Event type: Music

Future Yard are proud to team up with long-time collaborators Events471 to present Navigation Festival.

Across two stages, Events471 turns Argyle Street into an all-day alternative haven of music and spoken word performance offering something truly unique for anyone who enjoys stepping outside the mainstream.

Headlined by the returning Nuha Ruby Ra, The Orchestra (For Now) and Bread Hotel also perform, with more musical artists still TBA.

Additionally, born from the much-loved Wordsmithery night, this event showcases some of their favourite local songwriters and poets, blending local talent with nationally acclaimed artists across two unique stages.

Liverpool’s premiere ‘in the round’ style songwriter showcase and music networking event comes to Birkenhead on Tuesday 18th March.

3 artists are set to join them to perform and discuss their music on the night, all TBA.

Danny & The Champions Of The World perform at Future Yard on Sunday 23rd March 2025.

Bringing with them an expansive rock and soul sound, akin to the likes of The War on Drugs dipped in Bluegrass and delivered in the titular’s Danny raspy, yearning vocals, they join us in spring in support of their brand new album, ‘You Are Not A Stranger Here‘ (out now).

Their seventh studio release and first since 2017’s ‘Brilliant Light,’ ‘You Are Not A Stranger Here’ is the sound of a band exploring new and surprising musical terrain.

The old contradiction that in creating something intensely personal, you can share something inspiringly universal, is at the heart of a remarkable new album by Danny & the Champions of the World. ‘You Are Not A Stranger Here’ is a formidable body of work that dates back to 2007. It’s full of brilliantly cohesive performances that come together to reach a new creative peak, founded on the most reflective and deep-seated lyrics to date by frontman Danny George Wilson.

It’s an intricate and beguiling tapestry of highly-crafted sounds by a band at the top of their game and a songwriter on an honest and unpretentious quest for some truth. If that sounds potentially dark and doom-laden, the results are anything but, on a record that’s deeply relatable, infectious and moving.

Future Yard welcomes the return of Duke Garwood, a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter known for his brooding, atmospheric sound that blends blues, rock, and experimental elements.

An often collaborator with the likes of Mark Lanegan, Duke has a distinctive sonic style marked by deep, textured guitar work and haunting vocals. Garwood’s music evokes a sense of dark introspection, drawing listeners into a world of smoky, raw emotion.

Daníel Hjálmtýsson and Whelligan supports.

Future Yard are thrilled to welcome UK Garage legend Wookie to the Future Yard decks on Saturday 29th March.

A name that has become synonymous with a distinct sound that has shaped the landscape of electronic music, Jason Chue, aka Wookie, stands tall as one of the most influential founding fathers of UK Garage.

From the early days of his musical career, Wookie released timeless classics like ‘Scrappy’, ‘Down On Me’, and ‘Storm’ through his esteemed label, ManChu Recordings. In 1995, he signed with Jazzie B’s Soul II Soul production team. He subsequently embarked on a solo journey, working tirelessly to create his own distinctive sound. His dedication paid off as he released a series of white labels, instantly taking his career to new heights. The talented producer secured a deal with Jazzie B’s label and released his 2000 groundbreaking self-titled album. Rising to prominence with his UK top 10 hit ‘Battle’ and his remix of Sia’s ‘Little Man’, Wookie’s sound has become a major influence on a new generation of producers, including the likes of Disclosure, Rudimental, Skream, and Benga. His style laid the foundation for the birth of the current UK-born electronic bass movement.

With a busy production and DJing schedule, and the continued growth of his ManChu Recordings label, Wookie joins us as he embarks on the next exciting chapter of his musical career.

Future Yard are thrilled to welcome the funk soul powerhouse Tom McGuire and the Brassholes.

Combining rich arrangements with meticulous songcraft and untouchable in live performance, the band’s music is full of vitality, the sound of a new niche being cut, classic pop sensibility with high musicianship values and rewarding arrangement and rich production. At the root is soulful song, telling stories and sharing experiences of joy, turmoil, loss, celebration, sadness, happiness, confidence, frailty.

All told hyper distilled and delivered in finely honed funk pop parcels of aesthetic joy. Life is confusing and hard, but music is fun and great, so let’s talk about it whilst at one and the same time, getting down.

On Saturday 12th April, Future Yard teams up with BEFORCE PRODUCTION to bring reggae legends Manasseh, Brother Culture & Earl 16 to Birkenhead for their first-ever live date in the north of England.

Manasseh, a legendary selector, producer, and UK dub pioneer since the 1980s, built the Manasseh sound system in 1985 with a group of friends with the aim of playing reggae with a roots focus. In 1987, Nick began his show on Kiss FM. Manasseh has produced, mixed, written, and remixed music for many other artists and labels, including Reggae Roast Records, Foundation Records, Digi Signal Records, Dubkasm, Soothsayers, Emiliana Torrini, Pama International, Resonators, The Drop, J Star, The Trojans, and Rootikal Records amongst many others.

Brother Culture, one of the most important figures in the world of reggae and dub, is from Brixton, London, and has left a sizeable stamp on the genre across the globe. He has worked with many big soundsystems and producers, including Jah Revelation Muzik, King Tafari Love, On-U Sound, Manasseh, Mungo’s HiFi, Zion Train, and The Prodigy. Brother Culture shows no signs of slowing down, continuing to inspire new generations of listeners and artists alike.

Earl 16, a Jamaican reggae singer, deepened his involvement with Rasta culture, with most of his work based on roots, reality, and spiritual themes. His solo career continued growing in the late 70s and early 80s, as he sang for reggae luminaries such as Augustus Pablo, Mikey Dread, Earl Morgan from The Heptones, Linval Thompson, and the Ray Symbolic Sound System by Ranking Joe and Jah Screw. Over the years, Earl 16 has continued to live in London, working with many of the UK’s top producers.

Lisa Knapp and Gerry Diver, a dynamic duo, fuse their deep-seated love for English and Irish folk traditions into a vibrant project that’s as grounded in tradition as it is daring in innovation.

With Knapp’s distinctive voice and her skill in weaving the ancient with the contemporary, alongside Diver’s fiddle virtuosity and trailblazing production, they’re crafting an auditory journey that honours the past while boldly stepping into new musical territories.