Jack Tan: Performing Boardness

Join FACT for a performance and discussion with artist Jack Tan.

For the last year, artist Jack Tan has been the artist-in-residence on our Board of Trustees examining questions of trust, accounting and accountability. Inspired by the work of Artists Placement Group, Jack and members of the Board invite you to participate in a number of parallel roundtable discussions and share your thoughts on key ideas in art, culture and life in Liverpool.

This work of performance art will mark the culmination of Jack’s residency and will be documented and shared as part of his practice and Jack Tan’s residency is supported by Artsformation, a European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.

Image: Tan, Jack Ky. ‘Art School Surgery’ part of How To Do Things With Rules, 2015. Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore.

The Comedy Hypnotism Night with Alan B...

A world famous comedy hypnotist from Wirral is performing at West Kirby Social Club ‘for one night only’ on Saturday 30th July 2022.

Internationally renowned Alan Bates, from Oxton, is performing locally for the first time in years and it’s set to be an unforgettable night of magic, mystery and madness.

Alan Bates is the most televised comedy hypnotist of all time and has previously featured on The Graham Norton Show and The Saturday Night Show. He has performed in countless countries across the globe for the likes of the Royal Family of Brunei and has also collaborated with the late Derek Acorah,

The show in West Kirby on 30th July will be a unique opportunity to experience one of the world’s greatest ever comedy hypnotists in an intimate venue and is set to be a very special night of entertainment. After touring internationally, notably in Malta where he’s a regular television personality, the West Kirby event will be his first back in Wirral for some time.

Filla Crack’s Pride Drag Cabaret...

After a 2-year hiatus, Liverpool Pride is back, and Everyman’s resident queen, Filla Crack, is bringing together some of the best local queer cabaret stars to get the celebrations started early.

Downstairs at The Everyman is a safe, fully accessible space for all to enjoy the art of gender-bending-performance in a traditional cabaret style venue (Filla likes to call her “cove”). Safely tucked away with it’s own bar and food available on the night, it’s a perfect way to “pre-pride” or make the night your main event if the pride crowds can become too much.

Put on your best Pride outfit and join them for an evening of laughter, sparkle and celebration as Filla and her gang bring the house down with a rainbow bang!!!

It’s time to order your biodegradable glitter, WhatsApp the group and book now before it sells out.

Alfie Moore

Join BBC Radio 4’s cop-turned-comedian Alfie Moore for his latest stand-up show.

Fair Cop Unleashed is based on a dramatic real-life incident from Alfie’s police casebook. Relive with him the thrilling ups and downs of the night a mysterious clown came to town and more than one life ended up in the balance. It was no laughing matter – but this show certainly is!

Enjoy Alfie’s unique brand of humour hilariously woven together with his personal insights into his life on the front-line of the police force.

Henry Normal

Armed only with a chair and a mic, stories, jokes and poetry Henry Normal takes on the world looking for a win-win situation.

Henry is a writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Literature festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival.

Henry co-wrote and script-edited the multi-award winning The Mrs Merton Show and the spin off series Mrs Merton and Malcolm. He also co-wrote the first series of The Royle Family and the BAFTA award-winning Paul and Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan’s Run, Tony Ferrino, Doctor Terrible, all three of Steve Coogan’s live tours and the film The Parole Officer.

Henry set up Baby Cow Productions Ltd in the 90s, which have produced highlights such as Philomena, I Believe in Miracles, Gavin and Stacey, Moone Boy, Uncle, Marion and Geof, Nighty Night, The Mighty Boosh, Red Dwarf, Hunderby, Camping and Alan Partridge.

Since retiring in April 2016, Henry has written and performed eight BBC Radio 4 shows A Normal Family,  A Normal Life, A Normal Love, A Normal Creativity and A Normal Nature combining comedy, poetry and stories about his family. His ninth show A Normal Community will be recorded in June 2022 for transmission in the summer.

Now Henry Normal returns to the Music Room with his show Sit Down Poetry – it’s like stand up poetry, but more thoughtful and relaxed and easier on the legs!

BLAST! (6) – A Spoken Word Extra...

BLAST! is an excellent spoken word evening and for their sixth edition they’re at the Old Bank Ale House in Aigburth.

Some very lovely people indeed. And it’s free! Head along and enjoy a great night of spoken word.

The night features…

Saint Vespaluus

Louise Fitzsimons

Louise Evans

Cath Holland

Sally Porter

Eve Howlett

Laura Ferries

Jamie Yates

Queer Icons – Poetry Showcase

Hosted by Day Mattar and Auntie Climax this one-of performance poetry event will profile 15 North west based queer poets exploring Queer Icons through the lens of celebrity, fetish, the symbolic and the sacred.

They’ll also be celebrating the end of the ‘Queer Icons’ course with the Queer Icons Pamphlet available to pre-order through Broken Sleep Books.

Access information:

BSL interpretation will be available and the venue is wheelchair accessible.

Please message queerbodiespoetry@gmail.com with any specific access requests / information.

NML XTRA

For one night only, Homotopia’s Queer the City project will take over the Museum of Liverpool in their first NML Xtra event. An evening showcasing some of the region’s most exciting LGBTQ+ artists all under one roof, the museum will be brought to life with experiences, encounters and installations embedded around its galleries for guests to discover and enjoy.

With more to be announced the line-up includes:

  • Ghetto Fabulous presents the thrilling Catwalk Extravaganza. Dancers go head-to-head in a dance, fashion, and lip sync competition at this interactive event where the audience decides the winner. Join this fabulous celebration of self-expression and help crown the champ!
  • A night-long immersive reimagining of Virgina Woolf’s Mrs Dalloway (1925), created and performed by Matthew Rawcliffe and William James. Matthew is a dance artist from Manchester who is best known for being a grand finalist in BBC Young Dancer (2019).
  • Spice Boys, Walter Ego, Ryan & Uncle Martin, will drag up your life, serving 90s/00s boyband nostalgia and dance moves.
  • Luna Thee Frenchie and Abbie Morris of QueenswaY, a female, LGBTQ+ and non-binary collective which celebrates artists across the Wirral and Liverpool, come together to supply a range of melodic beats that will have guests on their feet.
  • Live music from singer songwriter, iamkyami, whose neo-soul, RnB, hip hop and indie sound was recently profiled in National Museums Liverpool’s Museum Sessions
  • Hands-on activist art workshops led by local artists, Sophie Green and Leo Welton.
  • Spoken word by Queer Bodies, a north-west based poetry collective. Poems inspired by LGBTQ+ writers and the poetic techniques, voices and style that gives their work character, will make for empowering and inspiring performances.

NML Xtra

NML Xtra is a series of events taking over National Museums Liverpool’ venues and spaces like never before outside daytime opening hours. Providing sparkling entertainment and delicious food and drink, the NML Xtra series will both reimagine the venues and invite visitors to explore collections in new and creative ways.

Photo Credit: Joshua Cadogan

Franz and Dan’s Quiz with the Qu...

Drag artists Franz Genau and Dan Chan have landed in Liverpool to take over Chapter of Us for Pride. Expect queer trivia, drinks, performances and a STUNNING art prize to be won!

Music by MixMart DJ.

The event is 18+ only. Come for the queers, stay for the quiz!

Follow the artists on instagram:

Franz Genau: @queerartisan

Dan Chan: @the_danchan

MixMart DJ: @mix__mart

A Lovely Word with Blue Saint (Outside...

A Lovely Word return to the great outdoors!

Yes that’s right, hosted by Unusual Art Sourcing Company and Becky Downing, we give you A Lovely Word in the park, at St James, just below the cathedral. St James’ Garden, Off Upper Duke Street, Liverpool, L8

Introducing Merseyside’s most eclectic spoken word night, where you can turn up, enjoy some poetry or get up and speak yourself. Split into two halves of open mic-ers, with a headliner at the beginning of the second half.

This free event is a fun, relaxed and friendly evening of performance poetry. So turn up, bring your own seat, maybe a picnic, whatever you like! Their headliner is Blue Saint.

About Blue Saint:

Daniel Sebuyange, known professionally as Blue Saint, is a Congolese and British rapper, singer-songwriter, spoken word poet, actor, producer and designer.

A part of Writing on the Wall’s Liverpool Young Writers at the ages twelve to sixteen, winner of The Poetry Society’s SLAMbassadors Award at fourteen, a MOBO BeMOBO Award nominee at the age of fifteen and winner of Merseyrail Soundstation 2014 at the age of twenty, a prize celebrating breaking new talent in the Liverpool music scene.

Blue Saint has also gone on to receive various accolades and achievements for his music, community work and activism. He was included in Liverpool Echo’s “30 under 30: The young people changing the face of Liverpool in 2020” and in The Common Sense Network’s “North30: 2021 North of England’s 30 Under 30 Trail Blazers”.

Throughout his years he has performed at events alongside UK chart topping artists such as Ed Sheeran, Plan B, Wretch 32, Akala, Sway, Lowkey, Benjamin Zephaniah and Jerry Dammers of The Specials, as well as American artists such as Pharoahe Monch and Saul Williams.

He has performed in many places including the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, Somerset House, Sofar Sounds and has also collaborated with the Royal Northern College of Music session orchestra.

TAKE PART

If you want to sign up in advance, then please whether you are a new poet performing for the first time or a seasoned poet who wants to try out some new stuff – sign up to perform by EITHER;

I) turning up at 7pm to the park (limited availability)
II) emailing alovelywordpodcast@gmail.com with a confirmation of your full name, mobile number and ‘2nd June St James’ in the email title.

When signing up to perform, you are signing up to these principles of the open mic: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S70y959L3YzOtrbxaHV7RXytXQG4tal28sLPuxB9l_c/edit?usp=sharing