Liverpool City Region Music Board Member and opera singer Jennifer Johnston writes about why Eurovision is the perfect fit for Liverpool…
Music is the lifeblood of Liverpool, woven into its fabric and heritage, and, thanks to the Beatles, music is central to its global profile, hence its designation as a UNESCO City of Music and reputation as the ‘cradle of British pop’.
Anyone who has ever spent a weekend here knows that Scousers love a party. There is no better crowd in the world, and given the strength of Liverpool’s music sector, and the part it plays in the lives of the people of the city, it is perfectly qualified to host Eurovision, the biggest event in the global music calendar, on behalf of Ukraine.
Eurovision presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Liverpool’s music sector and the Liverpool City Region Music Board to showcase Liverpool’s incredible music offer to a global audience, creating a real and tangible Eurovision legacy for Merseyside. As music journalist Paul du Noyerhas said: “Liverpool is more than a place where music happens. Liverpool is a reason why music happens.” Our musical excellence and strength-in-depth across multiple and diverse genres stretches from Black music, to jazz, to pop, to rap, to house, to folk, to classical, to electronic dance music.
Liverpool’s musical wealth is evident in our grand concert hall, in the huge number of music pubs, clubs, societies and associations, in the array of our festivals, including Africa Oye, Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF) and Sound City, and in the wide range of artistic output, from Merseybeat in the 1960’s, to the emergence of Eric’s and the influential post-punk scene of the 1970’s and 80’s. It can also be seen in the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) marking its 180th anniversary in 2022, in globally recognised EDM brands Cream and Circus, and the recognition of Liverpool as the ‘World Capital of Pop’ by the Guinness Book of Records.
There are over 400 live music venues of all scales across Merseyside, mapped by the Liverpool City Region Music Board, in association with the University of Liverpool, most of which are hosting dedicated Eurovision events. Whether you celebrate the launch of Jamala’s QIRIM, enjoy the avant-pop spectacle ‘Welcome to Eurotopia’, attend the RLPO’s ‘Douze Points’ concert, join the official EuroClub after-party at Camp & Furnace, watch ‘English National Opera Do Eurovision’, or dance your heart out at Rave UKraine, there will be live music heard from morning to night across the city and beyond that will appeal to anyone and everyone.
The Liverpool City Region Music Board is delighted to welcome Eurovision to Liverpool, to celebrate Ukraine, unity, diversity and freedom, and broadcast to the world: ‘THIS IS LIVERPOOL MUSIC CITY. COME ON, FEEL THE NOISE’.
