Omar Sosa & Seckou Keita

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.

Dub Pistols

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.

Dreadzone

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.

Zion Train Dub Club

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.

ON RECORD 2021

A brand new programme celebrating and exploring Black music on Merseyside is launching

ON RECORD, returns for the second year with a raft of brand new in-person, online and audio commissions looking at the impact of Black music on the city region’s communities over the past 70 years. 

Running from Sunday 24 October to Sunday 7 November, live music performances, documentaries, walking tours, workshops, debates and podcasts will make up the thought-provoking programme.  

ON RECORD 2021 will also see the launch of the first Liverpool City Region Black Music Action Group which will act as a voice for the sector. Meeting on Monday 25 October, it will be chaired by singer-songwriter and vocal coach Jennifer John. 

Highlights of the programme include:

Clash x ON RECORD 

On Sunday 24 October, Black music titans will go head-to-head in a musical culture clash as house, dancehall, garage and R&B DJs take each other on over the turntables, fighting for the title of Clash x ON RECORD champion. This free event will take place at 24 Kitchen Street. 

LIMF Academy Presents…
A showcase of alternative Black music artists from Liverpool will be broadcast live on Melodic Distraction radio, on Tuesday 26 October.

Black Nights Music Trail with Curtis Watt

Hosted by Liverpool poet and author Curtis Watt, enjoy a walk around Liverpool 8 to explore and discover why most locals from the African diaspora chose to party closer to home on their weekends back in the day, and spotlight some of the stories and cultural influence of some of the key venues and spaces in the area. The ticketed, free tours will take place on Saturday 30 and Sunday 31 October.

Liverpool ONE Project: Take Two
Why do members of the Black music community – who were prolific a decade ago – no longer feel there are opportunities in the region? Is this an accurate reflection and is it something currently felt in the industry? A documentary, live event taking place at District on Thursday 4 November and an EP release on Friday 5 November will look to tell this story and seek out the answers to these important questions. 

Grime > Punk 

A one-day event at Tate Liverpool will consider what has had the most enduring impact on music and culture – grime or punk? Discussions, live music, art, photography and fashion workshops will all take place on Saturday 6 November and tickets are free.

Podcasts 

From Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 October, a series of visualised podcasts dive in to different Black music topics such as the impact of a Toxteth-based performing arts initiative and looking at the 90s heyday of hip-hop. On Sunday 7 November, ON RECORD will culminate with a live podcast recording featuring music and panel discussions charting the history of Black music across Merseyside. 

To find full details of all the events and ticket links, please visit www.onrecordmerseyside.com.   

The Musical of Musicals…The Musical!

Liverpool’s very own Eithne Browne best known for her role as Chrissy Rogers in hit TV series Brookside will be headlining a new professional production of The Musical of Musicals…The Musical! 

This revival will be the first professional production in the UK outside of London and the debut production for newly formed Laffan Productions which is helmed by professional actor and director Sharon Byatt.

Written by Eric Rockwell and Joanne BogartThe Musical of Musicals…The Musical! is a musical about musicals! In this hilarious satire of musical theatre, one story becomes five delightful musicals, each written in the distinctive style of a different master of the form. June is an ingenue who can’t pay the rent and is threatened by her evil landlord.

Will the handsome leading man come to the rescue? The variations are: a Rodgers & Hammerstein version, set in Kansas in August, complete with a dream ballet; a Sondheim version, featuring the landlord as a tortured artistic genius who slashes the throats of his tenants in revenge for not appreciating his work; a Jerry Herman version, as a splashy star vehicle; an Andrew Lloyd Webber version, a rock musical with themes borrowed from Puccini; and a Kander & Ebb version, set in a speakeasy in Chicago.

Joining Eithne Brown in the cast will be Tori Hargreaves (Blood BrothersSoho Cinders), Dominic Treacy (The History Boys), John-Paul Briss (Peaky Blinders, Mamma Mia!) and making her professional stage debut will be Amy Leek who has recently graduated from The Liverpool Theatre School.

The Musical of Musicals…The Musical! will be directed and choreographed by Sharon Byatt, with Musical Direction from Jordan Alexander (The Buddy Holly Story – UK Tour)

The Musical of Musicals…The Musical! will run at The Hope Street Theatre in Liverpool from 16 – 27 November 2021 with all performances starting at 7:30pm. (A press night is scheduled for Wednesday 17 November at 7:30pm)

The show can be booked through their website at www.hopestreettheatre.com or via telephone on 0344 561 0622

 

The Wife of Michael Cleary

The Wife of Michael Cleary is the first piece of music theatre from composer and performer Maz O’Connor.

Inspired by traditional Irish music, her piece tells the true story of Bridget Cleary, who lived in Co. Tipperary over a century ago.

The event is held Royal Court Studio, 22 October, 8.15pm-9.45pm. See here for tickets.

In 1895, at the age of 26, Bridget was burned to death by her husband and family. They claimed they had not killed Bridget, but a changeling left in her place by fairies. News of this shocking case spread through Ireland and across the sea to England, where it was used as fodder in the Home Rule debates.

This new work explores the folklore and superstitions that were rife in an Ireland on the verge of great change. It highlights how societies overlook and enable violence against women and asks ‘how much has really changed for women in the past century?’.

Join them for a stripped-back evening of music from the show, alongside the traditional music that inspired it. This is a unique chance to preview aspects of The Wife of Michael Cleary as Maz and her team develop it towards full production.

Old Time Sailors

The Old Time Sailors is a flashmob musical show, designed to take audiences on a time traveling adventure, back to the nineteenth century.

Every audience member receives a copy of The Sunday Sailor, a self-penned newspaper-shaped programme. Inside you will find lyrics to all the songs and detailed illustrations that explain how to dance with the sailors. This means everyone can sing along and become an Old Time Sailor for one epic night!

The crew comprises 15+ talented musicians. Each plays fully “unplugged”, ensuring an authentic live acoustic experience, designed to be energetic and fun. The Sailors put on a 3hour+ show, (including intermissions) enjoyed amidst friends and family, performing over 40 songs and tunes.

Audiences are encouraged to sing and dance, surrounded by their Sailors! If you’re in the hall, you’ll witness an astounding show, unmatched in this music genre! So, expect high kicks ’til dawn (well, past 11pm anyway)!

Light Piano 2.0 XL: River of Light Tra...

Light Piano 2.0 XL is part of the River of Light and has been programmed by Open Culture, who produce projects and events that create platforms for artists and to make the arts more welcoming and accessible to the public.
River of Light will turn the Liverpool Waterfront into a celebration of light, art and music as we celebrate the colour and noise we have all missed. The event is part of the Global Streets Programme.

Some of Open Culture’s projects include Tickle the Ivories – the annual street pianos in Liverpool ONE, LightNight – Liverpool’s annual one night arts festival, the Winter and Summer Arts Markets at Liverpool Cathedral and of course Uncoverliverpool.com.

Open Culture are thrilled to create this programme, showcasing some of the incredible and diverse up and coming and established talent from across the city region. The pianists are excited to share their talent with you.

You can download the trail map here.

Pianists scheduled for October:

22nd – Jacques Malchance

Jacques Malchance is a multimedia artist and composer from Rome, Italy, based in Liverpool, Uk. His works span across electronic music, classical and contemporary experimental music; specialising in piano, organ and synthesizer instrumentation. He has performed several piano recitals of his own works as well as performances of Erik Satie, Claude Debussy and Modest Mussorgsky’s “Pictures At An Exhibition” in its entirety.

23rd – Karen Wynne

Karen is a Liverpool based multi-instrumentalist whose original works range from traditional song to theatre soundscape. An experienced performer and composer, Karen will bring the Light Piano 2.0 XL to life with an atmospheric new contemporary work created for River of Light, and maybe a familiar surprise or two!

24th – Cora Von Siemens

Born and raised in Munich, Germany, Cora von Siemens is currently studying Music at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. She has received a classical piano education from an early age, falling in love with the Romantic era and Impressionism. Her repertoire contains, amongst others, pieces by Chopin, Debussy and Scott Joplin.

25th – Elena Fiderio

Elena Fiderio is a Liverpool based third year music student and piano enthusiast. Elena has been playing piano ever since young age and has a genuine passion for music and performing. Her strengths include Jazz, Classical and romantic music but she’s always open to learning and developing new styles and techniques.

26th – Andrew Fisher

Heart-pumping, genre-jumping music from a local seasoned keyboardist/vocalist with a great big songbook spanning music from across the decades, from pop to rock, reggae to jazz, film/TV music to folk and more! Andrew also loves the piano works of Elton John, Billy Joel, Carole King and Joni Mitchell, and always likes to offer a diverse set.

27th – Heidi Blades

A 3rd year Music & History student at Liverpool’s Hope University, originally from Somerset. Heidi’s been playing the piano since she was 5. Classically trained, her musical inspirations are jazz, popular music and soul. Whilst really enjoying movie soundtracks, particularly Hans Zimmer.

28th – Liam Daly

Performing in a variety of styles, Liam’s eclectic music taste has its roots in classical and jazz piano but extends to popular styles and, more specifically, minimalism and electronic genres. Liam is also the bassist of local band Monks; with this, his experience in solo and ensemble performance provides a broad choice of repertoire. He’s also currently studing at Hope University.

29th – Ben Evans

Ben Evans is a committed, versatile musician from Wolverhampton in his final year at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. His musical interests take their cues from Billy Joel and The Beatles, his work ethic from the legend James Brown. His ambition is to see the world and all its wonders.

30th – Jonathan Raisin

Jonathan Raisin is a well known Liverpool composer and musician, appearing everywhere from sweaty bars to the Philharmonic Hall. His music is a blend of classical minimalism and free improvisation with a film music sensibility- ‘all the bewitchment of the sea, a mermaid’s dangerous lullaby that calls you to walk out of your depth into the waves’, The Guardian.

31st – Helen Maw

Helen Maw is singer/songwriter and multi instrumentalist from Liverpool. She has been independently releasing her music since 2019 and her songs have been played on radio stations across the globe. She has performed in venues across Liverpool and is very excited to be taking part in the River of Light on the Light Piano 2.0 XL

Pianists scheduled for November –

1st – Niamh Mailer

Niamh Mailer is a session pianist based in Liverpool, currently studying Music at LIPA. She has been playing the piano since the age of seven and specialises in Pop and Classical, also having experience performing with synthesizers live, as well as backing vocals. Niamh is strongly influenced by Ludovico Einaudi compositionally, but also has a strong passion for Soul, Funk, and Musical Theatre.

2nd – Jess Harvey

Jess is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger and composer based in Liverpool. Classically trained on piano as a child, she now performs across a variety of genres. Her performance highlights from 2021 include On The Waterfront’s Cream Classical and Tribfest UK.’ Her recent writing credits include working with top ten best-selling author Kirsty Greenwood, co-writing and arranging music for the release of her latest novel/audiobook ‘He Will Be Mine’.

3rd – Liting Zhu

Liting Zhu is a piano teacher who has been teaching in Liverpool for many years and has a wealth of teaching experience, bringing us the next generation of talent! Liting graduated from Shandong Normal University with a piano major and has been engaged in piano education for more than 20 years. She loves to play various styles of music, but always has a soft spot for classical music. Many of my students have achieved many excellent results in various examinations, and shes proud to help them learn.

4th – Karim Kamar

Karim Kamar is a contemporary classical pianist & composer from London. He has been performing as a solo pianist since 2013 and has built a reputation as an outstanding and unique composer and performer, having played at almost every major music venue in London including: The Jazz Cafe, The Forge, Ronnie Scotts and The Royal Albert Hall.

5th – Karim Kamar

6th – ANN4HO

Liverpool native Anna Ho who adopted her stage name ANN4HO is a classically trained pianist that is partial to playful keyboard/keytar riffs; with a liking for video game music, Japanese electronic music, and pieces by several favourite composers such as Frédéric Chopin, Claude DeBussy, and Joe Hisaishi. She currently resides in Liverpool Hope University to study her third and final year of BA (Hons) Music.

7th – Charlie Carr

Charlie started piano lessons at eight years old, then gained a scholarship to Chetham’s School of Music at fourteen, studing jazz and classical piano alongside GCSE’s and A-levels. Charlue’s been in multiple big bands and loves playing any kind of jazz/pop/soul/funk. Charlie’s favourite thing to do at the piano is just to sit and improvise for ages, playing anything that comes to mind there and then.

Event

As part of the Global Streets Programme.

BlackFest Festival 2021: Festival Clos...

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!