November sees not two, but three festivals – two old and one new.
- Liverpool Music Week is the UK’s largest indoor winter music festival. Despite the name, the festival runs for two weeks from 29th October to 16th November at a large number of Liverpool venues. With over 390 acts playing at 80 events there’s bound to be something for everyone, and as usual, there are plenty of acoustic treats amongst the indie, rock and pop. All the acoustic gigs are in the Liverpool Acoustic diary and full details of the festival can be found at liverpoolmusicweek.com
- The International Guitar Festival of Great Britain takes place across Wirral from 3rd to 28th November. There’s plenty of variety and choice for guitar lovers everywhere, and enough acoustic events to keep us all happy. Full details can be found at bestguitarfest.com Highlights of the Guitar Festival include Thomas-Joseph & Murphy (10th), Ralph McTell, John Williams, four chances to catch Ghost Stories A Night Opera performed at Birkenhead Priory (18th & 19th), Martyn Joseph, Peter Price, and Nick Harper.
- The Liverpool Folk and Roots Festival is brought to you by the guys behind the successful Family Folk-up nights. It’s running from 21st to 28th November at various venues throughout the city, and the events that have been confirmed so far are in the Liverpool Acoustic diary. Artists due to appear include The Unthanks, and Martin Simpson. There will be a news item later in the month with the full line-up of events and artists.
There are also three artists launching albums this month. Ogo (5th), Maxi Dunne (20th), and Stuart Todd (23rd). They’re all in the diary, and get a mention in the diary selection box below.
LIVERPOOL ACOUSTIC LIVE
The last Liverpool Acoustic Live was a great success. The appreciative audience enjoyed sets from Zoe Nicol performing with her full band for the first time, and Daniela Bove who came up from London especially to play, and was amazing. Daneila was joined by Gareth Warren on guitar and Nicole Collarbone on cello. A huge thank you to Rosie Jones who stepped in at the last minute and did a great solo set for us when Tony Cosgrove from The Complete Unknown came down with laryngitis. Thanks also to Stuart Todd and Tony Kehoe who helped fill in with a couple of songs each to cover for Mark Wilson who is going to be out of action for a number of months. We wish both Tony Cosgrove and Mark Wilson all the best, and hope to re-book them some time next year.
Liverpool Acoustic Live this month is taking place on Friday 27th November at the View Two Gallery on Mathew Street. The doors open at 8.00pm and the music starts at 8.30pm. Tickets are £4 on the door, or £3 in advance from contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
This month we’ve got sets from Stuart Todd, Kaya, Paul McDowell, and Matt Swift.
Full details are in the poster on the main website at liverpoolacoustic.co.uk and all four performers will be featuring on this month’s Liverpool Acoustic Spotlight audio show.
DIARY NEWS
So here are this month’s movers and shakers. Take it away, Fluff.
You say goodbye…
- Goodbye to Acoustic Slice… again! The weekly event that’s had more comebacks than Bobby Ewing has finally closed its doors for good. Thanks to everyone who has been involved over the years, especially Alun and Shaz. They’ve made a massive contribution to the local music scene, and have helped many acoustic musicians by giving them an outlet for their music.
- Jean Finney tells us that Folk at the Norton on Wednesday nights has finished due to dwindling numbers. That’s a real shame, though we wish Jean all the best in her future ventures.
And I say hello…
- Acoustic Slice has been replaced by the inventively named ‘Acoustic Live Lounge @ 3345‘ and is being overseen by local musician Barry Briercliffe. Each night will have two booked acts and plent of open mic. It starts each week at 8.30pm and is free. myspace.com/acousticlivelounge
- River View Open Mic is an open floor poetry and acoustic music event taking place in Wirral on the first Monday of every month (sounds familiar!). It starts at 8.00pm at the River View pub in Woodside, with hot pot and crusty bread available until 9pm. Full details on the Wirral Alliance of Poets website at wap.writers-forum.co.uk/RVOM.htm
- There is a new open mic night on the first Tuesday of every month at Leaf Tea Shop and Bar. It starts at 8pm and is hosted by Johnny Sands. Subtitiled ‘Out of the bedroom’ this really is your chance to transfer your musical talent from bedroom to bar – just don’t forget your instrument!
- The Thursday open mic session at Pogue Mahones at the top of Seel Street is now being run by Mark Whitby. It’s 9.30pm every week and is totally free.
As always, if there’s anything we’ve missed from the diary then drop us a line and we’ll add it.
NOVEMBER DIARY SELECTION BOX
Here’s a selection of some of the acoustic events taking place in November. 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.
Monday 2nd – 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 7.20pm to get your name on the list. comestrutyourstuff.co.uk
Thursday 5th – Ogo’s album launch party at Rococo (Modo’s basement lounge). 8pm start and £5 entry. With support from Ragz and Ben Blance.
Friday 6th – Liverpool Acoustic Blues Lounge @ The View Two Gallery. Blue C hosts special guest Bill Hackney at one of the best acoustic venues in the city. 8pm doors, and £5 in. myspace.com/bluecblues
Saturday 7th – The Company Store @ The Zanzibar celebrates its first birthday with a bit of a bash. 8pm at The Zanzibar sees Sixteen Tonnes, Blue Demon, Barbieshop, and The See See. Tickets £6 from Probe, The Zanzibar, and ticketline.co.uk
Tuesday 10th – T-J & Murphy perform as part of the International Guitar Festival of Great Britain at the Pacific Road Arts Centre. Also on the bill is Robert Brown. myspace.com/thomasjosephandmurphy
Saturday 14th – Tomas J Speight and Sean Francis Butler are playing at the newly re-located Korova Bar (in the old Roadkill building on Hope Street) as part of Liverpool Music Week. 8pm doors, £5 in. www.liverpoolmusicweek.com/
Friday 20th – Maxi Dunn CD release party is part of The Folk Upstairs Club organised by Sick. 7.30pm and £4 entry gets you in to downstairs as well. Also performing are The Big I Am, Carrie Hayden, and special guests.
Saturday 21st – Family Folk-up presents the first event in the week long Liverpool Folk and Roots Festival. Joining the Random Family at St Bride’s will be The Unthanks, Jonny Kearney, and Lucy Farrell. £10 in, 7pm doors, 8pm music, 11pm finish. Bring your own drink.
Sunday 22nd – Liverpool Folk Day @ The Bluecoat. From 12pm to 6pm – An afternoon of live acoustic music and events featuring some of Liverpool’s finest unsigned folk acts. Plus special guest speakers, workshops and demonstrations celebrating the history, significance and abiding of presence of folk music in Liverpool.
Monday 23rd – Stuart Todd’s album launch party @ Studio 2 at Parr Street. 7pm start, £5 in (includes a copy of the CD), and support from The Freebies, Neil Campbell, Tap UK, and Rae Clark. myspace.com/stuarttodd
Thursday 26th – Almanac Folk present Twilight Garden Party @ Sefton Park Palm House – part of the Liverpool Folk and Roots Festival. Following the success of their run of shows at Mello Mello, Almanac Folk present a night of song, storytelling, spoken word, live illustration and some very exciting collaborations. All in the atmospheric surroundings of the beautiful Sefton Park Palm House. 7.30pm, tickets on sale soon.
Friday 27th – Liverpool Acoustic Live @ The View Two Gallery, Mathew Street. This is the last one of the year because we’re taking a break in December. To see out the year with a bang we’ve got music from Paul McDowell, Matt Swift, and Kaya. Stuart Todd will be performing with his band, and will be playing songs from his new album.
Saturday 28th – The Violent Playground with Fabian Rothschilde @ Tabac. A one-off acoustic/experimental show in the intimate surroundings of Cafe Tabac. Over the last two years the band have played with many names including, The Coral, Iggy Pop, Echo and the Bunnymen, Reverend and the Makers, Supergrass, The Hives, Kate Nash. 7.30pm start, and free entry.
AND FINALLY…
It’s great to see Gemma and Gill, the two new members of the Liverpool Acoustic Team, reviewing gigs and albums for the News and Reviews page. Stuart Todd, the co-organiser and co-host of Liverpool Acoustic Live, has also agreed to review some albums and live events for us. If you would like to contribute, either on a regular basis or just as a one-off, then drop us a line and let us know.
In addition to the Liverpool Acoustic facebook group at groups.to/liverpoolacoustic there’s also a MySpace page at myspace.com/liverpoolacoustic
If you’ve got any comments or suggestions you can leave a message in our Guestbook, or drop us a line using the Contact Us form or by emailing contact[at]liverpoolacoustic.co.uk
Graham (on behalf of the Liverpool Acoustic team)