Issue 14
Liverpool
By Alex ZamoraPhotography By Rebecca Miller
Recognized globally as the birthplace of The Beatles, the city of Liverpool, on the banks of the River Mersey in the north of England, is in the throws of a cultural and economic renaissance. 2008 will see it proclaimed the European Capital of Culture as it opens its doors to the world for a year-long run of events aimed at raising the city’s profile both in the United Kingdom and abroad.
The accolade couldn’t have come at a better time for Liverpool as a huge program of regeneration is already underway. With the thousands of new jobs, improvement in urban environment and extra tourism the Capital of Culture tag will bring, the city will finally experience the resurgence it so desperately needs to counter the long-lasting and damaging effects of the inept right-wing Thatcher government of the 1980s. Social unrest, racial tension and mass unemployment culminated in rioting and social outpourings of anger.
Despite the obstacles Liverpool has faced in the not too distant past, culture has always proved a useful escape for its inhabitants, and while the city is famed for its music, it also boasts flourishing theater, poetry and art scenes. The latter is epitomized by the generously sized Tate Liverpool gallery, which in late 2007 hosted the prestigious Turner Prize—the first time it had ever been held outside London. With the Liverpool Biennial scheduled to take place from September through to November, 2008 will be a busy year for the city’s artistic and design communities.
In a similar twist, the city’s music scene has been working overtime in recent years, churning out talent by the dozens and upholding Liverpool’s musical reputation. The specter of The Beatles may still remain a powerful influence on bands from the region, but the scene no longer strives for the comparisons, choosing instead diversity over clichés. Nowhere is this more evident than at the city’s annual winter music festival, Liverpool Music Week. Taking place at the end of the year and originally styled as the U.K.’s answer to South by Southwest, showcasing local and national acts, the event has grown larger with each year.
In perhaps the ultimate coup for the city’s musical image, MTV Europe recently announced that Liverpool will play host to the 2008 Music Video Awards, taking place at a brand new arena by the waterfront. While having MTV on its doorstep might not necessarily help the city’s music scene and its rising stars, the publicity of the awards show will inevitably bolster the city’s reputation as a world leader in music.
SWINDLE picked four of Liverpool’s most unique music acts, including Ladytron, Peter and the Wolf, Hot Club De Paris and Candie Payne, for a quick chat to find out more about them, their city and its thriving scene.