News

Liverpool Sound City Has Arrived

• 17th May 2010

After months planning and organising, Liverpool Sound City music festival and conference arrives this week for 4 days jam packed every hour with music creativity and talent. Over 450 artists and bands, 1000 conference delegates and 35,000 revellers will descend on a city famous for its rich musical heritage, to take part in the third annual celebration of music.

Liverpool Sound City live line-up is the best ever with Paloma Faith, Ian McCulloch, Delphic, The Maccabees, The Fall, Tinchy Stryder, Wild Beasts, Field Music, Los Campesinos!, The Blackout, Wave Machines, The Sunshine Underground, Hot Club de Paris, Beth Jeans Houghton, Archie Bronson Outfit, Ian McNabb and British Sea Power to name but a few all playing this week.

However it’s so much more than live music, also programmed are movie premieres, photography exhibitions, Q & A sessions, football tournaments and over 60 speakers take part in the festival’s biggest music business conference which takes places at the Hilton and Hard Day’s Night hotels, which includes the legendary Seymour Stein in conversation with Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen, a rare opportunity to ask Mac the Mouth all those questions you always wanted to.

It all kicks off the night preceding the festival with an evening dedicated to hip hop culture.

LAUNCH EVENT (Tuesday 18 May)
• Legends of Hip-Hop Ernie Paniccioli and Afrika Bambaataa arrive at FACT to raise the curtain on Liverpool Sound City
• Screening of The Other Side of Hip Hop; The Sixth Element at FACT
• Exclusive Q & A following the movie at FACT with Ernie Paniccioli and Afrika Bambaataa
• Bambaataa ends the night with a rare DJ set at The Masque on Seel Street

Just a handful of festival highlights from each day of the Liverpool Sound City include…

WEDNESDAY 19 MAY
• Conference Keynote Speaker – Alison Wenham – Association of Independent Music (AIM)
• American Photographer Ernie Paniccioli launches his photography exhibition, which takes place in Old Rapid Hardware windows, as part of the Shops Up-Front initiative. Also showing exhibitions by Screenadelica and Liverpool’s Mark McNulty
• Delphic and The Fall perform at the O2 Academy
• British Sea Power perform at the Masque Theatre
• Paloma Faith performs at the Philharmonic Hall
• Eighties Match Box B Line Disaster performs at Stanley Theatre
• Eliza Doolittle performs at Studio 2
• John Peel World Cup football tournament at Powerleague

THURSDAY 20 MAY
• Conference Keynote Speaker – Seymour Stein in conversation with Ian Mcculloch
• Daisy Dares You performs at Haigh
• Wave Machines perform at the Kazimier
• Field Music perform at the Masque Theatre
• Rox performs at the Zanzibar
• Screening of Oil City Confidential at FACT Cinema
• Julien Temple and Wilko Johnson in Q & A at FACT following Oil City Confidential

FRIDAY 21 MAY
• Conference Keynote speaker – Scott Cohen interviews Richard Gottehrer (The Orchard)
• Tinchy Stryder performs at O2 Academy
• Kof perform at O2 Academy
• Gold Panda perform at the Haigh
• Wild Beasts perform at the Kazimier
• The Blackout perform at the Masque Theatre
• Blood Red Shoes perform at the Zanzibar

SATURDAY 22 MAY
• The Maccabees, Los Campesinos and Is Tropical perform at the O2 Academy
• The Aussie BBQ at Heebie Jeebies Courtyard 12-6pm (Free to delegates and wristbands)
• Sound of Guns perform at the Haigh
• The Blackout performs at the Masque for matinee
• Beth Jeans Houghton perform at Studio 2
• Ian McNabb performs at the Stanley Theatre
• Ian McCulloch performs at St. George’s Hall

A complete line-up can also be found on link or by picking up a copy of the Live Guide around the city.

GET YOUR WRISTBANDS! – A festival wristband allows entry into every amazing event between 19th – 22nd May and includes the chance to see over 450 bands, a choice of full 4-day festival wristbands and 1-day wristbands are available for sale online and also from the Box Office positioned next to The Peacock on Seel Street. The current price is £45 so it represents the best value to really take in the whole Sound City experience. Please note walk up prices during the festival will be higher.

35,000 revellers are expected to attend Liverpool Sound City next week, it’s the festival wristband holders that truly create the energy and spirit of the music festival on the streets and venues of the city. They carry a whole list of exclusives available to WRISTBAND HOLDERS ONLY including Wristband Only Gigs (entry only with your wristband), Goody Bags filled with record company and sponsors freebies, Text Alerts with news about last minute gigs and special events, Aftershow Party Invites only announced on the day, Competitions exclusive prizes to wristband holders and ‘Money Can’t Buy’ prizes such as meet and greets.

2010 Festival Partners include Gaymers (UK’s No1 live music cider), Bench (fashion partner) and Jagermeister (official festival shot).

Gaymers is the official cider of Liverpool Sound City and will host exclusive performances at Heebie Geebies including Bella Diem, Journal Keepers, Wonderlust, Field to name a few. If you can’t make it to Liverpool, you can still get your fix of music action with the new Gaymers Music Quiz on Facebook. Play before Friday 4 June for your chance to win six tickets to this summer's sold-out Glastonbury Festival, plus weekly prizes of Academy Music Group venue gig tickets. Play the quiz at: apps.facebook.com/gaymers