Is Liverpool really a global music city? Ahead of a public discussion at Constellations on 4th May which sees the launch of the Liverpool Live Music Census (part of the UK Live Music Census project), Craig G Pennington makes the case for a Liverpool City Music Office, run by the city’s music community. Craig is the Editor-In-Chief and Publisher of …
Kevin Milburn’s post charts the shift of live activity in London from the early 1960s to the present day from the west to the east and southeast, highlighting the closure of significant venues along the way, including the Lewisham Odeon, as played by The Beatles. The post shows that such sites were not threatened by lack of use or decline but instead because of being based in areas newly attractive to investors, alongside other external factors, a story very pertinent at a time when, according to one report, London lost 30% of its venues between 2007 and 2015.
Neil Cooper is an arts journalist and critic who writes extensively for The Herald, The List and other publications in Scotland and beyond. Active in promoting, and protecting, Scotland’s live music scene, he provides an overview here of the rich variety of musical assets in Edinburgh – and the challenges they face.