LIVERPOOL’S LATEST CHART TOPPERS

In 2022 the BPI reported that, outside of London, Liverpool had been responsible for more album successes than any  other city in the UK over the past year. For me, this was a mere confirmation of what we already knew: Liverpool is the UK Music City.  

So, it’s no surprise that the city is dominating the charts once again. It’s only March and when you look at the figures, it’s been a truly astonishing few months for locally based artists. Last week Red Rum Club were celebrating a top ten position with their latest album ‘Western Approaches’. The group have reached this lofty position through the traditional route of  touring again and again, as well as regularly releasing new music and building up a large fanbase. This well deserved success sets them up nicely  for the biggest headline show of their career to date at The Arena, 5th April.

Only a week earlier, the mighty Crawlers achieved a similar feat reaching number seven with debut album ‘The Mess We Seem To Make’. Their album success has no doubt been partly powered by their relationship with their devoted fanbase, maintaining a personal connection at every gig. The album is an absolute corker and as  NME says, ‘reaffirms their place as one of the young guiding lights in British guitar music’.

In February, local hero Jamie Webster reached the giddy heights of number two in the album charts with his magnificent ‘10 For The People’. It’s an album which showcases his increasingly confident songwriting, covering important issues in a non-preachy way that grabs your attention. Like Red Rum Club, Jamie has a huge hometown show coming up at Sefton Park in July. 

The fact that we have already had three local artists making their mark in the top ten within three months is quite a statement of intent from the city (and let’s not forget that Cast and Bill Ryder Jones also reached the top 30 earlier this year!). US-born, but very much a product of Liverpool, is the phenomenal Jalen  Ngonda. The LIMF Academy graduate has recently signed to Daptone Records, earning a well deserved top ten position with his ‘Come Around and Love Me’ LP in February.

How the city has reached this dominant position probably takes a bit more unpicking. Of course we have always produced great artists, but for the first time in many years, we also have the infrastructure in place to support developing artists. Despite really difficult conditions at the moment, we are lucky to have a raft of grassroots venues giving the emerging a chance to develop their craft and build a following. Modern Sky are having an astonishing run of success as a record label, making them a major player in the UK music industry. Together with 3 Beat, the city has at least two local labels pushing local talent into the charts. As well as this, the city has bred high quality recording studios and producers (Go Play, Q U A RR Y, The Motor Museum) to finesse those final touches. Having these services so accessible can really make a difference, and what’s even better is the genuine  sense of community around the sector.

If the success we’ve already had this year isn’t enough, then there’s a stunning array of talent releasing their albums over the next couple of months. Newcomer Michael Aldag’s debut project  ‘Sorry For Everything’ is landing in April via 3 Beat. Much further on in his career is Michael Head, but now delivering the best work of his life. New album ‘Loophole’ is certain to be another Modern Sky Top 10. The Zutons are back with new music too after a hiatus, and mentions also to Eyesore and the Jinx with their ‘Jitterbug’ LP coming this month.

One of the standout moments of Eurovision for me was the ‘Welcome to Eurotopia’ gig featuring an array of musicians from Liverpool and Ukraine. Pulled together and fronted by the incredible Natalie McCool and Stealing Sheep, both artists have produced albums off the back of this – I can’t wait to hear the results. 

Of course the picture, while incredibly positive, is far from perfect. There is a large lack of diversity amongst those achieving success, with the vast majority of these chart-topping artists identifying as male, white and straight. It’s a disappointing realisation that perhaps the mainstream music industry still has a long way to go, however, at a grassroots level, we are striving for change from the ground up. Organisations such as PRS, the MOBO Help Musicians Fund, LIMF Academy and Help Musicians are addressing the imbalance with their own schemes (see list of opportunities here). Hopefully this, as well as the previous success, can act as an open door for other artists from under-represented groups and other music genres to breakthrough at chart level. 

Written by Kevin McManus