One of the UK’s seminal rock bands has joined the Liverpool International Music Festival line-up.
The Charlatans, who have notched up 11 studio albums – including three number one albums – and had 17 hits in the UK’s singles chart, will play a very special gig in St George’s Hall on Monday 26 August.
The band is playing select venues in 2013 and this will be only their third festival appearance this year. They are taking time out from their current recording sessions to play the show at the Hall and are delighted to be invited to perform.
Bassist Martin Blunt said: “It’s great to be part of the city’s first International Music Festival, performing in the legendary St George’s Hall venue will be a first for us – the whole band are looking forward to it.”
They will perform in the beautiful surroundings of the Great Hall and will be joined by:
• DJ and producer Greg Wilson who has a global following and was the first DJ ever to mix live on UK television back in 1983
• The Tea Street Band – a Liverpool five-piece who combine wistful vocals and stunning melodies
• Six-piece Wirral band By the Sea who are rapidly generating a reputation for being one of the best live acts in the city
• The Fallows – formed in 2010 pride themselves on their indie rock and roll tunes and enjoyed a successful tour of the UK last year.
Event manager at St George’s Hall, Zoe Ironmonger, said: “We’re so pleased to be part of LIMF, and the Great Hall is going to be an amazing venue for The Charlatans who are one of the best live bands around.
“It will be a really unique experience for their fans to see them perform in such a stunning Grade I listed building, and to have local acts also taking to the stage will be a treat for everyone involved.
“It’s also great because St George’s Hall was built to host the city’s triennial music festival, so it’s nice that nearly 160 years later the building is being used as originally intended!”
As part of the event, there will also be a musical extravaganza in the Concert Room courtesy of Cooking Soup – whose mission it is to showcase unsigned bands from across the country. The Cooking Soup stage will see performances from Police Squad, Deadbeat Echoes, Regency, The Bibelots, Psyence, Welcome Pariah, Violet Class, Wilson Minds and Barnie Sloanes.
The team at St George’s Hall are working with Liverpool promoters Freeze to bring the exciting event to the Hall.
Yaw Owusu, LIMF music curator, said: “I think people will continually be surprised by the line-up and we’re delighted to add The Charlatans to the roll call of fantastic acts.
“Whatever your taste, the festival caters to it. We’re really proud of the programme for this inaugural year, and without a doubt Liverpool is the place to be this summer.
“The excitement around the festival is definitely building and I know people are excited about experiencing Liverpool’s newest musical offering!”
Tickets (which cover all the acts performing in the Hall) are £32.50 plus booking fee and can be bought from www.limfestival.com / www.ticketquarter.co.uk / www.skiddle.com / www.eventim.co.uk.
Please note, there are a limited number of tickets.
The Charlatans:
The band, led by one of music’s most charismatic frontmen Tim Burgess, were held by many as the missing link between the baggy era of Manchester and the Britpop renaissance.
Exploding with the indie dance classic ‘The only one I know’ in 1990, they went on to secure the top spot in the UK Album charts with 3 of their 11 studio releases, ensnaring four top ten singles along the way. They remain one of the most alluring live acts on the circuit with a devastating catalogue that spans over twenty years at the pinnacle of the UK music industry.
In March, The Charlatans and Start Productions released ‘Mountain Picnic Blues’ on DVD. The film is a documentary on The Charlatans’ 1997 LP Tellin’ Stories, from its creation in 1997 to the 15 anniversary of the album this year. The bonus DVD features a live performance of the album recorded this year at Glasgow’s Barrowlands. To get more information or to buy a copy of the DVD visit www.thecharlatans.net
LIMF:
LIMF celebrates greatness, discovers the new and inspires the next. One city, 35 days, more than 250 performances.
It will see some of the biggest names in music descend from 18 August to 22 September.
It kicks off on 18 August as Neil Young & Crazy Horse perform at the Echo Arena.
During bank holiday weekend from 23 to 26 August, acts will take to a new stage in Sefton Park including internationally acclaimed Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and chief conductor Vasily Petrenko, Soul II Soul, Rebecca Ferguson and The Christians as well as some of the leading stars from the world of reggae, jazz, folk and African. Throughout the weekend there will be food stalls, a children’s fairground and other family activities
On Saturday 24 August, the Pier Head will play host to the Turn Up the Radio event with headliners JLS being joined by acts including Little Mix, Union J, Stooshe, The Vamps and Eliza Doolittle.
On Sunday 25 August Party at the Pier will see the Juice FM stage playing host to well-known artists including The Saturdays, Texas and Nina Nesbitt. They will perform alongside local stars including KOF, Esco Williams, The Hummingbirds and Chelcee Grimes. There will also be a Mathew Street Festival Stage with Real Radio (programmed by Bill Heckle and Dave Jones from Cavern City Tours) with acts paying homage to artists such as Queen, Adele, Robbie Williams and The Rolling Stones.
The Sefton Park events are free, but early bird tickets for Turn Up the Radio cost from £22.50 per person including booking fee plus £2.50 postage per order. Early bird tickets for Party at the Pier will cost from £5 per person plus £2.25 postage fee per order.
Tickets for both events can be bought online at www.limfestival.com.
Alternatively Turn Up the Radio tickets can be bought by calling 08448 24 48 24 or visiting www.axs.com.
Party at the Pier tickets can be bought in person at Ticket Quarter Box Office in Queens Square or by calling 0844 8094620.
Also part of LIMF will be:
• International Beatle Week from 21 – 27 August organised by Cavern City Tours, with bands from over 20 countries and fans from over 40 countries including live gigs, exhibitions, memorabilia sales, guest speakers, video shows, sightseeing tours and a convention. Festival venues include the Cavern Club and Cavern Pub in Mathew Street, the Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool Cathedral and the Philharmonic Hall.
• A fringe festival which will see more than 100 events taking place in pubs and clubs across the city.
• The first ever Summercamp festival hosted by Camp and Furnace which combines top acts such as Ghostpoet and Martha Wainwright, with world-class art and mouth-watering food. It takes place on 24 and 25 August.
• The second ever Liverpool Music Awards which feature 16 awards and live performances and is a massive celebration of musical talent from, and inspired by, the city.
• Three events by internationally acclaimed opera and concert singer Bryn Terfel. The first is a night of songs from musicals on 9 September, the second and third will take place on 20 and 22 September with a beautiful performance of Puccini’s Tosca, with Vasily Petrenko as conductor. All these events take place in Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
• The LIMF Academy which will work with and inspire young people who are interested in getting into the music business.
