Issue 111 / November 2022

New Music + Creative Culture
Liverpool
Issue 111 / November 2020
bidolito.co.uk
Second Floor
The Merchant
40-42 Slater Street
Liverpool L1 4BX
Founding Editor
Craig G Pennington - info@bidolito.co.uk
Founding Editor
Christopher Torpey - chris@bidolito.co.uk
Executive Publisher
Sam Turner - sam@bidolito.co.uk
Editor
Elliot Ryder - elliot@bidolito.co.uk
Editorial Assistant
Olivia Yoxall - olivia@bidolito.co.uk
Design
Mark McKellier - mark@andmark.co.uk
Branding
Thom Isom - hello@thomisom.com
Proofreader
Nathaniel Cramp
Cover Photography
Marieke Macklon
Words
Elliot Ryder, Olivia Yoxall, Sam Turner, Mary Olive, Lily
Blakeney-Edwards, Adam Noor, Emma Varley, Alice
Langan, Orla Foster, Will Whitby, Sophie Shields,
Richard Lewis, Anthony Wilde, Matthew Berks, Cath
Holland, Leah Binns, Jennie Macaulay, Stuart Miles
O’Hara, Dan Cullinan.
Photography, Illustration and Layout
Mark McKellier, Marieke Macklon, Esmée Finlay, Michael
Kirkham, Nicholas Daly, Callum Mills, Anthony Wilde,
Mark Lycett, Broadie, John Johnson, Robin Clewley,
Hannah Blackman-Kurz.
EDITORIAL
When society opened back up in early July, the
door to freedom was only ever left ajar. It was
much closer to swinging back shut than it was
ever wide open.
Not all of us were able to squeeze through the gap and
sample a taste of the before times. For those who it was safe
enough to do so, the life that greeted us on the other side was
familiar. However, there were glaring omissions that added to
its temporary feel. No live music, sport spectators, theatre. A
weariness of being around older family
members and members of the public
persisted. For all the thrill of being back
out, seeing people, places being open,
there was always a niggling doubt in the
back of the mind.
In March, it took a matter of weeks
to transition from blasé, ‹keep calm
and carry on’ to being one of the worst
affected nations of a raging global
pandemic. By July, it certainly didn’t feel
like the fires were fully stamped out as
we opened up. It only takes an ember to
ignite the fire. Two months into our new
future of mask wearing, signing in and
sanitising, the door was already creaking shut.
Moving into tier three of new lockdown restrictions was met
with a mixture of preparedness and fear. I’d done the three-and-ahalf-month
stretch of lockdown already. Reluctantly, I told myself,
you know what to expect. But there was a greater fear than the
first time. In March, the blanket closure nationwide came with a
partial safety net. It would keep the majority ticking over. Plans
were then shifted until Autumn. Budgets reshuffled. We waited.
The autumn months were where we’d turn a new leaf in a
year deprived of so much. That new leaf didn’t have time to turn.
Too quickly it was subjected to winter. It withered. Subjected to
FEATURES
“Time to put on
our masks and be
heroes of our own”
increased social distance, the safety net all but gone. Budgets
decimated. All plans cancelled. So much of what so many have
worked for hangs in the balance.
It was fitting that, as Liverpool City Region ventured alone
into lockdown, a caped crusader would appear. Liverpool was in
need of a hero. Someone to look to, to turn the tide, to make the
people believe in good triumphing over evil. The stunt double of
Bruce Wayne straddling the Liver Birds wasn’t who we needed.
But it at least set off this train of thought. The first wave was
defined by its heroes. We rightly stood up
and took notice of Liverpool’s essential
workers. They’re just as important now.
And yes, they include our musicians,
artists, community facilitators. We now
have a greater understanding of what is
an essential worker and the plaudits they
deserve. Being out on our own is less
lonesome in a city full of heroes. Those
who don’t glow under the Hollywood
spotlight, but are no less deserving.
History will note how we’ve been
here before. The stagnation of the 1980s,
the decline of Liverpool as a port. Once
again, we’re out on our own. Those
triumphs in the past, the city reinventing itself in the face of
decimation, didn’t happen overnight. It took the city taking
ownership of the situation and doing it its own way. We will
need more help. Our politicians/representatives and community
leaders will fight for this so livelihoods aren’t destroyed. We’ll
be together, as close as we can be, but there’s no doubting the
winter will be hard. Time to put on our masks and be heroes of
our own. !
Elliot Ryder / @elliot_ryder
Editor
Gotham? (Liam Jones / @liamjonesphotie)
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11 / COURTING
Nobody knows what’s going on, but Courting are here to help you
make sense of the madness.
16 / PLAYING IN
In our third report with University Of Liverpool, we look at
responses relating to releasing music and self-promotion during
the months of lockdown.
18 / TABITHA JADE
Orla Foster finds the singer-songwriter doing things her own
way as she looks to leave her mark on contemporary RnB and
Afrobeat.
20 / RED RUM CLUB
Following the release of their second album, Sophie Shields braces
the heights of the Sefton Sierra with its hometown heroes.
REGULARS
22 / PAST PRESENT FUTURE
The Real Thing and MiC LOWRY sit down to discuss their
experiences of black representation in Liverpool music.
.
26 / CHAMPION ONE, CHAMPION
ALL
Ahead of a new exhibition opening in November, Anthony Wilde
sheds light on his ability to capture moments of change and
transition.
30 / FOX FISHER
Homotopia’s artists in residence for 2020 provides an insight to
their personal and artistic journey, along with what to expect at
this year’s festival.
The views expressed in Bido Lito! are those of the
respective contributors and do not necessarily
reflect the opinions of the magazine, its staff or the
publishers. All rights reserved.
8 / NEWS
10 / HOT PINK!
26 / SPOTLIGHT
30 / PREVIEWS
32 / REVIEWS
38 / ARTISTIC LICENCE
39 / FINAL SAY