Community Post Type: News

These two day-long events will take place on the 6th and 13th of August and will celebrate everything these two streets have to offer.

There’ll be: music, with a competition to find the best Scouse busker, performances from giant puppet giraffes, lions, and even some cheeky waiters, fun for the whole family with face-painting and craft workshops, yoga classes, Ukuele workshops, chef demos from some of the best chefs and cocktail makers on Castle Street, Batala Mersey, and so much more! Make sure to be in town on these days and experience celebrating Bold and Castle Streets!

Are you a business in or around these areas? Let them know how you will be celebrating with offers, activity or performances here.

A new sculpture serving as a meditation on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is to be unveiled on The Liverpool Plinth. Boy with knife carnation by Wirral based artist Brigitte Jurack is the sixth sculpture to be installed onto the Plinth.

The work will be in situ on The Liverpool Plinth for the next 12 months.

Boy with knife carnation is a piece originally conceived as a meditation on fear and uncertainty and the lingering potential of violence. The knife in the original sculpture is replaced with a carnation, which will be replaced to change colour throughout the year.

In Ukrainian culture, different coloured carnations are used to symbolise different feelings and emotions. Red carnations, for example, are given on 8 May to veterans, white are given as a sign of pure love and pink to mothers to celebrate undying love.

Liverpool BID company have partnered with Liverpool Bicycle Co-operative for a free ”Bike Doctor” session at the heart of Liverpool business district: St Paul’s Square.

Pop by to get your free bike check-up, maintenance plus expert tips and tricks. To reserve a free spot, see here

Organized in partnership with the BID.

A brand new world-class family friendly music festival celebrating the very best of Britain has been officially unveiled and will take place in Cheshire during Summer 2024. 

The Brit Fest Cheshire boasts an incredible line-up of three days of live music from artists hailing from the shores of Great Britain.

In addition, the event will also showcase a real celebration of British culture, the arts, fashion, food and drink, and classic cars – making the festival stand-out as a unique event.

The event was formally announced at a red, white and blue themed showstopping launch in Cheshire last night (Thursday 13 July), wowing guests with plans for what promises to be the festival to attend in 2024. 

The launch event took place in Bowdon, Cheshire, just a few miles from the festival site.

The Brit Fest Cheshire will take place between Friday 5 July and Sunday 7 July 2024 in the grounds of Ashley Hall & Showground in Altrincham. 

Olivier nominated brothers Anthony and Edward Prophet are the organisers behind The Brit Fest. 

Anthony and Edward welcomed guests to the launch event alongside the evening’s hosts Jenny Powell and Mike Toolan from Greatest Hits Radio – who will also host the live acts on stage at the main event next year. 

The launch featured live performances by Chris Helme, well known as the frontman of 90’s superband The Seahorses. 

Headline acts for The Brit Fest Cheshire 2024 include Scouting For Girls, Kim Wilde, Heather Small, The Feeling, Fleur East,  Cast, Tom Bailey of the Thompson Twins, Starsailor, Toploader, Reef, Dodgy, Lottery Winners, Hot Chocolate, Nik Kershaw, Paul Young, and Tunde Baiyewu from The Lighthouse Family. 

The programme also features sets from Cassidy Janson, Chris Helme from The Seahorses, Johnny Hates Jazz, Matt Ford’s Big Band, a DJ set from Mike Joyce from The Smiths, Neeve Zahra, Owen Paul, Sonia, String Infusion, The Bluetones, The Boo Radleys, The Christians, The South, The Real Thing, and T’Pau.

The full programme and running order will be announced in the Autumn when tickets go on sale. 

Festivalgoers are invited to register their interest now by signing up through the event website at www.thebritfest.co.uk to receive the latest updates, with opportunities to win tickets, upgrades, merchandise, meet and greets, and money can’t buy prizes.

Tickets will include day passes for children and adults, weekend passes, VIP tickets, and hospitality packages. Full details will be announced when tickets go on sale.

Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC), a charity that uses chess to enhance children’s educational and social development, is announcing the return of ChessFest, the one-day takeover of Chavasse Park at Liverpool ONE, and Trafalgar Square on Sunday 16 July – with a day of chess fun designed to encourage kids and adults to get ‘on board’ with the world’s oldest game.

The activities are free and open to all. Members of the public will be able to challenge grandmaster Stephen Gordon, the highest rated player in the North West. There will also be free tuition from professional chess teachers, with separate teaching zones for adults and children.

A giant screen will broadcast live chess matches played online between children from London and Liverpool, as well as a ‘Battle of the Prodigies’ between the USA and England. ChessFest is being staged in association with Liverpool Chess Club, established in 1837, it is one of the oldest active clubs in the UK, and was one of the main centres of world chess in the 19^th century.

ChessFest aims to build on the surge in popularity of chess after the success of Netflix show ‘Queen’s Gambit’ and showcase its universal appeal as we approach ‘International Chess Day on 20 July.

Sunday’s Chavasse public event: 

Free chess lessons for children and adults from professional chess teachers and top UK players

·        A giant chess set for people to play on

·        Chess tables for children and chess fans to play each other

·        Challenge a Grandmaster at speed chess

·        Blindfold Chess exhibition

·        Giant screens broadcasting online games between players in London, Liverpool, and New York

ChessFest hopes to leave a legacy for Liverpool as CSC will work with Liverpool City Council to encourage the installation of giant chess sets and concrete chess tables in more Liverpool parks to enable chess to be played all year round as in New York, Paris, Amsterdam, and other cities. The first chess tables in Liverpool were installed in Sefton Park earlier this month.

Donna Howitt, Place Strategy Director at Liverpool ONE, said: “We’re really excited about the return of ChessFest to Liverpool ONE, following the tremendous success of the previous editions. This year’s event is one of our main highlights of the summer, with Chavasse Park and Liverpool ONE playing hosts to a series of family-friendly events throughout the school holidays and beyond.”

For more information visit liverpool-one.com/event/chessfest

Liverpool Theatre Festival returns in less than two weeks – and one highlight of the 11-day programme is Sober Companion, a specially commissioned new play co-written and co-starring Liverpool-born actor Joe McGann and Jake Norton. 

Sober Companion will premiere at Liverpool Theatre Festival on Saturday 22 July, with two performances at 3.30pm and 7.30pm. It is one of three specially commissioned works to be presented for the very first time at the event. 

This is the first time playwrights and actors Joe McGann and Jake Norton have been involved in Liverpool Theatre Festival, and they are relishing the experience.

Written and performed by Joe McGann and Jake Norton, the play explores the funny, raw, and sometimes dark places of fame, addiction, and recovery. It is suitable for audiences aged 14 upwards. 

Liverpool-born Joe McGann is part of the well-renowned and talented McGann family. He is probably best loved for his role in long running television sitcom The Upper Hand alongside Diana Weston and Honor Blackman. He will appear in new Netflix series KAOS. Theatre credits include West End productions by Bertolt Brecht, Sam Shepherd, John Steinbeck, and Willy Russell. Joe moved back to Liverpool three years ago after moving away in the late 1970s.

Jake Norton trained at Liverpool John Moores University and Hope Street Theatre. He lectured at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) for seven years, before going on to lecture at The MGA in Edinburgh. The London-born playwright and actor, lived in Liverpool for 22 years before heading to Scotland where he still lives – so he is very much forward to again taking to the stage in Liverpool. Jake’s screen credits include Coronation Street, The Bill, Emmerdale, The Royal, and he has recorded several plays for BBC Radio 4. His theatre work has seen him tour extensively nationally and internationally.

Jake Norton plays Dan – a high-flying prime time television presenter. He also has a bad habit which he denies, but it’s not hidden as well as he thinks. People close to him are concerned.

Joe McGann plays Gerard – and he has seen it all before. He has personal experience of recovery that could be useful to Dan, so his services have been engaged. He embraces the basic human right of ‘taking the edge off’ reality, and the hidden consequences of black-outs.

There is an intervention, intrusion of privacy, stranger in the midst. We all need a little help sometimes, but it can be difficult to admit. “No good deed goes unpunished” – Oscar Wilde. 

Joe McGann explained: “Sober Companion is a very interesting piece for this year’s Liverpool Theatre Festival. Jake and I explored the idea of intervention – the action taken when someone is deemed to be harming themselves (and others) with their addiction to drugs or alcohol. We thought it would be an interesting subject for a play. We are both great fans of theatre and appreciate its role as a ‘safe space’ where such conversations can be had. From there, Sober Companion was born. 

“We are very excited to present the play at St Luke’s – it’s a wonderful, democratic, inspiring space for theatre in this city, an important setting to showcase local and international talent outside of conventional venues.Liverpool Theatre Festival is attracting new audiences to the performing arts in Liverpool, and we’re excited to stage the premiere performances of our new play as part of this year’s excellent programme.” 

Jake Norton added: “We originally pitched fantastic play The Seven Acts Of Mercy by Anders Lustgarten to venues but they were keen on a piece featuring just us two. We started work on a play originally called Sponsor – we shifted the character relationship, it developed quickly and took on a life of its own. And in one night round Joe’s kitchen table we created Sober Companion. Liverpool Theatre Festival had faith in us and commissioned it – then we had to write it! What a platform and opportunity to air new live theatre works. 

“The focus is intense, the intervention itself. It’s all based in one unescapable room – the dressing room of a very famous fictional TV presenter. We have written a play which interests us and hopefully resonates with others. Joe is from Liverpool, and I happily lived there for over two decades, so it will feel like a homecoming gig for me. Let’s see what the festival crowd thinks of it.” 

Sober Companion is one of three shows specially commissioned and will premiere at Liverpool Theatre Festival. The others are children’s shows The Oogy Boogy Man and Fred The Musical. The festival returns this month for its fourth consecutive year this time with a Summer run, taking place outdoors at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church in Liverpool city centre from Thursday 20 July to Sunday 30 July. 

Liverpool Theatre Festival Producer and Artistic Director Bill Elms commented:“The ethos of Liverpool Theatre Festival is to showcase, support, and inspire established works and new live theatre. Joe and Jake are the perfect example of just how creatives and the festival can work. I hope to see this impressive new work have a life after the festival, and I am looking forward to working with the team to tour the play around the UK in 2024. 

“We’re now less than two weeks until the festival opens at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church on Thursday 20 July. The festival runs for 11 days and features 18 shows covering 24 performances – no mean feat for a festival still very much in its infancy. This is our fourth consecutive year and the festival continues to develop into an annual event we are very proud of – everyone is welcome to join us for accessible, affordable live theatre.” 

This year’s Liverpool Theatre Festival is being dedicated to Liverpool playwright Mark Davies Markham, who sadly passed away earlier this year. Mark premiered his one-woman play 2Gorgeous4U at last year’s LTF. This year the show is being staged once more in memory of Mark. Funds from the performance will be donated to charity.

Nine family shows will be staged during the festival, which coincides with the school Summer holidays for the very first time. Alongside brand new commissions The Oogy Boogy Man and Fred The Musical, the children’s shows are The Magic Bookmark With Mama G, Magic Gareth: Level Up!, Rubbish Romeo And Juliet, The Monkey With No Bum, Shout! The Mod Musical, Dame Fanny & Her Fabulous Friends, and The Tempest.

The full line-up also features Viva Tenori – A Celebration Of The Three Tenors; Whatever Happened To Billy Kenny; Perfectly Frank; A Night With Daniel Taylor – His Music And His Friends; Locomotive For Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit; Pauline Daniels – Get Me Before The Crematorium Does; and Laughterhouse Comedy – Pride Special featuring Morgan Rees and Bethany Black. 

Liverpool City Region Pride Festival takes place between 28 July and 30 July, and LTF shows have been specifically programmed on these dates to complement the weekend celebration.

This year’s festival partners are Liverpool BID Company, Edge Hill University, Morecrofts Solicitors, Bill Elms Associates, Ticket Quarter, and The Harrogate Group. 

This project is part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as the lead authority. Along with Liverpool City Council and Culture Liverpool. 

Liverpool Theatre Festival was created by Liverpool theatre producer Bill Elms, who has worked in the theatre industry for more than 30 years. Theatres and live entertainment venues were ordered to close immediately under the Government’s first national Covid-19 lockdown guidelines in March 2020. It was Bill’s mission and vision to reinvigorate and boost the city’s live performance and creative arts sector, offering a lifeline when it was needed most. Liverpool Theatre Festival was created in a matter of weeks.

Since its inaugural staging in Autumn 2020, it has gone on to win praise from audiences and critics alike, as well as winning many awards along the way. Liverpool Theatre Festival is committed to supporting local artists, creatives, and theatre companies.

Fringe event Little LTF – Liverpool Theatre Festival Of New Works will take place in the Autumn, running between Tuesday 3 October and Sunday 8 October 2023. Performances will be staged within the more intimate marquee at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church. Further details about submitting work will be announced soon. 

There are still opportunities for businesses to support. To find out more contact producer and artistic director Bill Elms by emailing bill@billelms.com 

Visit www.liverpooltheatrefestival.com for the latest news updates. 

Sound Skills Music is a pioneering Community Interest Company (CIC) based in Liverpool, they are thrilled to announce the launch of their groundbreaking music production course. Designed to prepare participants for a career in music and bridge the gap for individuals who may not have the qualifications for higher education but possess a passion for music, this accessible course aims to empower aspiring musicians by providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge and facilities to pursue a sustainable career in the music industry.

“At Sound Skills Music, we believe that everyone should have access to quality music education regardless of their background or financial limitations,” says Matt Lawton, Founder and highly qualified music lecturer. “Our course offers an affordable alternative to traditional universities and colleges, providing aspiring musicians with the skills, knowledge, and networking opportunities needed to succeed in the music industry.”

Key Benefits of the Course Include:

Affordability: The course is designed to be accessible to all, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional educational institutions.

Bridging the Gap: Sound Skills Music aims to empower anyone with a love for music by providing them with the opportunity to acquire practical skills, industry insights, and networking opportunities, leveling the playing field, and opening doors to a sustainable music career.

Hands-On Experience: Participants will receive hands-on experience using industry-standard software, gaining valuable skills in music production under the guidance of experienced instructors.

Networking Opportunities: The course facilitates online and in-person networking among participants and industry professionals, offering a unique chance to forge valuable connections within the music industry.

Unlocking Potential: With a supportive and nurturing learning environment, Sound Skills Music helps individuals unlock their true potential, fostering creativity, confidence, and growth.

The first course will commence in the July 16th at Liverpool Hope Universities Creative Campus, providing an six week intensive program designed to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in the music industry.

For more information and to register for the course, visit www.soundskillsmusic.com

Formerly a wind turbine factory on Regent Road in the Ten Streets area of Liverpool, Invisible Wind Factory is truly multi-purpose in its programming and ethos.

As one of the region’s most innovative spaces, IWF continues to chart its own cosmic course with a vibrantly diverse range of events this summer, from live gigs curated by Amorphic Music, club nights and new festivals to markets, watch parties and plenty of roller skating. 

In addition to the Invisible Wind Factory’s Main Hall, the iconic building is home to the IWF Rollerdrome, Substation, Factory Garden, Factory Kitchen, Workshop and Studios and is one of the UK’s leading events, creative and artistic spaces.

The venue’s programme of summer events has been released, packed with goodness all the way to the end of September. Autumn’s programme will be released soon.

Invisible Wind Factory’s Summer Listings

For tickets to all events see here

Amorphic presents: Mareux + Liminal Project – Friday 14th July

IWF Substation

Moonfrog and Amorphic music present Mareux at IWF Substation with support from murky and mysterious Mersey dark wavers Liminal Project.

Rollerdrome Summer Programme launches with Barbie Skate – Friday 21st July

IWF Main Hall

 The Rollerdome summer programme will include plenty of open skating, beginner and advanced skating classes for adults and kids, workshops and themed events and commences with a Barbie Skate special. 

The Flying Dutchman – Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd July 

IWF Main Hall

The Flying Dutchman is a haunting political tale exploring the displacement of people and the psychology and realities of living on an island with hardening borders.

Love Island Final Watch Party – date TBA 

IWF Main Hall

Expect interactive rounds, amazing prizes, a DJ spinning the best party tunes, and a very special guest host to be announced soon.

Amorphic presents: The Utopia Strong – Wednesday 26th July

IWF Substation

Featuring world snooker champion Steve Davis and left-field visionary Kavus Torabi.

909 presents Henry Saiz – Saturday 29th July 

Summer Terrace 

909 takes over the Invisible Wind Factory Outdoor Terrace for their legendary summer party with Henry Saiz.

No Play Festival – Saturday 5th August 

IWF Main Hall

A brand-new, alternative music festival with Yonaka, Vukovi, Higher Power, Super love, Lizzy Farrall, Love is Noise and Gen and the Degenerates.

Amorphic presents: The Sun Ra Arkestra – Saturday 12th August

IWF Main Hall 

Legendary avant garde jazz ensemble The Sun Ra Arkestra take centre stage at IWF.

Amorphic presents: Deerhoof – Wednesday 23rd August

IWF Main Hall

Avant noise-pop group Deerhoof return to Liverpool after a decade-long hiatus.

Crep Car Boot – Saturday 26th August 

IWF Main Hall

Find the freshest creps from some of the highest rated vendors in the UK, local street food, sneaker artwork and accessories with non-stop DJs.

909 Terrace Party – Steve Parry and Samuel Lamont – Bank Holiday Sunday 27th August

Summer Terrace 

909 are back on the terrace to see out the long weekend with legend Steve Parry and Samuel Lamont. 

Amorphic presents: Mick Harvey – Sunday 17th September

IWF Substation

Mick Harvey of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and The Birthday Party presents material from his new album of duets with Mexican singer Amanda Acevedo at a series of concerts alongside Berlin’s ’Sometimes with Others’ and J.P. Shilo.

Live Nation presents: Crawlers – Saturday 23rd September 

IWF Main Hall

Liverpool rockers Crawlers take over IWF.

Amorphic presents: Rhys Chatham’s G3 – Sunday 24th September

IWF Main Hall

Rhys Chatham is a composer, guitarist, trumpet player and flutist from Manhattan, currently living in Paris, who altered the DNA of rock and created a new type of urban music by fusing the overtone-drenched minimalism of the early 60s with the relentless, elemental fury of the Ramones.

Amorphic presents Salami Rose Joe Louis – Friday 13th October

IWF Main Hall
  Brainfeeder records signee Salami Rose Joe Louis headlines an intimate show at Invisible Wind Factory Substation, bringing her unique blend of Jazz infused hypnagogic pop to the city for the very first time.

Amorphic + Parr Jazz present Get The Blessing – Saturday 21st October
IWF Main Hall

Bristol-based quartet Get The Blessing boasts an international fan-base, having forged a unique sound that defies classification. But they have never lost sight of thumping tunes, infectious beats, nor joyous collective spontaneity.

Invisible Wind Factory 

3 Regent Rd, Liverpool, L3 7DS

https://www.invisiblewindfactory.com