Community Post Type: News

British Music Experience to Host Temporary Exhibition Celebrating Scottish Rock and Pop.

The British Music Experience (BME) is looking north for the inspiration behind its new exhibition.

The massive contribution to British Rock and Pop made by Scottish artists will be the focus of the Don’t You Forget About Me exhibition which launches on March 4 at the British Music Experience, Liverpool.

The BME has worked in collaboration with Scottish pop expert, Ronnie Gurr, to curate the collection which features iconic pieces from bands and artists who have helped shape the global music landscape over more than 60 years.

The collection includes the Burberry coat worn by Midge Ure in the classic Ultravox pop video for Vienna, as well as the Tom Ford leather ‘Elvis’ outfit designed for Texas lead singer Sharleen Spiteri and the Issey Miyake coat worn by Biffy Clyro’s Simon Neil. Instruments loaned for the exhibition include Cream legend Jack Bruce’s Aria bass guitar, and a Fender Stratocaster used by Big Country frontman and Skids guitarist Stuart Adamson, as well as an Ibanez acoustic guitar played by John McGeoch, once of Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

There are also many other fascinating artefacts with significant contributions from artists such as Runrig, Primal Scream, Fish, Clare Grogan, Eddi Reader and the Bay City Rollers which include other iconic outfits, awards and pop culture gems.

Harvey Goldsmith CBE and Chair of the Trustees of the British Music Experience said “We are delighted to be hosting Don’t You Forget About Me at the British Music Experience. It’s undeniable there have been monumental talents out of Scotland each year and the Museum is here to learn about and celebrate that talent, reminisce, and explore some of the unique bands and artists. The talent from Scotland is a vital part of the proud export of UK music which dominates the world.”

Head of UNESCO City of Liverpool, Kevin McManus, commented “It’s great that BME are showcasing the best of Scottish music through Don’t You Forget About Me. There is musical talent all over Scotland, but Liverpool has strong links with Glasgow in particular- another maritime city that has consistently proved itself to be a musical powerhouse over the last 50 years. Indeed, both Liverpool and Glasgow are proud holders of the UNESCO City of Music designation, further linking and making us even closer musical allies.” 

The exhibition will be supported throughout its stay at the British Music Experience by a series of events including film screenings, performances, album playbacks and talks as well as some hard-to-find band merch and bespoke artwork celebrating Scottish talent.

Ronnie Gurr, who has worked with countless Scottish artists during his lengthy career in the music industry, commented, “I was honoured when the BME invited me to pull together a smaller but equally beautiful reboot of the exhibition I had previously curated for the National Museum of Scotland called Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop and to re-acquire some of the key artefacts from artists who have played their part in Scotland’s brilliant musical history. I have previously been described by the Scottish media as “the Indiana Jones of Scottish music” and, as such, it was another labour of love, a glorious adventure and a renewed quest to track down the treasures that you’ll see in Don’t You Forget About Me – or, as it might be called…Caledonia and The Pool of Life.”

Don’t You Forget About Me runs at the British Music Experience in Liverpool’s Cunard Building until 25 September 2022. Entry is included in the price of admission.

All tickets purchased are valid for 12 months and each eligible visitor has the opportunity to support the Museum by Gift Aiding the cost of admission.

To find out more about The British Music Experience and book tickets visit www.britishmusicexperience.com

To make a group booking email bookings@britishmusicexperience.com

Organisers of the award-winning Liverpool Theatre Festival are delighted to announce its return in Autumn 2022 to take place for a third consecutive year. Little LTF, the festival’s sister event to showcase new works, will also return for a second year in Spring 2022.

Liverpool Theatre Festival was first staged in September 2020 to boost the city’s live performance and creative arts sectors following the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the industry.

After a hugely successful inaugural year, the event returned in 2021 welcoming 2,700 festivalgoers across 12 days, with a programme featuring 23 performances of 16 shows.

Last year also saw the introduction of fringe event Little LTF, a seven-day mini festival to champion and showcase new works and talent, which attracted 1,200 festivalgoers in year one.

The dates for this year’s two events have now been announced by organisers.

Liverpool Theatre Festival 2022 will take place between Wednesday 31 August and Sunday 11 September 2022. It will be preceded by Little LTF (Liverpool Theatre Festival Of New Works) from Monday 2 May to Sunday 8 May 2022. 

Both events will once again take place at St Luke’s Bombed Out Church in Liverpool city centre, the marquee as the backdrop for Little LTF, with the main festival taking place outdoors.

The festival has been praised for its diverse range and inclusive genre of live performance pieces, which each year have featured works of comedy, musicals, drama, opera, dance, LGBTQ, and children’s productions.

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 lockdown guidelines in March 2020.

It was Bill’s mission 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. Its inaugural staging won praise from audiences and critics alike, as well as winning an award along the way.

Due to its ongoing success and continuing growth, Bill has been nominated for a Liverpool City Region Culture & Creativity Award for a second consecutive year.

A new promotional trailer for Liverpool Theatre Festival has also been produced by Liverpool Film Initiative: 

Liverpool Theatre Festival is committed to supporting local artists, creatives, and theatre companies. During the two events in 2021, a total of 30 local and regional diverse theatrical productions were staged – resulting in almost 200 performers, musicians and creatives involved and working as the pandemic continued.

Shows for the main Liverpool Theatre Festival will be announced in the coming months. 

Meanwhile, creatives are now invited to submit new works for Little LTF, the deadline is Friday 18 March 2022. Full details can be found at www.liverpooltheatrefestival.com

Submissions are especially welcomed from Liverpool’s diverse communities and arts organisations to fully represent the cityscape, and children’s productions are also encouraged to apply. Scripts must be complete or already in development. Creatives must be linked to Liverpool City Region or the wider North West area. A panel of industry professionals will select works, and media and theatre programmers will be invited to see the premieres first-hand at the festival. Accolades will also be given to outstanding productions in specific categories.

Last year, organisers were “overwhelmed by the incredible calibre of work and remarkable talent” of submissions. All productions included in the festival line-up will be seen by Liverpool audiences for the very first time at the festival.

The selection panel has been confirmed as LTF Festival Director Bill Elms; theatre director and producer James Baker; Francesca Peschier, Head of New Works at Everyman Playhouse; arts marketing professional Anthony Proctor; freelance arts consultant Sue Williams; and national theatre booker David Fry. 

Producer and artistic director Bill Elms commented: “We are incredibly excited to announce the return of Liverpool Theatre Festival for a third consecutive year, and Little LTF is back for a second year. When the pandemic struck, the creative arts and live performance sector of Liverpool City Region was hit hard. Live theatre has been my passion for more than 30 years and I just had to do something to help. 

“Given the support we’ve received since we announced the first festival in August 2020, you can really feel just how much live performance and entertainment means to people. People were desperate to experience that thrill once again. And now we’re back with a main festival for established work and performers, and a fringe event to showcase and celebrate new work. 

“The festival has already established itself as a staple in the city’s annual theatre calendar. Success stories are now being created as a direct result of the festival, with a number of shows now going on to achieve greater success in regional venues and touring the UK. Theatre is back, join us on the next exciting adventure of Liverpool Theatre Festival.” 

Theatregoers are invited to get involved and support the event by joining the Friends Of Liverpool Theatre Festival. The membership programme and loyalty scheme ensures that members have an integral role in helping the festival grow into one of the UK’s top arts festivals. Festival friends will be directly supporting the local arts scene and helping to maintain accessible, diverse, inclusive, affordable arts in Liverpool. Full details can be found here.

Sponsorship and partner opportunities for Liverpool Theatre Festival are also available to help grow and strengthen the future of the event. Funding and donations are also welcome.

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

FACT premieres Let the Song Hold Us, an exhibition of new immersive artworks that explore how music and song bring together the family and collective histories we inherit.

The exhibition presents work by internationally renowned artist Korakrit Arunanondchai (USA/Thailand) and new commissions by UK-based Zinzi Minott, Tessa Norton, Larissa Sansour with Søren Lind, Ebun Sodipo, and Rae-Yen Song. The artists experiment with storytelling to consider how we might redefine our own identities, shaped by the memories of those we have lost. Centred around song and music as a way to communicate ideas of family, mythology, hope, and belonging, the artworks reimagine the ways we create and share; what we inherit, and what we pass on. They represent both the daily rituals of our lives and the moments when we yearn for a deeper understanding of who we are.

Works in the exhibition include Songs for living (2021) by Korakrit Arunanondchai and Alex Gvojic, a new large-scale video installation that responds to a desire to heal the mind and body, and reconnect to life. Made by Arunanondchai following the death of his grandfather, this cinematic collage of visual languages and musical styles weaves together stories of grief, transformation and spiritual power. Filmed mid-pandemic, mostly in a relatively abandoned New York, Arunanondchai’s abstract, ever-shifting montage explores possible ways to rebuild. Following its premiere at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst (Zurich, Switzerland) in late 2021, FACT will exhibit this work for the first time in the UK.

Larissa Sansour and Søren Lind present a new triptych video installation of an Arabic-language opera that brings together Palestinian and European classical music traditions. Commissioned by FACT, As if no Misfortune had Occured in the Night (2022) considers the genetic inheritance of political trauma through multiple generations of families. Performed as a single aria, the film depicts a mother as she addresses her unborn child, revealing her fears that her past traumas have already shaped the child’s future.

Ebun Sodipo exhibits a new interactive artwork created in collaboration with young LGBTQ+  people from Liverpool and across the UK. Taking the form of a series of constellations, Following the Gourd (2022) is named after an African-American folk song that helped people to journey from the enslaved southern states of America to the “free” north. Visitors to the gallery journey through the stars to discover digital artefacts, contributed by Sodipo and her collaborators, forming a collective archive of trans experience.

The exhibition presents a new installation of objects and drawings, animated using sound and augmented reality, by Glasgow-based artist Rae-Yen Song. Song creates a distinctive and singular visual language by reclaiming and reimagining ancestral mythologies, family rituals and inherited memories. Artist and dancer Zinzi Minott premieres the next iteration of her annual series, Fi Dem, which explores the histories of the Windrush Generation and experiences of Blackness, migration and living in the diaspora. In this new work, Minott specifically looks at Liverpool’s Windrush stories, focusing on the Caribbean community. The exhibition also debuts a new commission by artist Tessa Norton who was awarded the Jerwood Arts x FACT Fellowship in 2020. Developed during her artist residency at FACT, Norton presents Dark Circles (2022), a new multimedia installation exploring the ambiguity of Anglo-Indian identity, which was a product of Empire, yet marginalised within it. Norton traces its contrasts and contradictions through the glamorous performances and fluid, ambiguous ethnicity of three Anglo-Indian actresses spanning the ‘Golden Age’ of musical cinema to classic Hollywood.

A programme of events accompanies the exhibition, including a series of live performances.

Let the Song Hold Us is part of Radical Ancestry, FACT’s current programme which looks at how our sense of belonging is shaped by the histories, geographies, biology and culture we inherit. Through a series of exhibitions, projects, artist residencies and events, the programme aims to question how technology can help us to explore a new way of thinking and experimenting with who we are.

Let the Song Hold Us will be on display at FACT from 24 March until 19 June 2022.

www.fact.co.uk/event/let-the-song-hold-us

Smithdown Social Club, now Smithdown Social Arts Hub, has an impressive creative arts project developing on Smithdown Road in support of local artists – and it is growing quickly.

Smithdown Social Club closed in March 2020 as a result of the  COVID-19 outbreak, and they took the opportunity to introduce a new initiative for the Club. Having previously been a largely music industry ‘collective’ of bands, solo artists and all the supporting roles that make a performer survive and prosper, they pivoted to a digital platform. This enabled them to continue to deliver music to the community and provide musicians with a digital ‘gig’ opportunity to provide some income during lockdown. 

“Musicians are a highly skilled asset in the community that were being told by government policy to ‘get a job’, which was an outrage.” So says Brenda Monahan, director, social entrepreneur and one of the driving forces behind the new Arts Hub. Brenda saw the need to also incorporate writers, visual artists and film makers into the Hub to create digital content and get artists and musicians networking and sharing their talents.

The Hub was able to access crucial funding through this digitalisation strategy. Brenda explained, “This funding from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport through the Culture Recovery Fund has played a major role in the continuity of the business and artistic programming covering art, music, literature, film and ‘MusicMinds’, a project dedicated to the mental health of musicians working in the music industry.”

Brenda continues, “The derelict state of our former venue caused us to also pivot locations and we now occupy the three stories at 455 Smithdown Road that provide the space for the Arts Hub operations. We turned the former post office on the high street into Gallery 455, which opened in June 2021, and here we exhibit highly acclaimed art from a diverse range of local artists.

“This idea stemmed from successful art exhibitions held at the former Naked Lunch Café, the first co-operative café on Smithdown Road, started by social entrepreneur and local visionary, Paul Tsanos, who is also a Director of the Arts Hub.

 “Over the last 14 months, the Hub has collaborated with multiple creative artists and professionals. We successfully launched a poetry book, ‘Bridge Over Smithdown: A Collection of Poems’, and a short story book, ‘Smithdown Stories Near and Far’ for local writers. We also held two ‘Five to Film’ workshops with scriptwriter Paul Womack, where each participant developed a 5-minute film script and produced a short film each. These were launched in January 2022.

“We have been approached by so many high calibre artists and have exhibited art by more than 25 artists, photographers and digital artists in four exhibitions since we opened in June. We look forward to having many more during 2022, including some exclusives.”

The Hub has also used social media to good effect in highlighting the funding attracted by Brenda and her work in making successful applications.

This all sounds like a smooth road to transition but the Arts Hub’s evolution has not been without its difficulties.

The relinquishment of the former Conservative Club building in October 2021 due to dereliction (it was formerly used as a venue for Smithdown Social’s music activities, including live gigs and community events) was a major blow to the cash flow potential of the business.

“The building wasn’t fit for purpose from the beginning and was badly in need of a refurb, but we rallied for a couple of years trying to make it work.” said Brenda. “We had huge support from the community and just prior to Covid we successfully attracted funding to fix the roof to help regenerate the venue, but this was lost and the funding we did receive was for repairs that were really not our responsibility.”

“Our focus come January 2021 was to create the gallery space as our front-facing entry into the Hub and develop the 1st and 2nd floors into space for artists to create content in various ways. The challenge ahead is now about creating a new profile in the community, raising the awareness of our wide–ranging support and collaborations and increasing  art and book sales at Gallery 455 to help us on the road to being self-funded by the end of 2022.

“From the outset, our plans have been for the Arts Hub to be a focal and practical support for creative arts in the area. We knew that key to its success would partly be finding the right balance in terms of supporting everyone who needed it… i.e. those working/involved in art, music, literature, film and well-being through the MusicMinds programme.”

Looking forward, and with reference to the Gallery, Brenda, Paul, fellow director Ian Francis and the whole team are now busy assessing their Arts Hub programming for the new year in order to keep providing an exciting array of creative arts projects with social impact that supports the creative arts community.

“We are all about being  local, supportive and socially enterprising,” insists Brenda. “For example, within Gallery 455 we cover costs of photography for artwork to assist artists to produce prints and cards of their work to sell during their exhibition and to digitally place their work on our website once their exhibitions end.

Our goal is to help promote their work long term and not just for a 4–week exhibition. It’s a compassionate way of running a business, helping artists feel loved, treating them like a human as opposed to just a commodity.”

Speaking about the exhibitions, Brenda added: “They are all fully inclusive…generally you will find a mix of multiple skill levels and developing artists when you attend one of our regular launch nights, which are also supported by a variety of local musicians. We also include live music as a backdrop at exhibitions to help visitors to have a welcoming feeling upon entering and eliminate feelings and barriers of social isolation that were so evident after lockdown,” explained Brenda. 

Gallery 455 has become a valuable network for each artist on many levels in terms of ideas, which makes sense given the diversity of artists involved, which include e.g. digital artists, photographers, creative art using oils, watercolours, canvas, illustration, graphics, abstract art and wood carvings, with 24 different artists adorning the walls at the Gallery to date.

There is also a variety of community art initiatives that Gallery 455 is involved with, including upcoming projects with community artists delivering art classes that promote art for beginners and enabling self-development for experienced artists.

Brenda concludes: “2022 is already allowing us to showcase so many aspects of this wonderful Arts Hub’s incentives. Throughout the year we will also be developing opportunities for artists across the multiple genres we support to have an outlet and create and grow alongside the ethos of human values.”

Latest initiatives includes the 3^rd in a series of Five To Film workshops plus Art from the Start…art classes now being held at Gallery 455! The Hub has partnered with Liverpool Independent Art School, The Art Room and Foundation Alumni to deliver ‘Art from the Start’ for 6 weeks. These classes will run quarterly at the Gallery with applications now being taken to join April’s waiting list. 

Smithdown Social Arts Hub
Gallery 455
455 Smithdown Road · Liverpool L15 3JL

Facebook: @smithdownsocialclub
Instagram: @smithdownsocial
Twitter: @smithdownsocial

www.smithdownsocial.co.uk