In Conversation: Lisa Don Francesco (Penny Lane Weekender Festival Manager)
The Penny Lane Weekender proves that big things can grow from small beginnings – especially when driven by a love for live music. From humble beginnings as a single gig above a pub, the Penny Lane Weekender has grown into a buzzing three-day celebration of established and emerging talent.
With a 2025 lineup featuring everything from Japanese psych-rock to local post-punk favourites, we caught up with Festival Manager Lisa Don Francesco to talk about its grassroots evolution, curating a diverse lineup, and why Penny Lane is the perfect home for Liverpool’s next musical chapter.
The Penny Lane Weekender began as a one-off gig upstairs in a pub – did you have any idea back then that it would become the 3-day festival it is today?
Lisa: When it first started it was just an idea that Sean Regan had had to put a few bands on and I wasn’t involved in that first year. I went down to watch some of the bands and ended up taking ticket money on the door because it was a much bigger thing than Sean had first anticipated and that’s when we started to think about what this could be in the future.
How did you become involved with the festival, and what was your role in shaping the festival’s evolution?
Lisa: After year one Sean, who I have known for a number of years, asked if I would like to become involved. I’ve always worked with bands, both in management and merchandise duties so it was a no-brainer for me. My role has been to bring new people on board. We have had fantastic help from Andy Dockerty at AdLib Audio who last year provided the sound system for our main room at Foghertys and will be doing the same again this year. He also introduced us to Becky at Liverpool Sound City and they have now come on board as a partner, which we are thrilled about.
A friend of mine put me in contact with One Fell Swoop who work with Africa Oyé and Liverpool Arab Arts Festival and they are now doing our PR for us this year as well as sourcing some artists who have previously played the Africa Oyé festival. We also have Jenn from Lens of a Wool doing our marketing, Ronita Mallick project managing and Katie Bain looking after our volunteers. We also have Jim Andrew’s and Phil Goldsworthy looking after sound in the TavetnCo. It is a not-for profit festival and everyone involved does it for the love of music.
Penny Lane is already iconic in music history – what inspired you and the team to bring a new chapter of live music energy to that area specifically?
Lisa: Penny Lane is synonymous with The Beatles and yet there are no real venues in the area. Everything in Liverpool is mostly concentrated around the city centre. We feel that Liverpool can be too focused on the past and that it was time to bring some new blood to the area. We have four fabulous venues in The Tavern Co, Foghertys, Dovedale Towers and Penny Lane Wine Bar who are all very accommodating in what we are trying to achieve. The festival is all about hosting the stars of the future, both from Liverpool and across the UK and further afield. Liverpool has produced some amazing bands throughout the decades and we want to ensure that this tradition continues by giving artists a platform for their music to be heard.
The 2025 lineup is full of energy – from Japanese psych-rock to local post-punk. What’s your approach to curating such a diverse and exciting programme?
Lisa: Sean is in charge of the sourcing of bands and programming of the festival with input from myself. We both have very similar tastes in music so we work with local promoters such as Queensway Tunnel Collective to ensure that we have a diverse range of artists performing. We are very conscious that we don’t want the festival to be genre specific. It needs to have something for everyone.
Are there any artists you’re especially excited to have on board this year?
Lisa: I’m thrilled that The DSM IV are back for a second year, their performance is always so exciting. We’ve also got local band Silent-K which is a real coup for us. They always draw a great crowd. From across the Pennines we have our friends The Dirt playing and they helped us to secure Qujaku who I’m looking forward to seeing. For me the festival is about watching bands I’m familiar with and discovering my new favourites.
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How do you see the Penny Lane Weekender evolving over the next few years?
Lisa: We want to grow slowly. It’s tough out there for grassroots festivals and we don’t want to get too big too quickly. We are very much a DIY festival and we want to maintain that feel. It would be good to have other spaces in future but at the moment we’re very much content with the venues that we have.
What would you say to someone who’s never been before to convince them to come down this August?
Lisa: Where else can you see over 60 artists across a three-day weekend for the bargain price of £15? Based across four venues around the Penny Lane area come down and see the next generation of musicians who one day may be playing stadiums in the future and you can say you saw them when they were just starting out.
Penny Lane Weekender 2025
8 – 10 August
Tickets
