Peter’s Field comes to the Music Room, Liverpool Philharmonic, on Sunday 15th March 2026 with an afternoon performance at 3pm . Audiences can access an exclusive 15% discount using code FIELD15 when booking at liverpoolphil.com.
This major new musical chronicle tells the story of the Peterloo Massacre – a defining moment in British democracy and one the government of the day worked hard to suppress. On 16 August 1819, 60,000 peaceful demonstrators gathered in Manchester to hear Henry ‘Orator’ Hunt call for political reform. The cavalry charge that followed left at least 18 dead and hundreds injured, with women deliberately targeted.
The violence was followed by a coordinated campaign to bury the truth. Radical newspapers were prosecuted, eyewitnesses intimidated, and loyalist editors encouraged to distort events. The government then introduced the Six Acts, a suite of laws designed to restrict public meetings, censor reformist writing, and criminalise those who tried to speak out. Peterloo was not only a massacre – it was an attempt to erase the truth of what happened and the movement it inspired.
Peter’s Field restores the voices that survived despite these efforts. Created from years of research, it features 19 original songs by Sean Cooney (The Yung’uns), performed with Rowan Rheingans (The Rheingans Sisters) and Sam Carter, interwoven with spoken narrative drawn from hundreds of eyewitness accounts.
Critical and audience response
“Compelling, passionate, evocative and haunting.” – Songlines
“The most powerful evocation yet of Peterloo.” – Professor Robert Poole
“A moment in folk history.” – Audience member, FolkEast premiere
Event Details – Peter’s Field: A Folk Chronicle of Peterloo
- Date: Sunday 15th March 2026
- Venue: Music Room, Sugnall Street
- Performances: Matinee: 3:00pm
- Tickets: £23 / £20 via liverpoolphil.com
- Discount: 15% off with code FIELD15
NOTE – Due to unforseen circumstances the 8pm show has been cancelled. Ticket holders can transfer to the 3pm matinee or claim a full refund. We are sorry for any inconvenience.