This excellent Liverpool music exhibition ends on November 1st, we must go and see it again.
THE BEAT GOES ON
…for one more month!
One of Liverpool’s most popular attractions born out of the city’s Capital of Culture year, is drawing to a close at World Museum.
From the Beatles to the Zutons, the 40s to the present day, Liverpool continues to be a top 10 hit and The Beat Goes On exhibition which runs until 1 November 2009, has been wowing visitors with an unforgettable experience throughout its 16 month run.
About half a million people have visited The Beat Goes On since it opened in July 2008, and with the closing date just around the corner visitors only have one month left to come along and sample the city’s musical delights.
The first exhibition of its kind to explore the city’s musical identity in its entirety, The Beat Goes On displays hoards of memorabilia to reveal a rich musical heritage and vibrant music scene which continues to produce success stories and leave its mark across the globe.
Drawing on a wealth of material from record companies, institutions and private collectors The Beat Goes On also features a large number of fascinating objects from National Museums Liverpool’s own collection; a number of which will go on display in the new Museum of Liverpool, opening 2011.
So all is not lost. The new museum will feature the Creative City gallery, dedicated to celebrating the creative personality of Liverpool. Items including Beatles objects such as the Woolton church stage where John and Paul first met in 1957, the vibrant All You Need is Love bedcover from John and Yoko’s Bed-in-for-Peace in Montreal in 1969, and four Beatles stage suits will be featured here.
Since opening last year, several changes and additions have been made to The Beat Goes On, including visits from the likes of Mike McCartney and poet Roger McGough who added their own personal touches. Within weeks of each other, the two ex-Scaffold band mates visited World Museum; Mike to open his Mini 60s photography exhibit, and Roger to offer up a poem inspired by a pair Paul McCartney’s old trousers.
Other star exhibits include the jacket worn by John Lennon during the band’s 1964 tour and objects from other major Liverpool artists of the early periods including Billy Fury’s guitar, and a dress made for Lita Roza the first British female artist to ever have a UK number one hit, in 1953 with How Much is that Doggie in the Window?
Part of the exhibition focuses on Liverpool’s influential club Eric’s which opened in 1976, including a Vivienne Westwood suit designed for the cult band Deaf School and a wonderful collection of band t-shirts, photographs, posters and badges. Displays also look at the plethora of bands and artists which came to prominence at the time such as Echo and the Bunnymen, Ian Broudie, OMD, Pete Burns and The Teardrop Explodes.
An immersive space looks at the buoyant dance scene in Liverpool which stemmed from the legendary night club Quadrant Park in the early 1990s, through to the super-club Cream. Stunning visuals and evocative music combine in this section with fond memories of DJs and clubbers of hedonistic nights out in Liverpool.
The exhibition is bursting with audio, juke boxes and exciting interactives including an insight into the role of technology in modern music production featuring a mini-recording studio and karaoke room in collaboration with SAE (School of Audio Engineering).
Visitors can sing-along to their favourite Scouse band or artists choosing from a menu of karaoke tunes for every generation including Ferry Cross the Mersey by Gerry and the Pacemakers, Valerie by The Zutons, Whole Again by Atomic Kitten, From Me to You by The Beatles, You to Me are Everything by The Real Thing, and All Together Now; the only track to include guide-vocals by the actual artist, lead singer of The Farm Peter Hooton.
Contemporary material includes items from current club nights in Liverpool such as Chibuku and popular bands like The Coral, The Zutons and The Wombats, who are topping the charts today and spreading the Liverpool sound to a new generation of music lovers.
World Museum Liverpool William Brown Street, Liverpool               Admission FREE
Open 10am-5pm every day
Information 0151 478 4393
Website liverpoolmuseums.org.uk