Something needs to happen to reverse the diminishing trend in this so called city of music - we've lost the Kazimier, Arts Club, Parr Street Studios and many, many others. Eurovision is a great success but I've got to travel to Manchester over the coming weeks to see US bands I originally discovered in Liverpool venues 20 years ago.
Surely having LIPA and a well respected music school at the University should help our cause for attracting the opera?
I was under the impression that Parr Street studios were planning to eventually relocate elsewhere in the city? It would be a huge shame if they didn't because the studio had a great reputation. As for the Channel 4 fiasco the thing I remember about that was Joe Anderson's embarrassing whingeing when we lost out to Leeds.
I remember the whole year before the public announcement of channel four relocating, and a "competition" to host: It was well known in the business community this was on the cards, and individuals pleaded with those responsible to steal a march and start closed doors campaigning.
Unfortunately, in a mirror of the Commonwealth Games - again an open secret a full 12 months before the official announcement of needing a new host - our council was only supposedly interested when it was far too late.
The fact that elections loomed I'm sure had nothing to do with spending money on inevitably doomed, far too late so-called campaigns.
By the time the Commonwealth Games competition was announced Birmingham had already spent a year preparing. As for Channel 4, it should have been ours to lose. Instead Leeds didn't have to break a sweat, it was just pre-chosen as our leaders sat filling their faces.
As for the whinging afterwards about HS2 being the reason... the DfT YouTube channel has the same person praising HS2 to the hilt (before local campaigners alerted the public that HS2 is in fact very, very bad)
Excellent critical review. Noted that so few of the Russell Group graduates are attracted and settle here. This is the Liverpool Disease - ultimately it stops true prosperity. In the University there always was "A Liverpool Effect" to contend with when attracting the brightest and best. Heard that from so many Professors across so many fields. And then we have the silly situation of that grim place Manchester automatically hoovering up all our best talent! I can tell you as a native Scouse the town on a dull November day needs some cheering up. There is such a concerted effort required, and yes I would start by trashing out the current owners of the Adelphi Hotel for what they have done to the reputation of that once fine piece of Liverpool - go now, and put someone who cares in charge. In other words, we can't present an truly attractive front until we start acting like a cultural city in all respects - not filling in the Cavern, not modernising the Beehive, not destroying the stage of Litherland Town Hall, not abandoning the Lathom, Parr Street Studios, nor the Futurist frontage or ABC Cinema Lime Street... you get the picture. How can we have the ENO when cultural vandals are on the City's payroll and form their advisors. Its the only bit of "small c conservatism" that Liverpool needs - and has needed since the fire sale of the old docks. We don't want ENO on false pretences, we want them to have as much as a new home here as Eurovision did. I am still blown away by the way the City took that seriously - and yes - had a massive historic WIN! LIPA would be a great assist enabling a new home for the ENO ...but to be honest the ENO would have to change also (popularise a bit) - but hey it could THRIVE doing that and Liverpool could help it out there.
Not much point in attracting an opera if kids in the city aren’t getting an opportunity to study arts, music and drama because bourgeois middle England prefers tax cuts for the rich and tougher policing of poverty as their politics.
Agree, but excellence at the scale of ENO could act as a nucleation point for development of unique curricula. Correction: it would have to do this. Over the years I have been gobsmacked at how culture can be a huge export earner, both direct and indirect. Thats coming from a career scientist.
Ok, Ok. On the basis that the ENO get a say. Even though I don't believe ENO should be forced to relocate at all. I will buy a half litre of your optimism.
Especially after reading more MEN articles on how rough-a**ed Manchester increasingly is, and how - if they can't remain in London - my knowledge that Liverpool would be a fitting substitute for all the right reasons.
But I remain troubled that their say is not the deciding factor. Earlier in this imposed relocation exercise, after ACE/DCMS "suggested" Manchester, the ENO suggested east Croydon. ACE gave a "very clear steer" this wouldn't be allowed. You know, what with Croydon being too imbued with cultural assets.
This is also the ACE that cut money from our Welsh National Opera that has seen them forced to end their tour to their home away from home. We're not just Ireland's largest city, we're also Wales'. Not that this would occur or matter to the Deansgate dimwits.
This is the ACE/DCMS that is so in tune with the government's levelling up agenda that it splurges £48.62 on arts funding in Manchester but just £22.53 per head on us (and around £35 a head on that sprawling cultural visitor hotspot which is Leeds - the government's other designated hotspot...)
You can use all this to also suggest "we're due", but experience tells me that this doesn't matter. When it comes to the likes of the DCMS, DFT et al, they only give us our due when they have to. So we need to work on how to leave them with no option.
European Capital of Culture and Eurovision contain glimmers of blueprints.
Fully agree with the wilk's comments. I Myself have spoke in a similar vein on many occasions, on the same topic , Why the F should I be expected to have to jump a train to go to Manchester, in order to see bands that I actually saw on the Empire or Royal Court, not so long back? I'm not expecting them to scale back their stage shows, so obviously, other than the fact that the main purpose of both venues seems to have changed anyway they wouldn't fit, but there are other bands that would.
I often wonder if this Musical Legacy really does mean anything to this Council, they obviously realise the full impact of Merseybeat, and are happy to exploit it (although that took a hell of a lot of shaming and arm twisting, and even almost threats of reactions eleswhere, before anything tangible ever came about), but it seems to be that for anything now, the attitude is; "Well, it's ONLY the kids", "Sod Dem"
Cynical Note: Maybe if somebody was interested in some shady dealing, they could get such a place
Those sociologists and 'director of the centre for cultural value' and so forth should know, Liverpool is not like any other city, not Leeds not Manchester. What worked in other cities not necessarily will work in Liverpool as we have seen over the past decades. Since the city belongs to its people, therefore the people should decide in a poll if they want the ENO in the city or not. We should get a result faster than the other ENO.
Something needs to happen to reverse the diminishing trend in this so called city of music - we've lost the Kazimier, Arts Club, Parr Street Studios and many, many others. Eurovision is a great success but I've got to travel to Manchester over the coming weeks to see US bands I originally discovered in Liverpool venues 20 years ago.
Surely having LIPA and a well respected music school at the University should help our cause for attracting the opera?
I was under the impression that Parr Street studios were planning to eventually relocate elsewhere in the city? It would be a huge shame if they didn't because the studio had a great reputation. As for the Channel 4 fiasco the thing I remember about that was Joe Anderson's embarrassing whingeing when we lost out to Leeds.
I remember the whole year before the public announcement of channel four relocating, and a "competition" to host: It was well known in the business community this was on the cards, and individuals pleaded with those responsible to steal a march and start closed doors campaigning.
Unfortunately, in a mirror of the Commonwealth Games - again an open secret a full 12 months before the official announcement of needing a new host - our council was only supposedly interested when it was far too late.
The fact that elections loomed I'm sure had nothing to do with spending money on inevitably doomed, far too late so-called campaigns.
By the time the Commonwealth Games competition was announced Birmingham had already spent a year preparing. As for Channel 4, it should have been ours to lose. Instead Leeds didn't have to break a sweat, it was just pre-chosen as our leaders sat filling their faces.
As for the whinging afterwards about HS2 being the reason... the DfT YouTube channel has the same person praising HS2 to the hilt (before local campaigners alerted the public that HS2 is in fact very, very bad)
Excellent critical review. Noted that so few of the Russell Group graduates are attracted and settle here. This is the Liverpool Disease - ultimately it stops true prosperity. In the University there always was "A Liverpool Effect" to contend with when attracting the brightest and best. Heard that from so many Professors across so many fields. And then we have the silly situation of that grim place Manchester automatically hoovering up all our best talent! I can tell you as a native Scouse the town on a dull November day needs some cheering up. There is such a concerted effort required, and yes I would start by trashing out the current owners of the Adelphi Hotel for what they have done to the reputation of that once fine piece of Liverpool - go now, and put someone who cares in charge. In other words, we can't present an truly attractive front until we start acting like a cultural city in all respects - not filling in the Cavern, not modernising the Beehive, not destroying the stage of Litherland Town Hall, not abandoning the Lathom, Parr Street Studios, nor the Futurist frontage or ABC Cinema Lime Street... you get the picture. How can we have the ENO when cultural vandals are on the City's payroll and form their advisors. Its the only bit of "small c conservatism" that Liverpool needs - and has needed since the fire sale of the old docks. We don't want ENO on false pretences, we want them to have as much as a new home here as Eurovision did. I am still blown away by the way the City took that seriously - and yes - had a massive historic WIN! LIPA would be a great assist enabling a new home for the ENO ...but to be honest the ENO would have to change also (popularise a bit) - but hey it could THRIVE doing that and Liverpool could help it out there.
Not much point in attracting an opera if kids in the city aren’t getting an opportunity to study arts, music and drama because bourgeois middle England prefers tax cuts for the rich and tougher policing of poverty as their politics.
Agree, but excellence at the scale of ENO could act as a nucleation point for development of unique curricula. Correction: it would have to do this. Over the years I have been gobsmacked at how culture can be a huge export earner, both direct and indirect. Thats coming from a career scientist.
Catch 22 though? I'd sooner we had assets and used them to try and reverse this ourselves, than just give in/up.
Ok, Ok. On the basis that the ENO get a say. Even though I don't believe ENO should be forced to relocate at all. I will buy a half litre of your optimism.
Especially after reading more MEN articles on how rough-a**ed Manchester increasingly is, and how - if they can't remain in London - my knowledge that Liverpool would be a fitting substitute for all the right reasons.
But I remain troubled that their say is not the deciding factor. Earlier in this imposed relocation exercise, after ACE/DCMS "suggested" Manchester, the ENO suggested east Croydon. ACE gave a "very clear steer" this wouldn't be allowed. You know, what with Croydon being too imbued with cultural assets.
This is also the ACE that cut money from our Welsh National Opera that has seen them forced to end their tour to their home away from home. We're not just Ireland's largest city, we're also Wales'. Not that this would occur or matter to the Deansgate dimwits.
This is the ACE/DCMS that is so in tune with the government's levelling up agenda that it splurges £48.62 on arts funding in Manchester but just £22.53 per head on us (and around £35 a head on that sprawling cultural visitor hotspot which is Leeds - the government's other designated hotspot...)
You can use all this to also suggest "we're due", but experience tells me that this doesn't matter. When it comes to the likes of the DCMS, DFT et al, they only give us our due when they have to. So we need to work on how to leave them with no option.
European Capital of Culture and Eurovision contain glimmers of blueprints.
Fully agree with the wilk's comments. I Myself have spoke in a similar vein on many occasions, on the same topic , Why the F should I be expected to have to jump a train to go to Manchester, in order to see bands that I actually saw on the Empire or Royal Court, not so long back? I'm not expecting them to scale back their stage shows, so obviously, other than the fact that the main purpose of both venues seems to have changed anyway they wouldn't fit, but there are other bands that would.
I often wonder if this Musical Legacy really does mean anything to this Council, they obviously realise the full impact of Merseybeat, and are happy to exploit it (although that took a hell of a lot of shaming and arm twisting, and even almost threats of reactions eleswhere, before anything tangible ever came about), but it seems to be that for anything now, the attitude is; "Well, it's ONLY the kids", "Sod Dem"
Cynical Note: Maybe if somebody was interested in some shady dealing, they could get such a place
Those sociologists and 'director of the centre for cultural value' and so forth should know, Liverpool is not like any other city, not Leeds not Manchester. What worked in other cities not necessarily will work in Liverpool as we have seen over the past decades. Since the city belongs to its people, therefore the people should decide in a poll if they want the ENO in the city or not. We should get a result faster than the other ENO.