News - Uncover Liverpool

Leap Dance Festival Brings Dance To The Streets and Theatres of Liverpool This Spring

Leap Dance Festival will present two weeks of dance events showcasing Liverpool City Region talent across seven key venues this spring.

Leap Dance Festival 2024

From 26th April – 10th May 2024, Liverpool will come alive with dance, with performances taking place in theatres, cultural venues and public spaces on the streets of the city centre.

After a successful crowdfunding campaign, organisers are delighted to announce a packed programme of events. Established local dance artists and companies perform alongside young people and community groups, in a range of styles from burlesque and breakdance to contemporary dance and a ceilidh, with tickets ranging from £0-£25.

The festival launches on Friday 26th April at The Black-E with a night of cabaret, burlesque and circus performances, later taking over venues from The Capstone Theatre to National Museums Liverpool, with a schools showcase on International Dance Day. The festival closes on Friday 10th May with a House of Suarezspectacular, featuring vogue artists alongside performers from all dance disciplines from across the festival.

Paul Doyle, the festival’s Artistic Director says: “We are so excited to bring dance to audiences across Liverpool. From Breakdance to Vogue, contemporary to tap, there’s something for everyone”.

Discover the programme of events and get your tickets now.

Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience Coming To Liverpool

Liverpool is set to host the UK premiere of a stunning immersive show which brings the masterpieces of Vincent van Gogh thrillingly to life in one unforgettable cinematic multimedia experience.

Photo Credit: Paquin Entertainment Group

Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience – produced by Annerin Productions and Paquin Entertainment Group – blends more than 300 of the post-Impressionist icon’s paintings with cutting-edge technology and a specially curated musical soundtrack to tell the story of one of history’s most influential artists.

It has already been seen by more than five million people across the United States and Canada. And now it is coming to the UK, with the unmissable show being staged in Liverpool on its famous waterfront at Exhibition Centre Liverpool (for a limited run) from 27 June to 14 July.

In Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, the artist’s spectacular paintings are liberated from their two-dimensional realms and rendered into three-dimensional, fully immersive scenes that swirl and flow with colour and movement – exhilarating in every sense.

Wander through iconic works as they come alive around you, including The Starry Night, Sunflowers and Terrace of a Café at Night, and be enveloped by a selection of his revealing self-portraits which might just blink back at you.

Visitors are taken on a journey through the artist’s world from darkness to light, enhanced by his own dreams, thoughts and words set to a stirring symphonic score in this sensational narrative experience which appeals to a whole new generation of art enthusiasts and Van Gogh fans alike.

Beginning in the Introduction Hall, visitors connect with Vincent van Gogh through personal letters he wrote to his brother, and greatest supporter, Theo. Visitors then move into the heart of the exhibition – the Immersive Room – where Van Gogh’s paintings are freed from their frames to dominate the space and fully immerse the audience in the incredible detail of his work, awakening their imagination in a playful and dreamlike way as they are enveloped in colourful flowers, cafés and stunning landscapes, shifting and swirling across the projection-swathed walls and floor.

Even if you are not very familiar with Van Gogh’s incredible paintings, this is an excellent access point to his world, and a way to connect to the artist behind the art.

There is also a chance to take part in special Saturday morning yoga sessions inside the exhibition itself. Meanwhile VIP Experience tickets include selected Beyond Van Gogh merchandise along with flexible arrival times and fast track entry.

Annerin Productions chose Liverpool for the premiere after having had previous experience of the city through its hit Broadway and West End Beatles’ musical revue show Let It Be.

Anna Parry, UK Business Development at Annerin Productions, explains: “Having Liverpool be the UK grand opening of Beyond Van Gogh is a dream come true. The city is the gold standard in how to support arts and culture.

“We knew we were in the right hands with Exhibition Centre Liverpool, TicketQuarter and Bill Elms Associates, and we can’t wait to welcome Liverpool into the incredible world of Beyond Van Gogh.”

Colm Graham, Head of Partnerships, Hospitality and Exhibition Sales at Exhibition Centre Liverpool, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the Beyond Van Gogh exhibition for its grand opening in Liverpool.

“The immersive and exciting way in which Van Gogh’s iconic artworks are brought to life is an excellent way of breaking down barriers and making arts more accessible for our community. We’re really looking forward to welcoming thousands of art enthusiasts and novices alike with the exhibition opens in June.“

Tickets for this acclaimed event go on pre-sale on Monday, 4 March at 9am and on general sale on Wednesday, 6 March at 9am. Visit beyondvangogh.com for more information and book your tickets at ticketquarter.co.uk.

Record Store Day hits the Wirral at Dig Vinyl, West Kirby

The Wirral’s newest record shop, Dig Vinyl in West Kirby, is excited to announce their participation in Record Store Day UK on Saturday 20th April, 2024.

Record Store Day, which began back in 2007, celebrates and promotes the distinctive culture of record shops with special vinyl releases made exclusively for the event and stocked only by participating retailers on the day.

Over the years Record Store Day has evolved into a prominent music celebration globally, involving thousands of record shops from all over the world, including more than 260 in the UK. As the Wirral’s destination for new releases, reissues and all things vinyl-related, Dig Vinyl is happy to announce that their West Kirby branch will be participating in this year’s event.

Dig Vinyl’s second permanent retail shop saw the Merseyside brand branch out over the water to the Wirral, joining the vibrant independent retail scene of West Kirby. The new shop marked a significant milestone in Dig Vinyl’s decade-long journey, following three expansions and a strategic move within Bold Street, and emerging as a committed independent business in the landscape of the North’s music and vinyl culture.

Dig Vinyl West Kirby opened in November 2023 on the bustling Banks Road, just a short walk from the station and a stone’s throw from the beach. The shop stocks the usual diversity of genres, eras & sounds that its loyal customers have come to expect, including rare finds from America, Japan, and beyond.

Dig Vinyl West Kirby will be open for Record Store Day on Saturday 20th April. Customers should drop in to the West Kirby shop with their RSD requests and fill out the RSD Wishlist located at the counter by 10th March. All Record Store Day releases are exclusive to the event and sold in-store on a first come, first served basis, so be sure to plan accordingly, as items cannot be reserved or saved. Although Dig Vinyl’s Bold Street shop will not be participating in the event, they will be marking the occasion with 10% off all secondhand stock at the city centre location.

Dig Vinyl West Kirby: 156B Banks Road, Entrance Via Alexandra Road, West Kirby, CH48 0QB

View the official RSD release list here: https://recordstoreday.co.uk/rsd-list

Find out more about RSD at Dig Vinyl: https://digvinyl.co.uk/blogs/news/record-store-day-2024-west-kirby-dig-vinyl

Micro-disco comes to Royal Albert Dock

This spring, Royal Albert Dock Liverpool will be home to The Fandangoe DISCOTECA – a vibrant micro-disco offering a unique opportunity to dance away life’s worries.

The Fandangoe DISCOTECA - Photo Credit - Joe Clark — Photo Credit – Joe Clark

Created by multidisciplinary artist Annie Frost Nicholson, the dock will welcome the art installation for six weekends from 2nd March to 6th April, including Mother’s Day and Easter bank holiday weekend. Located in Britannia Courtyard by The Beatles Story, The Fandangoe DISCOTECA will invite visitors to step inside from 12pm-3pm and 4pm-7pm on Saturdays as well as Good Friday, and from 12pm-4pm on Sundays and Easter Monday.

The immersive installation brings together the old and the new by reimagining a K67 kiosk in partnership with K67 Berlin, a project dedicated to continuing the legacy of these modular architectural masterpieces. Once commonplace in 1960s Eastern Europe, the kiosks were often used as newspaper stands, car-parking attendant booths and more.

The now treasured design has been reimagined into a multicoloured space dedicated to supporting people with modern-day issues, ranging from everyday worries to grief and anxiety.

Perfect to experience with friends and family, the booth accommodates up to eight people, offering a chance to process feelings through a sense of togetherness. Dancers can choose from a vast selection of playlists curated by non-profit organisation, The Loss Project, or opt for a treasured tune to relive old memories. Plus, anyone looking for further mental health support can scan a QR code inside the kiosk for online resources.

Sean Morrison, estate manager at Royal Albert Dock, says: “We’re delighted to welcome such a unique installation to the dock and for a prolonged time too. The Fandangoe DISCOTECA is truly a one-of-a-kind experience and we encourage everyone who needs to shake off some steam or simply enjoy a dance to come along and step inside.”

Annie Frost Nicholson says: “We’re so thrilled to bring The Fandangoe DISCOTECA to the dock. We’re honoured to install it by The Beatles Story, which is a landmark for Liverpool’s cultural history and a poignant location to engage with the public over the many intersections of grief associated with music, nostalgia and memory.

“I absolutely love the city of Liverpool and its people; my dearly departed dad, born in Blackpool, left the country on a boat from the city at 15 to join the Merchant Navy, and I always associate the city with adventure and a spirit of togetherness that is rare and special. Thank you for welcoming us so kindly.”

The Fandangoe DISCOTECA’s residency at the dock marks the final location of its UK tour, having previously delighted visitors in Canary Wharf, Milton Keynes and Berlin, making it the last chance to experience this captivating installation.

Visit albertdock.com/the-fandangoe-discoteca for more information.

The Fandangoe DISCOTECA will be at Royal Albert Dock for six weekends from 2nd March to 6th April. It is free to enjoy and does not require pre-booking.

Opening times include:
Saturdays (and Good Friday): 12pm-3pm and 4pm-7pm
Sunday (and Easter Monday): 12pm-4pm

Headliners announced for Africa Oyé Festival this summer

The son of music legend Bob Marley and a female supergroup will headline the acclaimed Africa Oyé Festival this summer.

Julian Marley (Photo- F. Blanquin) — Julian Marley. Photo Credit – F. Blanquin

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

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.

Born in London in 1975, Julian Marley is the son of reggae legend Bob Marley and Barbados-born Lucy Pounder. Growing up as a youth in a musical atmosphere, the Grammy Award winning musician, singer-songwriter, producer and humanitarian quickly adopted a musical lifestyle, and at an early age and became a skillful, self-taught musician mastering the bass, drums, guitar and keyboards.

In 2005, along with the Marley family, Julian embarked on a series of ‘Africa Unite’ performances which began in Ethiopia and included Ghana in 2006 and Jamaica in 2008. At the invitation of the Jamaican government, Julian Marley and The Uprising performed during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and celebrated along-side Jamaica’s Gold medal-winning runner, Usain Bolt.

Julian Marley ranks higher in the consciousness movement of music than most reggae artists recognised today. In the same tradition as his father, Julian is a devout Rastafarian whose music is inspired by life and spirituality.

Les Amazones d’Afrique – originally booked to play the festival in 2020 before the pandemic led to cancellations of events across the country – is a creative force that embraces international voices; sweet, strong harmonies that summon the rights of women and girls; and a meltdown of heritage and new talent. They were formed in Bamako, Mali, in 2014 by three renowned Malian music stars and social change activists, Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré (who headlined Africa Oyé in 2022) and Mariam Doumbia, and the collective has since expanded to involve many female artists from across Africa and the diaspora, including Angélique Kidjo, Nneka and rising Malian star Rokia Koné.

While their cause — campaigning for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence — is worthy enough in itself, their musical creative expression is equally powerful. Richly melodic and far-ranging, it blends pan-African styles and collaborative harmonies with gritty, contemporary pop.

The band have previously cracked The Guardian’s Top 50 albums of 2017, NPR Music’s best albums of 2020, and featured on Barrack Obama’s playlist. They have performed on Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid stage and featured on flagship BBC music show Later… with Jools Holland.

Africa Oyé Festival
22nd & 23rd June 2024
Sefton Park, Liverpool
FREE ENTRY

Artwork Responds To New Research Into The History of The Mansion House in Calderstone’s Park

This February, The Reader will present a painting by artist and illustrator Sumuyya Khader which responds to new research into the history of the Mansion House in Liverpool’s Calderstones Park where the charity is based.

Now We Sit With It will be permanently displayed at the Mansion House from 29 February 2024 and was created as part of Making Meaning at Calderstones – The Reader’s two-year project to uncover and celebrate the unique stories of Calderstones funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund.

As part of the project, a team of researchers and a local historian set about uncovering links between the Mansion House, the surrounding park and the transatlantic slave trade. After significant research, we started to uncover a complex and nuanced picture, but no evidence was found to directly link Joseph Need Walker – for whom the Mansion House was built in 1928 – to slavery or the slave trade. However, metals, including brass, iron and lead, all of which the Walker family manufactured, were central to the operation of the trade in enslaved Africans, as goods that were used to exchange for people in West Africa.

There is evidence that Joseph Need Walker’s father and his three brothers were supportive of the abolition of the slave trade. Their father was a friend of William Wilberforce, correspondence between them beginning in 1788 still exists, with some of the letters referring to the slave trade and Wilberforce attempts to have it abolished.

Sumuyya Khader is an artist working in a multiplicity of ways with major institutions, projects, publishers, social enterprises and artist-led groups. Her practice is a combination of illustration, painting & print works that predominantly explore place and identity. Now We Sit With It will be her first work to be on permanent display.

Sumuyya Khader said: “It became really important to me to think about how we can put a Black presence into this space without depicting Blackness in a derogatory way. I wanted to find a way to honour those untold stories, names and histories that we can’t uncover because the details have been lost or the books were never written. That was all challenging, to look back at slavery and the links to this building, the family and the city and then to decide that in fact I’m not going to depict all that; that what I create will still be rooted in the research but it might not be the thing that everybody expects.”

Head of Programme at The Reader, Anna Farrell said: “Calderstones Park has been a place of meaning-making for as long as 5,000 years. This project has meant that all these years later we’ve been able to find new ways to understand and reflect on aspects of the site’s heritage that were previously underexplored. We don’t have all the answers, but we hope this beautiful piece of art will ignite peoples’ curiosities into the unique stories of Calderstones’ past.”

Katie Clark, Director of Literature at The Reader, said “As in our Shared Reading groups which take place across the UK, there is no desired response to the artwork, but we hope that everyone who visits the Mansion House will engage with it in their own way and share in a moment of contemplation. The legacy of this project will continue to shape our work through what we read and who we read with, and we are committed to sharing books that help us uncover stories and voices that often go unheard, and to ‘sitting with’ those stories together.”

This activity is made possible thanks to National Lottery players, with funds awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Now We Sit With It will be on display from Thursday 29 February at 5pm
The Reader, The Mansion House, Calderstones Park
Calderstones Road, Liverpool, L18 3JD

Work of International Artist Who Made Liverpool Her Home Spotlighted In New Exhibition

Collective Phenomena, 1990s © the artist’s estate courtesy of BADA

An exhibition by an artist once deemed “the wrong sex” is on display at Liverpool University’s Victoria Gallery & Museum ahead of International Women’s Day.

Abstract Thinking: Fanchon Fröhlich & Her Contemporaries explores the work of Liverpool-based artist and intellectual, Fanchon Fröhlich (1927 – 2016) alongside British abstract artists of the 20th century.

The free exhibition features 11 of her paintings and prints from The British Art and Design Association (BADA) archives, showing her strongly gestural and spontaneous abstract expressionist style. These are on display alongside other abstract artists from the University’s collection, many of whom she worked with during her career.

A prolific abstract expressionist painter, printmaker and draughtsperson throughout her life, Fanchon’s practice crossed over into a number of other disciplines including philosophy and theoretical physics. Born in the US, Fanchon moved to Liverpool in 1949 where she remained until she died in 2016.

When she passed away, she left her substantial collection of art and important biographical documents to another Liverpool-based artist, Terry Duffy who founded the charitable arts organisation BADA in 1986. Duffy continues to be instrumental in the conservation and promotion of Fanchon’s legacy as chair of BADA.

He explained that the Toxteth house, where Fanchon lived for decades, was overflowing with her life’s work. Many of the things stored in the damp basement were lost but there is still a phenomenal amount that has been saved and professionally archived, including never before seen letters, journals and papers, as well as artworks.

While the world is familiar with many of her male contemporaries such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko or Willem de Kooning, Fanchon has been long underappreciated because she was a woman.

He said: “Fanchon was an incredibly talented and innovative artist but was sadly overlooked in her lifetime, purely because she was a woman. She actually told me that she was once dismissed for being “the wrong sex.

“She left an extraordinary legacy of work which deserves to be recognised. This exhibition is an opportunity to introduce her work to new audiences and demonstrate the impact she had across artistic, scientific and philosophical spheres.”

Fanchon’s friendship with Duffy was a source of artistic inspiration, particularly in relation to her Collective Phenomena work. These were ‘happenings’ involving several artists (usually female) painting on the same canvas, without speaking, allowing the work to unfold subconsciously, yet with what they described as “a collective will”. These events occupied the last two decades of her life, combining her artistic fervour with her profound understanding of the unconscious mind. Examples of these collaborative abstract works can be seen in a separate, smaller gallery, along with a display that explores the printmaking aspect of her practice.

Also featured in the exhibition is one of Terry’s own works, The Miraculous Draught of Fishes, which was exhibited in the 1991 John Moores Painting Prize at Walker Art Gallery. The enormous painting is displayed alongside artists such as Gillian Ayres (1930 – 2018), Sandra Blow (1925–2006), Peter Lanyon (1918–1964), William Hayter (1901 – 1988), plus other leading artists who worked in the city from the 1950s onwards.

Nicola Euston, Head of Museums and Galleries at the University of Liverpool, added: “We are delighted to showcase the work of Fanchon Fröhlich in this unique way. This is the first time her work has been seen alongside these major paintings from our own collection by a range of her contemporaries. Fröhlich’s work did not get the recognition it deserved during her lifetime and we hope this exhibition offers more context to her achievements and artistic practice.”

Abstract Thinking: Fanchon Fröhlich and her Contemporaries, is being shown until 30 March 2024, at the Victoria Gallery & Museum, Ashton Street, Liverpool L69 3DR.

Toxteth youth group celebrate £3.5m grant to develop sports / education facilities

Members of Tiber Young People’s Steering Group (TYPSG) – who are working to develop the former Tiber Street Primary School site in Toxteth – are celebrating a £3,578,949 Youth Investment Fund grant to complete another phase of their ongoing plans.

The TYPSG is working to develop the site into a community arts, sports and education complex on Lodge Lane, in the heart of Toxteth.

The group is made up of young people between the ages of 14-18 years old, on a rolling programme of members, and they make all the key decision about the development of the four acre Tiber site.

Tiber aims to coach the young members in entrepreneurial skills and work on real life projects that enhance their local environment, becoming positive role models within and outside their community.

Chair of TYPSG, Sha’Rae Riley, who is a student at City of Liverpool College, said: “Winning this grant is great news because now we can finish the changing rooms for the football pitch and also add education rooms, a cafe, a function suite, and an outdoor event space.

“This will mean we can create more jobs and volunteering opportunities, and provide training facilities for local people.

Find out more about Krol Corlett’s community work here:

https://krolcorlett.com/community/

Liverpool ONE showcases the city’s history through trees

A new pop-up exhibition at Liverpool ONE tells the history of the Liverpool City Region, its people and green spaces through trees and calls on locals to share their own pictures and stories.

Today (Friday 16th February), a 20-metre-long art display on School Lane and multiple tree integrated displays on Paradise Street were unveiled showcasing photographs, stories and poems about trees submitted by residents across the region.

The images and stories have been submitted via Tree Story, a project set up by local art galleries Open Eye Gallery and dot-art back in 2020 during lockdown.

They invited people living in the Liverpool City Region to take photographs of trees that were special to them in some way and submit their story explaining why, which were then uploaded to an interactive map.

Now, the galleries are working with Liverpool ONE to showcase a selection of these stories and encourage visitors to get involved themselves.

Passers-by can scan the QR code shown on the pop-up exhibition and on trees along Paradise Street to submit their own pictures of trees relating to their family histories, memories, and daily lives.

And, to celebrate the exhibition’s launch, The Mersey Forest marked this occasion giving away tree saplings for visitors to take away and plant.

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director for Liverpool ONE, said: “Our city’s green spaces have a profound effect on the wellbeing of residents. Connecting with nature is incredibly beneficial to our mental and physical health, which is why at Liverpool ONE we take proud in looking after our green spaces for visitors to enjoy alongside our ever-growing retail, dining and entertainment offering.

“We’d love our visitors to take this opportunity to stop and connect with nature through the stunning images on display and contribute to the Tree Story project with their own experiences of nature.”

Lucy Byrne, Managing Director of dot-art, hopes the display at Liverpool ONE will inspire visitors to think about how nature has benefitted them through hard times such as the Covid pandemic and in their day-to-day lives since.

She said: “Tree Story is a fantastic project which has already engaged hundreds of people of all ages across the city region since its launch during lockdown. Many of us gained a renewed appreciation for the outdoors while we weren’t able to do the activities we usually enjoyed, and this seems to have stuck with us.

“We are absolutely delighted to bring together a selection of the Tree Stories so far uploaded to our interactive map and showcase them in such a prominent and high-profile location as Liverpool ONE.

“We can’t wait to see what fascinating and thought-provoking new stories will be shared by visitors.”

Maria Gulina, Communications and Content Producer for Open Eye Gallery, said: “We were fascinated by all the heart-warming Tree Stories shared with us. Urban trees are crucial in mitigating climate change and also reflect our cultural heritage, as they bear witness to historical events and our everyday life. Trees, parks and green areas are invaluable for our mental health, and they help us form meaningful connections with the place where we live.

“We are looking forward to reading new Tree Stories from all across the Liverpool City Region, and we are grateful to Liverpool ONE and The National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this amazing project possible.”

For more information on the pop-up exhibition visit https://www.liverpool-one.com/treestory

To submit your stories and pictures about trees visit https://treestory.me

Liverpool ONE Calls On Talented Buskers To Showcase Their Talents

Talented musicians will have the chance to showcase their skills as part of a brand new busking programme at Liverpool ONE.

Launching on 8 February, Liverpool ONE Live offers buskers the chance to take to the streets at 12 locations across the retail and entertainment destination, providing a backdrop of music to visitors from across Liverpool City Region and beyond.

From experienced performers and up-and-coming talent to budding music maestros and visiting artists, the programme is designed to shine a spotlight on the eclectic mix of talent flourishing within our region.

Liverpool ONE Live will run continuously as a new addition to the entertainment line-up at the destination. It builds on years of hosting buskers and performances offering an enhanced platform and more locations available, as well as rewards for loyal buskers.

Previous performers include home-grown talents Michael Aldag and Harriet Marsland.

Michael Aldag, local musician, said: “I love busking and performing at Liverpool ONE was a great way for me to get experience at an early stage of my career. I think applying to be part of Liverpool ONE Live is an important opportunity for upcoming artists.”

The busking programme will provide a springboard for buskers to engage with new audiences and be featured across Liverpool ONE channels.

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director, said: “We’re extremely lucky to be home to such amazing musical talent here in Liverpool.

“Our events like Tickle the Ivories, our piano festival over the summer, never fail to highlight the incredible skills that are right here on our doorstep, and we’re confident that the busking programme will mirror this success.

“Celebrating local communities and creating events that bring people together and encourage new interactions is at the heart of everything we do at Liverpool ONE.

“We’re looking forward to seeing what new talent we can uncover with the programme, so we’d like to call on musicians from all genres to apply and come along.”

Liverpool ONE Live is suitable for both individuals and groups of up to four members.

To be granted a permit, performers will need to apply directly to Liverpool ONE and need to play an instrument as well as sing.

Kevin McManus, Head of UNESCO City of Music Liverpool, said: “Music is the lifeblood of Liverpool and we have a global reputation for developing incredibly talented, unique musicians.

“Whether you’re a local or a visitor to the city, you cannot deny how music help create a vibrant, lively atmosphere, and Liverpool ONE Live will enable even more musicians to get out there and show off their talents right in the heart of the city.”

For more information about how to apply to busk as part of Liverpool ONE Live, visit: liverpool-one.com/busk

Community Post Type: News