If you’re new to Liverpool, or even a long-term resident, it can’t have escaped your notice that the city’s nightlife is jam-packed with live music. Honestly, it’s almost as though people actually like gigs and festivals – whether you want to catch the latest and greatest bands on their rise to the top (thanks to sterling work by established local promoters such as Evol and Harvest Sun), check in with the big names plying their much-loved wares, or simply immerse yourself in the mind-bogglingly diverse array of local talent on offer, it’s odds on there’ll be a concert of some description that’ll meet your needs.
Some might point to those inescapable Beatles as the reason for this; others might be more inclined to reflect on the successes of the city’s eclectic, home-grown heroes of recent times. Cite a few? Oh, go on then: Outfit, Låpsley, Mugstar, XamVolo, Bill Ryder-Jones, Dan Croll, All We Are, Esco Williams and Stealing Sheep have all honed their craft in the bedrooms and bar rooms of Liverpool. Since then, they’ve all gone on to critical acclaim, commercial success, awards and festival appearances, both at home and abroad. Pretty decent, all told.
Speaking of festivals: it’s ok, Merseyside’s got you covered. Liverpool Sound City takes place in Spring, and having formerly taken place across the various venues, clubs, bars and… um, ‘ad hoc spaces’ of the city centre, it’s since relocated to a new site at Bramley-Moore Dock. Covering a broad spectrum of both up-and-coming and well-established acts, it’s become one of the city’s biggest attractions in recent years – as has the more niche but no less vital Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia (though you’ll get by calling it ‘Psych Fest’), now well-established in its base around the Camp & Furnace complex and bringing together space cadets from around the globe. There’s also the small matter of Africa Oye, the Liverpool International Music Festival, and in nearby Cheshire, Creamfields.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, of course. There’s no way we could summarise the excellence of Liverpool’s live music scene in these short paragraphs, so instead we’ve curated the best guide to live music events in Liverpool to make things easier. If you’re organising an event or spot any information which needs listing or updating, let us know by contacting events@theskinny.co.uk with the event and venue details.