Issue 99 / May 2019

NEWS
The Future’s Bright, The Future’s
Birkenhead
Anna Calvi
Power-rocking classicist ANNA CALVI, alt.pop sensation NILÜFER
YANYA and experimental jazzers SZUN WAVES are among those
artists who feature on the bill for the inaugural FUTURE YARD festival,
alongside Wirral’s favourite son BILL RYDER-JONES. The two-day
event will take place across multiple stages in and around Hamilton
Square in Birkenhead on the bank holiday weekend in August, 23rd
and 24th. The civic splendour of Birkenhead Town Hall’s Assembly
Rooms will play host to the headliners, while the oldest building on
Merseyside, Birkenhead Priory, will provide the backdrop to a number
of performances, including a one-off audio installation from FOREST
SWORDS called PYLON. Alongside all this, some weird Wirral
wonderment is planned – so look out for further additions coming
later in the year, including a programme of activity that will have you
scouring your ancestry to see if you can claim any Wirral heritage.
Details and tickets at futureyard.org.
Arrival City
Liverpool’s historic status as an important port city makes it one
of the most unique ‘arrival cities’ in the UK, with many layers of
history still making up the identities of people who live here. We
walk through streets named after celebrated anti-abolitionists
and past grand buildings paid for by slave traders. Toxteth’s
relationship with immigration is made up of different pasts and
presents. This abundance of perspectives can be heard in the
poetry, spoken word, and music of the area’s artists. ARRIVAL
CITY seeks to understand these points of difference through the
timeless ritual of conversation: whether through storytelling,
poetry and music, or simply open discussion with one another.
From May to June 2019, a series of events, an exhibition at FACT
and a newly commissioned zine from ROOT-ed will open up this
space for exchange.
Arrival City
As Seen On Screen
Anthea Hamilton – Venice Kimono 2012
Merseyside artist Fiona Banner’s five-metre-wide screen print
representing the classic Lawrence Of Arabia will take pride of place
among an extensive exhibition which explores the relationship between
art and cinema at Walker Art Gallery. Featuring other artists including
SAM TAYLOR-JOHNSON, HARDEEP PANDHAL and ANTHEA
HAMILTON, AS SEEN ON SCREEN: ART AND CINEMA considers the
influence of cinema on art across 20 works on display from 31st May.
Other highlights of the show are set to be a kimono featuring the image
of John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever character and a collage of stills
from Hitchcock’s Psycho.
Have Your Say In Liverpool’s Music
Future
Since being established at the end of 2018, the new Liverpool City
Region Music Board has been identifying some key areas to act upon
under its auspices to improve policy and infrastructure around music in
the region. One of its first public acts is to host a consultation session
on 14th May at Hinterlands, which is open to all. The purpose of the
event is for board members to lead a collaborative, open discussion
on the work they have currently undertaken, and to listen to the views
of the city region’s music community, which will inform the next steps
going forward. There will be two sessions, at 1pm and 6pm. Places are
free, but limited, for each session, so don’t delay in registering.
Bido Bikes
You’ll be used to a wave of pink washing through the city when a
new issue of Bido Lito! lands, but that will be nothing once you’ve
seen our brand new BIDO BIKES in action. As part of our new green
initiative, we’ll be using pedal power to distribute our magazines
across the city centre, helping to minimise our carbon footprint. The
pink livery of the Bido Bikes will be streaking across town on the
day the magazine lands, adding even more colour to the city. We’re
also running a competition to coincide with the launch, rewarding
anyone who’s eagle-eyed enough to spot them. Snap a picture of
the Bido Bikes in action and share it with us on Twitter or Instagram
– using the tag #pickupthepinkone – to win a special prize! Extra
consideration will be given to smart action photography.
Kinship
One Day Young by Jenny Lewis
The photographers of Open Eye Gallery’s latest exhibition
explore the role of kinship in their lives. Relationships such as
partnerships, friendships and family are represented through the
lenses of PIXY LIAO, MOMO OKABE, MARGARET MITCHELL,
LYDIA GOLDBLATT, JENNY LEWIS and JOHANNA HELDEBRO.
The international cast of photographers will present their unique
takes on these relationships via a two-month long show at the
Mann Island gallery which begins on 9th May. The exhibition
precedes Look festival, a biennial photography event led by
Open Eye which begins in June. The 2019 edition of the festival
explores the themes of Transplant, Translate and Transition and
takes place over three chapters from June to December.
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