Community Post Type: News

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The closing date to supply print-ready artwork is Friday 20^th March.

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Total Stranger: The Unseen Photographs of Pete Burns and Dead or Alive 1978–1983 has been extended until 30 June 2026 at Cafe Tabac in Liverpool.

Francesco Mellina’s exhibition is a rare and powerful collection of black-and-white images which capture the kinetic energy of Liverpool’s late 1970s and 1980s music scene, along with the rise of Pete Burns, the Dead or Alive frontman. 

The original Total Stranger exhibition at Café Tabac showcased a curated selection of 16 framed prints from Mellina’s archive of more than 2,000 negatives. The renowned rock photographer has now updated the exhibition, with further unseen pictures of Pete Burns on display. In addition, signed copies of Francesco’s book, Total Stranger, are available to buy from Cafe Tabac during the extended period.

Francesco was a key figure in the city’s music scene and met Pete Burns at the legendary Eric’s club. They became friends which led to series of spontaneous photo shoots documenting Pete’s awe-inducing presence leading Dead or Alive, charting his rise from the underground into a globally renown music and cultural icon.

Francesco says: “I have a personal connection with Cafe Tabac stretching back over 40 years so it gives me enormous pleasure to have my exhibition extended in there. Tabac has been and is a big landmark on the cultural Liverpool landscape.”

Café Tabac is the beloved Bold Street institution which has served as a meeting place for Liverpool’s creative community since it opened in 1974.  For Francesco, Café Tabac was the perfect place for this special exhibition as the office of Inevitable Records was situated on the first floor above the café. Inevitable Records was the seminal record label founded by Jeremy Lewis 1979 to 1982, and launched Dead Or Alive, China Crisis, Nightmares in Wax and other post-punk and synth-pop talent all of which became regulars in Café Tabac. 

Back in December 2025, Ma Pub Group — the independent Liverpool hospitality operator behind Ma Boyle’s Alehouse and Eatery, Tempest on Tithebarn, Nova Scotia and Newington Temple — acquired the landmark venue. The team carry forward the unmistakable character that has secured Tabac’s place as one of Liverpool’s most loved, lived-in and long-standing city-centre fixtures, now proudly continuing to showcase Francesco’s work documenting Pete Burns and the city’s wild music history.

Café Tabac
The Total Stranger exhibition now runs until June 30th 2026
126 Bold St, Liverpool, L1 4JA
https://cafetabac.co.uk
@cafetabacliverpool

 

Arts Groupie are back, and happy to offer a free activity this February, thanks to the support from Liverpool BID Company.

Must-See Month offers something for everyone, whether you’re a culture lover, explorer, or offer hunter. It’s a thrilling four-week adventure through Liverpool’s must-see spots and iconic venues. Take advantage of exclusive events and fantastic discounts. 

As part of this exciting initiative, you can book the following walking tour:

The Liver Bird Safari by ArtsGroupie CIC

Explorers Needed – Join a FREE FAMILY FUN ACTIVITY and discover the history of Liverpool in an alternative way!

Starting at the front of The Bluecoat, the oldest building in Liverpool’s City Centre. They will visit St. George’s Plateau, William Brown Street and Castle Street; learn about Liverpool’s history along the way.

Finishing at the waterfront, with the option to visit more Liver Birds in the Museum of Liverpool.

Dates Available – Tues 17^th Feb/ Thurs 19^th  Feb / Sat 21^st  Feb / 7^th March at 11am

Don’t miss out on this unforgettable experience in Liverpool!

What to Bring

• Comfortable shoes: Essential for the walking tour.
• Weather gear: Umbrella or waterproof if rain is forecast.
• Optional: Binoculars (a bonus for seeing the birds up close and in intricate detail).

To book a free place, visit here

Beloved Brookside legend Michael Starke (Rapunzel, Liverpool Everyman; Hollyoaks; Sister Act; Hairspray) will star as Mr Mushnik, alongside Jessie Elland, who will play Audrey, at the Liverpool Playhouse from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Saturday 9 January 2027.

This long-awaited major UK revival of Little Shop of Horrors will be directed and choreographed by Tony and Olivier award nominee Carrie-Anne Ingrouille (Six – The Musical).

Carrie-Anne Ingrouille said, “I am so proud to be presenting this cast and this production of Little Shop of Horrors. Every element of the show speaks to my vision for telling this story with honesty, heart, and relevance, and that begins with the people bringing it to life on stage. They embody the vulnerability, strength, and humanity that I believe are essential for this musical to have lasting appeal and to truly resonate with audiences today. I cannot wait for audiences in Manchester and Liverpool to experience it during this very special run.”

Little Shop of Horrors runs at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre from Friday 25 September 2026 to Sunday 29 November 2026, and will then head into its spectacular festive season at the Liverpool Playhouse, where Jessie Elland (Emmerdale, ITV, 101 Dalmatians, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) will take over the role of Audrey from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Saturday 9 January 2027. Joining them at both venues is beloved Brookside legend Michael Starke, who will star as Mr Mushnik.

Michael has appeared in many productions at both the Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse theatres, including The Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto 2024: Rapunzel, Breeze Block Park, Dick Whittington, Hamlet, She Stoops to Conquer and The Star. His most recent stage work is Two by Jim Cartwright at the Shakespeare North Playhouse.

They will be joined by an outstanding West End cast, including Jed Berry (Back To The Future, Adelphi Theatre; Shucked, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre) as Seymour, Marcus Ayton (Shrek, UK tour; Lovestuck, Theatre Royal Stratford East) as the voice of the monstrous Audrey II, and Benjamin Yates (Emmerdale, ITV; The Wizard of Oz; Jersey Boys) as the sinister and unforgettable Orin Scrivello, the Dentist.

Completing the iconic trio of streetwise narrators are Psalms-Nissi Myers-Reid (&Juliet; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Crystal, Gabrielle Davina Smith (Matilda; Sister Act) as Ronnette, and Rio Maye (Grease, European Tour) as Chiffon.

The ensemble company will feature Ella Howlett (Tina; Madagascar the Musical), Joseph Peacock (Muriel’s Wedding; Dear Evan Hansen), Nathen Scott (Mamma Mia!), Kai Cameron Jay (Starlight Express) with further casting to be announced.

Directed and choreographed by Tony and Olivier Award nominated Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, this brand-new rival will unleash Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s legendary musical with jaw-dropping energy, razor-sharp comedy, unforgettable songs, and a plant with an appetite bigger than ever before.

Joining Ingrouille on an extraordinary creative team is award-winning Set and Costume Designer Morgan Large (Sister Act, This Bitter Earth, Newsies), Musical Supervisor and Arranger Paul Schofield (Hair, Bat Boy), Lighting Designer Rory Beaton (Burlesque The Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, For Black Boys…), Sound Designer Kelsh Buckman Drage (Evita, Hamilton, Mamma Mia!), and Casting Director Rob Kelly (Hadestown, This Bitter Earth, Geek Girl). December 2026 marks 40 years since the release of the original 1986 film directed by Frank Oz, cementing Little Shop of Horrors as one of the most influential and enduring musical sensations of the past half century.

Little Shop of Horrors has music by Alan Menken, book and lyrics by Howard Ashman. It runs from Thursday 3 December 2026 to Saturday 9 January 2027 at the Liverpool Playhouse. Tickets priced from £17 – £62 are available at www.everymanplayhouse.com/event/little-shop-of-horrors/

Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International mtishows.co.uk

The Unity Theatre is hosting a new cinema project in 2026, with a brand-new programme of film screenings launching this February. Curated and promoted by the new Liverpool Doc Club, the season brings acclaimed new releases to the heart of Liverpool.

For the first time in many years, audiences will be able to enjoy regular film screenings at the Unity Theatre. Though Liverpool once boasted a bustling cinema scene, the city has been without a dedicated arthouse independent cinema for a long time. This new programme is a response to the current dire situation and marks a joyful revival of big-screen culture locally.

The programme will feature two special events in February and March, presenting awarded and never previously screened films in Liverpool.

MOTHERBOARD (11th February) is a smartphone feature exploring motherhood, filmed over 20 years by BAFTA award-winning director Victoria Mapplebeck. It charts the joy, pain and comedy of raising a child alone. The film navigates the highs and lows of unromanticized parenting, where chaos rules. Honest, funny and infinitely relatable, MOTHERBOARD is the antidote to the unrealistic expectations we have about motherhood, and a film for anyone who wants to see family life in all its unfiltered glory. The event includes a Q&A with the beloved director.

In FOLKTALES (11th March) Academy Award®-nominated filmmakers Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady examine humans on the cusp of adulthood, finding themselves at the edge of the world, using intimate verité storytelling and exhilarating cinematography. The film, shortlisted for the Oscars 2026, tells the timely and emotional story of teenagers who choose to spend an unconventional “gap year” learning to dog sled and survive the Arctic wilderness, in hopes of finding connection and meaning in the modern world. Guided by patient teachers and a yard full of Alaskan huskies, they discover their own potential and develop deep relationships with the land, animals and humans around them. The event includes a panel with two local forest school leads.

Crucially, the season is designed to be affordable and accessible, with tickets priced between £7 and £10. Supported by Film Hub North with National Lottery funding on behalf of the BFI Film Audience Network, this programme is delivered to promote a regular independent cinema provision in Liverpool. It also gathers the support of the Documentary Film Council.

The Liverpool Doc Club’s first event was a sold-out screening of The Librarians at Liverpool Central Library in January, after which the club will move to the Unity in February. Plans are already in place to continue the regular screenings at the Unity from April onwards, firmly establishing the project there.

This initiative is spearheaded by Imagine Futures CiC, a community interest company working across culture, creativity, and education to expand opportunities and access for people of all ages. The partnership with Unity Theatre ensures that film exhibition becomes an important part of Liverpool’s cultural life once more.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with the Unity Theatre to host the Liverpool Doc Club. We’ll be screening the best documentaries in one of the city’s most independent, engaged and welcoming venues. We took great care in curating a programme that aligns with the Unity Theatre’s ethos. The first two events are proof of that: ‘Motherboard’ and ‘Folktales’ are films that engage with other offerings by the Unity and explore what it means to be human today. They have never been screened in Liverpool before and are completely new. Cinema can add a different space for the idea that the Unity is a house of ideas and feelings, and it is important to contribute to this. Documentary cinema, in particular, has extraordinary potential.”

Bruno Castro, film curator at Imagine Futures CIC/Liverpool Doc Club

Liverpool Philharmonic’s annual music industry careers day is back – bigger and better than ever in 2026!  

Want to kickstart your career in music? They’ve got everything you need. The Careers Fest is also ideal for music and cultural organisations, a great opportunity to network and exchange ideas with some of the leading music organisations in the UK.

Hear from Liverpool legends Guy Chambers (songwriter to stars including Robbie Williams, Tina Turner, Diana Ross and Mark Ronson) and Natasha Hamilton, who topped the charts with pop group Atomic Kitten and has since founded Morpho Records.

The largest music careers event in the North West returns, with industry powerhouses ready to share their vast experience and how they got to where they are.

Top music organisations including Sentric, BBC, UK Music, PPL, Small Green Shoots, PLASA and Adlib will be on hand, sharing advice and helping you find a path to success in the music industry. There’ll be panel discussions, hands-on workshops and fascinating demonstrations, covering everything you’d want to know about working in music, including:

• Building your career as an music creator
• Music industry myth busting
• AI in the music industry
• Building your brand and social media
• Music broadcasting
• AdLib music tech showcase
• Skills development and transferable skills in the music industry
• Musicians’ business, technology and finance skills
• Sustainability in the industry

So whether you’re looking for advice and inspiration, or ready to take the first step and launch your career, you’ll find it all here.

Speakers to include:

Natasha Hamilton  (former member of Atomic Kitten, Founder of Morpho Records), Guy Chambers (Songwriter, Composer, Musician), Manon Dave, Sam Jackson (Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms), Joshua Daniel (Head of Interval Records) , Damian Morgan (RNCM, Artist Development Specialist) Makeda Macmillan (Managing Director, Small Green Shoots), Elise Brown (Co-Founder, Revere Arts) Silvia Montello (CEO, VoiceBox Consulting), Andrew Lansley (Sustainability and Accessibility Specialist, Attitude is Everything), Cameron Biles-Liddel (composer) and more to be announced!

For tickets, visit here

Held: 22 March, Liverpool Philharmonic

Discover interactive artworks by artists Vytas Jankauskas, Joseph Wilk, and Jan Zuiderveld, and learn about the themes connecting them.

This tour offers insight into Milia’s curatorial process and exhibition concept, which examines the impact of intelligent technologies on our every day lives and asks us to think about the ways that humans and technology may evolve alongside one another.

Held: 11 April, booking required

For free tickets, visit here

International Slavery Museum has been awarded £200,000 from the Wolfson Foundation to support the museum’s major transformation plans in 2026 and beyond. The funding will go towards the museum’s symbolic new entrance, a powerful statement on Liverpool’s historic waterfront that will announce International Slavery Museum to the world.

Opened in 2007 on the third floor of the Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum has never had its own front door. A new Entrance Pavilion, designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, and due to begin construction early next year, represents a defining moment for the museum.

Laura Pye, Director, National Museums Liverpool, said: “We’re thrilled to be putting this generous award from the Wolfson Foundation towards International Slavery Museum’s new Entrance Pavilion. As an emotive focal point of the new museum, it symbolises not only the struggles and resistance of the enslaved people whose stories we tell in the museum, but also decades of work from the local communities who have championed the development and raised the profile of the museum from a basement gallery to now, the only museum in the world dedicated to transatlantic slavery and its legacies. We are delighted to be partnering with the Wolfson Foundation at this landmark moment.”

Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: “There could be no more important task for a museum than to articulate the history and legacy of slavery in a clear and compassionate way. We are pleased to support the transformation of the International Slavery Museum, appropriately located on Liverpool’s waterfront. The transformed museum will allow visitors to engage with these vital issues – and to connect local histories to global stories that continue to shape our world.”

Liverpool’s Must-See Month returns for its second year, easing the city into Spring with a celebration of cultural attractions, arts activity and special events. Organised by Liverpool Business Improvement District, the month of activity brings together theatre, art galleries, music venues, cultural attractions and more.

Running from 13 February to 13 March, Must-See Month includes special offers and giveaways, alongside exclusive tours and workshops to encourage everyone to experience something new in Liverpool. With half term included, there will be activities and offers designed especially for families.

The offers and activities include:

Don’t Believe the Hype at British Music Experience, going behind the curtains of The Arctic Monkeys’ landmark debut album and its iconic cover

Free access for kids at Treasure: History Unearthed, the brand new exhibition at Museum of Liverpool

Free Liver Bird safari walking tour with Arts Groupie

25% off tickets for Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra’s stunning concert, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet for Valentine’s Day

Go deeper into Liverpool landmarks like the Town Hall and St George’s Hall with historic tours discovering their history

Liverpool Beer Festival at the Metropolitan Cathedral

Ticket offers for Liverpool International Jazz festival at the capstone Theatre

All offers are available to browse here mustseemonth.com

Liverpool will host a unique event showcasing the impact of Data Science this February, as the University of Liverpool’s Civic Data Cooperative (CDC) presents The Festival of Data, a three-day celebration running from 5–7 February 2026. 

Taking place at the ACC Liverpool, the festival marks the culmination of the CDC’s ambitious five-year programme exploring how data can be collected, stewarded, visualised and used creatively to improve lives across the Liverpool City Region.

Each day of the event will showcase the different aspects and applications of Data Science, with a focus on health and civic data, and Artificial Intelligence.

At the heart of the festival is a programme of commissioned artworks translating complex ideas about data, health and society into playful, accessible and thought-provoking experiences. Created by artists from the city, and across the UK, working closely with local schools and communities, these artworks will be on display throughout the three-day event, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to challenge their perceptions of what data science and artificial intelligence science is.

On Thursday 5 February, the following 8 artists will work with over 200 school children to produce these innovative works: 

Textile artist Rachael Prime presents Village of Data 2026, a sculptural work made with recycled and repurposed materials. Known for her collaborative, environmentally conscious practice, Prime’s piece draws on community narratives and shared making to explore how data connects people and places, transforming abstract systems into something tactile and human.

Multidisciplinary artist David Bixter brings sound, image and interaction together in Living Score 2026. Using sonification and visualisation techniques, Bixter transforms data into an immersive, responsive environment where audiences can experiment and shape the experience themselves.

Arts-based researcher Dr Elaine McNeill contributes POP the Labyrinth 2026; a multimedia installation rooted in co-production and wellbeing. Drawing on her extensive experience working with patients, communities and cultural organisations, McNeill’s work highlights the role of creativity in health, inclusion and collective working.

Maker and technologist Jackie Pease presents Contemporary Quipu 2026, blending craft, code, recycled materials and programmable electronics. Inspired by ancient systems of recording information, the work explores how data can be embodied through pattern, fibre and light, celebrating experimentation and sustainable making.

Textile and print artist Brigitte Watkinson exhibits Hanging Data 2026, a large-scale textile artwork developed through hands-on, intuitive processes. Her work reflects her expertise in translating complex ideas into accessible creative experiences, encouraging audiences to explore data visually and materially.

Illustrator and sculptor Stuart Harrison brings a playful yet insightful approach with You Are What You Eat 2026. Drawing on his background in illustration, education and visual storytelling, the sculpture makes links between data, health and nutrition.

Illustrator Toni-Louise Carter contributes Liverpool’s Football Community 2026; an illustrated work rooted in storytelling and everyday life. Known for live illustration and visual minutes, Carter’s piece uses imagery to make information approachable while celebrating shared cultural narratives.

Alongside these works, Light Up the Brain 2026 is a participatory multimedia installation co-designed by public engagement volunteers from the Mental Health Research for Innovation Centre (M-RIC) and artist Jennie Wishart. Families are invited to interact with an illuminated brain sculpture, sparking conversations about mental health in positive, accessible ways.

Beyond the artworks, the Festival of Data offers three distinct days tailored to different audiences. Friday 6 February brings together industry, research and academia for a full day conference with panel discussions and workshops ending with a ‘Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas’ in the evening.  

Saturday 7 February is designed for families, schools and the public, featuring hands-on activities, workshops and creative engagement – the day will include an interactive exhibition with family friendly activities, Data Art Safari, Lego Workshops, Data Detectives and live demonstrations from researchers and businesses.

Funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and delivered by the Civic Data Cooperative and the Civic Health Innovation Labs at the University of Liverpool, the festival brings together partners from the NHS, local authorities, business, academia and the community. The Festival of Data serves as an appropriately ambitious and inclusive event to celebrate the CDC’s years of commitment to shaping better services, healthier communities and a more vibrant civic data environment for the Liverpool City Region. The Festival of Data is sponsored by The ACC Liverpool Group, Sodexo Live! and Pullman Liverpool.