Event type: Performance

BUSK

Toe-tapping. Life-affirming. Joyous. 

BUSK is a breathtaking story of love, hope and redemption. Created by narrative dance theatre trailblazers Project Dance, this unmissable production promises to enchant audiences of all ages with world-class performances and a soul-lifting original score. 

At Fox and The Fiddle, music spills into every corner. Landlord Hugo brings each night to life for his tight-knit community of regulars, serving up musical performances with a charismatic smile. He cherishes every moment with his daughter, Isla, while longing to repair the broken strings of his life with his former partner, Lauren. 

Then, a fragile soul appears with a melody that seems to belong to them all. The beauty and brutality of life collide, building to a crescendo that threatens to push them all to breaking point. When the only compass leading home lies in the eyes of a stranger, it becomes unclear whether life will ever be the same again. 

Back by popular demand, BUSK features acclaimed choreography by James Bamford and an enchanting soundtrack by Charles Harrison.  

“An exciting, sad, thoughtful, provocative, engaging and joyous dance theatre work.” 

– Fine Times Recorder, 2025 

Presented in association with The Octagon Theatre, Yeovil. BUSK is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England. 

Written by James Bamford and Grace Noelle 

Music by Charles Harrison 

Proudly part of More Than Dance

 

Show contains some adult themes.

Suitable for ages 6+.

A Turn for the Better

How can local healthcare better serve the whole community?

This family friendly cabaret performance, co-created with marginalised communities in Liverpool, reimagines hidden stories of health inequity with humour and hope. Through fable and myth we create a vision for more inclusive medicine and community care. Join us to stand up for universal healthcare.

Suitable for all ages. Babies and toddlers welcome!

Tickets are ‘Pay What You Can’ and priced from £2 to £12 (under 5s free).

If you have a group who would benefit from seeing the show but you have a limited budget, please get in touch: info@collective-encounters.org.uk

Sofar Sounds: Coffee Series

Sofar Liverpool are celebrating the coffee joints and their wonderful communities.

Intimate performances from rising talents in music and poetry, against the backdrop of some of the most relaxing spaces the city has to offer.

First up, they’ll be at Pocket Cafe.

The Girl Who Could Fly 2.0

Stephen Porter’s sell-out event comes to Liverpool Fringe.

‘The Girl Who Could Fly 2’ is a (very) darkly comic play in which the author’s alter ego (Saint Vespaluus) tries to piece together the reasons for his dreadful act of near self destruction after waking up in a Manchester hospital in the mid 1980s.

Poetry, prose and stand-up are all use to startling effect in this brilliant one-person show.18+

Adult themes, strong language, suicide references.

BLAST! (Vol 46)

BLAST! (Vol 46)The North West’s liveliest Spoken Word night! Poetry, prose, stand-up and music, with each artist given just five minutes to strut their stuff. It’s a lovely, lively, friendly and inclusive night – and all are welcome.

Get down early to secure a table!

Find us at The Excelsior in Dale Street.

See you there!

The Shamrocks

The roaring, rousing atmosphere of traditional Irish pubs will be brought to stages across the country as Emmy Award-winning group The Shamrocks embark on their debut UK tour.

After wowing audiences across the globe – from the Sydney Opera House to the Kennedy Center in Washington DC – the five-piece harmony and multi-instrumental group are taking their incredible show and Belfast charm to some of the UK’s most prestigious venues.

Dubbed ‘one of Northern Ireland’s greatest ever exports’, The Shamrocks promise a night packed full of Irish charm, with classics including Danny Boy, Wild Rover and Whiskey In The Jar reimagined in their unique style, alongside original songs and compositions. Featuring some of Northern Ireland’s most exciting musical talent, with more than 100 million views of their videos online and concerts in more than 30 countries, The Shamrocks continue to reimagine the Irish songbook as we know it, while celebrating their roots.

Festival preview and launch feat. Enda McCabe

The Festival begins here.

Join us at Liverpool Irish Centre — the spiritual home of the Irish community in the city — to toast the start of Liverpool Irish Festival 2026. This is an evening for old friends and new faces, for community and conversation, and for raising a glass to everything the Festival stands for. Book ahead to claim your free arrival drink.

This year’s launch is centred on the theme I Am Here and there are few better embodiments of that spirit than our guest musician, Enda McCabe. A Dubliner by birth — who spent 24 years in England before returning to Ireland — Enda is back on the road after receiving a kidney transplant in October 2021, following almost seven years on dialysis. His return to performing is, in itself, a statement of presence; of life claimed back, of music that refused to be silenced. (Links: Dreamers, Folk Folkinoxford)

His show combines songs, music and stories — most based on personal experience — delivered with warmth and craft that have won him audiences across Ireland, Britain, Europe and the United States. On the night, Enda will weave music with reflections on his transplant journey: a story of resilience, compassion and the gift of being here at all.

Guests will also hear from Festival organisers, sponsors and partners. This event is supported and hosted by the Consulate of Ireland who will be present and to whom we offer our thanks.

The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong

Wooden Bridge Productions brings this retelling of a great historical injustice to Liverpool’s Unity Theatre. The Life and Times of Paddy Armstrong details the story of Paddy Armstrong, who in 1975 was falsely convicted of helping to carry out the Guildford and Woolwich bombings: 

Fifty years after his wrongful conviction, at the age of 74, Paddy is facing into his twilight years and wrestling with a thousand turbulent memories. In Paddy he relives the journey that forever altered his destiny.

A one-man show, starring Don Wycherley as Paddy, the play is inspired by Paddy’s memoir Life After Life, a Guildford Four Memoir (2017). Paddy is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of forgiveness, reminding us that the privilege of freedom and love, family and everyday life can restore us and mend the scars of even the most savage injustice.

Don Wycherley brings unflinching honesty, pathos and humour to his portrayal of Paddy, a man failed and scarred by a flawed system yet refusing to be defined by it. Paddy will make you laugh, it will probably make you cry and ultimately you will leave the theatre uplifted by this unforgettable play starring one of Ireland’s most loved actors.

★★★★★ “Don Wycherley is incandescent in this journey from disaster to redemption” – Irish Times 

A note

We recommend that anyone with lived experience of the Troubles — from any community — considers carefully whether this work is right for them at this time. Support services are available before and after the performance and a list of external services will be made available on the night.