The Mersey sound

Forget The Beatles, there’s loads more to Liverpool’s music scene than just bowl haircuts and The Cavern club. Joe Shooman previews Liverpool Music Week. Photography by Sakura

Kaya Herstad hails from Norway but is now a regular face on the Liverpool music scene In contrast with the received wisdom about Liverpool’s music scene, landing in the city doesn’t mean you’ll immediately be confronted by 1,000 Scousers in Beatles wigs. While the Fab Four’s impact on music the world over cannot be ignored, these days the 2008 Capital of Culture boasts an impressive contemporary music scene in a city that has, statistically, provided more number-one hit singles per square mile than anywhere else in the UK. The vibrant and youthful city centre is compact, with a host of venues packed closely together.

All this means that a ripple effect is often seen, with the liveliest nightlife in the UK, as well as music scenes popping up and disappearing in such short order that occasionally bands are lost to the annals of history before getting a chance to make it in the wider world.

But, in typically brash Liverpool style, an event has grown over the last fi ve years, giving local bands the chance to play to a wider audience, while attracting established acts to boost its profi le. It’s called, cunningly, Liverpool Music Week (LMW), and hits the city from 30 November – 9 December. It’s a little more than a week, but then who’s counting? This is Liverpool and it has an aura all of its own.

There’s culture – spend the day perusing modern art at Tate Liverpool and FACT, or stop off with the old masters at The Walker Art Gallery. There’s history – see Liverpool’s two cathedrals at opposite ends of Hope Street. And there’s food – from every nation you could think of. With one of Europe’s oldest hinatowns, and two globally famous football teams, it’s no wonder Liverpool is often called “The World in One City”.

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