Issue 106 / Dec 2019/Jan 2020

NEWS
The Stomach And The Port
Rashid Johnson, The Crisis, 2019
Liverpool Biennial returns for its 11th year in 2020,
taking place between 11th July and 25th October. The
contemporary art festival will engage with Liverpool, its
history and cultural landscape in even greater depth, guided
by a theme of The Stomach and The Port. Liverpool’s
dynamic as a historic international port city – a point of
global contact and circulation – provides the perfect canvas
on which to consider the analogy of the city as an entity
similar to the body; a fluid organism that is continuously
shaped by and shaping its environment. Public spaces,
historic sites and the city’s leading art venues will ‘host’
the various artworks that will comprise the Biennial, the
UK’s largest festival of contemporary visual art. New
director, Fatos Üstek, and curator, Manuela Moscoso, have
constructed this modern vison for the festival, working with
more than 50 international artists to interpret this theme in
relation to Liverpool. biennial.com
A Feast Of Fests 1
Festival season never ends on Merseyside, and 2020 is already shaping
up to be plentiful in that regard, with announcements coming thick and
fast. SOUND CITY have come out of the blocks with all guns blazing
for the festival in the Baltic Triangle (1st-3rd May), headlined by goth
grunge stars PALE WAVES. THE BLINDERS, THE MYSTERINES and
STEALING SHEEP are among those also joining the fray, with more
expected announcements due early in the new year. Barely a week
later (7th-9th May), FOCUS WALES gets up and running for 2020 in
Wrexham 7th-9th May. The mercurial GRUFF RHYS headlines, with
some brilliantly eclectic acts – such as FLAMINGODS and GEORGIA
RUTH – spread across a line-up that has something for everyone.
And, after a year off, Positive Vibration Festival Of Reggae returns to
the Baltic Triangle, on 12th-13th June. HOLLIE COOK and GENERAL
LEVY AND JOE ARIWA are the big-hitters leading the way, in what is a
welcome return to the gigging calendar.
Pale Waves
A Feast Of Fests 2
Cykada
What, you want more festivals? OK – we can help you there, because our diary 2020 is already filling up with
unmissable dates. LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL is one of the earlier starters, taking place at Hope
University’s Capstone Theatre between 27th February and 1st March. London collective CYKADA bring the fire;
Belgians TIN MEN AND THE TELEPHONE bring the raucous fury; and saxophonist TONY KOFI brings a quartet
whose set will focus on Kofi’s work with Ornette Coleman. The 10th edition of THRESHOLD will also, sadly, be its
last. The grassroots arts and music festival has championed many emerging artists during its tenure, but will be
wrapping things up in the Baltic Triangle on 3rd and 4th April (artist announcements due in January 2020). INDIKA
has made some slight changes to its programme, moving its main festival to November (12th-22nd) across a number
of city centre venues, including St George’s Hall, Leaf and the Philharmonic Music Room. A major Diwali celebration is
also planned as part of the revamped programme, with year round taster events and showcases to keep us keen.
Read The Dots
Big Wows Treasure Hunt
Two local art organisations, The Reader and dot-art, are joining forces to
deliver a new range of activities and workshops for 2020. Based in the
recently refurbished Mansion House in Calderstones Park, The Reader is a
national charity that champions the benefits of shared reading and literature.
In teaming up with independent art gallery dot-art, The Reader will be
incorporating a visual art programme alongside a number of art classes
and community workshops within the Mansion House. dot-art has been
running a successful series of art classes with The Bluecoat for a number
of years, and their involvement with The Reader will open up exciting new
possibilities; nature photography, walking drawing, textile arts and short
story illustration courses will all take a lead from the glorious setting of
Calderstones Park.
If you haven’t yet managed to get your hands on the limited edition
STEALING SHEEP Remix Wows cassette we teamed up to release
earlier this year, you may just be in luck. A number of the special
pink cassettes – featuring versions of the tracks from the Sheep’s
third album Big Wows remixed by their friends – are dotted around
the city (and even further afield) to be picked up for free. We’ve
hidden 50 cassettes in locations specific to Stealing Sheep – places
where they’ve played, worked, recorded music, filmed videos and
created artwork. We’ve even left a number of cassettes at Liverpool
landmarks for anyone to find. If you want one for your collection,
follow the clues on our Twitter account (@BidoLito). Big wows!
Independent Venue Week
Sinead O’Brien
Anna Calvi is the ambassador of INDEPENDENT VENUE WEEK 2020, the nationwide
festival that puts the spotlight on the indie music venues that are the lifeblood of the UK
music scene. In Liverpool, a whole host of establishments are taking part between 27th
January and 2nd February, bringing a slew of gigs at an otherwise downbeat time of
year. District, Grand Central Hall, The Zanzibar, Jimmy’s and Parr Street Studio2 all have
activity planned in, with many shows still to be announced at the time of going to press.
The Jacaranda venues – Phase One, EBGBS and Jacaranda Club – throw themselves
into the action once more, with BLACKWATERS’ headline show at EBGBS on 30th
January one of their highlights. Craft Taproom and Handyman have their own weekend
scheduled, featuring SILENT-K and MATT MCMANAMON (The Dead 60s) among others.
And Birkenhead Library gets in on the act, with a joint headline show from SINEAD
O’BRIEN and PUMA BLUE on 2nd February. Keep an eye out for more shows to be
announced. independentvenueweek.com
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