Community Post Type: News

Leading independent music retailer Rough Trade has today announced that its new Liverpool store will open its doors to the public at 10am on Thursday, 18^th April.

Rough Trade Liverpool, located on Hanover Street, will welcome customers just days before its Record Store Day debut on Saturday, 20^th April.

The new store location comprises two floors, with the ground floor housing the record store and café, which will serve Dark Arts Coffee. Meanwhile, the first floor features a dedicated venue space with a capacity of 290, as well as a fully functioning bar stocked with a selection of Signature Brew beers exclusively on tap.

As part of the staggered launch, the ground floor will be open on 18^th April, with the first floor and venue space open fully from May, when it will kick off its live in-store events programme with a busy month of shows, including headline slots for Jordan Rakei, Villagers, Bess Atwell, Alfie Templeman, and Seasick Steve.

Customers to the Liverpool store will have access to a wide range of music titles on vinyl, spanning a generous mix of genres. An exciting selection of new and catalogue releases will also be available to purchase, as well as a quality pre-loved section, an excellent curation of books, Rough Trade’s new and improved core merch lines, exclusive collaborations and limited-edition capsules.

Rich Nemeth, Head of Retail at Rough Trade, said: “We are very excited to be coming to Liverpool, a fantastic city with world-famous musical heritage, known for its community. For me, it’s important that we can offer the best and widest range of vinyl records that will live up to fans’ expectations and present the best in-store events and fantastic customer service.

“We have recruited a fantastic team, with a vast range of music knowledge, who are all very excited to welcome our customers to the new store. We aim for Rough Trade Liverpool to become a central hub for music fans of Liverpool and to reflect the rich and diverse music scene.” 

Rough Trade’s charity partner, Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), will be represented at till points, as in all Rough Trade stores, with fundraising supporting their crucial work in suicide awareness and prevention.

The Liverpool store will be supported by other key partners, with event ticketing facilitated by DICE, the venue’s bespoke backline provided by Marshall, and the store’s audio system supplied by Cambridge Audio.

Plus, Liverpool-based design house Dorothy will create a unique art piece to hang in the entrance space of the store. Entitled ‘Scene Here: Liverpool,’ the mapping project will celebrate the history of the city’s music scene from the 1950s to the present day.

Dorothy and Rough Trade Liverpool will be inviting visitors to the store to contribute to a feature wall that will showcase the clubs and venues that helped make Liverpool one of the most musically creative and influential cities for music in the world.

Customers can share their memories in-store or online and follow the wall’s progress as it evolves and responds to contributions over the coming months.

Click & Collect is now fully operational at the store, so customers can order online at roughtrade.com and collect from the Hanover Street location from launch day.

To stay up to date with Rough Trade Liverpool’s announcements and store opening, fans can follow their Instagram page or sign up to the Rough Trade newsletter.

Female power-groups lead the way this summer, as Africa Oyé announce two incredible female duos set to take the festival stage this June.

The country’s biggest celebration of African and Caribbean music and culture is returning to Liverpool’s Sefton Park in 2024 following record breaking attendances last year. The free festival will take over one of the city’s most picturesque green spaces for two packed days of live music, dance, workshops, DJ stages, food stalls, traders and more.

Beginning over three decades ago in 1992 as a series of shows in the city centre, the Africa Oyé Festival has evolved into one of Liverpool’s most beloved annual events, attracting artists and attendees from across the world, and this latest announcement shows that the event continues to showcase new and exciting African talent over three decades later.

Just announced for the main stage line-up are Senegalese electronic rising stars Def MaMa Def alongside Tanzanian folk-fusion singers, The Zawose Queens.

With spirit and fire in their music, The Zawose Queens bring the vibrations of their ancestors to their performance through traditional instruments – soaring chizeze fiddle, buzzing illimba thumb piano, ngoma drums that chatter and thunder – and voices that go deep, high and ‘out there’.

With a deep connection to nature, ceremony and ritual, The Zawose Queens unique dance-inspired fusion and blend of organic, harmonic and contemporary electronics are sure to light up Sefton Park on the festival weekend. Their lyrics – in their native kigogo – tell of their passion for music, the wonders of life, and their pride in environment – all grounded in their East African Roots.

Pendo and Leah Zawose showcase the fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the arid, hilly Dodoma region of Central Tanzania. The most famous exponent of this musical tradition is the late, great Dr Hukwe Zawose – Pendo’s father and Leah’s grandfather!

Def MaMa DeF are a celebration of the musical richness of Senegal, imbued with Afrobeats, hip hop and electronic sounds. Inspired by the infinite rhythms and cultures of the continent, they naturally project a powerful pan-African futuristic vision on the international soundstage.

Mama Victory is the ‘lioness’ of the duo, with 20 years of experience in the urban music scene, renowned for her energy and commitment to defending social values within her lyrics. She exudes unparalleled power in each of her performances.

A former member of the Rafa Group, singer of the famous group Daara J Family, and one of the most requested R&B voices in Senegal, Defa is the ‘diva’ of the duo – with her seductive acting and golden voice.

When the two come together, Def MaMa DeF is a special encounter; lyrics written under the stars of Senegal where the talents of two powerful women combine, with choreography influenced by the Mbalax style, the rhythm and dance of Senegal.

Already announced for the festival this summer, the powerful and creative force of Les Amazones d’Afrique will close proceedings on Saturday 22nd June, whilst Julian Marley, fresh from his Grammy win for Best Reggae Album this February, tops the bill on Sunday with his band, The Uprising.

Oyé’s Artistic Director, Paul Duhaney said of the announcement: “We were blown away by Def MaMa Def when myself and the team saw them perform at WOMEX last year; one of those acts that we just knew would take Sefton Park by storm. And it’s been too long since we welcomed an act from Tanzania, so when The Zawose Queens were presented to us we jumped at the chance to bring a duo with such a unique sound to the festival.”

Liverpool’s hottest new independent entertainment destination is set to open its doors this spring, promising a brilliant visitor experience.

The new £7million Blackstock Market will boast a wide-ranging programme of entertainment, including comedy, music, sporting events broadcast live on a giant screen and a fantastic food and drink offer.

The 60,000sq ft development is the brainchild of Toxteth-raised brothers Paul and Binty Blair who run the city’s hugely popular, multi award-winning Hot Water Comedy Club.

Now the pair have harnessed their creative vision to transform the former market site, based in a key Liverpool city centre location, delivering another must-visit attraction for the city.

Blackstock Market houses four theatre spaces of varying sizes, from a purpose built, state of the art 590-seat auditorium – the largest regular comedy club space in the world – to a 50-seat studio space, along with podcast studios, with the venue becoming a new home for Hot Water and the city’s legion of comedy fans.

The versatile events spaces will make it the place to go for everything from music, comedy, theatre, exhibitions and quizzes to corporate events and weddings.

It will be open all day, seven days of the week, with no need to book to access the main market areas and most attractions, and free live music on site daily.

A giant rooftop terrace, the largest in Liverpool, will open later this year. And a big screen will show top sporting events live, while special ‘audience with’ shows will feature sporting legend guests.

Website: www.blackstockmarket.co.uk

A search for the best young artists in and around Liverpool is reaching the final stages – and art-lovers can have their say by voting online. 

dot-art Schools and Edge Hill University are inviting the public to pick their favourite artwork as part of an annual competition to find the cream of Liverpool City Region’s artistic talent.

Entries have been created by young artists in Year 5 and Year 9 from over 90 schools.  

A judging panel of respected arts professionals have shortlisted three entries from each school. The panel includes James Murphy, the first dot-art Schools overall winner in 2013 and now Director of Event Horizon video production. He joins renowned sculptor Faith Bebbington, Alice Demba, who leads the learning team at National Museums Liverpool, Louise Hesketh the Programmes Manager for Networks & Partnerships at Curious Minds and Professor Matthew Pateman, the Head of the Department of English & Creative Arts at Edge Hill University. 

The shortlisted artworks can be viewed and voted on at schools.dot-art.com/browse-schools from  25th March 25 until 22nd April.  

The entry with the most votes from each school will be displayed at the 12th annual dot-art Schools exhibition, which is being held at The Walker Art Gallery from 5 June to 7 July 2024.  

Alice Demba, Schools, Young People and Adults Lead at National Museums Liverpool, said: “It’s been an absolute joy to see the incredible artistic talent of students here in Liverpool. We’re so looking forward to celebrating their hard work and creativity by displaying the winning artworks at the Walker. We also hope that the students might be inspired by some of the world-renowned paintings on our walls – they’re certainly in good company here!” 

Carolyn Murray, dot-art Schools Project Manager said:  

“The dot-art Schools annual competition encourages children to explore their creativity and increases their self-esteem by celebrating their art, as well as giving them a chance to express their thoughts and feelings. We want the public to get involved and vote online as you really could make a young artist’s dreams come true.” 

As a national leader in high-quality teacher training Edge Hill University provides dot-art Schools with greater access to schools in the region and supports it in its key aims of promoting creativity and good mental health. 

Dr Helen O’Keeffe, Associate Dean in the Faculty of Education said: “Our fantastic partnership with dot-art has helped promote our values of embracing the arts, getting creative and looking after children’s mental health in schools across the region,;all things that are key to our curriculum here at the University.  

“I’d encourage everyone to spend some time looking at the incredible artwork on the dot-art Schools website and vote for their favourite shortlisted piece.” 

To find out more about dot-art Schools, visit schools.dot-art.com or contact Carolyn Murray at Carolyn.murray@dot-art.com.  For more information about courses at Edge Hill University, visit the website edgehill.ac.uk. 

Unity Theatre proudly welcomes the award winning Elinor Randle to its executive leadership team, as Interim Artistic Director, from the 25th March – a role recognised as bringing significant support to Interim CEO, Matthew Brown and Executive Director, Eleanor Mason-Sawko, in the delivery of strategic Theatre recovery plan, following well documented challenges of COVID19 and wider arts industry specific factors of recent years.

As the first female Artistic Director to join the Unity team, Elinor’s appointment represents a new energy and influence for the iconic Hope Street Venue, bringing with her a commitment to championing undiscovered and renowned local artists, as well as developing an arts and performance programme which is both financially sustainable and seasonally inspiring.

Her appointment is also a 2024 milestone for Unity Theatre, something of a stake in the ground from the theatre, to confidently confirm it remains open and focussed on rebuilding an innovative cultural offering for the Liverpool City Region. 

Speaking on the joining of Elinor to the Unity team, Matthew Brown: CEO says “We are delighted to welcome Elinor to Unity Theatre. She not only represents a first female appointment in this crucial leadership role, Elinor also brings credibility and creativity to the Theatre, which I have real confidence will filter through each and every aspect of our offering. We’re looking forward to working together and shaping the next stages of the Unity journey as a strengthened team”

Elinor joins Unity Theatre whilst remaining in her role as Artistic Director at Tmesis Theatre and at the International Physical Theatre Festival. During the last 18 years, her theatre companies have toured nationally and internationally, as well as being recognised with an Award at the United Solo Festival in New York. 

She is renowned as an artistic trailblazer, having worked with the English Touring Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, Rowena Gander, Box of Tricks, Surge Festival, LIPA and the Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres. Off stage, Elinor has written and directed a short film: Betty and Jean, which has been selected for appearance within three international film festivals as well as featuring on Channel 4.

Liverpool, itself, is a special place for Elinor – making this Unity Theatre appointment even more of a personal and professional accolade: “Through my work with the International Physical Theatre Festival, I’ve proudly brought world class contemporary performances to the City for many years, attracting local national and international audiences, participants and artists to Liverpool – often seeing this unique and brilliant place for this first time, because of my commitment to bringing dynamic contemporary work to the city’!”

“The Unity Theatre itself was my first home for theatre, here in Liverpool and was a huge source of inspiration and influence to me, as a student and young artist. I’ve proudly mentored upcoming artists for whom the Unity has also been their first show or performance setting. I am passionate in supporting artists, programming and developing work, so, to now be a part of this vital Liverpool institution, as Artistic Director, and to lead the continuing artistic legacy of the Theatre is a real honour’

Her role begins with excitement and engagement around the development of a new artistic programme, and complimentary projects, which will seek to involve and engage the local theatre and wider Liverpool community. 

Recognising the financial and operational challenges experienced across art organisations, and how these have directly influenced the Unity Theatre, is of huge importance to Elinor. However, the crucial role Unity plays in the City’s theatre ecology is also a positive factor, one which Elinor sees as a being exciting to harness and develop further, for the journey ahead!

Families, assemble! As the city gets ready to the arrival of Comic Con, over at Liverpool ONE, we’re getting in the spirit! Get ready to embark on a memorable journey as Liverpool ONE brings you an action-packed adventure perfect for the whole family.

Whether you’re a food enthusiast looking for mighty dining experiences or a thrill-seeker in search of awesome entertainment venues, Liverpool ONE has something special in store just for you.

Join us this Easter 2024 and spring into action with a vibrant choice of activities, a Comic Con takeover, marvellous shopping, and experiences that will create lasting memories for you and your loved ones.

Comic Con takeover at Liverpool ONE
29 March – 5 May

Visitors to Liverpool ONE will have the chance to enjoy a month-long of cosplay fantasy and science-fiction character appearances, parades and selfie opportunities from 29 March until 5 May, including Easter.

Appearances and parades will include cosplay characters from Doctor Who, Star Wars, Halo, Ghostbusters and much more. The confirmed cosplay schedule at Liverpool ONE includes:

• Friday 29 March – Merseyside Ghostbusters with Ecto-1
• Saturday 30 March – Star Wars Parade by Order 66
• Saturday 6 April – Project Dalek with TARDIS
• Saturday 13 April – Comic Con Classic Characters by The Central Legion
• Saturday 20 April – Superheroes Parade by Order 66
• Saturday 27 April – Imperial Garrison from Star Wars
• Saturday 4 May – Halo inspired characters by Fireteam Ascension
• Sunday 5 May – Cosplay Parade

For more information on timings, visit www.liverpool-one.com/event/comic-con/

Kids Eat for Less or Free is back

Kids Eat for Less or Free is back, making a return this Easter break, with numerous restaurants at Liverpool ONE providing complimentary meals for children.

With the likes of The Real Greek and TGI Friday’s, kids eat free with every paying adult. Or, you can feed the family for £24.99 at Chopstix.

Visit: www.liverpool-one.com/whatson/kids-eat-free/

Leisurely entertainment that’ll make lasting memories

Experience the excitement with activities like Gravity MAX, Escape Live! escape rooms, Junkyard Golf Club and On the Green golfing, ensuring a day full of fun and adventure in one convenient location.

For more information on how to book visit: www.liverpool-one.com/entertainment/

For a cinematic escape, head to ODEON IMAX at Liverpool ONE to catch the latest movie releases, including family favourites like Kung Fu Panda 4, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and classic re-releases.

To book tickets and visit see: www.liverpool-one.com/leisure/odeon-imax-cinema/

Take a walk into history with The Heritage Trail
Free

The Heritage Trail, both free and fully accessible, invites visitors on a journey to explore more than 300 years of Liverpool’s history. Discover the events, places and people that shaped the maritime powerhouse that is Liverpool.

The self-guided audio tour takes between 60-90 minutes to complete.

For more information visit: www.liverpool-one.com/the-heritage-trail

Budding explorers go wild with the Nature Trail
Free

For all the mini explorers among us, Liverpool ONE’s Nature Trail is the perfect excuse to get outdoors and tour Chavasse Park learning about the vast array of resident plants and wildlife.

The free trail is self-guided by a map available online or at the Tourist Information Centre on Wall Street and it takes around 60 minutes to complete.

For more information visit: www.liverpool-one.com/nature-trail

 

Rising Liverpool rapper KOJ releases his new track ‘A Reminder’ which is out now – the first teaser track off his forthcoming EP, Villain With A Conscience.

Listen to the new single here.

Adding to his ever more recognisable, innovative style of genre-fusing rap, his latest offering stands out as a track of growing complexity, mixing between the electric rawness of UK grime culture and the classic swag of hip-hop. A true home-grown talent, KOJ personal lyrics of street tales and proud scouse-accented flow, wrap A Reminder with a creative authenticity that few artists could hope to match as sincerely.

KOJ’s distinctive artistry continues to turn heads with this first single set to build upon the amazing lyrical dexterity showcased on his debut track, ‘Blue Notes’, which captured critical attention from the likes of Radio 1XTRA, Capitol XTRA, KISS FM and RINSE FM.

Marked by industry for success in 2024, KOJ enters this EP run with backing from core national radio under his belt as a headliner for BBC Radio 1XTRA Touchdown Tour with DJ Target – as well as future appearances secured on Radio 1XTRA Talks with Richie Brave, and a performance for BBC Introducing Radio Merseyside.

It Takes Two is back in the Liverpool Philharmonic Music Room, 19 March 2024, 8pm, with a brand-new line-up featuring four of Merseyside’s most exciting vocal duos…

Merseyside/Irish folk duo The Folk Doctors take to the stage, their debut album Silent Shores having received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Limerance, known for their unmistakable chemistry, light-hearted chatter and lovely engagement, bring unique harmonies and beautiful lyrics via music inspired by Americana, folk and country.

The recently formed Bau Cat present music spanning psych, indie, roots and rock n roll, cultivating a sound that sits between retro and modern. The Troubadears perform originals as well as smash hits penned by the classic songwriters of folk, rock, country and pop, showcasing their natural blend of vocals that has wowed audiences across the UK.

Tickets available here

From the team behind Kitty: Queen of the Washhouse, and Ghost Stories for Christmas, ArtsGroupie presents, A Portrait of William Roscoe.

Celebrating a renowned writer and one of England’s first abolitionists. This play will see the man break free from the confines of his canvas to share his captivating tale.

A poet, historian, and patron of the arts, he was responsible for helping to establish the first botanical garden in Liverpool in 1802. In that same year, he wrote a children’s poem, The Butterfly’s Ball and The Grasshopper’s Feast for his son, Robert, which won him international fame.

Roscoe was a social activist throughout his life, as an advocate for the environment, and racial justice. He became an MP in Liverpool to vote against slavery, leading to the abolition of slavery in 1807.

Journey with us back to see Liverpool through the eyes of this distinguished gentleman.

“A Portrait of William Roscoe“ returns after its successful 2023 run, this time gracing Halewood CultureFest, an annual programme of cultural, artistic, environmental and sporting events in various locations around Halewood.

Sunday, 23rd June, 2024

St Nicholas’ Church

Church Road

L26 6LB

Directed by Margaret Connell

Written and Performed by John Maguire

Ticket Quarter

https://bit.aly/3TjCXlG

More dates coming soon…

Heritage Workshops

Art-loving, history-loving people, we need you to take part in some community-driven creativity at Liverpool Central Library, and other locations with Liverpool Irish Festival –

Thursday mornings till June

Volunteering with local artists, we want you to help us create artworks for Liverpool Irish Famine Trail sites based on the idea of family surnames with an Irish connection.

You will meet interesting and creative people, learn lots about your city and contribute to an internationally important project.

We also would love to see family photographs and hear stories about your family.

Interested please email for further information.

Part of a National Heritage Lottery funded project.

First session – Thurs 21^st Mar 11am – 2pm at Central library

BOXPARK Liverpool will be opening its doors to the public on Friday 19 April 2024, with an epic launch party and a serious line-up of festival-style events across the weekend (19 – 21 April).

The venue will be located in the historic Canning Hall as part of the Cains Brewery Village situated in the Baltic Triangle, Liverpool’s cultural and creative hub. The fully integrated all-day dining and events space will span 21,000 sq. and feature eight independent traders from the City and surrounding areas, which will be announced in the coming weeks. The Baltic Triangle’s exciting new addition will also feature a 5,500 sq. ft external terrace for al fresco dining and intimate events.

From 19 – 21 April, BOXPARK Liverpool will host a series of festival-style parties in its 1,500- capacity events space, which will see some of the City’s most loved acts, and exciting up-and- coming musicians and DJs celebrate the new arrival in the Baltic Triangle.

Expect specially curated top-class events with an iconic BOXPARK twist, delivering unbeatable vibes.
The full programme for BOXPARK Liverpool’s opening weekend will be announced soon.

TO BE THE FIRST TO KNOW WHEN TICKETS GO LIVE, SIGN-UP HERE.

Simon Champion, CEO of BOXPARK said: “It’s a special moment for us knowing that the opening date for BOXPARK Liverpool is just right around the corner. The team have been working hard to ensure our first opening outside of London will be as impactful as we had envisioned when originally planning BOXPARK Liverpool. We’re transforming Canning Hall and bringing job opportunities into the area, which we’re incredibly excited about. We also can’t wait to give everyone a flavour of what to expect from BOXPARK Liverpool with our big plans for the opening weekend!”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “Our area is an international destination with a world-class reputation and a thriving visitor economy – which is worth more than £5bn a year and supports over 50,000 local jobs. We have cemented our region’s status as the UK’s cultural capital – but I know we have so much more to offer.

“The Baltic Triangle is one of our area’s great urban regeneration success stories and is now a hub of vibrant and creative venues. To put it simply, nowhere is better placed to host the BOXPARK’s newest venue – the first outside of London – and I can’t wait to see it grow from strength to strength in its new home!”

BOXPARK has agreed a 15-year lease with Cains Brewery Village and will focus on championing local independent businesses, through its extensive food and entertainment offering, investing more than £5m into the Baltic Triangle and expecting to bring 150 new jobs to the local community.