Issue 35 / July 2013

8
Bido Lito!
July 2013
When Laura Met Laura
The Caledonia, MelloMello and the future of Liverpool’s grassroots venues
Words: Amy Minshull / @AmyMinshull
Photography: Keith Ainsworth / arkimages.co.uk
It’s a hot summer’s day and the Caledonia regulars, including
that they want to.”
the brass section of the Philharmonic Orchestra, have retreated
Of course, one of the most important roles both places play is
into the cool interior of the pub for a pint, some home-cooked
as part of Liverpool’s music scene, with the quality of local bands
food, and the company of two small dogs called Miss Havisham
improving as a direct result of having supportive venues to play
and Sir William Huskisson. Two months ago, the future of this
in. “It’s like a little incubatory nest,” says Powers-del Arco. “There’s
Georgian Quarter local didn’t look quite so rosy, as landlady Laura
this platform that says you can do this and get paid for it.”
King was given just 28 days to vacate the Cale after the Admiral
“I think where other venues have perhaps failed and
Taverns group accepted an offer for the building’s lease. For fans
closed it’s because they don’t care, they’re just there to make
of Liverpool’s grassroots music scene and its associated venues,
money,” adds King. By contrast, the Caledonia has built a
this felt like the latest in a long line of beloved businesses coming
solid reputation promoting genres which traditionally shy
under serious threat. MelloMello, for example, a place that acts as
away from the mainstream, such as jazz, Americana and folk.
a community arts space, bar, music venue, rehearsal studio and
“Because everything’s free, it creates accessibility and you get
vegetarian café, is similarly being faced with closure after their
the opportunity to listen to so many things that you wouldn’t
offer to buy their building was declined in favour of a larger bid
normally consider. I certainly know from our customer base that
from a private developer.
it’s made people a lot more broadminded.”
Happily, however, it’s not all doom and gloom. Those intent
It’s a testament to the inclusivity of this scene that neither
on closing the Cale didn’t count on the determination of King
and the huge wave of public support which rallied behind the
#savethecaledonia campaign, with a petition of over 3,000
signatures and the backing of Liverpool councillors and Mayor
Joe Anderson. Just before the pub’s third birthday, the date it was
supposed to close, Admiral renegotiated the deal and the new
buyers asked Laura to carry on as usual, now as a free house, with
a contract to stay on for five years and then possibly indefinitely.
Bido Lito! met up with two of the women involved in these crises,
Laura King of the Caledonia and Laura Powers-del Arco of the team
behind MelloMello, to ask is there still hope for our favourite
independent venues?
“I was overwhelmed by the reaction of people when we had
the news we were closing,” says King in between pulling pints.
“It wasn’t jumping on the negative bandwagon it was, ‘We can do
something about this’.”
“It’s such a wonderful example that it can work,” adds Powersdel
Arco, who experienced a similar reaction through MelloMello’s
campaign to raise funds for a deposit on the building. “It was
unbelievable. When something like that hits you, doubts can
sometimes set in and you can think, ‘Why are we doing this?’ But
those levels of support imbibe all those who work there with a kind
of positivity. It’s good to have those moments to remind you.”
Despite this largely encouraging reaction, there will always
woman feels her gender is much of a consideration in the
be some who question the importance of one pub or bar in the
admittedly male-dominated world of music. “We just get on with
grand scheme of things, but these businesswomen know the
it,” says Powers-del Arco, “as does everyone else.”
positive effects a well-run venue can have on a community.
“It has its implications sometimes, certain people do take
“You’ve got your venue, I guess, and your immediate walls but me less seriously but I just tell them to fuck off,” says King.
it’s also about the area at large that one helps to shape and make “It’s hard to change history: there are less women in business
a better place,” says Powers-del Arco, explaining that Mello was because there are less women in business, and the only way to
completely derelict when they moved in but has helped to improve change that is over time, and by us being in the position where
the surrounding area over time. “It just brightened up that corner we don’t even consider it.”
didn’t it?” says King. “Now there’s tons of little bars and venues
While both women are obviously competitive in a business
round there, and it’s not that Mello is the whole reason for that sense, it is also clear that they are not necessarily competing
but it’s probably a big part of it. It’s got the community feel. with each other, as Powers-del Arco points out: “There’s a little
“When I took over here it [the Caledonia] was a terrible place, network and a community; there are obviously different venues
and there’s a lot of people in the immediate community who but while we’re different our ethos might be quite similar,
have said thank God they don’t have to cross over the road and which I think is really strong.”
walk past it any more. They don’t necessarily come in here but it’s
“We’re all rooting for each other because we all know we’re
nice for them to feel safe and have somewhere to go if they feel
unique so we don’t have to fight for customers, we share them,”
says King. “I think having multiple venues with the same ethos
makes us busier and better.”
With the Caledonia saved and the good folk of MelloMello
vowing to push forward regardless, both women’s plans for the
future are now looking surprisingly bright.
“I think for Mello it’s about securing a bit of longevity in some
respect that can then strengthen the whole locality in terms of
a real, serious and respected alternative scene,” says Powers-del
Arco. “The thing that gives us a little bit of optimism is that when
we first started it was literally just the little coffee bar, bring your
own booze, and a couple of very weird, experimental jazz nights
and from there it’s grown into its building. And you think, well, if
we’ve done it once maybe we could do it again.”
“I hope to be here for a long time to come,” says King. “The
business is at a great point now where we can push forward even
further. In the distant future I might do another venue as well, but
for now it’s just picking up all the bits that have been chucked up
in the air over the past couple of months.”
Looking back to those couple of months, what have they both
learned from their recent trials?
“Have security,” replies King immediately. “I wasn’t protected.
Now I am and I wouldn’t have learned that if it wasn’t for this. I
think the things we’re going through are going to highlight that
city-wide.”
“I guess being a bit fearless and taking risks,” says Powersdel
Arco. “Yeah, be confident in your own ability,” adds King. “You
might be young, you might be a girl, but you’ve got a brain in your
head and that’s how you ended up in this position.”
And with that bit of encouragement the interview is over, and
the two Lauras are busy inspecting a jukebox from 1975 that
King is renovating herself. It seems that if there’s one lesson
to be gained from the hardships suffered by the Caledonia and
MelloMello, it’s that the passionate and hard-working people
behind our favourite venues are slowly getting the recognition
they deserve, and that we can become involved not only by
showing our loyalty before they desperately need it, but by going
out and doing something similar to benefit the community at
a grassroots level, in the true spirit of DIY. In the wise words of
Laura King: “Just get on with it!”
thecaledonialiverpool.com
mellomello.co.uk
Gig Guide and Ticket Shop live at www.bidolito.co.uk