LIVERPOOL BLACK MUSIC CITY: SNAPSHOT 2024
While our city has long been celebrated for its guitar-driven indie scene, Liverpool continues to evolve, welcoming diversity and innovation with open arms. At the heart of this evolution lies a dynamic Black music community, instrumental in shaping our musical landscape. We foresee an urban renaissance within our music scene in the coming year, propelled by a new wave of artists, influencers, and organisations. Together, they are boldly reshaping the trajectory of our music culture, ushering in a wave of transformative actions and events.
LVP MVPs
The Liverpool City Region Music Board’s Black Music Action Group is led by industry stalwarts championing inclusivity and support for Black artists across genres. Their advocacy ensures Liverpool remains a crucible of musical ingenuity. Find out more about the actions and opportunities here.
Vocal Luminaries
Jennifer John, BMAG Chair, is an award-winning Music Industry Professional whose leadership extends to managing the vocal ensemble Sense of Sound, to advocating for social change through music. Among the vocal virtuosos is Hayli Kincade, winner of Merseyside Woman of the Year and celebrated R&B and Neo Soul singer/vocal coach, propelling Liverpool’s music scene forward with nearly two decades of experience. Take a look at Jennifer’s website here.
Gospel Resonance
Anu Omideyi spearheads the UK’s inaugural gospel music festival in Liverpool, amplifying the genre’s influence. Hosted by Liverpool Lighthouse, a charity based in Anfield that recently became an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation, The Liverpool Gospel Music Festival promises to celebrate and elevate gospel music on a mainstream platform. Keep your eyes peeled for an all-day event on 7th September 2024, location TBA soon.
Next Gen Orgs
School ain’t out forever; organisations like Positive Impact empower young artists through workshops, mentoring, and nationally recognised qualifications, nurturing Liverpool’s future musical talent.
The LIMF Academy has ushered over 4,000 young heads through the door to workshops, seminars and performances at events of all varieties. Garnering support from big name companies, the academy has grown to become one of the leading platforms for developing and showcasing young artists and emerging talent in the region.
Alumni include Jalen N’Gonda, the classic soul singer touring far and wide and newly signed to the mighty Daptone Records roster. His new album ‘Come Around and Love Me’ is blowing up on Spotify’s soul playlists and selling out in vinyl shops across the globe.
Recently, the Liverpool Philharmonic hosted the electrifying ‘LIMF Academy Orchestrated’ show. Backed by the Youth Orchestra, the lo-fi hip-hop tunings of Dayzy, the genre-blending force infusing the pop of Hannah Morgan, South Liverpool emerging rapper KOJ and the enigmatic producer Superlate, each set the stage ablaze with their raw energy.
Look out for the LIMF Academy’s upcoming events this year and follow the artists for more.
2024 Rapped Up
The underground Liverpool hip-hop scene is thriving and driven by a collective spirit; artists like MC Nelson, SSJ and P3lz are making serious waves. SSJ, with his signature melodic vocal style over hard beats, and the youngest female driller, P3lz, are charged up to release some new fire. These are just a few names among the sensations pushing boundaries in Liverpool’s rap scene.
Offering an Alternative
Avant-garde stylings are all the rage and enriching the city’s musical palette.
Remée ventures out of the bat cave to show us her fantastic outfits and curious talent, with sleek neo-soul trappings and gothic conceptual musical workings.
Fancy some live heavy shoegaze? Liverpool band Maryam are adding a hardcore edge to the live scene and are set to gig around the city this year, starting with a supporting slot for Bleach Brain at Heebie Jeebies.
Another one to watch is Kulturess – the new group made up of artists Tabitha Jade and Eliza Mai, a mind-bending alternative duo.
Radio Is Making Waves
Black prominent voices on BBC Radio Merseyside are helping to amplify Liverpool’s musical vibrancy through their broadcasts and productions. Both Ngunan Adamu and Jermaine Foster can be heard presenting their shows on BBC Radio Merseyside. Ngunan’s scouse voice is now known across Europe thanks to co-hosting last year’s Eurovisioncast, a popular BBC podcast which celebrated everything about the Eurovision Song Contest.
…and All that Jazz
Artist Ni Maxine and her beguiling 21st-century jazz is on the move this year, with the Wombat Jazz Club shows heading underground to Ettie’s bar on Bold Street. The recent show ‘Together’ with Afro Blue Jazz heads set the bar for its upcoming future shows this year. Not to mention the Harmonies of Heritage gatherings for ‘The Jazz Project’, which has the Winter Garden in Toxteth lit up with featuring artists and is set to bring the Dharma Collective DJ act next.
DJ Dynamos
Girls Don’t Sync, PAPU and Soulfultiz are among the few names curating some electrifying events, connecting audiences to the pulsating rhythm of amapiano, techno, house and neo-soul.
PAPU’s Choplife event was one of last year’s stand-out regular parties in 24 Kitchen Street. He continues this year bringing friends and vibes to the scene, with chefs already locked in for the upcoming parties.
Soulfultiz’s Afrosentrik gatherings connect audiences to the source and unearth the sounds of tomorrow at venues across the city, with tracks of neo-soul, rap and other urban kinds.
Give them a follow and get those dates in your diary.
Reggae Source
Liverpool’s creatives are branching out to provide multiple platforms for reggae. HushandBass event takes a new tip with Jamie Rodigan, son of legend David Rodigan, coming to Zanzibar on July 5th. In Fine Style returns with its monthly reggae dance at The Kazimier Gardens, spinning vinyl records of the roots, dancehall and dub variety with guest selectors and bands.
Masters of Production
Go Play Studio, founded by KOF and helmed by NAK, continues to nurture urban artists by offering state-of-the-art recording and production facilities. Both stepping out from behind the buttons to drop new music and tease demos online.
Visionaries and Facilitators!
If you’re a fan of African music and culture, you won’t want to miss the iconic Africa Oyé festival in Liverpool’s Sefton Park in 2024. Every year, artistic director Paul Duhaney brings in talented artists from all over the world to offer their talents to the city for free.
Saad Shaffi is the managing director of 24 Kitchen Street, a live music venue and club space located in the heart of the Baltic Triangle. As a Member of the Liverpool City Region Music Board, Saad is working hard to create opportunities for local music venue owners, managers, and gig promoters this year.
District is another great venue located in the Baltic Triangle, with a rich musical heritage and a vibrant atmosphere. They host gigs, club nights, screenings, talks and many other engaging events.
If you’re looking for a great spot to enjoy some live jazz, be sure to check out The Grapes. This black-owned city centre pub has been delivering top-quality jazz performances for over 20 years, with Latin Jazz nights starting at the late hour of 9pm on Mondays.
Behind the Lens
Antony Wilde, a talented photographer dedicated to capturing the essence of Merseyside’s Black music scene through his lens, challenges preconceptions and stereotypes associated with the region’s Black music scene. He’s set out to tell captivating stories that break barriers through his photography and showcase the diversity and vibrancy of the music scene in Merseyside, bringing attention to the rich cultural heritage that the region has to offer.
Nadeem Freeman emerges as a rising head in the Mersey music scene, recognised for his multifaceted contributions. Spearheading the 2-Step Collective, he fosters community unity through urban exploration, promoting fitness and well-being. Expanding his horizons, he orchestrated a Soundsystem event at Lost Art in January, while also capturing the essence of the city through his photography. Recently, he lent his directorial talents to artist Sticky Dub‘s latest video, solidifying their partnership in the roots and culture DJ collective, Naqshbandi Soundsystem.
The late and great Leroy Cooper was a prolific street photographer, whose arrest in 1981 was the tipping point for events and growing tensions that sparked the uprising in Toxteth. His works are now being displayed in a first major exhibition called ‘Liverpool Through the Lens by Leroy Cooper’. The exhibition opened at the Museum of Liverpool in April 2023 and will be on display until June 16 2024 as a temporary exhibit in the Skylight Gallery. Plan your visit here.
Soul Sistas
AMBA, an R&B vocal harmony group hailing from Liverpool, brought a fresh wave of energy to the scene last year at Soul2SoulUK. They are now poised to do even more.
Meanwhile, long-standing dynamic R&B trio La Femme are preparing to unleash their highly anticipated album, ‘The Women’.
Photo Credits:
Dancing at the Chop.life event in 24 Kitchen Street taken by Luke Bryant
Flute Player ‘Buster Swaby’ at the Granby Winters Gardens taken by Kieran Irvine
MC Nelson performing taken by Sophia R Duff
Dancing at the In Fine Style reggae event at The Kazimier Gardens taken by Femi Costa
For more on writer, marketer and proud scouser Iona Fazer, follow her here.
