Arts and Culture
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Arts and Culture
“It’s Complicated”: Jade Franks on Class, Empathy and Her Debut Fringe Play
What if Hannah Montana was a working-class Scouser trying to survive Cambridge University… and not a secret pop star? That’s the brilliantly bold starting point for Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x) – the debut play from writer and performer Jade Franks, heading to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer. Funny, furious, and full of heart, the show draws directly from Jade’s own lived experience navigating the elite world of Cambridge while working…
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Arts and Culture
Creative Spotlight: In Conversation – Paul Curtis
The Art of the City: Paul Curtis on Murals, Milestones, and Merseyside Pride If you’ve wandered the streets of Liverpool with your eyes open, chances are you’ve encountered the vivid, soul-stirring work of Paul Curtis. From the now-iconic For All Liverpool’s Liver Birds wings on Jamaica Street to a growing portfolio of murals that speak to the heart of the city. Once a geologist, now a painter of walls and chronicler of culture, Curtis captures…
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Theatre in Liverpool
Theatre Preview: The Croft Brings Chilling Drama to Liverpool Playhouse
Currently embarking on a highly anticipated UK tour, Original Theatre’s production of The Croft has already garnered significant critical attention since its 2020 premiere, being praised for its masterful blend of suspense, history, and the supernatural. It is set to run at the Liverpool Playhouse from Tuesday 1st to Saturday 5th July. Set against the starkly beautiful yet haunting backdrop of the remote Scottish Highlands, The Croft transports audiences to a former crofter’s hut in…
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Arts and Culture
Amartey Golding Talks ‘Silent Knight’: A Powerful Portrait of Prison Life, On Display At FACT
Where Art and Lived Experience Collide… Some artists paint pictures. Others throw punches. Amartey Golding somehow does both – and neither – crafting work that pulls you in and holds you there, somewhere between discomfort and wonder. Now, this shape-shifting storyteller brings his latest exhibition to FACT Liverpool, and trust us, it’s one for the soul. Golding’s life reads like a patchwork of place and perspective: born in London in the late ’80s to an…
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Arts and Culture
Exhibition Review: Amartey Golding, Silent Knight, at FACT Liverpool
A Chain of Voices, Heard in Stillness… Step into FACT Liverpool’s Gallery 2 and you’re met with a silver spectacle — an arresting, sculptural form that draws you in and doesn’t let go. At its heart stands Silent Knight, a collaborative centrepiece by artist Amartey Golding, and the final commission in FACT’s powerful Resolution project. Its presence is undeniable — physically, emotionally, politically. Constructed in collaboration with over 50 incarcerated men from HMP Altcourse, Silent…
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Arts and Culture
Liverpool Art Fair 2025: 200 Local Artists Take Over The Royal Liver Building
Liverpool Art Fair will return to one of the city’s most iconic landmarks this summer, transforming the Royal Liver Building into a vibrant celebration of local art and creativity. Running from 11 July to 25 August 2025, the event marks its 11th edition and promises its biggest showcase yet, with nearly 200 artists exhibiting work under one roof. Organised by Liverpool-based visual arts organisation dot-art, the fair continues its mission to make art accessible for…
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Arts and Culture
Art Bytes Celebrates Record-Breaking Year as Creative Excellence Flourishes Across England
National Programme Grows 50% in Partnership with The Arts Society, Showcasing Exceptional Young Talent from Over 150 Schools. England’s most promising young artists took centre stage on 12 June as the Art Bytes national schools programme reached new heights in its fourth year, welcoming a record-breaking 150+ schools across the country – a remarkable 50% increase from 2024. The programme’s flagship celebration events, held at prestigious cultural venues from the Saatchi Gallery in London to…
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Arts and Culture
Exhibition Review: Liverpool Hope University Degree Show 2025
Art in the Maze: Finding Wonder Around Every Corner Let’s start with a confession. Navigating Crossroads at Liverpool Hope University’s Creative Campus is no small feat. The layout meanders, buildings slip past you, corridors tighten, doors open into places you didn’t expect. It’s part art show, part dream logic. And on a busy early evening, with private view visitors gently jostling through narrow passageways, the sense of disorientation only deepens. But here’s the thing; like…
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Arts and Culture
Exhibition Review: Caroline Gorick, After Hours, At Bridewell Gallery and Studios
Heat Outside, Hush Within… On a sweltering, airless afternoon in Liverpool, when Prescot Street seemed to shimmer under relentless sunlight, salvation comes in the form of the Bridewell Studios and Gallery—a cool, contemplative refuge tucked away behind thick Victorian walls. Step inside, and the hush is almost monastic. But it’s not silence that fills the space — it’s something charged, something quietly electric. It’s the presence of Caroline Gorick’s latest work. Her painting doesn’t so…
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Arts and Culture
The Culture Network LCR Celebrates a Transformative First Year of Growth and Impact
The Culture Network LCR CIC, the new membership organisation championing the Liverpool City Region’s arts and culture sector, is marking a milestone first year since launching in Spring 2024. With 65+ member organisations and growing, the network has quickly become a vital advocate for the region’s creative and cultural sector—driving collaboration, supporting economic growth, and expanding access to culture across the region. A Year of Impact – At a Glance 65+ cultural member organisations and…
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Things to do in Liverpool
Liverpool Biennial 2025: BEDROCK – Unearthing the City’s Soul
This year’s Liverpool Biennial (7 June – 14 September) – the 13th edition – is titled BEDROCK, and it’s all about what lies beneath: from Liverpool’s sandstone foundations to the social, cultural and ancestral roots that shape us. Curated by Marie-Anne McQuay, BEDROCK brings together artists from around the world to explore themes like identity, memory, family, migration, belonging and the environment. Liverpool Biennial 2025: What to Expect More than 35 international artists Free exhibitions,…
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Things to do in Liverpool
More Events Announced For Liverpool Arab Arts Festival 2025
Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF), the longest running annual festival of Arab arts and culture in the UK, returns for its 23rd year this July – and has just announced more events for this year’s edition!LAAF exists to support and champion creatives from across the Arab region and its diaspora, in the belief that art and creativity have the power to express a shared humanity. The festival also celebrates Liverpool’s unique identity; a city, with…
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Arts and Culture
Liverpool Hope University Fine Art Degree Show 2025
A Celebration of Emerging Creativity… There’s something special about June in Liverpool, and it’s not just the promise of the returning sunshine. It’s degree show season—when the city’s art schools throw open their doors and let the creativity spill out into the world. And this year, Liverpool Hope University’s Fine Art Degree Show is shaping up to be a must-see on the cultural calendar. On Friday 13 June, the Creative Campus will come alive as…
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Art Exhibitions in Liverpool
Caroline Gorick – After Hours At Liverpool Bridewell Studios
Caroline Gorick: Capturing the Stillness Between Moments—Where the Ordinary Turns Sublime This latest series from eminent artist Caroline Gorick is a quiet storm—evocative works that pulse with life and where beauty brushes up against decay, the everyday shimmering with potential unease. Her rich, gestural brushwork and glowing, rubbed- back tones pull us into spaces that feel uncannily familiar, yet somehow out of reach. Gorick captures fleeting, fragile moments and elevates them into something timeless, almost…
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Arts and Culture
Creative Spotlight: In Conversation – Julie Lawrence
A Landscape of Light and Memory… There’s a quiet resonance in Julie Lawrence’s work that lingers long after the image fades from view. It’s not just the landscapes she paints—it’s the light within them, the way it flickers and slips between trees, casting shadows that feel both intimate and infinite. Based on the Wirral and deeply rooted in her daily walks through Caldy Hill and Stapledon Woods, Lawrence invites us to pause, to notice, and…
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Things to do in Liverpool
10 Must-See Highlights of Independents Biennial 2025
The Independents Biennial, celebrating the art and artists living and working in Liverpool city-region, opens to the public on Saturday 7 June, with a special, free to attend launch on Thursday 5 June in Port Sunlight showcasing a range of art venues and artists in the historic village. The artist-led festival, which runs concurrently to Liverpool Biennial, is created to showcase the vibrant art and art scene of the city-region. The Independents Biennial has been…
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Theatre in Liverpool
Workers Playtime: A Radical Legacy Reborn On Stage
Exploring how Workers Playtime draws from the pioneering spirit of the 1930s theatre collectives to inspire new generations. Workers Playtime: How the Workers Theatre Movement Shaped British Theatre, running 6-8 June at Liverpool’s Hope Street Theatre, is far more than just another night out. It’s a powerful call back to the roots of working-class creativity, activism, and resilience. Brought to life by Valley Community Theatre—a company deeply embedded in Liverpool’s grassroots arts scene—this production aims…
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Arts and Culture
From Runcorn to the Revolution: Bethany Kate on Life in Hamilton
There’s something deeply special about coming home — and for Bethany Kate, a gifted musical theatre performer born in Liverpool and raised in Runcorn, stepping into Hamilton at the iconic Liverpool Empire is nothing short of magical. Now part of the blockbuster production as an off-stage swing, Bethany brings versatility, tenacity, and passion to one of the most demanding roles in musical theatre. Steve Kinrade caught up with her to talk about what it means…
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Music
SoundYard New Electronic Music Venue To Open In Liverpool This June
This summer marks the arrival of SoundYard, a bold new 900-capacity venue set to become a flagship destination for electronic music in Liverpool. Launching in June 2025, SoundYard will celebrate the city’s rich cultural heritage with a forward-looking approach — offering immersive music experiences, curated day parties, and a vibrant daytime programme that goes far beyond the dancefloor. Located in the heart of the Baltic Triangle, SoundYard is a versatile indoor-outdoor venue, designed to cater…
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Arts and Culture
Theatre As Testimony: Afloat Amplifies Voices Often Left Unheard
Afloat is a powerful and urgent piece of theatre developed in collaboration with Asylum Link Merseyside and directed by Phoebe McSweeney. Created through workshops with asylum seekers and support workers, the performance offers a poignant exploration of migration, political extremism, and human resilience. Set in a dystopian fictional city, the narrative follows the strained relationship between Angela, a right-wing political candidate, and Sam, a community worker supporting asylum seekers. As the Blue Party gains power…
