The Bluecoat arts centre in Liverpool launches a programme of events focusing on the history of their Grade I listed building, the oldest in Liverpool City Centre.
Audiences will have a rare opportunity to physically explore a selection of items from the Bluecoat’s archive not readily available to the public, including photos, programmes, architectural plans, letters, press cuttings and more during two Archive Drop-In Days. The Bluecoat’s Director of Cultural Legacies Bryan Biggs and other Bluecoat staff will be on hand during these drop-in days to answer questions and discuss ideas about how the archive might be used by local people.
We are also asking audiences to share their own Bluecoat connections and stories while they explore the archive. These might relate to a memorable concert or exhibition they experienced, exploring the magical ‘secret garden’ as a child, attending music lessons or taking an exam here, or even having a relative who was a pupil at the original Blue Coat charity school.
Alongside the Archive Drop-In Days, the Bluecoat is offering a series of free building tours. These tours will chart the fascinating stories behind the building’s transition from eighteenth-century charity school to contemporary arts centre.
The programme also features two events for music fans, linking back to the Bluecoat’s long history of hosting live performances and events. Against the backdrop of our exhibition of music posters from our archive (on display until 2nd of March), a panel discussion Yesterday’s Music Tomorrow, will consider the role the Bluecoat has played in Liverpool’s musical life. This is followed by Leetz Presents: Live Music at the Bluecoat, an afternoon of performances from young and emerging Liverpool artists.
The panel for Yesterday’s Music Tomorrow includes three authorities on the local music scene who all have an association with the Bluecoat:
Roger Hill is a performer, artist and broadcaster who presented the nation’s longest running alternative music programme on BBC Radio Merseyside for more than 35 years. Hill wrote the chapter ‘Bechsteins and Beyond: Music at the Bluecoat’ in the publication Bluecoat, Liverpool: the UK’s first arts centre (2020) and has been involved in the local music scene for many years as writer, starting with Merseysound fanzine (1979-82), and radio presenter, running BBC Radio Merseyside’s The Popular Music Show for four decades.
Like Roger, Jayne Casey has been integral to the development of Liverpool’s musical and cultural life, playing a hugely important role as musician, catalyst and venue manager. In the late 1980s she was performance director at the Bluecoat, devising an eclectic programme that ranged from Sun Ra to the Cookie Crew.
Benjamin D. Duvall’s connection to the Bluecoat is more recent, principally through the acclaimed experimental group, Ex-Easter Island Head, which he founded and is creative director of. Their most recent album, Norther, topped The Quietus’ 2024 Top 100 Albums of the Year.
Full Event Programme
Bluecoat Archive Drop-In Days
Saturday 15th February and Saturday 15th March, 11am-4.30pm
Free, drop in. More info
Yesterday’s Music Tomorrow Discussion Event
Tuesday 25th February, 6-8pm
Free, booking required. More info
Leetz Presents: Live Music at the Bluecoat
Sunday 2nd March, 2pm
Free, drop in. More info
Bluecoat Building Tours
Sunday 16th, Tuesday 18th March, 2pm
Free, booking required. More info
This programme of heritage events is part of our project ‘A Cultural Heritage for Liverpool‘, made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to undertake a period of research and development to find out how we can use our building’s rich heritage to create a more resilient future for the Bluecoat.
During the National Lottery Open Week from Saturday 15th – Sunday 23rd March, the Bluecoat will also offer discounts in their cafe for anyone with a National Lottery ticket.