Issue 106 / Dec 2019/Jan 2020

Wow. It hardly feels like 10 years since we started
on this journey – how time flies when you’re in
the middle of great social and political upheaval,
soundtracked by music that’s as angst-ridden as
it is fearless. As is common when times are tough, music acts as
a salve and spark; and we can perhaps look back at the 2010s
with a little more affection knowing that its soundtrack is one
for the ages.
The first issue of Bido Lito! came out in May 2010, shortly
after the general election which saw the beginning of a punitive
decade of Tory rule. Softened as it was by the coalition with
the Lib Dems (think: being punched repeated by a boxing glove
rather than bare knuckle), things maybe didn’t seem quite so
bleak back then. Little did we know what impact austerity would
have on our society, wearing away at the cultural bonds that
unite us all. We arrive, jaded, at the end of the second decade of
the millennium, desperate for a fresh beginning.
We’ll all have our own memories that stand out from the past
10 years, moments that have affected us deeply or have proven
to be turning points in our own lives. For our look back at the
decade just gone, we’ve asked some of our core team of writers
to pick out a selection of key cultural moments that they believe
have had the greatest impact on our collective consciousness.
We could quite easily have filled a book on dozens more
memories – indeed, we’ve filled 106 magazines with them – so
our selection is far from definitive, merely a snapshot. Therefore,
if anything comes to mind, we’d like you to send us your own
cultural moments from the past decade that you feel are worthy
of mention.
The collection of tribes and scenes that make up our music
community is undoubtedly much changed: healthier and more
diverse in many ways; but lacking greatly in others, not least in
the infrastructure around the music venues that are the lifeblood
of a community of inter-dependent independents. From Static to
the Baltic Triangle, noise has been a constant issue, making us
face up to what kind of place we want our city centre to be. The
coming decade will see that battle continue, and it is up to us to
work out how we create an environment that is equal parts music
city, party city and destination city.
We also need to encourage, or make space for, more
collectives to add their voices to the hubbub, especially those
from the worlds of jazz, grime/trap and hip hop. The underground
dance, electronic and experimental purveyors that have coalesced
around 24 Kitchen Street in the Baltic Triangle, for example,
is surely one of the biggest, warmest successes of culture-led
regeneration in the past decade – although there are fears it’s
now in reverse. And we should look beyond the confines of the
city centre – much like the seeds of growth around Smithdown
Road – if we’re to find further fertile places for our noisy artists to
flourish.
I’ve enjoyed seeing some of these tribes develop in a musical
context over the years, not least those underground scenes that
gathered around Strange Collective’s and Eggy Records’ DIY
events. Queen Zee provided a momentous moment for queer
visibility when they headlined Pride in 2018, which has also
been buoyed by the work of Sonic Yootha and Preach. Stealing
Sheep gathered their whole scene around them for a brilliant
representation of their varied world when they filmed a video
with Jack Whiteley and Joe Wills in the Kazimier Garden; which
was just as exciting to witness as was XamVolo’s entrance to the
GIT Awards in 2015, when a new sense of possibility descended
the stairs onto the Kazimier stage with him. The re-emergence of
Mick Head has also been particularly warming to see, with long
overdue recognition rightfully coming his way.
It is a great tragedy that some people haven’t been able to
see this all play out, not least Alan Wills and Tony Butler, two
pillars of Liverpool music in the prior decade. The respect that
both men commanded has been carried on by new torch-bearers,
and their impact will still be felt as we embark on a new decade.
We must also remember the memories of the talented young
musicians from the groups Viola Beach and Her’s, who tragically
passed away. The best way we can honour their memories is
to make sure that the great work they started gets completed,
and that their stories are remembered for future generations to
discover.
It’s easy to get side-tracked by the flashy, large-scale events
that we’ve become used to and forget about the more basic,
grassroots cultural institutions that we need to encourage. Yet,
we also shouldn’t play down the impact of great communal
moments – giants, parades, fireworks – in bringing the city
together and restoring some much-needed collective pride.
Whether you agree with the fence or not, LIMF is a massive
upgrade on the Mathew Street festival, and is a far more
progressive way of celebrating music for a city with a reputation
on a global scale; and Sound City has re-discovered its heart,
after a brief sojourn down on the docks. Watching together,
dancing together, celebrating; that’s the very essence of culture.
This was our culture – what was yours? !
God Save The Florrie
Community action in Liverpool is a powerful force. The
changes that can be brought about by collaboration, by the
bringing together of people from diverse backgrounds for the
benefit of all, is something this city does well. By necessity
more than desire, more often than not.
A fine example of this is the Florence Institute, or The
Florrie. A beautiful, Grade II late Victorian former boys’ club
at the heart of Liverpool 8, The Florrie was in a perilous
state of decay until a group of impassioned individuals with
community ties to the building formed a trust to restore it to
its former glory, and open it as a wholly inclusive community
centre for all. Eight years and over £6 million later, The Florrie
opened its doors to the community in 2012. Later, with the
arrival of director Anne Lundon, The Florrie moved towards a
programme of culture and creativity as a way of supporting
the community and building cohesion.
Today, The Florrie is both proactive and reactive in
responding to the needs of the community and provides a
wealth of activities, from belly dancing lessons to reading
groups, art sessions to yoga and circus skills. Plus, of course,
the now legendary guitar group run by the Tea Street Band’s
A DECADE
Placing one final exclamation mark at the
end of the 2010s, a selection of Bido Lito!
writers pick out some of the most important
cultural moments to have taken place in
Liverpool over the course of the past decade.
Resurrecting The Everyman
Demolishing a theatre is a dangerous thing. Once it’s gone, what
happens to all the ghosts?
When the elderly Everyman Theatre was knocked down in 2011,
efforts were made to encourage its theatrical spirits to stick around. Its
bricks were saved, its site was preserved, and when the regenerated
Everyman finally opened on 2nd March 2014 – complete with its
startling façade featuring 105 life-size Liverpudlians – it was a relief
to find that the box-fresh new venue somehow felt as if it had always
been there.
Not all its ghosts came back. The reinvented Everyman Bistro never
recaptured the magic that had made its previous incarnation into one
of Liverpool’s most energised cultural hubs. But with its youth theatre
space and its writers’ room, and its homely auditorium performing the
trick of pretending it never went away, the Everyman remains a piece
of Hope Street heaven – a resting place for old ghosts and for spectres
yet to come.
Damon Fairclough
Timo Tierney. With happenings and exhibitions from notables
such as Jamie Reid and Jimmy Cauty, The KLF, Michael
Head, The La’s and Greg Wilson’s 14-hour Super Weird
Happening in the mix, The Florrie has firmly established itself
in the cultural beat of the city. By the community, for the
community. #GodSaveTheFlorrie.
Paul Fitzgerald
Jemma Timberlake / jemmatimberlake.co.uk
Words: Christopher Torpey / @CATorp
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