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OUR GREAT The unforgettable pictures from an unforgettable year
16 December 2008 - 1 February 2009 Admission Free Join us for a celebration of ideas and imagination
Supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation with additional support from Tate Liverpool Members and the National Lottery through Arts Council England
Albert Dock, Liverpool www.tate.org.uk
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OUR GREAT 08
OH, T AIN’T 08 BEEN GREAT!
Supplement written by CATHERINE JONES, Culture Reporter
HAT was the year, that was. Today we look back on European Capital of Culture 2008 – from giant spiders and Superlambananas to tall ships and number one hits. It’s a year which has seen our poets, playwrights, artists, musicians, actors and comedians – together with
Enjoy our 36-page journey in words and pictures through the highlights of Liverpool’s year as Capital of Culture
thousands of ordinary Liverpudlians – show what this city can do. Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year both captured hearts and changed minds. Millions of visits have been made to museums, galleries, theatres, churches, sports stadiums and the city’s open spaces who
have all had their own part to play in 2008. It has made the country sit up and recognise today’s Liverpool is a vibrant, exciting place with an unparalleled cultural past and present. And culture has been heralded as having a vital role to play in the city’s future success.
WE’VE DONE IT: 8.10am on June 4, 2003, and Sir Bob Scott and then council leader Mike Storey and their teams show their delight at the announcement by culture secretary Tessa Jowell that Liverpool had been named the European Capital of Culture for 2008. This now famous image of pure joy led to the extensive programme, which started with themed years and ended with Capital of Culture itself, that was put together by Liverpool Culture Company. Picture: EDDIE BARFORD: COC: edsk040603ebcapital
ECHOs OF OUR GREAT YEAR . . HERE’S TO 09!
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WE’RE OFF!
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APITAL of Culture year started with gospel and pyrotechnics. Although the official launch of 2008 was not until the second weekend of the year, thousands turned out for the New Year’s Eve event at Liverpool Cathedral. The Love and Joy Gospel choir sang in the nave before everyone moved outside the building as midnight neared. Then the date 2008 was spelled out in spectacular firewriting as fireworks
cascaded from the roof of the cathedral. Searchlights also illuminated the side of the sandstone landmark and the gospel choir sang Auld Lang Syne while the magnificent Great George bell rang out. Two very different Liverpool-inspired music events also heralded the start of the year. The city-based European Opera Centre presented Donizetti’s little-performed Emilia de Liverpool at St George’s Hall, while across Lime Street the Empire put
on Willy Russell’s classic Blood Brothers. Music was a strong theme running through January. Pool Of Life, performed by Phill Jones, was crowned the winner after a people’s vote in the Song for Liverpool competition, organised by Open Culture and Radio City to create a new anthem for Liverpool in its Capital of Culture year. And a week later the Number 1 Concert took place at the newly-opened ECHO arena. Liverpool’s stars shared
the stage in a whistlestop celebration of the city’s five decades at the top of the charts, with performances from Atomic Kitten, Ian McNabb, The Scaffold, Shack, The Farm and Gerry Marsden. Finally, the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke to a packed Liverpool Cathedral, and further along Hope Street there was more home-grown talent on show with Diane Samuels’ and Tracy-Ann Oberman’s Liverpool-based version of Chekhov’s classic Three Sisters.
ALL LIT UP: Fireworks at Liverpool Cathedral spelled out the all-important date, 2008 COC: mb3101207cathedral
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HEY came in their thousands, flooding the streets and turning the city centre into a great sea of humanity. Police estimated 38,000 turned out for Capital of Culture’s “People’s Opening”. But others put the figure closer to 50,000. The crowds stretched down Lime Street and beyond – whole families ranging from toddlers to grandparents. The ceremony, headlined by Ringo Starr and Dave Stewart performing from a crate balanced on a parapet high above the crowd on St George’s Hall, involved a cast of 700 including 40 aerial performers, 20 guitarists, 200 Liverpool primary school pupils, the Wombats, Merseyside choirs, and stars of stage, screen, music, sport and business. Images were beamed on to giant projection screens on St George’s Plateau and the side of the Holiday Inn. Peter Hooton, from The Farm, who took part in the whole opening weekend said: “Liverpool as a city just looked absolutely great. It looked like Rome. “The crowd were unbelievable. We were on stage looking out and there had to be 50,000 people there.
“It was absolutely crammed.” And 24 hours later the city did it all again with a dazzling launch show at the new ECHO arena which also officially opened the waterfront venue. A cast of 700 performed Liverpool the Musical: the Greatest Story Ever Told. Musicians from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra created a stunning backdrop to the show – stacked on vertical scaffolding seven storeys high and conducted by the Phil’s young Russian maestro Vasily Petrenko from a scissor lift on stage. A 90-minute film telling the story of Liverpool was beamed on to a special “scrim” screen covering the ambitious scaffolding set. And the evening ended with a mass sing-along to The Farm’s legendary All Together Now, The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends and Lennon’s Power to the People. Cheers raised the roof as cultural director Phil Redmond told the crowd: “Well, we did it.”
PARTY ON: The People’s Opening at St George’s Hall complete with fireworks, and, above, Ringo on stage at the official opening a day later at the new ECHO arena
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LET’SPARTY!
STYLE: Scenes of fun and fantasy from the People’s Opening at St George’s Hall and the official launch at the ECHO arena. Cheers raised the roof of the magnificent arena as cultural director Phil Redmond told the crowd: “Well, we did it.” COC:
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SOMBRE DATE OF TRAGEDY
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IVERPOOL was chosen to host Britain’s National Holocaust Memorial Day commemorations in Capital of Culture year. And the city responded to the honour by creating a month-long programme of exhibitions, talks and events during January with the theme Imagine: Remember, Reflect, React. Schools and education were at the heart of the programme which started at the beginning of the month with an exhibition about Holocaust victim Anne Frank in the well of Liverpool Cathedral. And dozens of children also took part in a poignant ceremony in the cathedral with music, giant prayer “butterflies” and a moving testimony from Holocaust survivor Ruth Sachs. Later in the month the poignant RESPECTacles
exhibition was launched at Liverpool town hall. More than 100,000 pairs of unwanted glasses were donated to the exhibition which echoed the train lines leading into the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The much-praised display, which later transferred to the World Museum, also secured the city an official Guinness Book of Records title for the longest line of spectacles created. The month ended with the National Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration service at the Philharmonic Hall where the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams and Britain’s Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks spoke. Hollywood star Jason Isaacs whose great-grandparents arrived in Liverpool a century ago escaping the persecution
of Jews in eastern Europe actress Eithne Browne, a 100-strong choir and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra also took part. Writing in the programme solicitor and Freeman of the City of Liverpool Rex Makin said: “The city has always been a home for the oppressed and minorities. “It was foremost in the abolition of the slave trade, foremost in the absorption of the Irish oppressed and impoverished. “It is a city which throbs when there is a humanitarian cause.” The director of the commemoration event Philip Parr described it as “a tremendous evocation of our message of hope”.
PRAYER: The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams at the National Holocaust Memorial Day in Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall
TRIBUTES: On National Holocaust Memorial Day at the Philharmonic Hall people signed a Pledge Against Genocide mural in Hope Street. Main picture: The Respectacles exhibit at the town hall COC: cl210108respectacles/ eb270108holocaust
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OURNEW 2008 YEARIN y r a u r b e F FUNCITY T
HERE was no time to pause for breath as January gave way to the second month of Capital of Culture year. Modern dance, young singers and actors, art, mad hatters and stag parties filled February. Merseyside Dance Initiative’s (MDI) British Dance Edition brought the best of contemporary dance to venues including the cavernous Empire where 1,500 people watched Henri Oguike, Russell Maliphant and the Scottish Dance Theatre. Ben Johnson took up residence at the Walker to complete his Liverpool Cityscape. The epic 8ft by 16ft painting included 1,000 buildings and took three years to complete – the last six weeks in front of an incredible 50,000 people who came to watch Ben and his team working. The completed work will eventually be on permanent display at the new Museum of Liverpool. Chinese New Year was celebrated by thousands who took to the streets to welcome in the year of the rat, while Stags and Hens were the order of the day at the Royal Court. CAMRA launched its beer festival, Liverpool Cathedral its Mad Hatters’ Tea Party and the first of the monthly Potting Shed cabaret evenings took place on the Walk the Plank theatre ship. Music was represented by the world premiere of John Tavener’s Requiem with Vasily Petrenko at the RLPO helm in the Metropolitan Cathedral, and along Hope Street hundreds of schoolchildren performed ITOKU, the Sefton schools’ opera about the slave trade. A decade-long dream was realised when the Beatles-themed Hard Days Night Hotel finally opened its doors.
SMILES: Chihkao Tseng, 83, enjoys the Chinese New Year Celebrations in front of the Chinese Arch in Liverpool city centre, top, while artist Ben Johnson put the finishing touches to his Liverpool Cityscape painting at The Walker Art Gallery. Below: Westlife drew thousands of adoring fans to the ECHO arena
COC: mb100208newyear/ at290208westlife/ mb280108cityscape
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OUR GREAT 08
I COULD HAVE T DANCED ALL NIGHT . . .
HEY came, they saw – they waltzed. St George’s Hall was turned into a magical ballroom for two glittering Viennese Balls in April. The 1,000 free tickets on offer were snapped up within three hours of going on release at the Phil’s box office as dance fever gripped Liverpool. Hundreds of people took to the dance floor in the magnificent setting of the great hall for the Capital of Culture’s “Scouse Waltz” extravaganza. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra played Strauss’s famous waltzes alongside polkas, rumbas and other classic dances. Dancers also jived, foxtrotted and waltzed to the Kings of Swing. And Strictly Come Dancing professional duo Anton du Beke and Erin Boag entertained the crowds with four sparkling showcase dances including a tango and an opening Viennese waltz. Anton said: “St George’s Hall is brilliant and such a lovely venue for this event. “We had a little look, watching people dance and they all looked fabulous.” On the Saturday night dancers dressed in flowing ballgowns and the evening included a champagne bar made of ice. Next day’s Sunday afternoon event had more of a tea dance feel. A series of a dozen dance workshops were held in the community in advance of the April balls with instructors John and Sue Murphy, from Martin’s dance centre in Old Swan, taking beginners through their paces to the strains of Strauss’s Blue Danube waltz. The balls, commissioned by Liverpool Culture Company, also marked the start of a city-wide Viennese theme inspired by the largest-ever UK exhibition of Gustav Klimt’s art at Tate Liverpool.
GRACE: Dancer's Anton du Beke and Erin Boag show off their skills at the Capital of Culture Viennese Ball at Liverpool's St Georges Hall COC: jr130408ball
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Thursday, December 11, 2008
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h c r Ma CLASSIC: The Bluecoat was opened after a £12m refurbishment, while X Factor Leon performed at the ECHO arena, the Chinese State Circus performed in the big tent at Sefton Park and former world heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield met youngsters including Meshech Russeool, 11, at Central Library as part of World Book Day COC: mb070408bluecoat/ jr040308xfactor/ jr200308circus/ mb060308holyfield
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FTER £12.5m and two years the Bluecoat – the oldest arts centre in the country – opened its doors in March. The refurbishment included the replacement of an entire wing of the building flattened during the Blitz. Inside there were three extra art galleries, a 200-seat theatre space and a new restaurant. March was all about the performing arts and public spectacle alongside appearances from a number of famous faces. They included choirboy-turned-TV personality Aled Jones who sang with the Welsh Choral Union at the Phil, and pianist-turned-conducting legend Vladimir Ashkenazy who conducted Liverpool’s acclaimed orchestra. The RLPO also took on Karl Jenkins’ new 08 commission Stabat Mater which was given its world premiere at Liverpool Cathedral Former world heavyweight champion boxer Evander Holyfield met schoolchildren to talk about his autobiography on World Book Day as part of the Liverpool Reads programme. The city’s 2008 love affair with modern dance continued with the Leap dance festival and Akram Khan’s commanding new performance piece Bahok. The Long Walk, an ambitious international music and culture project marking the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy and involving more than 100 musicians and singers, was performed at locations around Liverpool. Young casts from across Merseyside and the Isle of Man took part in the Shakespeare Youth Festival – while the Royal Court’s rip-roaring success Brick Up the Mersey Tunnels returned for Capital of Culture year. Metropolis: Capturing Modern Liverpool, on show at the Conservation Centre, featured 60 images from the Stuart Bale collection spanning the 1930s to the 1970s in what was an era of great change for the city. And thousands of people pounded the streets in the Liverpool Half-Marathon.
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OUR GREAT 08
A L L A B O A R D . . T WO Liverpool legends were celebrated in April. King of comedy Ken Dodd appeared in two sell-out nights at St George’s Hall, while Bill Shankly was reborn in a tribute to the straight-talking Reds manager in a similarly sold out show at the Olympia. Doddy fans queued for hours to snap up tickets for the two charity evenings in the small concert room. But in fact, the show was not really about the Squire of Knotty Ash. Instead his contribution to Capital of Culture was to highlight the genius of other towering greats of the city’s comedy scene. The veteran comedian spoke with humour and affection about Ted Ray, Tommy Handley, Arthur Askey and Robb Wilton among others. Doddy said: “It was an honour and a privilege to pay homage to a few of those who gave so much to the comedy heritage of the nation, and to Liverpool and Merseyside in particular.” Down the road Sandy West shrugged on the mantle of Liverpool’s famous manager for
Andrew Sherlock’s The Shankly Show. The man who once described football as more important than life or death was himself brought to life by the Scottish actor in a proud and passionate, crowd-pleasing performance. Sport was also represented by the annual running of the world’s most famous steeplechase, the Grand National, won in culture year by joint favourite Comply or Die. The Walker Art Gallery’s nationally-acclaimed Art in The Age of Steam exhibition was opened by rail buff and world traveller Michael Palin. A 24-hour Shakespeare marathon and the celebratory Scouseology awards, where winners included popular Phil conductor Vasily Petrenko, Jennifer Ellison, Andrew Schofield and The Scaffold, were also staged during April. And there were a host of theatrical events which showcased sparkling performances inside the theatre but also took the spectacle outside the usual boundaries
too. Real-life father and son Matthew Kelly and Matthew Rixon played dad and put-upon son in Samuel Beckett’s curious play Endgame at the Everyman, while Ben Elton and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber had a hand in The Boys In The Photograph at Lipa. Those who ventured into Sefton Park enjoyed a weird and wonderful night out at the Ghost Sonata, centred inside and around the historic palm house in the company of Gormenghast-style strolling players. And Liverpool Cathedral was turned into a giant stage for Dreamthinkspeak’s One Step Forward, One Step Back. Despite its ambitious concept – a performance at five-minute intervals each night over five weeks – the event, which took people on a dream-like tour up and down the hidden parts of the sandstone edifice and to the top of the tower, was a stunning sell-out success.
WORLD IN ONE CITY: At the Walker Art Gallery actor Dave Brown flags up the Art in the Age of Steam Exhibition (Manet's The Railway on right) and, clockwise from below right, Sandy West in dress rehearsal for the Shankly Show, children from city centre Pleasant Street School with the Culture Company Orrery, Liverpool Everyman’s production of Endgame, Ken Dodd’s celebration of laughter at St George’s Hall and Paul Skelland, 13, and pals with decorated hard hats at Liverpool One
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FOR LEGENDS 2008
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OUR GREAT 08
WEALLWENT JUST THE TICKET: The Gustav Klimt show at the Tate was one of the big hits of Capital of Culture
COC: eb280508bklimt
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but that wasn’t all . . . CITY DATES: The Queen was in Liverpool during 08, and she visited the ECHO arena and met Gerry Marsden at St George’s Hall; Les Dennis was a hit at a comedy festival at the Royal Court; and the Hub Festival came to the banks of the Mersey jr220508queen/ at220508aqueen/ jr280508/comedy/ mb170508hubfestival
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KLIMTKRAZY M AY was a big month for Tate Liverpool. The Albert Dock gallery bookended the month with its 20th birthday celebrations and the opening of its showcase Capital of Culture exhibition – the world of Viennese master Gustav Klimt. A celebration cake shaped like a framed picture and packing case, Alexei Sayle-led tours of the gallery, den-making, storytelling and lantern-making filled the birthday weekend. Painting, Design and Modern Life in Vienna 1900 opened at the end of the month. It was the first comprehensive exhibition of Klimt’s work ever staged in the UK. It was a sell-out success story with almost 200,000 of the Tate’s one million culture year visitors booking tickets for the show. May was also a big month for music, comedy, theatre and the
city’s parks service. Horticulturalists created an award-winning entry for the Chelsea Flower Show. Mr Roscoe’s Garden used plants from the city’s history botanical collection founded 200 years ago by poet, philanthropist and politician William Roscoe. The garden was also shown at Tatton and Southport flower shows and at the Bluecoat. Sir Paul McCartney made the first of three returns to the city during 2008 to hear the northern charity premiere of his Ecce Core Meum – behold my heart – played by the RLPO at Liverpool Cathedral. The cathedral also played host to Fiddlefest, a gathering of hundreds of young violin players. Classical music giant Bryn Terfel performed with the Phil as did Mersey musical marvel Mark Simpson – the first holder of both the BBC Young Musician and
Young Composer of the Year accolades. Evita, Bill Kenwright’s new touring production featuring ECHO competition winner James Waud as Magaldi, opened at the Empire, while Liverpool Comedy Festival welcomed big names including Simon Amstell, Jimmy Carr and Frankie Boyle. Roger McGough’s brilliant new version of the classic Molière farce Tartuffe opened to rave reviews at the Playhouse before transferring to London. And over on Hope Street the ECHO’s three-year campaign to honour the work of two of Liverpool’s great churchmen ended with the unveiling of the Sheppard-Worlock statue. Bishop James Jones, Archbishop Patrick Kelly, Lord Mayor Paul Clark and David Sheppard and Derek Worlock’s family and friends were joined by a 2,500 plus crowd for the event.
STARS: Louise Dearman played Eva in Evita at the Empire, while Sir Paul McCartney was at Liverpool Cathedral for a performance of his classical work Ecce Core Meum
COC: to210508evita/ mb010508macca
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OUR GREAT 08
MACCA IS BACK . . . AND HE’S ROCKIN’ I
F ANFIELD had a roof, Macca would have blown it right off. It had been hotly anticipated and was always going to be one of the most talked about events of Capital of Culture year. And Sir Paul McCartney didn’t disappoint when he took to the stage – topped by a 200ft wide platform with Liverpool spelt out in giant letters – to headline the Liverpool Sound concert in
June. The former Beatle played a string of songs from across his five-decade career spending almost two hours on stage. He told the 36,000-strong crowd: “Every time I come back to Liverpool all the memories come flooding back.” Among that crowd were the McCartney clan, along with Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, Sir George Martin and Sgt Pepper cover artist Sir Peter Blake, Wayne Rooney and Coleen
McLoughlin, Rafa Benitez, Mel C, Kenny Dalglish, former BBC boss John Birt, Claire Sweeney and senior cabinet ministers. Each number in turn prompted a mass sing-along with Beatles’ hits including Hey Jude, Lady Madonna, A Day In The Life, Let It Be, and Wings favourites Jet and Live And Let Die making the stadium shake with sound. Liverpool favourites the Zutons
opened the four-and-a-half hour spectacular which also featured The Kaiser Chiefs, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and a surprise appearance from comedian Peter Kay. The night ended with a giant firework display and Macca telling the crowd: “People have come from all over the world to come to Liverpool tonight and thank-you to all the Liverpudlians that have shown up. You’ve been brilliant.”
Picture editor Richard Williams on a memorable year and some equally memorable photographs . . .
ONE memorable event of Capital of Culture year has been strangely overlooked – my return to Liverpool on January 1 2008 as the new picture editor of the Daily Post and ECHO. I had spent the past six years in exile working for our sister paper, the Welsh Daily Post. Here I was back in the big city. The first job on my desk was the huge responsibility of recording in pictures the most momentous year in Liverpool's history since the war. A fact calmed my nerves. The team of photographers I would be working with are the best in the business. The proof is the stunning images in this supplement, all the work of staff photographers EDDIE BARFORD, MARTIN BIRCHALL, COLIN LANE, JASON ROBERTS, ANDREW TEEBAY, TRACEY O'NEILL and HOWARD DAVIEs. They have provided a unique pictorial archive of an extraordinary year. I share with thousands of others CHOICE: Richard Williams
that 2008 has quite literally been an education. I had little knowledge of Klimt or Corbusier, let alone Kid Rock or Pink. Now I am a canny fan (well, at least of the first two). It has been a privilege to have had prime access to the events. The MTV award night at the ECHO arena attracted huge media interest from across the world. Jason Roberts was one of only eight photographers to have had full accreditation, both for the red carpet and stage. He took more than 2,000 pictures. Howard Davies appreciated the quality but not the quantity, for his was the mammoth task of collating, selecting, captioning and transmitting the images back to the office. The results can be seen here, as well as in the eight-page supplement produced the following day. The most spectacular visual event was the five day visit of La Machine. Only a French mind could conjure up such a bizarre and intricate performance. My jaw dropped when I first caught sight of the device in a Cammell Lairds hangar. The clever manipulation of press coverage added to the show.
The team worried at the start of the year that it might be a hard slog and many events would difficult and perhaps even boring to cover, but of course the opposite has been true. Time and time again photographers returned to the office full of enthusiasm and delight at what they had seen and captured. Eddie Barford was the only photographer allowed access to the holocaust memorial ceremony at the Philharmonic Hall. He came away deeply moved and anxious to share his experience. All the photographers join with me in thanking the Capital of Culture organisers, especially director Kris Donaldson, events manager Judith Feather and the press office. They made the year a joy to cover. Could 2009 be a flat year in comparison? It will not be. Photographers know more than most that all the reasons that brought the European accolade here will remain. These are the city's architecture, waterfront, heritage, museums, galleries and the spirit and talent of its people. The wonderful thing is that now millions more people know about them, and they will return again and again.
HOW TO ORDER YOUR 08 PRINTS
CAPTURE and keep the magic of 08 forever with our fabulous photographs of a momentous year. It couldn't be easier to order your favourite prints online. Log on to our photosales website at www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto You can enter the code for the photo you want to order eg coc101 (found at the end of the captions) or browse through the Our Great 08 category to see all the photographs on offer. Alternatively you can call 0845 300 3021 and talk to our customer services staff. Prices start at £9.50 for a 7x5 inch print up a £30 for a magnificent 30x20 inch print, ideal for framing. ● Free photo album for all your 7x5 inch prints: The first 100 customers ordering prints from our Culture Collection will receive, completely free, our exclusive Capital of Culture photo album, suitable for holding up to 36 7x5 inch prints. The photo album will be sent separate to any prints ordered.
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MAGIC MACCA: The Liverpool Sound concert at Anfield Stadium with Sir Paul McCartney, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Zutons
Montage: MIKE PRICE/ mb010608maccaconcert
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I
F one thing captured the hearts and imagination of the people of Liverpool during Capital of Culture year it was a flock of Superlambananas. More than 100 specially-created copies of Liverpool’s iconic statue appeared on streets across the city and beyond for a 10-week festival organised by Wild In Art. The 6ft models were each decorated in unique fashion by artists, many of them working with communities and
LITTLE AND LARGE: The Lambs caught the imagination of the city, with the summer holidays seeing families on lamb tours to find their favourites
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S c r a p b o o k
schools to come up with their weird, wonderful and wacky designs. And the “lambys” became an instant hit with young and old. Thousands followed the Go Superlambananas trail – which even led them to London’s Euston Station and the summit of North Wales peak Moel Famau. Council leader Warren Bradley summed up the mood when he said: “They’ve captured the hearts and imagination not only of children but every single generation right across this city.” Internet sites dedicated to the statues were set up and it became a challenge to photograph each and every one. So many people wanted to clamber on to the statues or have their pictures taken with them that a team of artists was taken on to keep the models looking their best. And when the festival was over and the flock had been gathered they were taken to a Superlambanana “hospital” for some much-needed TLC. In September there was one last chance for fans to wave the lambys goodbye and more than 40,000 came over two days to see them lined up outside St George’s Hall. Then around 70 of them were put up for auction with super bidders raising £550,000 at the sale – 75% of the proceeds went to the Lord Mayor’s chosen charities. Bidding reached fever pitch in the latter part of the four-hour auction with £100,000 bid in 20 minutes. Among those who went home with their own Superlamb were comedian John Bishop, Big Brother winner Craig Phillips and Phil Redmond, who was given a standing ovation when he paid a record £25,000 for Mandy Mandala Superlambanana which he promptly donated to National Museums Liverpool.
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IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Superlambs at St George’s Hall before the auction at the end of the Go Superlambanana event Picture: MARTIN BIRCHALL/ COC: mb080908superlambs
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OUR GREAT 08
TIME TO JOIN THE PARADE
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RANSPORT, tennis and high hopes for the future were among the events staged in Liverpool in June. Cllr Steve Rotheram decided he wanted an eco-friendly Lord Mayor’s Parade to mark the start of his year in office. Dozens of police horses and their riders, and the Lord Mayor’s horse-drawn carriage, led a procession which included rickshaws as well as vintage vehicles, buses and lorries. But it was Shanks’s pony which carried 14,000 people through the Birkenhead tunnel in the middle of the month. The Under And Over The Mersey tunnel walk, the first for more than a decade, saw people following a marching band playing rousing versions of When The Saints Go Marching In and Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines. Walkers were then given free passage back to the Pier Head on a Mersey Ferry. There were also kites over the Mersey during June – while Liverpool airport celebrated its 75th anniversary with a weekend of activities and old planes.
Over in Calderstones Park the likes of Martina Hingis, Goran Ivanisevic and IIie Nastase thrilled the crowds at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament. Parks were also the venues for an outdoor production of Alice in Wonderland and for the Africa Oyé festival which took over Sefton Park for a weekend of music. Young people from across the world converged on the city for the Big Hope 08 youth congress organised by Hope University. Archbishop of York John Sentamu spoke at St George’s Hall as part of John Moores University’s Roscoe Lecture series. And another Liverpool landmark was celebrated in song and dance in the Playhouse’s Once Upon a Time at the Adelphi. The Phil and Philharmonic Choir was joined by singers from Cologne for Benjamin Britten’s mighty War Requiem at Liverpool Cathedral. And the best in European design was on display at the first Liverpool Design Show.
FUN: All smiles on the Lord Mayor’s Parade for this stylish young lady. Inset, left, Wayne Hemingway at the Contemporary Urban Centre, Greenland Street, for the design show COC: cl070608mayorparade/ at180608ehemingway
2008
y l u J & e n Ju
★★★★
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
HIGHS AND J LOWS UPLIFTING: The New Brighton Kite Festival and the Under and Over tunnel walk were both summer highlights
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CONTRASTS: Nawarra performs a traditional Berber dance at the Sefton Park Palm House during the Arabic Festival, right, while St George’s Hall was the venue for the British Chess Championships COC: at130708carabic/ at280708bchess
ULY had an international feel. The month kicked off with Jah Wobble’s Chinese Dub. The internationally-acclaimed musician previously collaborated with the Sex Pistols, Primal Scream, Brian Eno and Bjork. But Chinese Dub saw him team up with the Pagoda Chinese Youth Orchestra at the Carling Academy. The Arabic Arts Festival included a major concert at the Philharmonic Hall where Algerian superstar Khaled had an ecstatic audience dancing in the aisles - and later in the street. Hundreds of young delegates from 30 countries converged on the city for the 10-day European Youth Parliament with debate, discussion and sharing of ideas, culture and experience. And a dozen young theatre companies from around the globe were twinned into six unique pairings for the Contacting the World initiative. Each was involved in a year-long exchange aimed at overcoming cultural and geographical distances to create new pieces of theatre.
They then showcased their work during a week of performances in Liverpool. Music was represented in the Summer Pops, held at the event’s new ECHO Arena for the first time, and in the John Lennon Songbook featuring Mark McGann and Curtis Stigers at the Philharmonic Hall. National Museums Liverpool’s The Beat Goes On celebration of Liverpool’s musical history opened at the World Museum. And 8 Miles High - an evocation of a very specific time in Britain’s musical history - opened at the Royal Court. On the sporting calendar the Open Golf ’s return to Merseyside saw thousands of sports fans descend on the Royal Birkdale Golf Club. And there were a whole host of other events, championships and tournaments from the Merseyside Community Youth Games and Liverpool/Knowsley International Youth Soccer Tournament to the National Junior Chess Championships and the British Chess Championships.
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★★★★
OUR GREAT 08
W E A R E S A I L I N G T HE tallest, longest and grandest ladies of the sea descended on Liverpool for four days of maritime magic in
July. Tall Ships from across the world sailed into the Mersey en masse for the first time in more than a decade. And Liverpool came out to see them en masse too with around 800,000 people flocking to the docks to get a close-up look at the ships. Crews from Mexico, Russia, Uruguay, Norway, Brazil, Oman, Germany, the Netherlands and Bulgaria proudly showed visitors around their vessels.
Many of the smaller ships were berthed at the Albert and Canning Half Tide docks while the giants of the sea docked at Sandon and Langton further down the river. People waited patiently in long queues for a glimpse of the masted sailing ships while singers and musicians from across Europe entertained the crowds at the accompanying Sea Shanty Festival. The four-day event came to a close with a Parade of Sail in bright sunshine on the River Mersey before the ships left for the open sea and a race to Norway.
Earlier in the month dozens of amateur sailors battled up the Mersey to claim their places at the conclusion of the Round the World Clipper yacht race. Crowds packed the Albert Dock to watch the 10 clippers return after a 35,000-mile, 10-month life-changing odyssey which took their crews across some of the toughest ocean passages in the world. The Liverpool boat finished fifth overall but was given the honour of heading the procession of yachts as they moored at the Albert Dock.
LOOKING GOOD: The Liverpool Clipper, top, and the Tall Ships, brought magic to the Mersey in the summer
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★★★★
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
PRIDE OF THE MERSEY: Tall ship Cuauhtemoc in all her glory
COC: jr210708tallships
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★★★★
OUR GREAT 08
2008
t s u Aug SUMMER’S HERE AND THE TIME IS RIGHT FOR ... CARNIVAL
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ARNIVAL fun and a children’s festival were at the heart of the Capital of Culture’s August programme. Brouhaha’s annual International Carnival brought colour and music to the streets of Liverpool early in the month. The carnival procession, including international acts and more than 1,500 performers from Merseyside, made its way to Princes Park where 45,000 people danced to the music and sampled cuisine from around the globe. There was also a Latin American flavour to the month with a new Brazilian street festival organised by Liverpool Samba School. The Imagine children’s festival was launched with an open air performance and fireworks over Newsham Park. Thousands turned out to see The Emperor And The
HOT STUFF: From the Brouhaha carnival parade to the world firefighter games, August was a sizzling month COC: jr020808 brouhaha/ cl010908games
Tiger – the story of a wise man who persuades the emperor not to raise taxes with the help of the ferocious tiger. Imagine reached a spectacular finale 10 days later with the annual Liverpool Children’s Festival in William Brown Street. Slavery Remembrance Day was marked with a series of public events including a multi-faith Act of Reflection, “libation” service – a traditional African ceremony calling on ancestors to bless the event, art and craft workshops, cultural food stalls and the Slavery Remembrance Day memorial lecture by playwright and poet Lemn Sissay. August ended with the 10-day World Firefighter Games which saw 3,000 firefighters from 34 nations descend on the city to compete in 72 sporting events at venues across Merseyside and the North West including the ECHO Arena.
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
STREETS AHEAD WE LOVE IT: The Mathew Street Festival lived up to expectations and was a highlight of the year COC: at250808amathew
A
FTER the debacle of 2007 when the outdoor festival was scrapped over health and safety fears, the success of the Capital of Culture year Mathew Street Festival was vital. And with the Pier Head out-of-bounds organisers were forced to look for new venues for the popular string of street stages. In the event tens of thousands of music fans converged on the city centre for what turned into a happy Bank Holiday party. More than 100 acts played on six outdoor stages and in more than 30 indoor venues with seven hours of live music on each of the two days of the annual festival. The main stage was set up at the entrance to the Birkenhead
Tunnel where more than 10,000 people sang and applauded to the likes of Argentinean favourites God Save the Queen and a cheeky performance by Chas and Dave. Elsewhere there were pub singers, stars of the Merseybeat era including the Zodiacs, the Fourmost and the Merseybeats, Beatles bands and a myriad of tribute acts - and 90s pop stars Right Said Fred. The Williamson Square stage hosted the best of up-and-coming Liverpool talent including the winners of the 2008 Streetwaves
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competition for young musicians. And Beatles fans also joined thousands of firefighters from 34 countries outside the ECHO arena for a mass sing-a-long of Hey Jude. Meanwhile the Beatles Week Convention, which ran alongside the street festival, attracted speakers including Hard Day’s Night and Help! star Victor Spinetti and Beatles author Philip Norman who talked about his latest book on John Lennon. Culture bosses praised the crowds for the party atmosphere on the city centre streets.
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OUR GREAT 08
WELCOME: Prince Charles meets the mounted police officers and horses who formed a guard of honour at the National Police Memorial Day Service at Liverpool Cathedral; Tom Murphy with his bust of Arthur Dooley; Rachel Jones and Irene Campbell set up flowers at St Columba’s Church, Anfield, for an 08 flower festival; Tracey Emin at the cathedral COC: mb280908policeservice/ at220908bdooley/ jr090908flower/ eb250908cemin
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TEN
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
OUT OF TEN!
BRAVO: A standing ovation for Sir Simon Rattle and the RLPO COC: mb040909simonrattle
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HILE the giant spider may have grabbed the headlines elsewhere in September the Capital of Culture celebrations continued with music, family fun and sporting spectacle. Sir Simon Rattle paid the first of two visits to the city bringing his acclaimed Berlin Philharmoniker to play at the place where the Rattle story began all those years ago – the Philharmonic Hall. ECHO arts editor Joe Riley gave the concert a 10/10 score describing it as “way above very good or even outstanding”. And barely a month later, on his return visit to conduct the RLPO, the former Allerton schoolboy and member of Merseyside Youth Orchestra talked about “the waves of memories that came over
me as soon as I walked into the Philharmonic Hall”. His homecoming also included a visit to the Town Hall to receive the Freedom of the City. Elsewhere there was music of a very different kind as legendary club Eric’s was celebrated in a new musical play at the Everyman. The storyline, which featured all those faces from the heyday of the Mathew Street club – Pete Burns, Julian Cope, Jayne Casey, Pete Wylie, Elvis Costello and Ian McCulloch – was penned by Mark Davies Markham. Sport, science, architecture and art also filled September’s schedules. Grandmasters from every European nation converged on the World Museum Liverpool for the European Individual Open Chess Championships, while some
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of the world’s top cyclists powered into town at the finale of the Tour of Britain. Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins and fellow Beijing medallists Geraint Thomas and Chris Newton all competed in the 2008 cycle race which finished in the shadow of the Liver Building. The BA Festival of Science included impeccably-dressed butlers wheeling trolleys of scientific surprises around Liverpool’s streets as more than 350 scientists and engineers – including fertility expert Lord Robert Winston – converged on the city for the Liverpool university-hosted event. Deaf and disabled artists showcased their talents at the annual DaDaFest festival and Tracey Emin created a pink neon artwork for Liverpool Cathedral.
The sign said simply “I Felt You and I Knew You Loved Me”. Liverpool’s hidden architectural treasures opened their doors as part of this year’s Heritage Open Day which ran for up to a month. The Philharmonic Hall opened its doors as part of the Hope Street Feast which also included street theatre, performances, gourmet food and music. And one of the city’s most prominent architectural gems, the George’s Dock art deco ventilation shaft on the Pier Head, was turned into a giant screen. A specially-commissioned projected installation by New York-based collective NOMO and Jacqueline Passmore, live visual artist for Ladytron and Stereolab, was beamed on to the south side of the building each evening for a week.
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★★★★
OUR GREAT 08
MAGIC MAYHEM OF THE 30-tonne SPIDER
S
HE arrived mysteriously on the side of a building in Lime Street one Wednesday morning in early September. And her appearance led to at least one motorist pranging his car as he stopped to try and snatch a snap. The giant mechanical spider, dubbed La Princess by her French creators, was one of the most high-profile symbols of Capital of Culture year. Details of the creature had been kept a closely-guarded secret until her first appearance. She was put through her paces out of sight at the Cammell Laird shipyard by her creator, La Machine’s Francois Delaroziere, who specialises in using industrial skills for artistic purposes, and his team. Mr Delaroziere was the man who, together with production company Artichoke, brought the streets of London to a standstill in 2006 with the Sultan’s Elephant, a 60ft-high perfectly scaled, mechanically propelled moving wooden elephant. For three days La Princess captivated the city of Liverpool, whether hanging from the side of Concourse House, bathing in the dock, lying “asleep” in a shroud of snow on the Strand or prowling through the streets amid the shoppers. An estimated 200,000 people braved wet and windy weather to turn out and watch the huge arachnid’s escapades. Roads were closed to traffic and markets suspended to make way for the street theatre extravaganza in Liverpool. Massive crowds thronged Castle Street in scenes last witnessed when the Beatles waved to their fans from the balcony of the Town Hall back in 1964. La Princess was met by gasps, cheers and applause as people scrambled for any vantage point they could get – including the tops of phone boxes. One person who will always remember the day is bride Ceri Lund who was getting married at the town hall and was forced to abandon her car and walk – with a police escort – through applauding crowds outside. After three days the spider made a last dash for freedom down the Birkenhead Tunnel.
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
La Princess stood 50ft tall. She weighed 37 tonnes. She cost £1.8m. It took 12 people to operate her including one for each of her eight legs. She was made from poplar wood.
CAUGHT IN ITS WEB: For three days, La Princess, a giant mechanical spider, captivated the people of Liverpool
COC: eb040908blamachine/ at060908aspider/ mb060908lamachine/ at070908bspider/ at070908aspider
Merseytravel is proud to be an official partner of Liverpool, European Capital of Culture
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★★★★
OUR GREAT 08
YOKO IS BACK AND ART IS ON THE AGENDA
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GLISTENING spider’s web, “joyful” twirling trees, a temple inside a telephone box and George Bush sitting in a café playing with a Rubik cube. It could only be the Liverpool Biennial. The 5th annual – and leading British – contemporary arts festival ran for 10 weeks from September to the end of November at a host of indoor and outdoor venues across the city. Past installations have seen the Victoria Monument transformed into a hotel, an Abba house at the Pier Head and large photographs of female genitalia courtesy of Yoko Ono. Yoko was back for 2008 with her Skyladders artwork where St Luke’s Church was filled with step ladders - but alas no stepping due to health and safety. Video installations, buildings made of newspaper, an inside-out room, a ton of spaghetti woven into a flowing visual sculpture and erotic paintings by the gay artist Tom of Finland were among a myriad of other exhibits. The Biennial, which took the theme Made Up, also included the announcement of the winner of the prestigious John Moores prize. The £25,000 first prize was won by Tokyo-born artist Peter McDonald who created a painting showing an artist slashing his own canvas. Judges of the competition, which has been running every two years for half-a-century and is the UK’s largest competition of its type, this year included controversial artists Jake and Dinos Chapman who considered a record 3,222 entries.
IT’S ALL ART: From Yoko with her step ladders, clockwise, waterfall barge, by artist Ben Perry, Calvin Tang, 9, switches on a neon bunny, Barbara Jones with her window art, and a spider’s web in Exchange Flags COC: at191008byoko/ at161008emobilis/ at260908cbunny/ mb2701008barbarajones/ mb180908postcard
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
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ALL LIT UP C
APITAL of Culture was found in a myriad of venues during October including a disused picturehouse, a crypt and two city parks. The month started with the opening of an exhibition about the godfather of modern architecture Le Corbusier in the crypt of the Metropolitan Cathedral. The RIBA trust, which staged its prestigious Stirling Prize awards ceremony in the city, was behind the major exhibition of work by the Swiss genius whose iconic buildings changed the face of architecture. Another man who made history and changed the way we see things is Merseyside movie sound pioneer George Groves who was the soundman behind Hollywood’s first “talkies”. Groves’ impact on popular culture was celebrated in a new play by Esther Wilson entitled The Quiet Little
WHAT A MIX: From lanterns to Le Corbusier , and taking in face painting at an apprenticeships event and classical Asian dance COC: cl311008lantern/ at300908ccorbusier/ at021008cculture/ at241008basian
Englishman which was showcased at a disused theatre and former picture palace in Dingle. Liverpool film director Terence Davies was at the Philharmonic Hall for the screening of his acclaimed new documentary about Liverpool, Of Time and the City. And another of its most famous sons, Sir Simon Rattle, made his second visit to the city in a month, this time to conduct the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in another sell-out concert at the Phil. The annual Irish Festival and Fiesta Latina entertained with a host of events in the city while writers descended on Liverpool for the Bluecoat’s Chapter and Verse festival. Liverpool and London shared the honours as joint hosts of the BBC’s Electric Proms and an inventive sound and light installation called Powerplant entranced night-time visitors to Calderstones Park. October came to a glowing conclusion with the annual Halloween Lantern Parade in Sefton Park. Thousands of people enjoyed the spectacle of specially-created lanterns made by 30 community groups from as far afield as Southport and Kirkby, 200 young performers and a grand finale featuring fireworks, pyrotechnics, puppets and live music.
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★★★★
OUR GREAT 08
MAJESTIC: A warm welcome and a fond farewell for the queen of the seas
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THE QE2 TAKES HER LEAVE OF LIVERPOOL L IVERPOOL bade the world’s most famous ocean-going liner an emotional farewell when the QE2 paid her final visit to the city in October. The ship may not have called Liverpool her home port but she was “conceived and designed” in the city which was Cunard’s home for more than 100 years. As lord mayor Steve Rotheram said: “Her time as an ocean-going liner is almost gone but in our hearts she will always live on.” Thousands turned out on both sides of the River Mersey in bright sunshine to watch the grand old lady of the seas sail serenely up to
the new cruise liner terminal next to the Royal Liver Building. Others crammed the decks of the Mersey Ferries to get a closer look at the famous ship on her ninth – and last – visit to the city. Later there was a special Time To Say Goodbye concert in Liverpool Cathedral where flag-waving passengers – and those members of the public lucky enough to get a ticket – gave the QE2 a rousing send-off. One audience member described it as feeling like “a funeral and a wedding all at the same time”. Faure’s Requiem was played as members of the ship’s company
carried the liner’s record-breaking 39ft “paying off ” pennant down the cathedral’s central aisle. The folded pennant was presented to former Cunarder and ex-deputy prime minister John Prescott. He formally handed it to Cllr Rotheram who accepted it on behalf of the people of Liverpool. A spectacular firework display signalled the ship’s departure and as The Leaving Of Liverpool rang out, tugs and smaller boats sounded their horns and crowds applauded she slowly sailed out of the Mersey. The QE2 has now made the final voyage to her new home in Dubai.
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
LEAR WE GO! C
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ITIES On The Edge took centre stage in November alongside a host of high profile theatre. The project involved Liverpool and five other port cities – Marseilles, Istanbul, Naples, Bremen and Gdansk – which all share certain characteristics and traits. Photography exhibitions and books, a film about football and an anthology of short stories were among the projects which saw the six cities, led by Liverpool, collaborate. Elsewhere there was a Hollywood heavyweight in town as Everyman alumni, Warrington-born Pete Postlethwaite, returned to Hope Street to star in King Lear. The Rupert Goold-directed play was one of the hot tickets of the year reflected in its sold-out run at the Everyman. Aside from Lear two Liverpool-themed plays hit the stage – the Dave Kirby comedy Council Depot Blues at the Royal Court, and Our Benny, the tale of two poor orphans struggling to better themselves in the city’s Victorian slums at the Empire. Costumed fashionistas took part in Liverpool’s first Grand Vogue Ball as part of the Homotopia festival. Liverpool’s annual gay cultural festival celebrated Capital of Culture year with its biggest and best ever programme including new commissions, international art and a dedicated TV station. Literary giants including Philip Pullman, AS Byatt and Howard Jacobson headed for the city for the University of Liverpool’s Shipping Lines Literary Festival. The city also took on a Nordic flavour as the NICE08 festival celebrated Liverpool’s links with countries such as Sweden, Iceland and Norway. Historic links with Ireland were marked with the latest work from the Liverpool Mural Project at the New Picket. And the month ended with traditional pub and club singers joining the RLPO in a unique concert entitled The Rightful Owners of the Song.
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ART IN ALL ITS FORMS: From Pete Postlethwaite as King Lear, and clockwise, a mural at the New Picket, artist John O'Hare casts a shadow at the Duke Street Car Park Gallery, Dame Beryl Bainbridge and Frank Cottrell Boyce brought their literary skills to the city and Capital of Culture judge Sir Jeremy Isaacs returned to see the new Museum of Liverpool COC: eb311008dkinglear/ mb3101008ThePicket/ jr121108bigpicture/ eb221108cwriters/ eb201108aculture
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★★★★
...AND
STARS: Katy Perry on the red carpet at the 2008 MTV awards at the ECHO arena, and. below, Take That perform
Macca’s back for MTV
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EYONCE, Take That, Kanye West, Sir Paul McCartney.... The stars turned out in force for what rivalled Macca’s Anfield gig as the music event of Capital of Culture year. The MTV Europe Music Awards showcased what is great about Liverpool to 40 countries from Austria to the Ukraine and across the world. And the city helped MTV put on quite a show. The ECHO arena welcomed some of the biggest names in the business at the November 6 extravaganza. Pink, Estelle, Kid Rock, Bono, Leona Lewis, Duffy and the Killers all jetted into Liverpool for the high-profile ceremony.
It was hosted by Katy Perry who went through a dozen costume changes and even wore a frock with Barack Obama’s face picked out in sequins. Sir Paul McCartney was handed his Ultimate Legend award by Bono, Rick Astley was crowned Best Act Ever and President elect Obama was hailed the saviour of all nations. Thousands of music fans watched the awards ceremony live and around 30 million viewers are thought to have tuned in worldwide. It was estimated the awards generated up to £10m in extra revenue for the city – plus more than £30m of free publicity. Stars arrived in the city in the days preceding the awards to enjoy some time
in the pop capital of the
world. And the fun carried on after the cameras had stopped rolling with after-show parties popping up in bars and
restaurants all over the city. Speaking afterwards, ECHO arena chief executive Bob Prattey said the waterfront venue hoped the success of the evening would persuade the awards organisers to return to the city.
★★★★
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Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
INTHEEND
. . . the love you take is equal to the love you make
STARS: A massive pillow fight as Pink performs for MTV at the ECHO arena, and, above, Sir Paul McCartney acknowledges his award COC: jr111108mtv/ jr061108mtv
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OUR GREAT 08
Thursday, December 11, 2008
★★★★
Capital of Culture photos available from www.merseyshop.com/buyaphoto or phone 0845 300 3021
BELTER: Beyoncé performs at the 2008 MTV awards at the ECHO arena in one of the undoubted highlights of Capital of Culture COC: jr111108-mtv