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Liverpool has a lengthy tradition of music both classical and pop. It is well known for the Beatles (who recorded 18 UK and 20 US number-one singles). Its pop and rock music scene has also been important in the development of a number of other bands and artists since the 1950s. [1]
In 2001 the Guinness Book of Records declared Liverpool "City of Pop" due to the many number one records to have emerged from the city. The most famous band to have come from Liverpool is the Beatles who played many of their early gigs at the Cavern Club.
Many sea shanties specifically refer to Liverpool, such as "Heave Away", "Liverpool Judies", and "Maggie May", which was later performed by the Beatles.
In the 1960s, the city was home to the development of the Merseybeat style of pop music, popularised by artists including Gerry & The Pacemakers. However, even before Merseybeat Liverpool had successful acts such as Frankie Vaughan, Lita Roza and Billy Fury. In the late 1970s/early 1980s, Echo & the Bunnymen, A Flock of Seagulls, Teardrop Explodes, the Mighty Wah!, OMD, China Crisis, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Dead or Alive emerged. A punk rock and post-punk scene rose during this period, centred around the venue Eric's on Matthew Street, until its closure in 1980 lead way to newer acts and independent labels with "do-it-yourself" ethos. Record Collector 's Tim Peacock said regions of this movement were documented with five compilation albums: A Trip to the Dentist (1980) for Birkenhead; Jobs for the Boys (1985) and its sequel Son of Jobs for the Boys (1985) for Merseyside; Elegance, Charm & Deadly Danger (1985) for St Helens; and Ways to Wear Coats (1986) for Liverpool in general. [2]
1990s bands that enjoyed success were the Boo Radleys, the La's, the Real People, the Farm and Cast. Peacock said the compilation album Dark Side of the Pool (1991) encapsulated the evolving indie music scene in Liverpool in the early 1990s. [2] During the 2000s bands such as the Zutons, the Wombats and the Coral became popular. As a backlash to this style of guitar pop music, another scene far more influenced by post punk and experimental music has emerged more recently, spearheaded by bands such as Space, Ladytron, Clinic, a.P.A.t.T., Hot Club de Paris and Kling Klang. Rappers such as Tremz, Aystar, Hazey, Still Brickin and Mazza_L20 have also emerged, using strong Scouse accents.
In 2008 World Museum Liverpool (in partnership the Institute of Popular Music at University of Liverpool) created "The Beat Goes On" [3] exhibition charting the history of music in Liverpool in depth, from 1945 to the present day.
The Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF) [4] evolved from the Mathew Street Music Festival, which was the largest annual free music festival in Liverpool attracting over 200,000 visitors to the city.
In 2011 the GIT Award [5] - formed through influential Liverpool music blog Getintothis - was founded. Dubbed the 'Scouse Mercury Prize' by NME, the GIT Award celebrated and championed Merseyside's revitalised music scene. Garnering backing from over 90 businesses and with a judging panel including the Guardian, NME, 6 Music and founder Peter Guy from the Liverpool Echo, the GIT Award nominated 12 artists representing the best artists from that calendar year.
Liverpool hosts several music festivals each year which celebrate and represent the different cultures within the city. Africa Oye [6] is the UK's largest free festival of African music.
Each year the Liverpool Irish Festival [7] is held featuring mostly folk music celebrating the cultural links between Liverpool and Ireland. Liverpool contains a very large Irish population.
In 2017 the music event Melodic Distraction became a radio station in and serving Liverpool. [8]
The 1960s saw the emergence of Merseybeat and the Cavern Club, the late 1970s and early 1980s a punk scene centred on another club, Eric's also on Mathew Street, while 1990s dance clubs included Quadrant Park, Cream and more recently Chibuku. [9] The majority of the city's largest and most popular music venues and clubs are located at Concert Square, Mathew Street, Hardman Street and Hope Street, though the Baltic Triangle region of the city has seen a growth in popularity, with a number of venues appearing in previously disused warehouses. Current venues include the Echo Arena Liverpool, East Village Arts Club, Kazimier, Zanzibar, O2 Academy, The Magnet, Camp & Furnace and Leaf on Bold Street.
A number of independent record labels are currently active in the Liverpool scene:
Below is a list of songs by artists from Liverpool that attained the number one position in the UK Singles Chart.
Gerry and the Pacemakers, were a British beat group prominent in the 1960s Merseybeat scene. In common with the Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein, and were recorded by George Martin. Their early successes alongside the Beatles were instrumental in popularizing the Merseybeat sound and launching the wider British beat boom of the mid-1960s.
The Merseybeats are an English band that emerged from the Liverpool Merseybeat scene in the early 1960s, performing at the Cavern Club along with the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and other similar artists.
Atomic Kitten is an English girl group formed in Liverpool in 1998, whose current members are Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton. The group was founded by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) members Andy McCluskey and Stuart Kershaw, who served as principal songwriters during Atomic Kitten's early years. The group's debut album Right Now was released in October 2000 and charted at number 39 in the United Kingdom. After five top ten singles, original member Kerry Katona quit – four weeks before "Whole Again" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart – and was replaced by former Precious singer Jenny Frost. "Whole Again" became the group's most successful single, staying at number one for four weeks in the UK and six weeks in Germany, and reaching number one in many other territories; in Britain, it was the 13th-best-selling single of the 2000s. The group re-released their debut album, with some tracks re-recorded with Frost's vocals: it peaked at number one in the UK and was certified double platinum after selling over 600,000 copies.
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, traditional pop and music hall. It rose to mainstream popularity in the UK and Europe by 1963 before spreading to North America in 1964 with the British Invasion. The beat style had a significant impact on popular music and youth culture, from 1960s movements such as garage rock, folk rock and psychedelic music.
Gerard Marsden MBE was an English singer-songwriter, musician and television personality, best known for being leader of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers. He was the younger brother of fellow band member Freddie Marsden.
"Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States and number eight in the UK. The song is from the film of the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s, a musical theatre production, also titled Ferry Cross the Mersey, related Gerry Marsden's Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada.
The Remo Four were a 1950s–1960s rock band from Liverpool, England. They were contemporaries of The Beatles, and later had the same manager, Brian Epstein. Its members were Colin Manley, Phil Rogers, Don Andrew, and Roy Dyke (drums). Andrew and Manley were in the same class at school as Paul McCartney.
Brian Poole is a singer and performer who was the lead singer of 1960s beat band the Tremeloes (1957–62) and then Brian Poole and the Tremeloes (1962–66).
The Undertakers are a British beat group, contemporaries of the Beatles and a leading group in the Merseybeat music scene of the early 1960s.
Eric's Club was a music club in Liverpool, England. It opened on 1 October 1976 in the basement of The Fruit Exchange in Victoria Street, with performances by The Runaways and The Sex Pistols before soon moving around the block to its long-term site on Mathew Street opposite The Cavern Club where The Beatles and other bands of the 1960s played, and became notable for hosting early performances by many punk and post-punk bands.
Jimmy Campbell was an English musician and songwriter from Liverpool, England. He was a member of Merseybeat groups The Kirkbys, The 23rd Turnoff, and Rockin' Horse, as well as releasing three solo albums.
Ferry Cross the Mersey is a 1964 British musical film featuring Gerry and the Pacemakers. It is frequently considered to be their version of the Beatles' A Hard Day's Night.
Leslie Charles Maguire was an English musician and retired who was a principal member of the Merseybeat band Gerry and the Pacemakers from 1961 to 1966.
British pop music is popular music, produced commercially in the United Kingdom. It emerged in the mid-to late 1950s as a softer alternative to American rock 'n' roll. Like American pop music it has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, as well as that of the Singles Chart usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs. While these basic elements of the genre have remained fairly constant, pop music has absorbed influences from most other forms of popular music, particularly borrowing from the development of rock music, and utilising key technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes. From the British Invasion in the 1960s, led by The Beatles, British pop music has alternated between acts and genres with national appeal and those with international success that have had a considerable impact on the development of the wider genre and on popular music in general
The Cavern Club is a music venue on Mathew Street, Liverpool, England.
Spencer Leigh is a BBC radio presenter and author, with particular expertise in the development of pop and rock music and culture in Britain.
The Dennisons were an English Merseybeat band, that emerged from the Liverpool scene in the early 1960s. Despite their background, and a couple of minor hit singles, they failed to achieve more than a local following and were unable to find a footing on the British Invasion. However, in 1963, Bob Wooler stated that "The Dennisons have created the biggest impact in Liverpool since the Beatles." The band's drummer, Clive Hornby, later became the actor best known for portraying Jack Sugden in British soap opera Emmerdale.
Faron's Flamingos were an English Merseybeat band. Despite their lack of commercial success, they remain an important part of Merseybeat history and have the distinction of being the first major example of the "Mersey Motown" sound with their release of "Do You Love Me".
The Jacaranda is a Liverpool music venue, closely associated with the rise of the Merseybeat phenomenon in the 1960s. Opened by The Beatles' first manager Allan Williams in 1958, it played a key role in launching the band's early careers, in addition to providing a stage for local acts like Gerry and the Pacemakers & Rory Storm and The Hurricanes. The headquarters of independent record label Jacaranda Records and still operating as a live music venue, record store and bar, the club has occupied a place in Liverpool's music scene for over 60 years.
