered in the visual language of the colonial history that could itself be seen as a pretext for that violence.

FACT and The Otolith Collective are proud to present the UK premiere of Bahar Noorizadeh’s Free to Choose (2023), produced in collaboration with animator Ruda Babau and the experimental opera group Waste Paper Opera, and commissioned by the Singapore Art Museum. Bahar Noorizadeh is a UK-based artist, theorist, and filmmaker whose work explores speculation, finance, neoliberalism, fiction, the weird, and the unknown. Noorizadeh describes Free to Choose as a “financial science-fiction opera” or “fi-fi opera” that depicts the credit system of the future as a Central Time Travel Agency, regulating time travel between Hong Kong circa 1997 and Hong Kong in 2047. The title references the 15-part television series starring economist Milton Friedman, broadcast in the US in 1980.
Free to Choose pushes Friedman’s praise of Hong Kong as a ‘free market utopia’ that will ‘set an example for the rest of the world’ to a delirious and absurdist extreme vision of a financialised future.

Free to Choose draws on Noorizadeh’s extensive research on Milton Friedman, Michel Feher, and Rem Koolhaas. It brings together a luminous world of a vivid and disorienting future megacity and a cast of unpredictable inhabitants with a playful script and dream-like
plot. The narrative follows Philip Tose, the former racing car driver and CEO of Hong Kong-based Peregrine Investment, as he attempts to survive and surpass the 1997 economic crash by borrowing a lump sum from his older self in Hong Kong in 2047. In his
search for his future self, Tose encounters the hierarchies that divide a future world where rating activists demand free time travel for all and credit Untrustworthies navigate the floating cities of the Pearl Megalopolis.

Alongside the exhibition, FACT and The Otolith Collective are delighted to present a public programme series that further explores Noorizadeh’s practice. A programme highlight is the UK premiere of the audiovisual performance Admiror, Or Revolutionary Sentiments.

Following performances at the Bergen Senter for Elektronisk Kunst and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Admiror, Or Revolutionary Sentiments takes place at the Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool, on Friday 21 February 2025. Admiror, Or Revolutionary Sentiments stages an opposition between the sentimental logic of liberalism and the feelings that propel liberation. The work is produced in collaboration with opera maker Klara Kofen, with drums and sound design by composer Cameron Graham and CGI design and animation from Ruda Babau.

Maitreyi Maheshwari, Head of Programme at FACT, said: “In light of recent political, social and economic upheavals, it feels urgent to reflect on how events of the recent past have shaped the world we live in today. How do we recognise the moments when the world
changes, and what is the aftermath of such large-scale global events within different local contexts? The works of Christopher Kulendran Thomas and Bahar Noorizadeh bear witness to the interconnectedness of economic ideologies and political rhetoric, using new digital media technologies to reimagine the unseen stories of the specific impacts these systems of power have on people, places and times we ordinarily see as disparate.”

The multi award-winning children’s book author and screenwriter, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, hosts ‘The Reading Rights Summit’ at Liverpool’s iconic St George’s Hall on 22 January as part of his tenure as the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2024-2026). 

Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024–2026, said:

“Working with BookTrust in these first six months of my Laureateship I’ve visited lots of early years settings and seen astonishingly brilliant practice. I understand now – more than ever – just how urgent it is that we re-reset the conversation about reading. To use a government phrase: ‘de-silo reading’.  Yes, it’s important for educational attainment. Yes, DCMS, it’s the most crucial – and most democratic – part of our cultural heritage. Shared reading is an effective, economic health intervention, so yes, it’s essential, Wes Streeting, to mental health, to bonding, to attachment, to creating a situation where parents and carers can give the best, the most joyous start in life to our children.

“New research from BookTrust demonstrates this urgent need for support: 6 in 10 parents and carers of 0–7-year-olds wish they had known earlier just how important it is to read and share stories regularly with their children, and wish they had started doing so sooner. Our children are near the top of the global leagues when it comes to the mechanical skill of reading but near the bottom when it comes to ’reading for pleasure’. We’ve taught them all the steps and the names of all the tunes. But they’re not dancing. That our children seem to be experiencing some kind of happiness recession at the moment is not surprising, and I believe that the decline in reading too has played its part in this.

“That’s why, as Children’s Laureate, I’ve worked with BookTrust to create this summit – together, we are going to discuss, share, challenge and develop our expertise and experiences. Together, we will develop a report that will help ensure the transformative gift of reading is shared with every single child. Because this is so, so doable but the longer we wait to address invisible privilege and inequality, the worse this becomes – more and more children fall further behind.”

About ‘The Reading Rights Summit’

‘The Reading Rights Summit’ – which is organised in partnership with the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, BookTrust, who manage the Laureateship – forms a key part of Cottrell-Boyce’s ‘Reading Rights: Books Build a Brighter Future’ campaign, which he launched on appointment as Children’s Laureate in July 2024.

Cottrell-Boyce aims to address ‘invisible privilege and inequality’ within books and reading, so that every child – from their earliest years – has access to the transformative ways in which they improve long-term life chances.  

The day-long summit – the first of its kind led by a Children’s Laureate – will bring together high-profile, expert voices in the political, education, literacy, early years, arts and health sectors with a view to recommending an urgent course of action to policymakers that will help ensure that the ‘life-changing benefits of children’s reading are taken seriously’.

‘The Reading Rights Summit’ programme is divided into three key areas for improvement, identified by Cottrell-Boyce and BookTrust following a learning tour to early learning centres, nurseries, schools and family hubs across the UK. Summit speakers will call on the UK government to deliver on the following policy asks:

The best start in life: “We want to normalise sharing stories as part of the best start in life for every child, with midwives, health visitors and other early years professionals introducing reading to all families.”

This will be opened by a provocation from Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, followed by a panel chaired by Julie Hayward, Director of Partnerships, BookTrust with speakers including:

–          Anna Hartley, Executive Director of Public Health, Barnsley Council

–          Dr Sam Wass, Director, Institute for the Science of Early Years, University of East London

–          Cressida Cowell, best-selling author and illustrator of the How to Train Your Dragon series and former Children’s Laureate (2019-2022)

Nurseries and schools: “We want nurseries and schools to be equipped and supported so that sharing books and stories is at the heart of early education for every child.”

This will be opened by a provocation from Michael Rosen, best-selling author, Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London, and former Children’s Laureate (2007-2009), followed by a panel chaired by – –Ruthann Hughes, Director of Research and Impact, BookTrust with speakers including:

–          Neil Leitch, Chief Executive, Early Years Alliance

–          Dr Julian Grenier, Senior Content & Engagement Manager, Education Endowment Foundation

–          Sonia Thompson, Headteacher, St. Matthew’s C.E. Primary Research and Support School

Families and communities: “We want all families and communities, including those experiencing vulnerability, to be supported to make reading and storytelling part of daily life.” 

This was opened by a provocation from Alex McCormick, Spellow Library fundraiser, followed by a panel chaired by Annie Crombie, Deputy CEO, BookTrust, with speakers including:

–          Sarah Thomas, CEO, Fostering Network

–          Lucy Peake, CEO, Kinship

–          Ruth Terry, Executive Director, Social Care & Practise, Bradford Children and Families Trust

–          Sally Pearse, Strategic Lead for Early Years and Director, Sheffield Hallam University

Rachel De Souza, Children’s Commissioner for England, closed the summit with a keynote speech, and former Children’s Laureate Chris Riddell (2015-2017) commemorated the day with special ‘behind the scenes’ live illustrations.

Diana Gerald MBE, CEO of BookTrust, said: “Sadly, too many children from low-income families don’t get the start in life they deserve. However, we know that early years experiences that include shared reading can change this and are critical to giving children the best start in life. Reading regularly with a child from the earliest moments in childhood has a measurable impact on their development and wellbeing and helps children overcome disadvantages caused by inequalities. That’s why BookTrust partnered with over 4,700 early years settings last year to provide high-quality shared reading support for families.

“But there is much more to be done. There must now be urgent investment in quality provision that places child development at the heart of the early years system so that the benefits of early reading and the magic of sharing stories can be experienced by every family, in every community. There has never been a more urgent time for us to inspire a new generation of children on their reading journeys.”

A report summarising key learnings and policy recommendations from ‘The Reading Rights Summit’ will be published by BookTrust in spring 2025.

Further information on Waterstones Children’s Laureate 2024-2026, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, is here.

Five new shows and exhibitions have been announced for the upcoming Liverpool International Jazz Festival 2025 next month.

The four-day extravaganza of music, film and visual art across city venues, which is now in its 12th year, will take place from Thursday 20th February through until Sunday 23rd February and will once again feature some of the world’s most talented artists in the genre.

First in the latest wave of events is The Shapes of Jazz To Come – a solo exhibition of work by Liverpool-based artist and musician Bob Whittaker. Anyone visiting the Capstone Building Reception throughout February will be presented with paintings that start with a fragment or opening theme of a song. Musical notes are precisely measured into geometric shapes, creating a visual mirror of the auditory experience. Pitch, rhythm, and expression of the music are translated into angular forms with a predominantly monochromatic palette consistent with musicians’ manuscript.

On Thursday 20th February at 7:30pm, the son of legendary jazz musician and composer Dave Brubeck, Darius Brubeck will lead the London-based Darius Brubeck Quartet, which has been together for 15 years and tours internationally.

The group features saxophonist Dave O’Higgins, who has been described by The Jazz Guide as “A stunning player in the neo-bop vein, with an apparently effortless flow of coherent ideas, beautiful time and a highly developed harmonic sense”; bassist Matt Ridley, a graduate of Trinity College of Music London and a well-known sideman and band leader on the UK Jazz scene; and South African drummer, educator and composer Wesley Gibbens.

The following afternoon on Friday at 1pm will see a screening of Playing the Changes – Tracking Darius Brubeck, a film about what it is like to grow up as a jazz musician in a turbulent time of racial segregation in the US and political tension during the Cold War, and about applying these experiences to living and teaching in segregated South Africa. The feature examines how jazz had such a transformative role in different societies like (post-)Soviet Poland and Nelson Mandela’s South Africa, where jazz was present, but disowned through apartheid.

Following the screening there’s a Q&A with Darius, his wife Cathy and director Michiel ten Kleij.

The Friday evening will see a performance from a ‘wild and exhilarating’ blend of top UK musicians from various generations, for whom Swiss drummer and percussionist Florian Arbenz has tailor-made his newest project.

Throughout his nearly 30-year musical career, Arbenz has consistently demonstrated that he’s not only a brilliant drummer but also has a keen sense for unique and gripping combinations of musicians and instruments. In his latest project, he turns his attention to the musical connections he’s formed during his frequent visits to the UK.

From the rising star Immy Churchill to internationally renowned musicians like Percy Pursglove, Jim Hart, and Ivo Neame, and the legendary veteran Christy Doran, five illustrious British musicians contribute to Arbenz’s supergroup.

Friday night will also see Parrjazz present their Mutant Jazz night at Rough Trade on Hanover Street. The ever-popular event celebrates the emerging talent from across Liverpool’s live jazz spectrum, exposing them to new audiences.

Mutant Jazz #6 will feature: Lydia Reece and her band, Finite Experience, The Unstoppable Sweeties Show. Early doors will see some of Liverpool’s youngest Jazz Mutant Allstar players, 14-18 years old, improvising with the Parrjazz house band. DJ Copious Notes will be spinning jazzy vinyl all night.

On the afternoon of Saturday 22nd February at 1pm, the festival joins forces with Liverpool’s South Asian arts company, Milap for a captivating afternoon of music featuring the extraordinary talents of Rekesh Chauhan and Kousic Sen.

Chauhan, a multi-award-winning British pianist and composer, is celebrated for his versatility in both Indian and Western classical traditions. His performances have graced some of the world’s most prestigious stages, and he has collaborated with legendary artists such as Pt. Birju Maharaj and Mercury Prize-winner Talvin Singh.

In Milap’s Beyond Roots, Rekesh will be joined by internationally renowned tabla maestro Kousic Sen. Together, they will explore the dynamic intersection of Indian classical music and jazz, blending tradition with contemporary innovation.

Three free concerts will then take place at The Cornerstone Theatre on Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus, with support from Arts Council England.

At 3:30pm The Weave return to the Liverpool jazz scene after a hiatus of some 7 years. Their newest album, SNISHOO, sees these talented musicians return to create an exciting collaborative journey. At the heart of this musical endeavour is band leader Martin Smith, who has assembled a network of Liverpool’s top players: Anthony Peers (trumpet), Anthony Ormesher (guitar), Tilo Pirnbaum (drums), Rob Stringer (piano) and Hugo “Harry” Harrison (double bass).

Then at 4:45pm, audiences can witness The Return of Samjoko – a new project formed by Liverpool based saxophonist Bob Whittaker, drawing influences from the modal and free 1970s supergroups of Elvin Jones, Ornette Coleman, Ed Blackwell, Dewey Redman and Don Cherry, the band employs saxophone, two double basses and two drum kits.

The final of the three free Saturday night concerts sees Sweet Beans take the stage at 6pm.

The self-proclaimed ‘riot-jazz’ band from Liverpool have been consistently performing and gigging around the city since early 2019. Stylistically, the music is a combination of raucous big-band horns, jazzy harmonies, rocking electric guitar and rhythms rooted in techno and other dance music styles.

Then, on Saturday evening, the festival will welcome Neil Cowley Trio onto the Capstone Theatre stage, returning to the scene after a break of 7 years with their new album ‘Entity’.

As a young boy, Cowley studied classical music and by the age of 10 had performed a Shostakovich piano concerto to a full house at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall. By his mid-teens he had turned his back on his classical career entering the world of old-school R’n’B, soul and funk and working with some of the most successful bands of the day including the Brand New Heavies and Zero 7 alongside his own chill-out production duo, Fragile State.

The trio went on to record six highly acclaimed studio albums – Displaced (2006) winner of the 2007 BBC Jazz Award for Best Album; Loud… Louder… Stop (2008) hailed by Mojo as a ‘modern classic’, Radio Silence (2010), cementing Cowley’s credentials as a brilliant, dazzling composer; The Face of Mount Molehill (2012) with a string ensemble that earned them the 2013 Jazz FM award for Best UK Jazz Act and Touch and Flee (2014), described by Cowley as his ‘concert hall album’.

For those wanting to party on into the night, Liverpool International Jazz Festival is collaborating with Parrjazz and one of Liverpool’s coolest small venues, Commune.

Starting at 9pm and finishing around midnight, Commune will be hosting a vinyl DJ set selecting tunes from the broad jazz spectrum of jazz fusion, hip-hop, acid jazz, funk and ska.

Featuring the Mutant Jazz and Cali Discs couple, DJ Copious Notes and JabJazz, with their Jazz But Not As We Know It record box.

Sunday 23rd February is Liverpool Sax Day – a day-long event kicking off at 10am in the Cornerstone Building at Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus. The day will feature workshops, masterclasses, performances from UK sax star Emma Rawicz and also from the North’s leading jazz tenor player and educator Dean Masser.

Those attending are encouraged to bring their saxophones and join in the ensemble classes hosted by prolific international sax expert and composer Andy Scott, and also peruse and try out all the latest sax models and paraphernalia at the many trade stalls. Liverpool Sax Day ticket holders also get free admission to the Emma Rawicz Quartet’s evening concert in the Capstone Theatre, the final concert of Liverpool International Jazz Festival 2025.

The Sunday afternoon of the festival will also see internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Dorian Ford celebrate the 50th anniversary of Keith Jarrett’s legendary improvised 1975 Köln Concert with a unique performance.

Reaching back through time he blends his passion for Jarrett’s brilliant original with his own improvisations, Ford’s riffs and grooves re-igniting the spark of genius of the young Jarrett. The original live recording is still the best-selling solo piano album in history in both classical and jazz.

Closing the festival on the evening of Sunday 23rd February at 7:30pm will be the award winning young saxophonist and composer, Emma Rawicz.

Rawicz is a bandleader with an astonishing musical maturity. At just 22 years of age, she has achieved a huge amount, including the release of two critically acclaimed albums Incantation and Chroma and extensive headline tours across 15 countries.

She has appeared in high profile festivals and venues including concerts featuring as a soloist with the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and with the German SWR Radio Big Band at a sold out Berlin Philharmonie. She was the youngest ever Artist in Residence at Cambridge Jazz Festival and has received a number of awards and nominations recognising her achievements.

After a record year in 2024, Liverpool International Jazz Festival is back in 2025 with another exciting line up featuring some of the world’s leading jazz musicians. Individual event tickets start at just £5.50, whereas full festival bundle tickets are just £65.45.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS INCLUDING THE FULL FESTIVAL BUNDLE PACKAGE

Williamson Art Gallery and Museum will open for 2025 on Wednesday 12^th February with six brand-new exhibitions. These include new presentations of rarely-seen works from their collections, immersive experiences, and celebrations of contemporary art from across the Liverpool City Region.

Following a period of detailed research and cataloguing, two exhibitions will focus on artists from their collection. The 80th anniversary of the death of Wallasey-trained war artist Albert Richards will be commemorated in an exhibition of some of the 200+ works of his they have in their collection.

Philip Wilson Steer: In Conversation will celebrate the work of this pioneering Birkenhead-born British impressionist. His works have long been considered highlights of the Williamson’s collection, and this exhibition will bring his work into conversation with both his contemporaries and local artists who followed in his footsteps.

Visitors who enjoy interactive experiences will have the opportunity to take an immersive journey into the inner worlds of soil and the subconscious mind in Subterranean Elevator by Di Mainstone. The artwork, commissioned through the Wirral Borough of Culture programme, is an experience which aims to deepen our understanding of biodiversity loss and engage with the emotional landscape of the climate emergency.

Two further exhibitions will celebrate the creativity of contemporary North West artists. Un/Earthed – A Retrospective by Landlines Studio will immerse visitors in the creative process of Angela Stringer and Nicky Perrin, and their alchemical process of turning raw earth into vibrant expressions of story and place. And following on from 2024’s exhibition of ‘Going to the Match’ by L S Lowry and funded by Arts Council England, we have commissioned award-winning photographer Marge Bradshaw to work with Liverpool Trans and Enby FC, visually documenting participants’ stories and experiences of participating in football at the grassroots club.

An extraordinary life will be celebrated in Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer. Smolen was a Polish refugee who settled in Birkenhead and became a champion scooter racer and successful businesswoman. Produced in collaboration with Big Heritage, this exhibition tells her incredible story.

All exhibitions will be open from Wednesday 12^th February, except Elizabeth Smolen: Trailblazer which opens on Friday 21^st February. Un-Earthed – A Retrospective by Landlines Studio and Marge Bradshaw’s commission will close on Saturday 28^th June, with all other exhibitions continuing until 20^th December.

Deputy chair of Wirral Council’s Tourism, Communities, Culture & Leisure Committee,  Cllr Ann Ainsworth, said: “This is an incredible programme of exhibitions for 2025 and shows how the Williamson is a vital and exciting part of our local arts scene. There will be something here for everyone, and I have no doubt that everyone will enjoy what is coming up with so much to look forward to. And such a range of arts, showcasing so many different skills and styles, illustrates perfectly how vibrant the arts are here and how this amazing gallery has so much to offer the people of Wirral and the wider city region and beyond.”

More information about the exhibitions, artists and Williamson Art Gallery & Museum can be found on their website

Look out for copies of a new magazine appearing in your library, bookshop or arts centre. It’s called Glass Eye and is being produced to feature the arts and culture scene in St Helens with a special emphasis on heritage.

In fact it’s been funded by the Heritage Lottery and is a continuation of the Creative Underground 82-95 Project which was launched in 2023. The Project continued through the Borough of Culture year to gather and publicize heritage material from that thriving period of the town’s history for inclusion in the town’s Archive. It included the production of a film, Another Country: A Journey through St Helens past about the period. Now readers of Glass Eye will be able to dig even deeper into neglected aspects of St Helens history and culture and contribute their own heritage items to its pages.

What kind of publication is Glass Eye, and who is it for? Its editors say that,-

“Glass Eye” is a “zine”, partly a fanzine in the spirit of early punk,- also maybe a culture-zine. It’s for people who are keen on heritage, but heritage as the sediment of the past and the building materials for the future. Its focus will be St Helens but not in a narrow way. It aims to be a bit cheeky, a bit eccentric and to raise as many questions as it answers.” 

The first issue will feature a range of photographs of the 82-95 scene taken by Barry Gore and a tribute to Mike Parker, stalwart of the local music scene, who died earlier this year. There will also reflections on the idea of “heritage”. “Glass Eye” is free and is already looking out for contributions from local people across the Borough, also help with editorial and production.  

Meanwhile a year after its launch at the Lucem Cinema the film Another Country: A Journey through St Helens past is being launched on-line. and for free, courtesy of the St Helens Arts Service. Written and produced by Roger Hill.

What’s it about? Well, here’s what it says about itself-

“Another Country tells the story of a not-so-quiet revolution. It is a documentary account of a particularly memorable period of music and culture in St Helens, a township among the many which sprang up across Northern England in the Industrial Revolution. In the 1980’s and 1990’s an exciting, unexpected and uniquely wonderful scene developed in the town, apparently from nowhere, and here it is in all its wayward spontaneity, as told by the surviving “actors” in that scene, with material from the period, and brought into the present with an optimistic glance into the future. Can culture make history? And then make it again? “Another Country” says Yes.”

You can access the film by going to https://vimeo.com/892908308. The film was made to provoke new activities and to open up the debate about local culture and is still available for public showings. 

E-Mail: glasseyemag@gmail.com .

Kenny Thomas stands as one of the UK’s most successful soul singers of his generation, having had two Top 10 albums and eight Top 40 singles over his thirty-year-plus career.

His debut album ‘Voices’, released in 1991, sold over a million copies worldwide on Chrysalis Records, going double platinum in the UK alone within the first two weeks and it featured the top 5 hit ‘Thinking About Your Love’. He also appeared on TOTP a remarkable 9 times in under 3 years.

The Multi-platinum selling and 2 x Brit-Award nominated UK singer has also been busy performing to sold out crowds across the UK and Europe, with recent interviews on BBC Radio2, The Sunday Times, Record Collector, Uncut, Mojo and The Mail on Sunday.

Tickets for the KENNY THOMAS – February 2025 – Liverpool Dome show are available from:

Friday 21st February 2025
Price – £32.50 plus BF’s
Doors – 7.00pm
Website – https://www.seetickets.com/event/kenny-thomas/the-dome-at-grand-central-hall/3170913

For more information on KENNY THOMAS, please click onto the following links below:

Website – https://www.kennythomasmusic.com/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/thekennythomas/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/kennythomasofficial

You Tube clip – ‘Thinking About Your Love’ – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WLmWKT3vUA

Liverpool Shared Reading charity The Reader has announced a joyful new season for this spring 2025.

Brand new events announced for Calderstones Park include a Jane Austen Day, St Patrick’s Day Ceilidh, Easter Family Tea Party and children’s World Book Day Ball.

Kara Orford, Associate Director of Programme Delivery at The Reader, said: “Grab your bonnets and regency dresses as Austenmania is set to take over the UK this year. Here at The Reader we are lucky enough to have the Director of Jane Austen’s House Lizzie Dunford celebrating the author’s 250th anniversary with us in style on Sunday 27 April as part of our new spring season.

“There’s plenty more to get excited about including the Barnsley-born poet and novelist Andrew McMilllan on his new book Pity, and a celebration of Judith Kerr’s 1970s classic children’s story Mog the Forgetful Cat, as well Mother’s Day and Easter events for all the family.” 

2025 is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth whose astounding popularity shows no sign of decreasing with statues, real-life balls, films, books, stage adaptations, and new TV dramas inspired by her to mark the occasion, including new exhibition Austenmania at Jane Austen’s House from 22 January 2025. 

LITERARY AND WELLBEING

The Reader is hosting a Jane Austen Day at the beautiful Grade II Listed Mansion House to celebrate Britain’s best-loved author’s anniversary on Sunday 27 April, 10.30am-4.30pm.

Events will be run in collaboration with Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane’s Austen House, Hampshire, where all six of the author’s major novels were written and published.

They include: 

• A Shared Reading of Pride and Prejudice Shared Reading in smaller groups,
• A delicious Austen-themed lunch taking inspiration from the Dinner with Jane Austen recipe book by Pen Vogler 
• A talk from the Jane Austen House Director, Lizzie Dunford, on The Many Walks of Lizzy Bennet and Her Sisters. In this illustrated talk, Lizzie Dunford, Director of Jane Austen House, will take guests along the footpaths of Hertfordshire, Kent and Derbyshire to explore the politics and meaning behind walking for the author’s characters, Jane Austen herself and her contemporaries. From muddy petticoats to Romantic heroines, the talk will reveal the wildness of Austen and what her connection to the natural world can teach us today.
• Time to pick up pen and parchment, we’re writing a letter ‘to Jane’. In this reflective activity the importance of letter writing to Austen will be acknowledged and a chance to celebrate this dying art form.

Other literary events include a visit by award-winning author and poet, Andrew McMillan (Physical, Pandemonium) to The Reader Bookshop on Thursday 13 March for an evening In Conversation to discuss his debut 2024 novel Pity about two middle aged brothers, male identity and sexuality in a Yorkshire pit town.

The Reader’s founder, Dr Jane Davis will be leading a Masterclass: Six Poems, on Sunday 9 March, an opportunity to delve deeper into a work of literature and connect with other book lovers. Ticket includes Soup (VE), Tea and Coffee.

Three Wellbeing Workshops will be running this season. The first will be celebrating Springtime Poetry on Saturday 29 March, 1pm-3.30pm, looking at the work of writers including Gerard Manley Hopkins, Li Young Lee, Carol Ann Duffy and many more.

The second will centre on Shakespeare’s Sonnets on Saturday 19 April, 1pm-3.30-pm. The Bard composed 154 sonnets between 1593 and 1601, bursting with beautiful imagery and timeless insights about love, life, and human nature. In this session, the group will explore a small, curated list of the sonnets, as well as some contemporary poetry inspired by Shakespeare’s works.

A third Wellbeing Workshop will be inspired by Welsh poet RS Thomas on Saturday 31 May, 1pm-3.30pm. Recognised as one of the leading poets of his country, Thomas writes about the people of his country in a style that some critics have compared to the nation’s harsh and rugged terrain.  

For each workshop the afternoon will begin with a relaxed Shared Reading Session led by an experienced practitioner before taking a walk to take in the beauty of Calderstones Park at this time of year.  

The group will then return to the Mansion House to enjoy a warming drink and The Reader will provide everything needed to build a personal own poetry collection to take home – the perfect gift for a loved one or a treat for yourself when a moment of inspiration and calm is needed. Tickets include unlimited tea and coffee.

FOODIE/SOCIAL 

March kicks off with a ‘craic’. Following the success of The Reader’s Burns Night celebrations, traditional Liverpudlian Cèilidh band The Saltcutters will be returning to the Mansion House for a St Patrick’s Cèilidh on Monday 17 March, 7pm-11pm. 

A hearty Irish stew is included with each ticket to fuel an evening of dancing, poetry and merriment, and the beautiful bar will be open throughout. For those who fancy a breather from the fast and furious fray of the Cèilidh, there will also the option to browse selections of the work of Irish poets in our cosy Reading Rooms.

Spoil your mum on Sunday 30 March with a Mother’s Day Lunch – a roast dinner with all the trimmings and dessert – set against the spring blooms in Calderstones Park and a soundtrack of live music.

A second Reader Social will be happening on Sunday 23 March, 2pm-6pm. Join the charity for a fundraising get together raising money to fund Shared Reading in the community, grazing platters, a quiz and raffle. Tickets include a welcome drink, grazing board and dessert.

Pop up a deckchair or lay out a picnic blanket in the Mansion House garden at one of The Reader’s Garden Parties for a laid-back afternoon of food, music and crafts. Browse the Library on the Lawn – a handpicked selection of books for adults and children to explore, and enjoy live entertainment and activities for all the family. 

The BBQ will be sizzling, the bar serving summer favourites, and the Ice Cream trike will be rolling up. The Reader is a charity – expect free entry, donations welcome and no booking required.

CHILDREN & FAMILIES

One of the big highlights for little people this spring is The Reader’s very first World Book Day Ball on Thursday 6 March, 5pm-6.30pm.

Calling all Matilda’s, Gruffalos, Hungry Caterpillars and Harry Potters! The Storyhunters will be throwing a party for their favourite day of the year which will be it is the perfect chance for children to show off their costumes, play games, have a bookish boogie and get crafting. 

The Reader Bookshop will also be staying open until 7pm and fully stocked with all the best choices for children and young adults to spend their brand-new World Book Day tokens. Perfect for four to nine -year-olds but younger siblings welcome too.

There will be some cracking events taking place over Easter including Easter at the Storybarn activity sessions from Monday 14 April to Sunday 20 April. There will be games, storytelling and adorable Easter crafts for children to take home. 

Hop into the Easter Holiday with a little help from The Reader’s Storyhunter pals and some tasty treats. An Easter Family Tea Party on Friday 18 April at 11am and 2.30pm, is the perfect way to celebrate the Easter break with your little ones. After this special Springtime outdoor afternoon tea The Storybarn team will lead games, crafts and the silliest of activities outside on the lawn. 

A celebration of Judith Kerr’s iconic 1970 children’s book, Mog the Forgetful Cat, in collaboration with publishers Harper Collins, will take place on various dates between Sunday 24 May – Sunday 1 June. In these 90-minute sessions for four to nine-year-olds there will be stories, games and catty crafts to take home. Younger siblings are welcome too.

The Storybarn team runs a May Half Term Holiday Club and Spring Half Term Holiday Club for five to 10-year-olds with a difference – every day Storyhunters and children head out into the gorgeous Calderstones Park, dive into the realm of storytelling in the magical Storybarn, play games and much more. Each ticket purchased helps support The Reader’s charitable work with children and young people across the UK.

GARDENING

Estuary Botanics are back to help get would-be gardeners prepped for spring and summer in three workshops starting with Pruning Plants Made Easy on Saturday 8 March, 10am-3pm. In this workshop they will demystify the art and science of pruning. Discover how, why and when plants are pruned, and when its best to leave them be. Learn how to safely and effectively shape a shrub, train a fruit tree, or promote vibrant fresh growth. 

It will be followed by Planting Summer Containers on Saturday 5 April, 10am-3pm. Learn how to design and plant a vibrant, long lasting container display. The workshop will cover all the basics including container choice, composts, plant selection, design layout and maintenance methods to create successful and sustainable planters. Step by step, they will work to help budding gardeners in the group create their own stunning potted display to take home.  

Plant Propagation on Saturday 3 May 2025, 10am-3pm, is set to be a hands-on plant propagation workshop. Learn techniques in seed sowing, taking cuttings, and dividing perennials to create new plants for free. Whether a beginner or seasoned gardener, this workshop will help propagate with confidence. They will take home their own propagated plants and watch them flourish.  

In addition, a new six-week Wildlife course with Estuary Botanics, on Thursdays from 12 June will teach anyone interested in gardens how to transform their plot into a wildlife haven. They will cover how to attract, protect and provide for wildlife. Whether people are looking for the best spot for a bird box, creating a pond, or planting a nectar-rich flowerbed, this course will help them craft a beautiful, sustainable garden where both you and nature can thrive.

No gardening experience is necessary for these courses, all materials are provided and anyone who attends is advised to dress for all weathers.

About Estuary Botanics

Andy Lambie has more than 15 years’ experience at institutes such as the Welsh College of Horticulture and Ness Botanic Gardens. Nif Wilkinson specializes in botany, horticulture and conservation and currently serves as a botany tutor for the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI). 

For the spring season book tickets here.

Kicking off later this month, Mellowtone return to LEAF on Bold Street, with live music from Dan The Man, and Astles, plus DJ Richie Vegas, and hosted by the inimitable Plazzy Bag.

Next up, they have a show with Luce Mawdsley at the Tung Auditorium in February, as well as events at the Philharmonic Music Room in March and April – the return of Blick Bassy, and a St David’s Day Celebration with Catrin Finch & Aoife Ni Bhriain.

They return to LEAF on Bold Street, Thursday 23rd January, with live music from:

Dan The Man

Dan started playing the piano, drums and acoustic guitar at a young age, and began making songs on a Tascam 4-track in his bedroom at the age of 14. This is where his love for recording and writing music began and it continues to this day.  He’s been making music and performing with The Wombats for over 20 years. Along the way he has released 4 solo albums and an EP, and 2 albums with Sunship Balloon – a side project with fellow Wombat, Tord Øverland Knudsen.

Dan’s 4th solo album saw him again collaborating with regular co-producer Rob Whiteley (The Night Cafe/BC Camplight/Ladytron). Entitled ‘Episodes’, it plays out like mini chapters of Dan’s life and thoughts. At times deeply personal, at others surreal and apocalyptic, the album is a fantastic journey riding on the horseback of Dan’s mind.

On the night, Dan will be accompained by bass guitar, and a string quartet.

Astles

“he’s building a world inside his music – and it sounds gorgeous”
Clash MagazineAstles’ ‘Balloon Moon Pop’ colours misty melancholy in pastel seaside shades. Daniel’s songwriting has piqued the interest of the NME, Clash Magazine, Notion Magazine and none other than Sir Paul McCartney (you’ll have to ask Daniel for the full story here).

Astles has supported the likes of Bill Ryder Jones, The Mysterines and Michael Head, and spent the best part of 2024 recording his debut LP.

On the night, he’ll be accompained by cello.

Plus DJ Richie Vegas
Hosted by Plazzy Bag

LEAF on Bold Street
Thursday 23rd January
TICKETS

UPCOMING

Luce Mawdsley
“experimental, expansive, lush and cinematic instrumental compositions”

Wednedsay 19th February
The Tung Auditorium
On stage, 1pm
TICKETS

A St David’s Day Celebration, with Catrin Finch and Aoife Ni Bhriain
“A Spellbinding musical dialogue where traditional and contemporary elements converge”

In association with the Philharmonic
Saturday 1st March
The Philharmonic Music Room
Doors 7pm
TICKETS

Blick Bassy
“nuanced and delicate, organic and electric, powerful and profound”

In association with Africa Oye and the Philharmonic
Sunday 13th April
The Philharmonic Music Room
Doors 7pm
TICKETS

More details on all these events coming soon

Africa Oyé have announced that there will be no summer festival in 2025, but have assured fans that plans are in place to return stronger in 2026.

The announcement comes following a record-breaking festival for the Liverpool institution in 2024 that saw incredible attendances over the June weekend.

With the increased costs that come with this growth, and the rise in industry supplier costs across the sector (estimated at 20-30%), the charity behind the event have taken the difficult decision to have a ‘fallow year’ to ensure the event can return the following year, with festival dates already confirmed as 20th and 21st June 2026.

Artistic Director of Africa Oyé, Paul Duhaney said: “We understand that there will of course be disappointment with this announcement. Our relationships with the Oyé family, festival staff, traders and service suppliers are very important to us and we did not take this decision lightly. With increased infrastructure and compliance costs, it is simply a case that without major investment to cover the costs of delivering a festival of this size safely, it would be irresponsible to go ahead with the event in 2025.” 

The decision comes after the Music Venue Trust and the Association of Independent Festivals have just announced that around 125 grassroots music venues across the country closed last year, while an estimated 192 festivals have disappeared since 2019.

Paul explained: “I can reassure everyone that the festival will be back in 2026. The break will allow us to raise money through a series of fundraising concerts, allow us time to negotiate with major partners, sponsors, and funders, and work towards a safe and successful return to Sefton Park.”

The fundraising concerts that will help raise money for the festival’s return will take place at venues across the Liverpool City Region in 2025, with the first shows to be announced very soon.

For more information on the festival and other events held across the country by Africa Oyé please visit africaoye.com and follow them across social media.

Award winning theatre company 20 Stories High is marking its 19th year by embarking on an exciting new chapter.

Historically known for creating bold and innovative theatre with and for young people aged 13-30, after a year of consultation with participants, board and funders the company are now developing plans to “Open Up” their age groups with a brand-new
participation programme led by new Youth and Community Director Paislie Reid.

Paislie who is also a former 20SH participant and artist has worked extensively as an actor, writer, director and youth worker and is also a co-founder of the Black Actors Collective in Liverpool.

As well as leading on 20 Stories High’s integral Youth Theatre strand, Paislie will also be developing brand new projects with neighbours Windsor Street Primary school in Toxteth and piloting a brand-new Community Company for actors, singers, poets/rappers, musicians, dancers, designers, who are aged 18 plus with no upper age limit.

Keith Saha Artistic Director of 20 Stories High, said:

“We are so excited to have Paislie on board, she is an amazing artist and innovator who cares passionately about the young people and communities we work with. Opening Up our age group is a bold move for us, but also feels like a natural progression. As a company that is almost 20 years old, we are not only responding to the needs of ex participants who have grown with us over that time, but also the greater need for children and those over 30 to have creative spaces in which they can express themselves, especially during challenging times.

Young people will always be at the heart of what we do, but opening gives us exciting new opportunities to make new work and connect intergenerationally.”

Paislie Reid, Youth & Community Director of 20 Stories High, said:

“I am so excited to join 20 stories high in this new role and be working closely with the community to come together to play, create and celebrate the vibrant culture of Liverpool through acting, spoken word, movement and more.”