Liverpool Acoustic Newsletter – February 2011

February 2011 marks the second anniversary of the Liverpool Acoustic Live event and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by inviting back Stephen Langstaff for the third year in a row! However, if you want to see him you’d better get a move on – as of yesterday there were only 19 tickets left.


News from the Liverpool Acoustic Live front is that Stuart Todd is joining forces with Barry Briercliffe to present Liverpool Acoustic Extra on the second Friday of each month at the View Two Gallery. This event will have a slightly different emphasis from the current Live gigs, with all of the artists being from the Liverpool, and Greater Merseyside area. There is so much incredible local talent out there that we thought it only right to give them an extra night to showcase their fabulous musicianship and songwriting. More details, including the names of those booked for the first one on 11th March will be announced soon.



February is also the first anniversary of the Woody Guthrie Folk Club, and if you haven’t been down to this monthly event yet then you don’t know what you’re missing. January was sold out well in advance (as normal!) so get those tickets early from wegottickets.com

And the new festival we hinted at last month is the Latitude Festival, brought to you by Under the Influence. It’s taking place at Novas CUC over the weekend of 11th to 13th February, and you can get full details from thresholdfestival.co.uk So far they’ve got 200 acts, 160 bands, musicians and djs, 12 stages, and all in one venue! The cost is £5 for a day ticket, or £10 for the whole weekend – fantastic! Liverpool Acoustic will be hosting the Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon on Saturday 12th, and we’ll give you more details closer to the time.


LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE

January’s Liverpool Acoustic Live was jam-packed, and a highly appreciative audience enjoyed music from Zoe Mulford, Property of Nadya Shanab, Ste Hedley, and Northerndaze. We’d like to wish Helly and Andy from Northerndaze all the best as they jet off to Los Angeles for a series of gigs and recording opportunities!

This month Liverpool Acoustic Live takes place on Friday 25th February and features the return of Stephen Langstaff. Stephen played our first ever event, and returned for our first anniversary, so it’s only right that we should invite him back for our second anniversary. He’s the closest thing we’ve got to a patron!
  • Stephen Langstaff – more used to playing big stages and large venues these days Stephen is looking forward to getting back to his acoustic roots at the intimate View Two Gallery.
  • Caroline England took last year off but is now back on the scene and looking forward to promoting her music, including her debut album Who Said All Is Fair In Love And War? Hoylake-based Caroline has been described as “putting the GGGRRR in Eng-er-land” by Radio One’s Liza Booth and we’re looking forward to seeing her play live.
  • Peter Aldridge comes from Blackburn but is no stranger to the local music scene. In fact, he’s no stranger to the wider north west music scene having been in bands or performing solo since the age of 15.
  • Heaven and hell, death and the Devil, salvation, damnation and the undead provide dark inspiration for this Liverpool blues man Dom Newton‘s songs.  A veteran of innumerable gigs and blues festivals this is ‘hellhound on your tail’ blues inspired by the legend of Robert Johnson, the intensity of Son House and the showmanship of Dr. John and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.  An intense vocalist and powerful guitar, slide-guitar and harmonica player his songs have been BBC radio playlisted as well gaining airplay in Australia, Germany, Poland and on the National Blues Deluxe show in the USA.
This is due to be a very popular night and those wishing to attend are advised to buy their tickets in advance. As we said at the top of this newsletter, there are only 19 tickets left for this intimate gig, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Entrance is £6 on the door (for only a handful of people) or £5 in advance from wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic
Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm
DIARY NEWS
  • Out Of The Bedroom open mic, hosted by Johnny Sands, has moved from Leaf’s Baltic base to… (drum roll…) Leaf’s new Bold Street base. Not only that, but it’s now a regular weekly event every Tuesday from 8.30pm, and it’s free.
  • New Brighton Rock‘s Thursday night open mic has moved from The Clarance Pub to the Little Brighton Inn on Lower Rowson Street following the closure of The Clarance.
  • Back in the Jac has moved from Tuesday nights to Friday nights following a change of opening times for the venue.
  • Live at the Union is a new event starting on Thursday 17th February and running every two weeks. It’s taking place at the LJMU Student Union in The Haigh building on Maryland Street, between 7pm and midnight. Full details are in the diary entry, including how to get on the guest list.
  • There’s a regular acoustic showcase at a new venue – The Sink on Berry Street (not to be confused with the old Sink downstairs at The Magnet on Hardman Street). We’ll bring you more details when we have them.

RUMOUR MILL
Can you help? If you can dispell any of the rumours below, get in touch and let us know, or leave a comment on the website below this post.

  • Is the Buffalo Riot Open Mic still taking place at Hannah’s Bar on Wednesday evening? One Liverpool Acoustic follower went along two weeks ago to find a jazz band playing!
  • The same Liverpool Acoustic follower popped along to Osqa’s Piano Bar on the same Wednesday to find it shut. Any news there?

FEBRUARY DIARY SELECTION BOX

Here’s a selection of some of the acoustic events taking place in February. Click on the event in the diary for full details and links. If you’d like your event to get a special mention in a future newsletter then let us know.
  • Wednesday 2nd – Teddy Thompson @ The Masque, with support from David Ford and T-J & Murphy. Tickets £13 from ticketline, Skiddle, Ticketweb, and See Tickets!
  • Saturday 5th – Billie Van @ Mello Mello, with support from Tibi and her Cello, Barry Briercliffe, Tom George. 7.30pm doors, 8.30pm music, £5 in.
  • Monday 7th – Come Strut Your Stuff @ The Egg Cafe. Open floor poetry and acoustic music takes place once a month in Liverpool’s best vegetarian bistro. The event starts at 8pm but if you want to perform you’ll need to be there before 7.30pm to get your name on the list. comestrutyourstuff.co.uk
  • Wednesday 9th – Virginia’s Acoustic Haze @ Ye Cracke – open mic from 9.00pm
  • Friday 11th to Sunday 13th – Threshold Festival @ Novas CUC
  • Saturday 12th – Perri and Neil @ The Domino Gallery – Neil Campbell and Perri Alleyne-Hughes with their new collaborative project. £10 admission includes bottle of wine per person!
  • Thurdsay 17th – Live at the Union @ LJMU Student Union, Maryland Street. 7pm to 12am, £4 in
  • Wednesday 24th – Mellowtone @ Leaf, Bold Street – with Ragz, Karima Francis, and Jonas Alaska. 8pm doors, and £4 in.
  • Thursday 25th – Woody Guthrie Folk Club @ The Ship & Mitre. Where better than upstairs at one of Liverpool’s best real ale pubs experience a folk club dedicated to the memory and spirit of Woody? 7.30pm doors, 8.00pm start, 10.30pm finish. £3 entry in advance from wegottickets.com, or free to singers.
  • Friday 26th – Liverpool Acoustic Live @ The View Two Gallery. Our second birthday bash features Stephen Langstaff, Caroline England, Dom Newton, and Peter Aldridge. 8pm doors, music 8.30pm to 11.15pm. Tickets £5 in advance, £6 on the door.
  • Friday 26th February – Peter Price @ The Pyramid, Warrington. Plus mystery special guests! 7.30pm and tickets only £9 from pyramidparrhall.co.uk/whats-on/peter-price


AND FINALLY…

Would you like to try your hand at writing a gig review for the News and Reviews page? There are always more gigs than the current team can ever hope to attend, so if you’d like to review one for us that would be great. As an official journo you’ll get into many gigs for free and we might even print you an official Liverpool Acoustic press pass! If you’re interested then drop us a line using the Contact Us form or by emailing contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk



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Graham, on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic Team