Liverpool John Moores University is leading an exciting new partnership with Malaysian-based music promotor Black Label Productions. Dr Nedim Hassan has developed this collaboration through his industry collective Metal in Merseyside. On 3rd and 4th October Black Label Productions will be bringing extreme metal band Black Fire to play in Liverpool as the first stop in their UK tour. The tour is supported by the Malaysian government with the backing of LJMU which also chairs the UK Malaysia University Consortium. An academic symposium will be hosted at LJMU on the Friday, exploring the impact of metal music bringing together metal music industry practitioners and academics. On Saturday 4th an evening showcasing some of the rising stars of heavy rock and metal music will take place at Liverpool city centre venue EBGBS on Seel Street. Free tickets are available at ticket website
Brian Bilston is one of the UK’s most popular poets. Having started out by sharing his poems online, Brian now has over half a million followers on social media and a raft of bestselling books.
The Catenary Wires are a group comprising Amelia Fletcher, Rob Pursey and Ian Button. Their critically acclaimed third album Birling Gap was released in 2021.
A couple of years ago, word reached Rob and Amelia that Brian was a big fan of their music. Given that they, in turn, were fans of Brian’s poetry, introductions were made, friendships were formed, and Sounds Made By Humans took shape.
The album isn’t a set of readings with musical backdrops: it’s a collection of songs, where words and music have become completely intertwined. There are verses, and there are choruses. There is no ‘riffing’, no improvisation. In many ways, Brian’s poems are already like pop songs: brief, direct, and witty; sometimes poignant or political; but always economical and accessible.
Arcangelo Corelli Sonata in F, Op.5 No.4 for violin and cello Stravinsky Suite Italienne, for violin and piano: Introduction, Gavotte and two variations Berio Sequenza XIV, for cello Timothy Jackson Continuo, for violin solo with cello and pianoArcangelo Corelli Sonata in F, Op.5 No.4 for violin and pianoStravinsky Suite Italienne, for cello and piano: Introduction, SerenataBerio Sequenza VIII, for violinTimothy Jackson Continuo, for cello solo with violin and piano
Pixels Ensemble:Sophie Rosa violinAlex Holladay celloIan Buckle piano
Music that changes shape beguilingly: Pixels presents two mirrored versions of pieces by Corelli and Timothy Jackson, revealing them in different lights. Two of Berio’s groundbreaking Sequenzas lie at the heart of an intriguing evening, with nuggets of Stravinsky enriching the Italian theme.
Liadov Baba-YagaVictoria Borisova-Ollas Oh Giselle, remember me… (UK premiere / RLPS co-commission with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra)Shostakovich Symphony No.7, ‘Leningrad’Vasily Petrenko conductorVictor Julien-Laferrière cello
A great city is under siege, and as the bullets fly, the defenders of Leningrad use loudspeakers to blast Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, defiant and colossal, at the Nazi forces. Everything about the Leningrad Symphony is supersized, and trust us: when Vasily Petrenko conducts it, you’ll feel the air shake. This is music that’s larger than life, and we’ve paired it with an emotional and much-anticipated new concerto by Victoria Borisova-Ollas, co-commissioned by Liverpool Philharmonic and performed for the first time in the UK.
Boccherini/Berio Ritirata notturna di MadridBernstein Chichester Psalms*Copland Clarinet ConcertoEinojuhani Rautavaara Cantus ArcticusSibelius Symphony No.5Geoffrey Paterson conductorJulian Bliss clarinetAgustin Pennino countertenor*Royal Liverpool Philharmonic ChoirMatthew Hamilton Director of Choirs and Singing
“What beauty!” exclaimed Jean Sibelius, as he saw a flight of swans in the northern sky. They inspired his magnificent Fifth Symphony, and that radiant piece is tonight seamlessly introduced by Finnish composer Rautavaara’s haunting ‘Concerto for Birds and Orchestra’. But conductor Geoffrey Paterson begins with midnight in Madrid, honouring Berio’s 100th birthday with a work that received its UK premiere here in Liverpool from our Orchestra. It’s a wonderful contrast to Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms and the all-American sunshine of Copland’s Clarinet Concerto, played by Julian Bliss.
Schubert Piano Trio No.1 in B-flat major, D898Schubert Piano Trio No.2 in E-flat major, D929Imogen Cooper pianoHenning Kraggerud violinAdrian Brendel cello‘Three distinguished players carving out an oasis of warm but focused performances … the ensemble was magical.’ – The StradWhen you bring together the great British pianist Imogen Cooper, inspirational Norwegian violinist Henning Kraggerud and cellist Adrian Brendel, you might call the result a classical supergroup. But with these three, it’s only ever about the joy of making music, and chamber music doesn’t get more lyrical or poetic than Schubert’s two gloriously tuneful piano trios.
2025 is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Black British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. Tayo Aluko & Friends CIC in partnership with BlackFest and Liverpool Hope University to hold a Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Day Festival on Saturday 11 October 2025 at Hope University’s creative campus.
The day will include some of Coleridge-Taylor’s works featuring singers and instrumentalists singing and playing the composer’s music. , and Tayo Aluko’s play, Coleridge-Taylor of Freetown at The Captone Theatre.
With a pure silken voice and lyrics that inspire and captivate, Martha Tilston has gained a large and loyal following. She has performed on some of the world’s most prestigious stages, released several critically acclaimed albums, gained a nomination for BBC best newcomer, appeared as a guest vocalist for Zero 7, toured internationally and worked with some of the world’s most inspiring performers. The past few years have seen Martha venture into the world of film making. She recently released her first feature film, The Tape, which is garnering much praise and excitement.
With her long-time collaborators and musicians Matt Tweed and Matt Kelly, she entwines raw vocals, sparkling melodies and thought-provoking lyrics with filmic movements and earthy baselines. To see them live is to connect with longed-for parts of ourselves…
Nadia Reid’s Enter Now Brightness is an album of departure and questioning, a reminder that songwriting can transform pain, joy, thoughts, and anger into something new. “I’m so much better off now that it exists,” she says. “Now feels like a new time.”
Moving further from her folk roots, Reid establishes a sound distinctly her own—poised and expansive. The title, drawn from a book passage, evokes light breaking through, the feeling of stepping onto a stage, of life beginning.
A record of great beauty and change, Enter Now Brightness captures Reid’s evolution, blending textural pop, country-leaning folk-rock, and striking emotional depth. The Guardian describes her sound as “halfway between Haim’s sophisticated pop sparkle and Sharon Van Etten’s full-throated songcraft.”
With support from Kevin Fowley
Reflections on minor league football, empty nest syndrome, learning to swim, Cook-in Sauce and of course, the Gecko as a metaphor for contemporary society!
Tom Robinson and Chris Difford are fans while Stick In The Wheel and The Unthanks look to him as an influence. In a world of soundbites and distractions Chris Wood is a truth seeker. His writing is permeated with love and wry intelligence, uplifting and challenging as he celebrates the sheer one-thing-after-anotherness of life.
Winner of 6 BBC Folk Awards, he’s played with The Royal Shakespeare Company and was a key member of The Imagined Village along with Billy Bragg, Martin and Eliza Carthy. A wise and soulful craftsman, his concerts are a cliche free zone.
