Liverpool is known throughout the world for being a city of music, with an amazing musical heritage stretching back to way before The Beatles, and a current scene to be rightly proud of. There are lots of venues supporting local, national and international musicians, The Zanzibar, Mello Mello, O2 Academy, The Kazimier, The Masque, The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, The Static Gallery, and Leaf to name a few. There are also some talented local promoters who are supporting local artists and bringing exceptional touring musicians to the shores of the Mersey. The recent World City of Music bid shows how confident we are about the range and diversity of Liverpool’s music.

So… with all of this music around, where is the recognition for songwriters? There are national and international competitions, Make It Break It for 14 to 19 year olds, and Wirral Folk on the Coast Festival has one as part of its Fringe. But what happened to the On Song Festival, last seen in 2008, and the Linda McCartney Centre Acoustic Songwriting Competition, also last seen the same year? Liverpool used to have an annual songwriting competition but that’s now shrouded in the midst of time.

Here at Liverpool Acoustic we wanted to start a songwriting competition but rather than just run it as a straight contest we thought it would be more interesting to make it a bit different. The people of Liverpool love their art, and this is reflected in the success of the Walker, Tate Liverpool, John Moores Art Prize, the Biennial, the Liverpool Art Prize, and the myriad of independent galleries across the city and beyond. Given that the home of Liverpool Acoustic’s live gigs is the View Two Gallery we thought it would be a great idea to combine art and music, as a way of showing just how creative Liverpool’s songwriters can be.

HOW IT WORKS

Entry event – Saturday 8th October, 1pm to 4pm

The View Two Gallery will be open as normal from 12pm to 5pm on Saturday 8th October. Songwriters from across Liverpool and the Greater Merseyside area are invited to come along and enjoy the art on display. Booked acts and open mic will be playing in the performance space between 1pm and 4pm under the banner Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon.

To enter the challenge a songwriter will choose a piece of art in the gallery that inspires them. The songwriter tells us which work of art they’ve chosen, we take a photo of it, and they register their details with the Liverpool Acoustic team. The songwriter then has a month in which to write a new song inspired by their chosen work of art.

Showcase event – Friday 11th November, 8.30pm to 11.00pm

The songwriter (or nominated musician) comes along and performs an acoustic version of the song on the evening of the showcase event – Friday 11th November. During each performance the work of art that inspired each song will be projected onto the wall for everyone to see. Once all of the songs have been performed, the audience will vote for their favourite. A panel of experts will also vote for their winner.

It is hoped to record all the songs live on the night and to create a charity download album. Any money raised from this and from ticket money will be divided between Garston Animal Rescue and the Marie Curie Centre in memory of Liverpool Acoustic team member Sharon Jones who died earlier this year.