Event type: Concert

Take a splash of tease, mix with a dash of variety, and pour over ice in a thoroughly cleaned glass… It’s Martini Time!

Liverpool’s largest and longest running Variety and Burlesque show returns to the bosom of their former home, the Epstein Theatre with a Martini Lounge Christmas Cabaret sure to leave you sizzling, and gearing up for more in 2022 as we celebrate 15 years of The Martini Lounge right here in Liverpool.

Bringing you the very best of Burlesque and Variety from across the world, Millie Dollar welcomes you to join her for a cheeky Martini, and make it a dirty one!

We bring an array of onstage delights to titillate, tease, and thrill in the beautiful theatre settings. Join us for the after party in the Epstein bar where you can practise your moves, hobnob with the stars of the show, and raise a glass to the return of the martini lounge!

SPECIAL OFFER: Places are available in a special 90-minute workshop with Millie Dollar at 2pm Sat 4th in the Epstein bar. Tickets are £15 but book now as these are sure to fly out! Click here to book.

Blue: A journey through love, loss, and redemption premieres at Liverpool’s Capstone Theatre.

A re-imagining of Joni Mitchell’s seminal album, Blue, will be seen for the first time this month and will showcase the talents of Liverpool musicians and artists through live music and dance.

The Perri & Neil Quartet re-interpret Joni Mitchell’s 1971 classic album, Blue, in a way that is true to the original, but also draws on the styles of these incredible musicians. Jazz is rolled up with flavours of soca, latin, folk and rock.

Between them, they have worked with a host of other musicians including Paco Peña, Jon Anderson (Yes), Seal and Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz).

New York’s activist singers Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping Choir bring their “joyful, radical music for the Earth” to the UK.

After performances across the country, the exuberant troupe play Liverpool’s Capstone Theatre next week before heading to COP 26 International Conference for Climate Change with two shows in Glasgow.

Whether COP26 will be so pleased to see them however remains to be seen!

The Earth Riot Tour is like a cloudburst of melody and rhythm mixed with open conversation about the uprising of our physical world. At a turning point in our lives, as shock extinction accelerates, how do we live and how do we love?

Join in for some live Folk-inspired music at The Kazimier Stockroom with The Hermit and singer-songwriters Ste Forshaw, Laura James & Andrew Stride.

The Hermit are a new psych folk trio – reimagining folk tunes with angular rhythms, subtle melodies and airs of improvisation. ‘A mixture of the sea, sheep and psychedelia’.

Ste Forshaw is a singer songwriter from Merseyside. He draws on indie, pop and soul influences to bring to life an incredible array of original songs, both as a solo performer and more recently, with a full band of amazing musicians. His rustic blues tones & folk element punctuate songs about relationships, sex, politics, science, memories, philosophy, mortality and more.

Having played all over the world with the likes of Little Mountain, supporting Morcheeba, featuring on radio shows and honing his skills on the Southbank in London, Ste is a stand out act in the UK scene with an unmistakable sound.

Laura James is a London-based indie-folk artist from Cumbria. Renowned for the penetrating sensuality of her vocals and for her piercingly stripped-back style, over recent years Laura has received critical acclaim for her songwriting – winning a prestigious MBF (now Help Musicians UK) songwriting development award and being championed by highly respected presenters like Bob Harris (BBC Radio 2) and Tom Robinson (BBC Radio 6).

Her most recent release ‘You Are Loved’ was chosen as a BBC Radio Cumbria ‘Track Of The Week’ in 2020. Laura has been selected to play at Whispering Bob Harris’ ‘Under The Apple Tree’ Sessions as well as everywhere from The Betsey Trotwood, The Green Note, O2 Academy Sheffield, Bush Hall and Kendal Calling to Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape and the DBMC Festival in Delaware. ‘This is gorgeous’. Bob Harris (BBC Radio 2)

Andrew Stride is a Liverpool based multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter. Many times a drummer and keyboardist for other projects (Douga, Laura James, Tongues), 2020 lockdown gave him the space and focus to bring his own ideas into their full forms. Andrew’s songs are written, performed, recorded and produced in his humble home studio setup. They express his unique blend of meditations and musings with his love of a mesmeric groove and sonic journey.

Kickstarting the project Andrew is releasing his folk-rock single Business as Usual on the 19th November. The day will also see him sharing his oeuvre with the world for the first time at the Kaz Stockroom in Liverpool, alongside an esoteric lineup of singer-songwriters and the new psych-folk outfit The Hermit.

Starring and produced by world renowned Elvis performer Chris Connor, with his 12 piece live band The Steels and backing vocals by The Sweet Harmonies.

A magnificent 2 hour theatre production, recreating 2 popular Elvis Presley concerts.

This show respectively and authentically recreates ELVIS at his very best recreating 2 concerts – selling out in all theatres! You will simply feel that you have been transported back in to time.

If you were not lucky enough to see Elvis live, you will walk away from this concert feeling that you have! many Elvis fans are left emotionally moved when they leave the show.

There is only ONE Elvis Presley, however fans all around the world are talking about Chris Connor who is remarkably so very close to Elvis in both looks and voice and mannerisms.

Two multi-award winning artists from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean will come together for what’s set to be a wonderful night of music in Liverpool this November.

The distance that separates Cuba and Senegal – the respective birthplaces of piano virtuoso Omar Sosa and kora maestro Seckou Keita – is diminished by their shared ancestral connection to Africa.

When the pair met in 2012, Seckou loved Omar for his musical spirituality, whilst Omar saw in Seckou a rare ability to collaborate but not lose his identity. Their debut album Transparent Water was hailed as ‘beautiful, rhapsodic…spiritual’ (Songlines) and ‘mesmerising, evocative and sophisticated’ (World Music Central).

Sosa has released over 30 albums during an incredible career that has included nominations for seven Grammy or Latin Grammy awards. Keita is also a multi-award winner, most recently named as the prestigious BBC Radio 2 ‘Folk Musician of the Year’.

Recorded during lockdown and released in October 2021, Sosa and Keita’s second album SUBAis a hymn to hope, to a new dawn of compassion and real change in a post-pandemic world, a visceral reiteration of humanity’s perennial prayer for peace and unity.

Joining Omar and Seckou in Liverpool in November is the inimitable Venezuelan percussionist Gustavo Ovalles.

One of the most exciting & high energy live bands on the circuit, Dub Pistols blend reggae, ska, dub, punk, breaks and drum ‘n’ bass.

Support on the night comes from Birmingham’s finest, KIOKO, as well as Positive Vibration DJs.

It’s always a raucous party when the Pistols are in town.

Fast approaching their 30th anniversary, electro-dub pioneers Dreadzone are an unstoppable force who have long been, and still are, one of the best live bands around.

With a loyal and ever-growing fanbase due in part to their storming and energetic live shows, the band continue to wow audiences across the world.

Following Zion Train’s outstanding set at this year’s Positive Vibration Festival, they make a much-welcomed return to Liverpool.

This time, they’ll be bringing their sound system – Abassi Hi Power.

A collaboration with Positive Vibration, the first instalment of Zion Train Dub Club promises to nice up the place with 5 hours of dubbed-out, heavyweight bass.

BlackFest Festival 2021 present their Festival Closing Ceremony Celebration Night. A night of fun, celebration and artistic entertainment.

They greet Black History Month with remembrance, celebration, peace and love. The line-up includes community performances and entertainment to bring everybody together to celebrate the multicultural city we live in.

Performances are to include:

The Wavertree Community Gospel Choir – a multi-faith and multi-generational choir. The choir’s repertoire includes Gospel and uplifting popular music.

Nicaisa Kanga is a singer-songwriter. Today he is using his vocal talents to say thank you to his adopted home in Liverpool and to raise money to support the city’s rough sleepers.

A popular recording artist in his home country, Kanga, was forced to leave after producing the song ‘El Mutino’ that was critical of the country’s leaders following a military coup. The big-hearted singer has decided to donate10% of the royalties from the song ‘Give It To Me’ to the Whitechapel Centre, to support its work with rough sleepers.

They also have performances from long time activist, poet, performer Curtis Watt. Digitz – a local young aspiring rapper with a multitude of skills in performance, filming, editing and is a singer, songwriter.

Naami Jane Soya – a spoken word artist, poet. Sinead Renaye is an actress, poet and singer. Manoka Mbolokele – a poet and performer and their youngest performer Kiki Lu-Naa Baxter Yakubu – a 5-years-old singer/poet who is currently crowned Mini Miss Global Darling.

Over the last year Kiki has used her platform to raise awareness for Black lives matter and has started a successful campaign in which she is donating anti-racism boxes to schools with over 30 businesses involved to date. Kiki will be performing a poem and singing a song for all.

Additionally, Staged Kaos will present:

Jamaica Farewell- A Windrush story’.

Join them as they take you on an intergenerational journey celebrating the lives, legacies and impact of the Windrush. This energetic story full of music and dance and performed by Liverpool’s talented Kaos Kids brings to life this important piece of history in a way which everyone can understand.

Once performances have taken place, they will have DJ’s Girls Don’t Sync a local Liverpool female DJ collective that will have you on your feet as the celebration continues.

They will have plant-based food from Yamm Tree providing healing, goodness and energy for health and well being. Insta: @Yammtree

Eat Up Gud will also provide some meat options. Insta: @eatupgud

So head along and rejoice with everyone at BlackFest Celebration Night!