Liverpool, throughout the world, is known as a musical city. Maybe, one of the main factors is a little known, niche band called The Beatles. But I want to show you how Liverpool is more than Penny Lane and the cavern club.
Finding a Voice: Liverpool’s Youth and the Open Mic Culture That Shapes Them
Growing up in Liverpool, music has always been at the forefront of scouse culture. Just take a few steps into Liverpool’s city centre and you’ll hear our culture yourself. I started playing open mics at about 14. As I progressed, I began doing gigs with my band too. I’ve always found it amazing how accessible being able to share your creativity is in this great city. There are numerous open mics available. These are open to anyone who feels the urge to get up and play. This is just one piece of evidence of Liverpool’s vibrant music scene. There is so much I could say about Liverpool’s music. However, I’ll focus on how Liverpool’s youth are finding their place in the city’s broad music scene. I don’t want to bore you.
“Growing up in Liverpool, music has always been at the forefront of scouse culture.”
“who said this??? who is this article about?”
The multitude of young bands is testament to how passionate the youth of Liverpool are towards music and sharing their music with the public. Here is one alt-rock band, Seren, playing in one of Liverpool’s famous venues, The Jacarnda. There are such a wider variety of bands, from indie to post-hardcore, it seems the list of aspiring young artists is endless. The special thing about Liverpool is that anyone of any age can find their own space to showcase their talent. .
“The special thing about Liverpool is that anyone of any age can find their own space to showcase their talent.”
Photo by John Howard
One huge space for young people to express themselves is in LIPA sixth form college. It’s a performing arts college that provides people coming out of secondary schools with music production skills as well as opportunities to play live to the public. Many of my friends attend LIPA and say how invaluable the skills they receive are for music not only technically, for production, but also to help join a community and build your own.
Here I had a conversation with Felix Beiert and Xander Han. Two people heavily involved with Liverpool’s alternative music scene, who go to LIPA. We spoke about their experience growing up in music, one of their many bands Binder and how they found a community to share their passion for niche music.
“Liverpool is an amazing city for anyone interested in playing, watching, managing and promoting music”
Liverpool’s musicians are only one aspect of the industry. Without help from promoters young artists would struggle so much more to perform. More and more, in Liverpool, you can find young promoters putting on amazing gigs. Ike Poppy King and her Underground at the Jac events. She helps showcase local talent in front large audiences and does so professionally and efficiently. Of course, she is one example of many promoters excited to help young people on their musical Journey.
To sum that little rant up, Liverpool is an amazing city for anyone interested in playing, watching, managing and promoting music. I hope I’ve proved we are at least a little more than Penny Lane and strawberry fields. Come find a show and support our community!
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