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 An excellent logo!
DISLIKE THE DARK NIGHTS?
FED UP WITH THE FROST?
COMPLAINING ABOUT THE COLD?
HERE'S THE REMEDY!!!
Bring warmth and sparkle to the festive season.
Come to the best Carol Concert around!
Roger Phillips, Welsh Choral, Northop Band swing into Christmas at 'The Phil.'
THURSDAY 14th DECEMBER. 7.30pm.
Tickets: 0151 652 674 / 0151 709 3789.
BE THERE!
Carols and Brass
EUGENE CHADBOURNE
Thursday 30 November
Everyman Bistro
Hope St
Liverpool L1 9BH
Venue link/directions
Door open 8.00pm £5/3
Tickets available from Probe Records and Frakture office.
Since the release of his first album in 1975 guitarist extraordinaire Eugene Chadbourne has worked with a dizzying array of major players in the fields of free jazz/improv. Including many projects with composer/improviser John Zorn and participation in Derek Baileys company week. Other activities include his band Shockabilly, country music, punk rock bands and the solo cd Bach violin sonatas on 5-string banjo! An event not to be missed.
“Chadbourne has created an American Folk music that never existed, a kind of primitivist amalgam of blues, free improv and jazz: equal parts of Derek Bailey and Big Bill Broonzy, ideal for the post-modernist back porch.” BBC Music Magazine
Splash 14:
A Splash of free improvisation: presented by Frakture.
Saturday December 2nd
8:15 pm Fee : £3.00
Venue : St Clares Parish Hall, Rutland Avenue, L17
http://www.frakture.org/year/2006/splash14.htm
Full Programme: A full programme for an out-of-town foray
fonik [warrington: Harry gallimore – electronics Ian simpson – prepared lapsteel whyhiwyg, Adam Webster, cello: Tim Downey, laptop, Matt hamlet Gtr: Xavier Bosch voice; Phil Morton Accidents & treatments
i:object : Si Jones, Phil Morton & Chis McGugan: objects & treats
eric Wilson: sound files
Vocal Play
Saturday 2nd December : 1.00 - 3.00 pm: £2.00
Lodation: Toxteth TVStudio, Windsor Street, Liverpool
Location web-presence : http://www.frakture.org/contactinfo.htm
Workshop for voice delivered by SWIM: soundworkshops in music for Frakture.
This is an exciting opportunity to explore the human voice. The workshop will open up and explore the notions of vocal sound, as a personal form of expression or as an instrument producing abstract sounds. Vocal Play invites you to celebrate the voice in a session driven by free improvisation and a sense of play, no singing experience is necessary, just PLAY."
All welcome
To play might mean: to do it now, as you are; to improvise,
to use what is at hand; to enter into a game, not just to act according to someone else's set of rules, but to invent processes, ways of doing things, protocols; to imagine new ways of being together, of proceeding.
SNAP: out of it!
SNAP! Frakture Open Sessions in Free Improvised Music,
Workshops exploring its nature and practice.
Monthly Sessions Hope at Cornerstone. Everton,
Next session Wednesday 6th December
7.30 - 9.30 pm £2 fee: First session free of charge
7.30 - 8.15 pm Led Session
8.30 - 9.25 pm Open session playing free improvised music.
SNAP: is a series of workshops in free improvisation held monthly at Hope@Everton. The sessions are designed to help musicians break out of old habits and explore new musical ideas. SNAP: also welcomes newcommers to playing creative music . The sessions explore
Web presence: http://www.frakture.org/hope1/snap.htm
Venue location: http://www.frakture.org/Venues/cornerstone113.htm
For more information call the office: 0151 709 6123.
Christmas Day : Static Soundwalk Special
Derek Bailey Memorial Soundwalk.
Christmas Day: 10.15 am
Another Christmas Day session from the indefatigable Listening Room. Previous years Great George has been enjoyed as an excellent ear cleansing and body grounding delight after the onslaught that is Christmas morning.
This year with sadness and celebration I dedicate this event as a memorial to Derek Bailey who died on Christmas Day 2005. This is my offering amongst many others to a man who opened up an area of work that we have all stumbled into: music: free improvisation its nature and practice.
The Great George bell will ring at approx. 10.25 - 10.30
Links to more info re Great George from previous year: (the dates are in the past!)
http://www.nervetech.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/GreatGeorge.htm
http://www.frakture.org/listeningroom/nextgig.htm
Fraktal
An ensemble playing free improvisation:
After a long gestation period Fraktal, is looking for and actively recruiting new members.
The details will be available shortly on the web-site from December 4th: In the meantime if you are interested in becoming a member of an ensemble that plays free improvised music contact the office on 0151 709 6123: the web-link to be is
http://www.frakture.org/ensembles/fraktal.htm
you have received this information because, by hook or crook you have been added to our database to receive information about events delivered by Frakture. To unsubscribe send an email to mailinglists@frakture.org
Frakture
PO Box 1147
Liverpool L69 8WH
0151 709 6123 (new May 2006)
http://www.frakture.org
From Culturepool
What
Dinner and a Movie - Scrooge
Christmas Dinner followed by the original big screen version of Scrooge. This 1951 classic is one of the best-known and most acclaimed film adaptations of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol starring Alistair Sim as Ebenezeer Scrooge.
When
Sunday 17th December 2006
Meet @ 7:00pm in the downstairs bar at the Royal Court Theatre.
Where
Royal Court Theatre
Roe Street, Liverpool, L1 1LH. Call 0151 709 4321 for directions.
Who
culturepool
Meet the other members of the group
How
Tickets are £10, which includes Christmas Dinner and the film.
Call the box office on 0151 709 4321 and quote “culturepool” when booking.
Yeh, why not? (As long as I don't have to enter)
From merseymarathon2008.blogspot.com
Mersey marathon?
As Liverpool is to be the Capital of Culture in 2008 and Merseyside has a proud, fine sporting heritage and as such should provide exceptional, blue ribbon events in the city; this subsequently showcases the city as an exemplar of sport and participation by residents and visitors. Such an event, which could encapsulate a range of races/events on the day, would encourage families and young people to participate in a sporting event that could have long-term positive benefits for their health and wellbeing.
This event would not only support the city’s drive to encourage healthy living in its residents, and in particular children, but would also serve to promote sporting interest in the forthcoming Olympic games in 2012. Visitors from all over the UK and indeed the world would travel to the city for such an event, thereby boosting visitor numbers and revenue for the city, and providing a positive view of the city, which is both affirmative and lasting. Please sign our petition and join the campaign now!
www.gopetition.com/online/10252.html
via liverpool.gov.uk
The Liverpool Culture Company Board has a new look - with new faces and a new role.
The advisory body of the city's European Capital of Culture 2008 programme has been revamped following a review of its functions and its relationship with Liverpool City Council and regional agencies.
The restructure from 24 to 14 members aims to address the need for a strategic, delivery focused board to reflect the fact that 08 plans are now fully underway, with the city revealing the first highlights to critical acclaim earlier this month.
As well as the reduction, the board also welcomes two new members. They are: Roger Phillips, the award-winning BBC Radio Merseyside presenter, and Phil Redmond, creator of Brookside, Grange Hill and Hollyoaks.
The board will also have a new advisor. Neil Scales, Chief Executive and Director General of Merseytravel, will play a critical role as a transport advisor. Liverpool expects to attract up to 20 million people during 2008 - with one million alone for the Tall Ships Races, which occurs at the same time as The Open at nearby Royal Birkdale in July.
The new 2008 board will meet for the first time on Wednesday, 29 November. They are:
Professor Drummond Bone - Chairman
Leader of Liverpool City Council - Councillor Warren Bradley
Leader of the opposition - Liverpool City Council - Councillor Joe Anderson
Nominated elected member - Liverpool City Council - Councillor Mike Storey
Chair, Arts Council England, Northwest - Tom Bloxham
Liverpool MP - Louise Ellman
Chair, Northwest Development Agency - Bryan Gray
Chair, The Mersey Partnership - Roy Morris
Chair, Culture Northwest - Loyd Grossman
Susan Woodward, Managing Director, ITV Granada
Ruth Gould, Creative Director of the North West Disability Arts Forum
Roger Phillips - Presenter - BBC Radio Merseyside
Phil Redmond - Chairman, Merseyfilm and ICDC
Tony Wilson (Company Secretary) - Hill Dickinson
Advisors:
Chief Executive, Liverpool Culture Company - Jason Harborow
Chief Executive, Liverpool City Council - Colin Hilton
Chief Executive and Director General, Merseytravel - Neil Scales
Cultural Advisor - Mick Elliott, Chief Executive of Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
 Last years Santa Dash was eventually confirmed as the world record for the 'Most Santas In One Place' with 4,505 people running around the city centre dressed in Santa outfits.
The organisers are naturally hoping to break their own record again this year.
The 5K dash takes place on Sunday December 3 2006. Starting from Castle St at 09.30 and finishing in the same place.
If you don't have the energy to join in its still fun to watch.
The event raises over £100,000 for local charities.
Full details, entry form etc. on the runliverpool website
Via liverpool08.com...
Capital of Culture's latest round of funding has opened for applications. Voluntary and community groups, public sector arts, cultural organisations and individual artists are able to apply for grants under two themes outlined below.
The Creative Communities Theme
Grants of between £500 and £5,000 are available to encourage diverse community arts and sports events and activities to celebrate the city's heritage and 800th birthday. It has a total of £240,000 to distribute with £40,000 of this being specifically allocated to the Sporting Chance sub theme. More details about the Roots and the World in One City sub-themes are given on the website.
The Innovation and Development Theme
Grants of between £500 and £10,000 are available for arts and cultural organisations based in the city who want to deliver benefits to communities and build the capacity of artists. Project proposals should increase access to Liverpool's diverse arts and media through partnerships, employment opportunities, participation and innovative approaches. There is £200,000 available for distribution within this theme.
How to apply
This year's application process is being administered by Liverpool City Council's Community Resources Unit. You can download an application form and guidance notes by clicking on the links on the website.
The closing date for applications is Monday 18 December 2006, 16.00
For any other funding advice call Creative Infrastructure Development Manager, Phil Taylor, on 0151 233 5604 or e-mail phil.taylor@liverpool.gov.uk
Link to full details
Via liverpool08.com. Details seem brief but what else do you need to know? Just wrap up, show up and look up.
New Year's Eve Fireworks - Liverpool 2006
Change of details (was originally the Town Hall)
Lime Street/St George's Plateau, Liverpool, Merseyside.
Date(s): 31/12/2006 - 31/12/2006
[t]:0151 233 2008
[w]:www.liverpool08.com
UPDATE: Postponed due to weather forecast, rescheduled for Jan 5 at 19.30
Update: Short videos of the event here
New Year's Eve fireworks will launch Liverpool's 800th birthday year and mark the end of 2006, the year of performance.
The viewing area is Lime Street/St George's Plateau.
Festivities start at 5pm and the 20-minute fantastic pyrotechnic son et lumiere display will be set to a soundtrack celebrating music through the decades – from classical to contemporary.
 The Welsh National Opera are performing at the Liverpool Empire in early December.
Thu 7 Chorus!
Fri 8 La bohème
Sat 9 Tristan and Isolde
It is also the launch of WNO’s brand new commission, The Sacrifice at the Empire Theatre Liverpool.
The Sacrifice – which is being produced in partnership with the Liverpool Culture Company - is a compelling and timeless story of a ruler’s ultimate sacrifice to safeguard the future of his wartorn, faction-ridden country. It is composed by one of the world’s greatest living composers, James MacMillan, with a libretto by award-winning poet Michael Symmons Roberts. James MacMillan will also conduct the production, which is directed by Katie Mitchell.
www.wno.org.uk
Empire website
 Museum displays waterfront plans
(picture courtesy of Countryside Properties)
An exhibition of the planned multi-million pound re-development of Liverpool's waterfront has been put on show at the city's Maritime Museum.
Visitors can experience a computer animated 'fly through' of the Mann Island changes, said developers Neptune and Countryside Properties.
Building work is to start early in the new year.
The exhibition is open until 21 December and visitors can leave their comments in a special book.
'Under-used asset'
Plans for the Mann Island site include a new £65m Museum of Liverpool, an extension to the Leeds Liverpool Canal, a £120m mixed-use development as well as improvements to areas for public use.
The new waterfront scheme is expected to create over 800 new jobs, as well as increase the number of visitors, said the developers.
BBC LINK
 via liverpool08.com..
Double Vision
Big Screen Liverpool, Clayton Square, Liverpool, Merseyside.
Date(s): 30/11/2006 - 21/12/2006
[w]:www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool
A series of live acoustic concerts will entertain late-night shoppers in Liverpool during the festive season.
Double Vision will see headline acts such as Echo and the Bunnymen, The Christians and Pete Wylie perform at the new BBC Merseyside Performance Space, while the concert is relayed live to the city’s Big Screen in Clayton Square.
School and community choirs will get each event underway before the headline act and the evening will come to an end with a rousing bout of swinging Christmas classics from the Vegas crooner’s songbook with entertainer Philip Tilston.
Up to 50 people will be able to enjoy each of these intimate and exclusive performances at BBC Radio Merseyside. Tickets are available as competition prizes only through on-air and online promotions at BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8FM, www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool and via the artists’ websites.
But if you aren’t lucky enough to get a ticket then head down to the Big Screen in Clayton Square where all entertainment will be broadcast live.
For those braving the chill, free mince pies will be distributed at the Performance Space courtesy of Liverpool 08 Official Partner Sayers, and in Clayton Square courtesy of Greggs the Bakers. Williamson Square will also welcome the Christmas Market on the day of the launch together with the Big Wheel.
Schedule
- Thursday 30 November – The Christians
- Thursday 7 December – Pete Wylie Echo and the Bunnymen (seems they've changed the order
- Thursday 14 December – Echo and the Bunnymen Pete Wylie
- Thursday 21 December – JK as Robbie Williams
Each concert gets under way at 17.30 with the choir before the headline act takes to the stage at 18.00. Philip Tilston will close the concert at 19.00.
Check this link
via liverpool08
Capital of Culture Update Meeting
St George's Hall, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Merseyside.
Date(s): 12/12/2006 - 12/12/2006
[t]:0151 233 2008
[e]:rsvp@liverpool.gov.uk
[w]:www.liverpool08.com
Have you got something to say about Capital of Culture?
Then why not make your voice heard at the Liverpool Culture Company Update Meeting?
It takes place on 12 December between 6.30pm and 8pm at St George's Hall.
Places are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. To reserve your place, e-mail rsvp@liverpool.gov.uk stating your full name, postal address and daytime contact number, quoting 'update meeting'.
Alternatively, call 0151 233 2008, or visit the 08 Place in Whitechapel. The deadline for reservations is Tuesday 5 December.
You will be sent a confirmation letter a few days before the event which you will need to show on the door.
Via Liverpool.gov.uk...
Parking present for christmas shoppers
CHRISTMAS shoppers in Liverpool are being offered free and cut-price parking during this year's festive season.
They will be able to park free at Mount Pleasant multi-storey car park during late -night shopping and for £1 in Christmas week.
Free parking between 5 and 10pm starts on Thursday 16 November and will continue every Thursday until 21 December.
And between 17 and 24 December the cost will be reduced to £1 per stay between 10am and 6pm.
Cllr Mike Storey, Executive Member for Special Initiatives, said: "We have a great programme of activities in the city centre for Christmas, from the Big Wheel to horse drawn Santa carriages and a German market. Liverpool really is the place to be this Christmas and we are determined to attract more shoppers here.
"Free use of Mount Pleasant car park on late night shopping nights gives motorists a Christmas present which I am sure will be gratefully received."
Yes, it looks like Bonfire Night but these fireworks went off as some celebrities switched on the Liverpool City Centre Christmas Lights for 2006.
There was a huge crowd there to see the Leader of Liverpool Council, Warren Bradley or maybe they were there to see the boy band, think it was Eton Road. Ricky Tomlinson also performed his xmas song 'Christmas My Arse' and Neville Skelly crooned.
Somehow I don't think Robyn Archer was involved in commissioning this show, highbrow it ain't but neither is Christmas. Its all about having a good time with tacky, commercial, populist rubbish and that's fine by me (as long as its only once a year).
Even the Notre Dame Gospel Choir didn't sing any hymns, thank goodness, performing the old favourites 'The Snowman' and 'Winter Wonderland'
Update: Plenty of good pictures on BBC website:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/image_galleries/liverpoollights_gallery.shtml?1
This 'news' item has just appeared all over the web news sites (except the original said 'Capital of Culture in 2007 !!)...
Beatles to reunite in 2008?
Surviving former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr look set to reunite to celebrate their home city Liverpool's status of European Capital Of Culture in 2008.
McCartney has already been approached to perform at the opening ceremony - and now organisers want Starr to take part too.
A source reveals: "It's already expected that Paul (McCartney) will be involved but to get Ringo to join him on stage would be the icing on the cake.
"It would certainly be a massive coup and quite emotional for people of a certain age to see the two surviving Beatles performing together in their home city for the first time since the mid-sixties."
Via liverpool08
Liverpool Christmas Lights Switch-on Sunday November 19 2006
St George's Hall Plateau, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JJ
Date(s): 19/11/2006 - 19/11/2006
[t]:0151 233 2008
[e]:contact@liverpool08.com
[w]:www.liverpool08.com
The switch-on of Liverpool’s Christmas lights is set to be a musical extravaganza.
Spectators can witness an ITV/BBC showdown as three potential chart-topping Christmas acts go head-to-head on St George’s Hall plateau.
Liverpool’s X-Factor stars Eton Road and Raymond Quinn and Ricky Tomlinson, as Jim Royle, are headlining the spectacular music and light show, which starts at 5pm.
First up is Raymond with his version of ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’ by Dean Martin. Eton Road immediately follow with the Abba song ‘Does Your Mother Know?’, with Jim Royle’s new single ‘Christmas My A*se’ ending a 20-minute blitz of possible Christmas No1 acts.
As the area around St George’s Hall and Lime Street comes alive with lights, the event will also feature trapeze artists, Christmas classics from Notre Dame Gospel Choir while TV’s ‘Just the Two of Us’ star and 08 Ambassador Mark Moraghan will duet with Neville Skelly.
The evening which celebrates 2006 Liverpool Performs, the fourth-themed year in the run-up to 2008, climaxes with a fireworks display off Wellington Column.
Running Order
5pm – Show begins with Radio City DJ Kev Seed
5.02pm – Dream Candle Performance (silks trapeze artists)
5.10pm – Raymond Quinn – Ain’t That A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin
5.15pm – Eton Road – Does Your Mother Know? By Abba
5.20pm – Jim Royle – new Christmas single
5.25pm – Mark Moraghan and Neville Skelly
5.33pm – Notre Dame Gospel Choir – The Snowman and Winter Wonderland
5.44pm – Switch-on!
Please note the running order is subject to change. Any X-factor act voted off the competition this Saturday (18 November) are contracted to recording commitments on the Sunday.
Road Closures
Some roads in the area will be closed in the run-up to, during and after the event. Closures are as follows:
- William Brown Street (Lime Street end) - Saturday 18 November, 6pm to Monday 20 November, 8am
- William Brown Street (Mersey Tunnel end) - Sunday 19 November, 8am to 9pm
- London Road from Norton Street to Lime Street - Sunday 19 November, 4pm to 6.20pm
- Lime Street from Commutation Row to St George's Place, Sunday 19 November, 4.30pm to 6.15pm
Using Culture to put Liverpool First Conference, 4 December, 10-3.30pm, Liverpool Football Club.
The aim of the Conference is to highlight how policymakers and all those working in the creative sector can use arts and culture to accelerate the delivery of Liverpool’s Vision – to become a better place to work, live, study and invest.
http://www.liverpool-community.org.uk/
Or contact Jacqui Lee, 0151 236 7728, Jacqui.Lee@lcvs.org.uk - for programme and booking form.
A New local website launches on Thursday November 16th with a great gig at The Masque.
Acid Mothers Temple (Japanese Space Rock), Apatt and The Immigrants all feature.
The website is called Cult Cargo:
http://www.cultcargo.net/
Cult Cargo is an on-line music magazine that seeks to innovate and reflect all that is exciting musically and culturally.
Daily updated site will launch on 16th November!
Named after cults that worshipped abandoned cargo, Cult Cargo will highlight, complement and create music that deserves to be idolised. It is based in the North West but with a view that music is the only universal language that can make your feet think and your brain dance. We will be providing weekly interviews with artists you know, artists you should know and artists you'll want to know. There will be regular articles on forgotten gems, a daily update on what is happening that matters and informed gossip alongside ill informed ranting. It will cover pockets of energy and creation all around the world and will make you feel like you've been there in your drunken stupors. All this alongside unique creations from established and exciting new musicians working with video artists, photographers, cartoonists, graphic artists exclusively for Cult Cargo.
From Culturepool
What
Another Vacant Space presented by MuseumMAN.
A nomadic museum curated and lived in by artist Adam Nankervis, where artists are invited to participate and collaborate in a dialogue within the space that is MAN. Activities inhabit every room and no space is left vacated, except by the artists’ intention.
MuseumMAN is part of Liverpool’s Independent Biennial.
When
Saturday 25th November 2006
Meet @ 13:45 outside the entrance (green door) on Jamaica Street.
Where
Parliament Street
25 Parliament Street, Liverpool, L8 (entrance on Jamaica Street). Call 0151 236 0796 for directions.
Who
Adam Nankervis
The artist Adam Nankervis and John Brady from the Independents Biennial will be around to chat to the group.
How
This is a FREE event, just turn up!
There is limited accessibility at this venue, call for more details.
Exciting show at the Royal Court this week Thursday - Saturday.
The End Of Cinematics - European premiere
Royal Court, 1 Roe Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1HL
Date(s): 16/11/2006 - 18/11/2006
[t]:0151 233 2008
[e]:contact@liverpool08.com
[w]:www.endofcinematics.com
New York's Mikel Rouse is a composer, singer, musician, film-maker and director. The Liverpool Culture Company has co-commissioned his latest work which plays with the idea that we will soon no longer simply sit and watch the two-dimensional screen.
His haunting electronic songs of love and longing are performed by him and a cast of actors and singers performing against a brilliant large screen blend of film, dramatic narrative, colour, design and special effects. It's like watching the very best music video come alive before your very eyes.
This is a spectacular work which has earned rave reviews in its first performance in the US and is precisely about not just cities in transition but whole cultures in transition.
Liverpool's Royal Court hosts the European premiere of the work, marking the end of Liverpool 08's season of performances and coinciding with the Liverpool Biennial.
Tickets cost £12.50 and £7.50 for concessions, show starts at 8pm. For tickets call the Royal Court box office on 0870 787 1866 or visit www.royalcourtliverpool.com. Opening hours are Monday to Thursday, 10am to 6pm, Friday, 10am to 8pm and Saturday 2pm to 8pm. Full wheelchair access to the stalls is available but not to the circle or balcony at present. Please let the box office know of any access requirements when you book.
 There can be very few people in the Liverpool cultural world who have not seen or at least heard of John Smith the singer / songwriter and acoustic guitar maestro. Though originally from Devon he's been here for a while and its great that after touring large venues with the likes of John Martyn he is still happy to play the small bars and cafes in Liverpool during Liverpool Music Week etc.
You can watch a video of John performing the ever-popular 'Winter' at this years Summer Pops here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcvKBYz-Vac&eurl=
Its actually even a lot better live. There's a good review of his first album 'The Fox and the Monk' on the PixelSurgeon site:
It's not often that one of an album's defining moments occurs within the first couple of minutes, but this is exactly the case on opening track 'Matchbox Man'. It's at this point in what has been a fairly melancholy affair to date that he slams the strings on his guitar (bam bam bam bam) draws husky breath for a couple of seconds before exhaling 'you give up, oh so easily'. In a post James Blunt age, the singer/songwriter genre has become ever more mainstream and perhaps diluted, it's a refreshing call to arms, and a bit of an 'are you listening, and I mean, really listening' moment
www.acousticsmith.com
Can't imagine I'd ever write a novel myself but I just love the name of this project
NaNoWriMo = National Novel Writing Month which is this month, November 2006.
Read all about it on the Manchizzle blog
http://manchizzle.blogspot.com/2006/10/nanowrimo-is-almost-here.html
and
www.nanowrimo.org/
and if you're taking part and have anything vaguely to do with Liverpool let us know.
Arts & Culture Fund - Merseyside
The Arts and Culture Fund - Merseyside is a small grants programme financed by the European Social Fund, offering awards of up to £5,000.
In partnership with Community Foundation for Merseyside, the regions biggest community funder, Liverpool Centre for Arts Development is offering help and guidance with the application process and providing outreach and support for the programme.
Constituted groups set up for charitable purposes can apply for the fund, which is aimed at smaller voluntary sector organisations that want to participate in Liverpool's European Capital of Culture 2008 programme.
Successful applicants will be those that bring added value to the cultural and creative life of Merseyside, help improve skills, confidence and self-esteem and improve employment prospects.
The deadline for applications is Friday 20th April 2007.
Information packs are available direct from Liverpool Centre for Arts Development. Please call Sue Loftus or Colette Casey on 0151 707 1404 or email susan@lcad.org.uk
 July 3, 2008 will mark the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, a milestone reached by very few North American cities.
So last week we attended a meeting in Liverpool with a group of cultural representatives from Quebec who are keen to look for opportunities to collaborate with Liverpool. I didn't realise that the two cities where closely linked in the past, less so now probably because French is their first language.
Research in the archives of the Liverpool Maritime Museum reveals that Québec and Liverpool were very closely linked in the 19th century, with Québec a major point of entry into the New World via the Liverpool shipping route. Liverpool merchants actually sent members of their family to live down on the dockside in Québec to supervise orders for ships, and our research has revealed that between 1849 and 1854 alone, over 280 Liverpool-registered ships were built in Québec City.
Many of these ships brought timber to the UK and goods were exported from Liverpool on them into North America via Québec City, including a lot of Liverpool slipware. A lot of the empties returned with families as ballast, seeking a new life in North America. Many people continued to cross the Atlantic in both directions between Québec and Liverpool (this was cheaper than the New York crossing) on Allan Line and CP Line ships right up until the 1960s.
There may be several opportunities for exchange and collaboration. One of the people we met was from an art school Maison Des Metiers D'art de Quebec (MMAQ), specialising in ceramics, textile design and sculpture. It has residencies for young artists and established professionals from Canada or abroad. They take place from September to June and last for one month.
Proposals may be submitted at any time. See the website for more details, it helps if you can read French.
www.mmaq.com
www.quebec400.qc.ca/en
www.quebec.org.uk
 In 2007 Liverpool celebrates the 800th anniversary of it's Royal Charter. To mark this special occasion the Liverpool Culture Company commissioned local artists to capture the defining images of its heritage for this exclusive calendar.
Price £3.99
You can buy it now from the 08 Place and other Culture Company merchandising outlets or order it online here:
liverpool08 online shop
Pictures are by the following artists (most are featured in artinliverpool.com)
Kevin Stafford, George Lund, Peter Carr, Anthony Brown, Raela K, Alan Chape, Steve Simmons, Isabel O'Rourke, Christopher Millichamp and Roy Munday
 Support National Museums Liverpool this Christmas by ordering their Christmas cards to send to your family and friends.
These cards are a great reminder of the richness of their collections and of the important work they do.
3 designs are available in packs of 5 high quality cards, 135mm by 135mm, at £3.95 per pack including postage and packing:
LINK
Or you could save time, money and paper by sending NML e-cards
 Liverpool City Council have just launched their new website. Looks a lot nicer than the old one and has good new features like RSS feeds for the news items and of course the obligatory link to the artinliverpool blog.
It has...
Cleaner look and feel.
Better access to online services via 'do it online' section.
Accessibility tool bar.
3rd column. Some pages now have a 3rd column containing links to the most important content.
Plain English. We've been awarded the Internet crystal mark for writing in plain English.
Provide local information and maps. Our neighbourhood Information Service tool allows you to find your councillor, recycling and bin collection dates, information about your property, your local parks, one stop shops and much more
www.liverpool.gov.uk
Here is the full text of the Culture Company's 2008 Highlights Announcement
CULTURE CITY REVEALS TASTE OF 2008
Liverpool has unveiled the first glimpse of its European Capital of Culture programme for 2008 – with a guarantee of even more to come.
Consisting of 70 highlights – many of them free – the initial programme features concerts, commissions, exhibitions, festivals and premieres across all cultural genres, from public art, architecture, dance, fashion and film to literature, music, science, theatre and visual art.
The city will celebrate European and British legends from Anton Chekhov, Le Corbusier, James Tissot and Gustav Klimt to Benjamin Britten and William Shakespeare.
Liverpool 08 will also feature new work by acclaimed artists such as Jyll Bradley, Ben Johnson, Michael Nyman, Sir John Tavener and Richard Wilson as well as performances by Vladimir Ashkenazy, Seamus Heaney, Akram Kahn, Philip Pullman and Sir Simon Rattle.
Today’s announcement – 13 months out from 08 - is the earliest made by a ‘culture city’ since the concept’s creation in 1985. And further events will be unveiled throughout 2007.
Revealed to coincide with the World Travel Market, the initial 08 highlights are a collaboration between the Liverpool Culture Company and major cultural institutions, artists, performers and venues across Liverpool and Merseyside.
Liverpool 08 also involves partnerships with major national and international institutions such as the BBC, Tate, RIBA and the European Opera Centre. Liverpool has also devised a ‘Cities on the Edge’ programme, to run until 2012, involving collaborations with Bremen, Gdansk, Istanbul, Marseilles, Naples and the non-EU Capital of Culture 2008 - Stavanger.
In a city already internationally renowned for its visual arts offer, 2008 will ensure that this reputation will grow even stronger. The 2007 Turner Prize at Tate Liverpool, from October to January, is the first time this prestigious event has been held outside London, heralding the beginnings of Liverpool’s 08 preparations.
By the opening ceremony in January, the city will have staged The Liverpool Nativity. This BBC live production of the greatest story ever told, through the music of Liverpool, will take place in a variety of locations around Merseyside in December.
The scale of the Liverpool 08 programme means many projects begin in less than 12 months. Starting in July 2007, National Museums Liverpool stage an 18-month exhibition exploring the city’s 800-year history called: A Magical History Tour.
By autumn 2007, artist Richard Wilson will have begun his major new commission to reshape a city centre building, set for demolition, entitled: Turning The Place Over.
Building on the success of the city’s National Friend Ship project, Liverpool – in partnership with the Heritage Lottery Fund - is exploring a series of celebrations of national heritage and identity involving cities right across the UK. Kicking off in 2007 it is to climax with a major performance in Liverpool in spring 2008.
A year-long programme of free street performances and public art has been specially commissioned to transform all areas of the city into a giant canvas and stage. The public art programme, curated by the organisers of the Liverpool Biennial, begins in January with a Winter Lights Festival to extend the Christmas lights season.
As an added feature of this city-wide celebration, a whole myriad of venues are being employed and created for events, from bus-stops to cathedrals plus specially built pavilions for community performances. The world’s oldest railway station at Edge Hill will be transformed into an arts centre.
A series of new venues will open in 08 such as the 10,000 seat Liverpool Arena at Kings Dock in January, a gallery and museum at the University of Liverpool and a new Art and Design Academy at Liverpool John Moores University. And the UK’s oldest arts centre - The Bluecoat – will have re-opened.
Liverpool 08 boasts a wealth of innovative performances and premieres including a new commission from Swiss artist Pipilotti Rist as well as the world premiere of her first feature film at FACT, which will also stage a Film, Video and New Media Festival in January.
Liverpool’s communities will also be celebrated throughout 2008 and in February a specially commissioned Lantern Parade will be curated to celebrate Chinese New Year.
The support and involvement of the public was critical to the successful 08 bid and Liverpool has since developed a multi-million pound Creative Communities programme. In 2008, there will be projects as diverse as the animation of doctors’ surgeries to one-off street dances to ensure Capital of Culture reaches every corner of the city.
With public participation a major element of 08, plans are in place to get the city dancing in readiness for two spectacular Viennese style balls in April, with music played by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. These concerts will be staged to coincide with the UK's first comprehensive exhibition of work by the legendary Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, at Tate Liverpool, which is also the inspiration for a wider series of concerts by the Liverpool Phil.
From April to July, the Walker Art Gallery hosts a blockbuster exhibition entitled: Monet to Hopper - The Artist and The Railway, also featuring work by painters such as Pissaro and Van Gogh.
The new Shipping Lines Literary Festival, by the University of Liverpool, will feature readings by giants of the written word including Seamus Heaney, Melvyn Bragg, Doris Lessing, Roger McGough and Philip Pullman.
As summer begins, Liverpool Cathedral will stage Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in June, featuring Cologne Cathedral Choir, the choirs of Liverpool's two cathedrals with the Liverpool Phil and Choir. The Liverpool Phil will be commissioning a wide range of music and song from leading composers. Members of the public will also have an opportunity to contribute to the Liverpool Song Book.
Liverpool is one of the world’s undisputed music capitals and this will be celebrated at The Liverpool Sound – a once-in-a-lifetime concert, featuring world famous artists which will be beamed live across the world from the city’s historic waterfront. And from July, there will be an exhibition of the city’s musical legacy entitled: The Beat Goes On, at World Museum Liverpool.
In June, loveliverpool hosts The People’s Festival, a weekend celebration of working class culture from football, fashion and music to the role of the voluntary sector. The festival culminates with a specially commissioned work by Michael Nyman, the UK’s best known contemporary composer, exploring European Football Culture. This will include images of the greatest moments selected by fans. The event also features music Nyman wrote as a memorial to Hillsborough, as well as a piece called ‘Extra Time’ for a fashion catwalk show featuring famous footballing WAGs, dressed by Liverpool boutique Cricket.
A maritime festival will be held throughout July featuring the spectacular start of the The Tall Ships Races 2008, which involves more than 3,000 young sailors from across Europe. For young people there’ll also be a festival over the summer school holidays, which features the creation of a cultural village and the sitting of the European Youth Parliament. Merseyside will also stage the finale of a nation-wide schools’ Shakespeare Festival in July.
In a city with a growing reputation for its ground-breaking productions, its theatres will be staging an array of new ‘Made in Liverpool‘ creations. Two new musicals will celebrate landmarks in The Adelphi Hotel, in April, and the seminal late 1970’s nightclub – Eric’s, in October. There will also be a new interpretation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters in May and a production of King Lear, featuring Pete Postlethwaite, is under discussion.
Performance in sport will be a key theme with 2008 an Olympic year and Liverpool will stage the European Senior Boxing Championships in February in the Liverpool Arena. This is a qualifier for the Beijing Games, whose closing ceremony in September will trigger an event in Liverpool that will start London’s 2012 Cultural Olympiad. Other sporting highlights on Merseyside in 2008 include The Open at Royal Birkdale in July, the World Firefighter Games in August and the finale of the Tour of Britain in September.
And autumn sees the return of Sir Simon Rattle to his hometown to conduct both the Berlin Philharmonic in September and the Liverpool Phil in October.
In October, Liverpool also hosts both the RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture and the UK’s biggest exhibition for 20 years on the seminal designer and architect Le Corbusier. This will be housed in the Crypt of the Metropolitan Cathedral, running until February 28 2009.
Collaborations between international and Liverpool artists and residents form a major strand of 2008. Jyll Bradley’s year-long Fragrant Project will take a unique look at the story of the city’s Botanical orchid collection – the largest in municipal hands. In partnership with local artists, Bradley will create a major piece of art work, as Liverpool prepares for its Year of the Environment in 2009.
And beyond Liverpool, England's Northwest is joining in the 08 festivities. Cheshire celebrates the Year of the Garden. Lancashire focuses on its rich culinary heritage as it hosts the Year of Food. Picking up the pace Manchester has crowned 2008 the Year of Sport, whilst Cumbria will be encouraging us all to get outdoors in its Year of Adventure.
 
We were greeted by angels on the steps of St George's Hall last night. They were very nice but also sad and very pale as they moved slowly in response to echoing sounds. No wonder they were miserable as later we saw them trapped in cell and stairwells around the hall. Probably has some symbolic meaning that went straight over my head.
We also discovered the Beatles locked up in a cell, Ringo was in a separate one for some reason. A sign said 'Do not Feed The Beatles' . I think that has a double meaning too, there is very little reference to the fab four in the programme announced so far for 2008. The Beatles industry here continues to thrive and therefore doesn't need any extra 'food' from the Culture Company, they can concentrate on other things.
So on arrival we entered the main hall, the central area had a sort of mini arena created by Stuart Bastik and Maddi Nicholson lining up over sixty eight-foot meteorological balloons anchored by bags of sugar. Brief details of the plans for 2008 were projected onto the balloons as well as onto plasma screens at each corner of the area. It looked rather good, certainly different and a lot better than the usual parade of speeches.
After a very brief introduction we were instructed to tour the building following different coloured routes according to the stickers we were given on entry. Apart from fallen angels and the Beatles we met various people role-playing historical scenes, dancers, musicians including the local Chinese youth orchestra and the small concert hall had been turned into a boudoir with Jayne Casey interviewing some of Liverpool's cultural movers and shakers on the bed.
It was a good night I thought, well organised and a successful taster of things to come. The only negatives being (as we know from previous experience) the main hall cannot cope with sound systems and the food being served was not suitable for vegans.
LINK to liverpool08 2008 Highlights Page
 
Hilda Reilly will be signing copies of her book
Prickly Pears of Palestine
at
News From Nowhere
96 Bold Street
Liverpool
on Friday 10 November at 13.00
Written as a travel diary rather than as a polemic, Prickly Pears of Palestine addresses aspects often ignored in journalistic reporting, producing a pageant of characters and panoramas which bring to vivid life the people behind the politics.
Prickly Pears of Palestine is a moving and vivid introduction to the realities of life in Palestine/Israel.
Bruce Kent
A must read for anyone wanting to understand how the world has arrived at a ‘clash of civilisations’.
Waseem Mahmood, OBE
The National Trust has announced that a new on line booking system is being launched from 1 November for visitors wanting to tour the childhood homes of John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney in Liverpool.
The Trust acquired 20 Forthlin Road - home of Sir Paul and his brother Michael - in 1995 with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund, and opened it to the public in 1998. John Lennon's childhood home, 'Mendips' was bought and generously donated to the Trust by Yoko Ono in 2002, opening to the public in 2003.
Simon Osborne, the National Trust's Liverpool Properties' Manager says:
"I am delighted that we are able to offer this new on line booking facility for those who want to discover what life was like for John and Paul as they grew up in these two very ordinary surburban houses.
It will be much easier for overseas visitors to plan their itineraries and book tours in advance for 'Mendips' and 20 Forthlin Road, rather than having to rely on our current manual reservation system which, particularly when there is a time difference, can prove somewhat unsatisfactory."
Link
Via liverpool08.com
Spirit of Charles Dickens Returns to St George's Hall
Shameless star, Gillian Kearney, will lead celebrity readers in a unique Christmas event, recreating Charles Dickens' first public appearance at Liverpool's St George's Hall.
The 'Penny Readings,' organised by the University of Liverpool's Reader magazine in support of 'Liverpool Reads,' will be held in recognition of the popular Dickens' readings which began in 1858, which took place at the Philharmonic Hall and later at St George's Hall, attracting crowds of more than 2,000 people. He read extracts from A Christmas Carol, Little Dombey and The Poor Traveller, insisting that people were charged just a penny entrance fee to enable all social classes to attend.
Gillian Kearney will be joined by University of Liverpool Vice-Chancellor Professor Drummond Bone; star of The Smoking Room, Nadine Marshall; Editor of Liverpool Echo, Alastair Machray; BBC Radio Merseyside's Angela Heslop and Professor of English at the University Philip Davis. They will read from Victorian classics such as Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.
Dr Jane Davis, editor of The Reader magazine, said: "We are fortunate today that literature can be enjoyed in so many different forms - individual reading, audio books, radio plays, and film adaptations. During Dickens' life-time public readings were as popular as today's pop concerts and as we approach Liverpool's Year of Heritage it is essential we recognise the value of reading and the ways in which it can bring people together."
Contemporary novels will also be read at the event, which is supported by the Liverpool Culture Company and book freight providers, Publiship. Actress Nadine Marshall will read from Small Island - by Andrea Levy, winner of the 2005 Orange Prize for Fiction. Nadine also reads the part of Hortense in a Radio 4 play of the book.
The Penny Readings will take place in the Small Concert Hall in St George's Hall, at 6pm on Sunday, 3 December. Tickets are available from Bea Colley by telephoning 0151 794 2287. The price of the tickets is one penny, payable on the door.
Charles Dickens and Liverpool
* Dickens' first visit to Liverpool was in 1842 when he stayed at the Adelphi Hotel.
* In 1844 he chaired the annual Christmas Soiree at Liverpool's Mechanics Institute. During this visit he researched the characteristics of people living in Whitechapel.
* On his final visit to Liverpool in 1860 he was made an honorary member of the Literary and Philosophical Society. A public banquet was held in his honour at the Town Hall.
* Dickens' inspiration for his novel The Uncommercial Traveller was based on his research at Liverpool Docks and his visits to the workhouse on Brownlow Hill.
* Dickens' final words on stage were: "From these garish lights I vanish now for evermore." Three months later, in 1870, he died.
Via liverpool08.com
Arriva on board for 2008
Bus operator Arriva has become the latest official supplier for Liverpool's European Capital of Culture year in 2008.
The 3-year agreement, signed off this week, means Arriva will be providing free transport at a number of major events in the city during the build-up to 2008.
The company, which handles 100 million passenger journeys per year in Merseyside, will also display the '08' logo on their vehicles and buses will carry additional advertising messages and leaflets to promote key events, such as the renowned Tall Ships Race.
To celebrate the announcement, Arriva is also launching its upgraded Le bus network of high quality, low-floor vehicles, which highlight an investment of over £10 million on new buses for Liverpool in the last 12 months.
Over the next year, over 200 buses will be allocated to 15 key routes into Liverpool, all of which will guarantee a ten minute service during the day and low-floor access every time.
Bob Hind, Managing Director of Arriva North West and Wales, said: "2008 will be a monumental year in the history of Liverpool and we're delighted to be on board and supporting the city's plans. Our buses are an important part of many people's everyday lives and we've invested heavily to make sure that Liverpool has the quality of service it needs to make 2008 a success for all involved.''
Many Arriva drivers are also studying foreign language courses at GCSE level, paid for by the company, at Prescot Language School and Knowsley Community College to help deal with the expected increase in tourism. It is estimated an extra 1.7million people will visit Liverpool in 2008.
Mr Hind added: "Currently we have drivers learning French and Spanish and they are keen to put their new skills to good use in the near future. It's all part of embracing the positive changes that will take place in Liverpool as a result of 2008."
Chris Green, Operations Director of the Liverpool Culture Company, said: "This deal is a huge boost to the way in which people will learn about and experience our celebrations during 2008.
"Arriva has made a huge commitment to improve its services in time for 08. It is a shining example of how businesses can play their part in making Liverpool a world class destination to relish, remember and revisit."
A weekend of free events including provocative talks, debates, interviews and performance taking place across the city exploring the ideas that will change the way we live.
The iconic Brian Eno launches the festival with the Free Thinking lecture followed by a weekend packed with other free events including debates on
Who does technology put in charge?
Who will tell us what’s right and wrong in the future?
Will the 21st century be the lonely century?
Suggest & explore ideas on the Free Thinking blogs.
AS Byatt, Jude Kelly, Jennifer John, Carl Djerrasi, Phil Redmond and many other celebrated thinkers and commentators take part in the events, including Doreen Massey who, on Sunday, gives the first Open University Radio Lecture
All the events at Free Thinking – except the films– are free but you will need a ticket to gain admission.
All free tickets are available from the BBC Audience Line on 08700 100300 or you can pick them up in person from FACT.
To guarantee your place, you must be in your seat ten minutes before the session begins as we reserve the right to reallocate any spare seats to a stand-by queue immediately prior to the start of the event. Please get there early!
Most sessions are being recorded for broadcast and all will start promptly.
Full details on the Radio 3 Free Thinking webpages:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/freethinking/
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