Rebecca Ferguson has switched on the city’s Christmas lights, the elves are busy doing elvish stuff, and Santa’s Little Helper has passed out under the festive tree on Church Street having hit the cooking sherry a little too early. And we’ve got double reasons to celebrate here at Liverpool Acoustic HQ – not only is this the first day of Advent (time to scoff that little chocolate behind door number one, then eat the one behind door number two when no-one’s looking), it’s also our 500th News and Reviews post since we started back in April 2008. But enough about us, we’ve got a newsletter to bring you!
It’s a great time of year to go out and enjoy the acoustic delights that the city and surrounding areas have to offer. There are plenty of events in the Liverpool Acoustic online diary to keep you going – just be sure to check beforehand as there’s a very strong possibility that those weekly recurring events might not actually be taking place on, say, 25th December.
LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC CHRISTMAS PARTY
Last year we held our Liverpool Acoustic Christmas Party on the night of the biggest snow storm in decades. This year we’re reducing the chances of that happening again by moving our final event of the year forward a week to Friday 9th December. As always it takes place at the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street, and as always we’ve got a fantastic lineup of acoustic music from three superb acts.
- Sonnenberg is a folk-type band combining the talents of Zinney, Dave Thom and Saul Hughes. Expect something special!
- Farrago is touring duo Ian Bennett and Ruth Dix visiting Liverpool from London, via Australia and India. Fabulous sounds and great lyrics are on the cards.
- Alex Hulme is back after public demand. Innovative guitar playing, touching songs, and a super voice make him a mesmerising performer.
- Members of the Liverpool Acoustic Team will also be strumming and singing a few songs to keep the night flowing. Don’t worry, there’ll be plenty of mince pies and alcohol to keep you going!
Tickets are available online for £5 in advance from wegottickets.com/liverpoolacoustic – and are £6 on the door.
Doors open at 8.00pm with music starting at 8.30pm sharp. The night finishes at 11.15pm
Join the facebook event here and listen to one track from each artist on the latest Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight show.
DIARY NEWS
The diary news section this month is as busy as a church mouse clearing up mince pie crumbs after the Women’s Institute Christmas Fayre. Actually, we’ve heard about even more new events than the ones shown below, but since the organisers haven’t been bothered to share the details with us we can’t pass them on to you. Bah, humbug…!
All change…
All change…
- The Manouchetones play at Cafe Tabac every Monday evening from 8.00pm. This replaces the Nouveau Django slot that was previously at Heebie Jeebies on the same night.
You say goodbye…
- The Bier Keller’s acoustic open mic on Thursdays is no longer taking place due to the venue closing down, with Greedy Jesus’ Ascension Thursday focusing solely on The Harbour Bar in Waterloo. We’re assuming that the Monday open mic at the Bier Keller has also finished.
And I say hello…
- Sunday’s Reason is a new fortnightly open mic event taking place at The Pilot Boat in New Brighton. It runs from 9.00pm to 11.00pm and is free. You can find them on facebook here.
- Before Dark is a new weekly acoustic showcase and open mic event taking place in the Jamaica Rooms Beer House inside the CUC. It’s hosted every Friday by Ronan Boyle and Lucy Styles, and runs from 6pm to 9pm.
- Wednesdays at Aki’s is a new way to freshen up your tired Wednesday nights. Lauren Kaycee and Terry Gray perform live acoustic covers ranging from indie, pop, r’n’b, and rock. It’s free entry, runs from 8-11pm, and features special guests and drinks promos too.
- Reckless Elbow perform every Tuesday from 9.00pm to 10.00pm at the Little Brighton Inn, followed by open mic until 11.30pm. Musicians are invited to jam with the band or take the spotlight themselves.
- West Cheshire Acoustic Night is a new event at the West Cheshire Sailing Club on Coastal Drive, Wallasey. It takes place monthly on the first Friday and is a traditional singaround, with no host and no paid guests. What you will find, however, is candlelight, a real fire, cheap beer and a late bar. All it costs is £1.50 to help pay for the hire of the room!
As always, if there’s anything we’ve missed from the diary then visit our home page and click the Add Event button to make sure we get all the info we need.
DECEMBER DIARY SELECTION BOX
“Deck the halls with laminate flooring from the B&Q; Boxing Day Sale. Fa la la la la, la la la la.” ‘Tis a Christmas classic, and here are some classic events taking place this month. Click on the event in the diary for full details and links. And before you ask… yes, the list below contains some events that weren’t included in our recent news item about gigs in December. So there!
- Saturday 3rd – Bird ‘Phantoms EP’ launch @ Erics – with support from The Fifth Movement, The Sundowners, and The Edwardian Picnic. Doors 7pm, tickets £6
- Saturday 3rd – JT Nero & Allison Russell @ Mello Mello – JT (JT & The Clouds) and Allison (Po’ Girl) are touring in support of their new super new album Mountains/Forests. Tickets £7.50, 8pm.
- Sunday 4th – Stephen Fretwell @ The Kazimier – with support from Thomas J Speight and Nick Ellis. STOP PRESS With the closure of The Masque this event is now taking place at The Kazimier. Any tickets already bought will be valid for the new venue. Details and tickets here.
- Sunday 4th – Open Mic @ Panache is a new event hosted by Caroline England at the venue on Market Street, Hoylake. It’s the first of what’s hoped to me a regular monthly event, so why not go along and give it your support? It’s 8.30pm to 11.00pm and free.
- Monday 5th – The Woodwards & Lucky Fonz III @ Mello Mello. This is a free gig with Amsterdam’s finest. 8pm start. More details in our December gigs list.
- Monday 5th – Ragz single release. Liverpool’s own Norwegian singer Ragnhild Nordset – Ragz – is realeasing her new single You Started It All (produced by Mario Leal) on 5th December. The track will be download only, free to stream on Bandcamp ragnhildnordset.bandcamp.com and Spotify, and to buy on iTunes and Amazon, with a physical release next year.
- Monday 5th – Come Strut Your Festive 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 7.20pm to get your name on the list. comestrutyourstuff.co.uk
- Tuesday 6th – Chris Difford @ The Brink – tickets £12 from the venue. thebrinkliverpool.com
- Tuesday 6th – Harp and a Monkey @ Tank – The leftfield Manchester folk trio will be playing a set at the 2Track Open Mic night at Tank in St Helens to promote their recent debut album release. 9.00pm start, and free. Details here.
- Friday 9th – Liverpool Acoustic Christmas Party @ The View Two Gallery – Join the Liverpool Acoustic team for our final bash of the year, with live music from Sonnenberg, Farrago, Alex Hulme, and more. Details above.
- Sunday 11th – Anthony John Clarke @ Folk at the Manor – local favourite AJC returns to The Manor for an entertaining evening of music. 8.30pm start, and £5 in.
AND FINALLY…
We’d like to hear from anyone interested in writing features or opinion pieces for the News and Reviews site. Have you got something to say about the local scene, or an opinion on what makes a great live music event? If that’s you then get in touch using the Contact Us form or by emailing contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
While you’re on the Liverpool Acoustic website why not leave a message in our Guestbook? We’d love to hear from you if you’ve discovered a great acoustic event or exciting new artist throught the site.
The Liverpool Acoustic team will be taking a well-earned break between Christmas and New Year, but will be back in full swing in 2011.
Graham,
on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic Team