News

Sound City reveals location for May 2018’s festival

• 1st Nov 2017

The multi award-winning Sound City, one of Europe’s leading metropolitan festivals of music and arts, is returning to Liverpool for its 11th year in May 2018.

Taking place across the first spring bank holiday Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May, Sound City is incredibly proud to announce it will be taking over the iconic warehouses, intimate spaces, outdoor stages and pop-up places which form the renascent Baltic Triangle and Cains Brewery areas of the city. It is here which is the catalyst for much of Liverpool’s creative and economic growth, now firmly established as one of the UK’s leading destinations for music, food and drink and a new wave of pioneering businesses, right at the fore of the region’s cultural development.

The setting, cast in the shadow of the Anglican Cathedral, will bring Sound City fully back to its roots; the festival’s original foundations will be embraced, with the weekend offering an incredible chance to see over 250 emerging new bands and headline names in a variety of locations, moving from one setting to the next to see and share countless shows, events and parties each day and night. The chance to discover new talent and experience bill-topping names up close and personal will place Sound City at the beating heart of the country’s vibrant music scene, embracing many exploratory and unexpected moments with incredible artists from across the world converging in Liverpool. The first artists will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Becky Ayres, Sound City’s COO, says: “We are all very happy to be bringing Sound City back to its roots and hosting 2018’s weekend in May in the Baltic Triangle. It’s the perfect place to really capture the magic of what Sound City was always built upon, and what we are bringing back – taking in lots of inspiring and wild shows, all within minutes’ walk from each other, with a vast range of live artists, DJs, label heads, creatives, industry icons, producers, performers and more. We are working with what we know are some of Liverpool’s finest venues so everyone has a plenty of choice over the weekend, from cavernous spaces to truly intimate hideaways, and are currently putting together a suitable eclectic and forward-thinking lineup which mirrors the Baltic Triangle’s spirit. We are bringing back the spirit of discovery to Sound City, and can’t wait to release our first wave of names soon.”

New for 2018, Sound City Satellite will take the globally acclaimed Sound City model to key towns between Manchester and Liverpool as well as along the M62 corridor in the North of England, announcing the two locations early next year.

The Sound City team will work with key stakeholders such as promoters, record labels and artists to design and deliver a targeted business conference and live music programme. They state their core aim is to shine a national and international spotlight on these towns, demonstrating their business, creative and cultural credentials to a national and international audience.

The Sound City + business conference will be a precursor to the Liverpool Sound City festival and will take place on Friday 4th May.

Over the past 10 years, Sound City + conference events have been responsible for generating in excess of £25 million for the UK music business economy both on B2B and B2C initiatives. The 2018 programme will aim to build upon this success and bring an even deeper and wider business experience to the city.