SONGS WE’LL HUM FOREVER: LIVERPOOL’S LAST DAY AT BIG WEEKEND
The beat of our footsteps fall in line as we surged towards Sefton Park in our masses, ready to give it our all, sending off a weekend like no other. Some of us are raring to go, fed up with watching the experience through other people’s Instagram stories, whilst others face the gate with a look of complete exhaustion, clearly having been one of the lucky few who secured tickets to Friday and/or Saturday as well. But an hour later, you wouldn’t be able to pick these zombie-like festival-goers out of the crowd, fueled by coffee, an early pint or both, and perking up as the music gets louder and closer, the crowd’s abuzz.
Now, we all know that if there’s one thing scousers can do, it’s enjoy themselves, and as we funnel into an indistinguishable hideaway towards the Dance Stage, who better to greet us than ESSEL. Freed From Desire fills the space, our terrible singing reverberating off the barriers, and we can’t help but think that there would be no better introduction to this city of ours than these square metres. Surrounded by 110s, perfected curly blows that withstand the elements and painfully loud laughter, it’s only right that this is the first impression that thousands of attendees will have of Liverpool.
As we’re swept through a flurry of talent, quick hellos to friends we didn’t even know had a ticket and grabbing a bite when we have those five precious minutes to spare, the day feels like we’re stuck on fast-forward. In typical Liverpool Music City fashion, our homing beacon is the Introducing Stage, where fans raise their arms towards Fat Dog in worship as the moshpit widens and people spiral, Courting apologise for swearing (this is a BBC event after all) and our favourite song ends up being one we didn’t intentionally come to see.
The number one rule of any festival is to eat sat near a stage; every minute counts when the acts are this high-quality. Which is how we come across London-based aimei 媚 and her track ‘Fall Out’. Her crisp, electronic-fused pop soon to see her graduate from the Introducing stage, leaving us struck by that specific feeling of seeing something big before everyone else. Of course, with a platform like BBC Radio 1, we’re not likely to be in the minority for much longer. Which is a relief when we think of how much energy we’ll save not having to recommend today’s Introducing Stage headliner, Pixey, to whoever we cross paths with.
What greater honour is there than being greeted onto the stage by a crowd of people who chose to come and see you over HAIM you ask? Being greeted to a young fan, front and central, and their handmade Pixey sign. It is this beautiful moment that opens our eyes to just how many young music fans we’re surrounded by, as we play background actors in their first concert experience. The one that will fuel an expensive, lifelong love of live music, with the songs they hear today featuring in every nostalgic, comfort playlist they’ll make for the next thirty+ years, bringing them back to this moment of unadulterated joy.
As our perspective shifts, and our eyes open wider, the experience sits differently. This is not just an honour for our city but is a huge opportunity for every independent business that surrounds this park, a once-in-a-lifetime chance for our artists to prove to the world that scouse music goes beyond The Beatles, and a weekend to remember for every individual who steps through those gates.
What better feeling is there than dancing to live music with a child-like whimsy? So, as the confetti explodes over us, colouring the sky red, we reach out to grab one, pocket it and hold on to that magic a little bit longer.
As we flock home, past shops, parks and allotments, entering back into normalcy, we hum the songs that have soundtracked our day. The songs that will stay with us, transporting us back to the weekend that we all descended on Sefton Park and Liverpool came to life. A weekend where people’s dreams come true, children experienced live music for the first time and you were reminded of the importance of supporting local musicians. You never know, they might be the next big thing.
We can only wonder what will come next.
By Megan Walder
