Object of Dreams Issue 7 by Object of Dreams

OBJECT OF DREAMS

republic of the moon Exhibition 16 December 2011 - 26 February 2012 FREE Entry FACT, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool fact.co.uk / 0151 707 4464

CONTENTS 05 WE LIKE / WE LOVE

08 ART IN HIDDEN PLACES 14 BLACK AND GOLD

25 REPUBLIC OF THE MOON

26 TUMBLING INTO WONDERLAND 28 OPEN EYE GALLERY 31 RED HAT NO KNICKERS

32 IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY 34 WE ARE THE 99%

35 THE CUBICAL 36 PLEASE THE EARS AND PLEASE DON’T 38 EATING AND DANCING

WWW.OBJECTOFDREAMS.CO.UK

WELCOME The idea for the magazine began after a few too many Sailor Jerrys… It will now be two years, in January, since we officially launched Object of Dreams and although we would have loved to have held another amazing birthday party like we did at the beginning of this year, instead we are saying goodbye. It has been two and a half years of love, hard graft, parties, good friends, amazing shows, protestors turning up to photo shoots, tears and tantrums that have gone into each issue. We would have loved to continue our labour of love, creating something beautiful for people to read, and we hope that even for a moment you enjoyed these pages. Unfortunately, like other greats of the city, namely the Jacaranda, The Masque, and the CUC the magazine is no longer financially sustainable. We started with nothing, no grants or loans, and made something beautiful. All we wanted to do was to bring the people of Liverpool a magazine that was visually stunning and intelligent to read and showcase the best of a city we grew up in and love. I hope you’ve enjoyed each issue, the gigs we’ve put on and the art exhibition we manically ran around getting ready. I want to especially thank each and everyone of you who believed in us, who gave us your time and effort, all contributors, the friends we’ve made, the advertisers who supported us. The magazine may no longer exist but we will continue to run the website to keep you updated on what’s going on in the city, with reviews, interviews and events - we couldn’t quite say goodbye to Object of Dreams. We have lovingly created this last issue, and one we’re incredibly proud of. I hope you enjoy reading it. We haven’t completely gone, we’ll just be showcasing Liverpool through a different medium. Dina and Louise x

Editor Dina Karim (dina@objectofdreams.co.uk) Creative Director Louise Dalrymple (louise@objectofdreams.co.uk) Contributors Words// Dina Karim, Sebastian Gahan, Ken Taylor, Catherine Mackinlay, Shaun McCoy, Tom Griffiths Illustration// Anthony Jaycott Photography//Mark McNulty,Naomi Da Costa Greaves, Scattershot photography, Rebecca Marie Hawley, Marie Hazelwood, Julie Naglestad Fashion// Louise Dalrymple (Fashion Stylist and Shoot Co-ordinator),Siobhan Kerrigan (Stylist’s assistant) Kate Smith (MUA) Phil Gallagher @ Hooka (Hair) Design//Louise Dalrymple, Dina Karim, Heather McGill. On the Cover Photography // Mark McNulty Styling // Louise Dalrymple Make up // Kate Smith using Dermalogica & MAC Hair // Phil Gallagher @ Hooka Thanks Impact Models Agency, Topshop, Boudoir Boutique, Cricket, Raiders Vintage, Think Publicity, Hooka, Ubiquity PR, Damo Jones, Another Media, Custom Print, FACT, Holly Milner, The Psychonaut, Threshold Festival Special thanks to Mark McNulty, Ken Taylor, Sebastian Gahan, Heather McGill, Mello Mello and anyone we may have forgotten for their continued support.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the publication. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or resold without prior written consent of the publisher. All opinions expressed are those of the writers and advertisers and not necessarily those of Object of Dreams magazine. Object of dreams does NOT advocate the killing of animals solely for fashion. Object of Dreams recognises all copyrights contained in this issue.

OBJECT OF DREAMS Culture Art Fashion

ISSUE FIVE

OB JECT OF DREAMS

WE LIKE/ WE LOVE Icons of Men’s Styles

Illamasqua

Josh Sims, one of the UK’s most respected men’s fashion journalists, takes us on a journey through the history of the male wardrobe with Icons of Men’s Style. We learn that, unlike womenswear which is often fuelled by the desire to be cutting-edge, menswear has evolved slowly over time. From the seemingly everyday T-shirt which was created for US Navy personnel to the modern brogue that began life supporting the feet of Irish and Scottish agricultural workers discover the stories which shaped the design of the garments we know today. £25.

Its roots stem from the dark and illicit 1920s club scene, and combine a rich heritage in the manufacture of make-up for film and theatre. Illamasqua is for the bolder person hiding inside all of us. It is an act and an attitude. A symbol of tolerance. A celebration of idiosyncrasies. Alternative cultures have always dared to be dramatic. It’s an expression of their darker side, a release for their alter ego. Our favourite item to end the year with, or a stocking filler, is False Eye Lashes in Weimar.

By Josh Sims

The Polar Bar

Chavasse Park, Liverpool ONE Until January 10 The bar is an impressive stylish wonderland with warming cocktails and festive food providing a cosy and luxurious escape from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Tucked away behind the grotto, the bar serves a delicious and warming winter cocktail menu, including a Classic Winter Crumble and Liverpool’s Mulled Wine, and for a booze-free day a Mint Hot Chocolate to a Cinnamon Latte.

Metquarter

WRAP MAGAZINE WRAP is an A3 illustration magazine with a unique concept. Once read, it can easily be taken apart and reused as wrapping paper. This is the second issue, which is themed Animals & Creatures and features work by top illustrators including Patrick Hruby, Gemma Correll and Thereza Rowe. Designed with no staples or stitching, it can easily be taken apart and reused as wrapping paper. The back cover is perforated so it can become eight corresponding notecards to the prints inside. £9.99

WE LIKE/ WE LOVE Lana Del Rey Without even a debut album out yet, established bands such as Bombay Bicycle Club and Kasabian have already started to cover Lana Del Rey’s ethereal single Video Games. A sixties glamour behind her music, cigarette in her hand, a vulnerable sadness she’s already an overnight Youtube sensation - we can’t wait for more of her raw, languorous music and album out in 2012.

Les Enfants Du Paradis

Picturehouse @FACT, Wood Street December 21 Shot in difficult conditions in the final years of the Nazi occupation, Les Enfants Du Paradis is a lavish, intensely romantic evocation of an epoch with a cast of fictitious and historical characters thronging along the ‘Boulevard du Crime’ in the theatre district of 1840s Paris. Among them are the star-struck Frédéric Lemaître, who learns his trade in burlesque but becomes the greatest actor of his day; the courtesan Garance; the supercilious Comte de Montrey; and the existentialist criminal Lacenaire.

Camp and Furness

The Art of Falling Apart Unity Theatre, Hope Place January 12-28

Bringing their trademark ferociouslypaced, wilfully anarchic comic theatre to a piece of intricate storytelling about how we all cope with just being alive, The Art of Falling Apart sees a number of out-ofkilter lives interweave within a city on the edge of badly organised chaos. Following on from previous sell-out shows Insomnobabble, Dark Grumblings and The Friendship Experiment, Big Wow return to Unity theatre.

Greenland Street, The Baltic Triangle Camp and Eatery, in the former A Foundation building which sadly lost its funding this year, is the latest addition to The Baltic Triangle. The venue be rolling out an exciting programme of events over the coming year as well as adding a bar/eatery, photographic studio and boutique caravan hotel. Events to watch out for include art installations, exhibitions and performances; theatre, cabaret, comedy and music; street food markets, dinners, pop-ups and food slams; arts festival village; thrift market and a vintage bike shop. Oh, and they’re also bringing a new hotel to Liverpool...a Camphotel!

Vintage Twenties Purse www.benna.co.uk

It’s all about the Roaring Twenties with this deco-style vintage bag from benna.co.uk. The gorgeous glamour of the 20s are all over the high street right now, and why not top it off with a vintage piece from Liverpool’s own luxurious online boutique. £125

Column

Birkenhead Docks, CH41 1BP Throughout 2012 Forming part of the Cultural Olympiad, Column by Anthony McCall will be sited in East Float, within the Birkenhead Docks. Column will be a spinning column of cloud, rising into the sky as far as the eye can see from the surface of Wirral Waters. A landmark taller than Blackpool Tower, it will be visible across the North West region and beyond. Column is part of Artists Taking the Lead, a series of 12 public art commissions across the UK to celebrate the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.

Crosley AV Portable USB Tweed Turntable UK Urban Outfitters

Turn all those dusty LPs into digital gold with this retro-style USB-ready turntable by Crosley, featuring simple-to-use software that transforms vinyl tracks into MP3 format. With high-quality playback and built-in speakers it is the perfect way to enjoy your favourite old music, and best of all it’s totally portable! £160

Elvis and Us

The Beatles Story, Pier Head Until 2013 This unique, first-of-its-kind exhibition will allow visitors to experience the power of both Elvis and The Beatles, along with their explosive impact on music and popular culture. One of the key elements explored in the Elvis and Us exhibition will be the evening Elvis and The Beatles met in person on August 27, 1965, at his home in Bel Air, California. One of the centerpieces of the Elvis and Us exhibition will be the white Fender bass guitar played by Elvis and The Beatles at their meeting. The official Elvis Presley Enterprises merchandise includes a £2,500 for the white Aloha from Hawaii jumpsuit, belt and cape!

To Love and To Cherish Wedding Fayre

Contemporary Urban Centre, Greenland Street March 11 Vintage/Retro Wedding Fayre showcasing the very best of every possible requirement for that perfect vintage wedding to ‘Love and Cherish’. Vintage/retro wedding outfits for bride, groom, bridesmaids and all the wedding guests. Wedding accessories - flowers, photography - transport - cakes - vintage inspired chinaware - vintage/retro hair styling and make up. It’s your perfect little dressing room for brides-to-be.

Style Me Vintage By Belinda Hay

Pin it, curl it, twist it and backcomb it. Why not give your ‘do a vintage makeover with the help of Belinda Hay’s classic hairstyle guide - Style Me Vintage. With tips, tricks and step by step instructions you’ll be looking like a silver screen Goddess in no time. So what will it be? A ‘50s Marilyn set or a Brigitte Bardot beehive? £9.99

ART IN HIDDEN PLACES

“It triggers a reaction in the people who see it, an interrogation about themselves and society. It makes the streets more colourful and joyful, which is in some cases is strongly needed today”

In a city as renowned for its people as its culture, it is inevitable that there will be many forms of creativity thrown into the melting pot. Many millions of people flock to Liverpool for its unique collection of galleries, arts venues, constant roll of festivals and cultural events. But beneath the silky veil of high end galleries and wine soaked open parties there are art forms rarely seen in galleries this side of the country. One such form in abundance in Liverpool (and despite the discussions in both public forums as to its ‘art’ status) is Street Art and although it’s entirely in the eye of the beholder if it is ‘art’ for many people out there it is an enjoyable and viable art form. Take a walk down Newington, just off Bold Street, and try not to be taken aback at the ever-changing mural that graces the side of the building that houses Egg Cafe; or even notice how following public reaction to plans to cover up the vintage Banksy piece on Berry Street it was preserved - sadly, the building it exists on is not in such an excellent state of affairs. It is one of the most photographed places in Liverpool and rightly so. Countless other examples are all around us as we walk the streets and even passing us on the morning train on occasion. One artist whose work you may have seen around Liverpool is Psychonautes, whose pieces are spiritually powerful and instantly eye catching posters and murals that impress the viewer duly. I asked Psychonautes if, as I noted previously, the perception of street art has changed in recent times? “Indeed,” he said. “Street art is more tolerated nowadays than it has been before. It is obvious when looking at the new galleries dedicated to it, and at the growing number of exhibitions hosted by internationally recognised museums where street art was out of the question a few years ago, such as the Grand Palais in Paris. “It makes people think, and sometimes become more tolerant. This is not only the case with street art, but with art in general. It triggers a reaction in the people who see it, an interrogation about themselves and society. It makes the streets more colourful and joyful, which is in some cases is strongly needed today. As an artist, it allows me to talk to people I would never have met otherwise. For instance, many old people come and talk to me because they want to understand what I do, and what my approach is.” It begs the question then of which city the artist has visited has the best scene? “I’d say London because the scene moves very quickly there. For my part, I prefer smaller cities, like Cork or Liverpool, where the artists know each other, and don’t go over your pieces without asking beforehand.”

Overleaf: Can’t Buy Me Love - Artist Unidentified

Indeed the scene in Liverpool is small but concentrated and if you study the walls of the city you’ll see many names that recur as opposed to London, with its large street art scene, where the act of painting can be competitive and names become lost in the myriad of colour and styles. It’s perhaps connected to the localised community in Liverpool where a creative person is never far away. Despite the legal ambiguity that surrounds many pieces, not to mention the risks that artists take when working on the streets, people do enjoy looking at them. 9

Clockwise from top left: Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Tell Anyone - Psychonautes, Sicknote - Sicknote, Faces in Graf - Artist Unidentified and Zap 4 - Artist Unidentified

Arguably street art is, by name and nature, the only non-classical art form that non-gallery visiting people will see and perhaps not even notice its significance. It’s often said that the so-called clinical white walls of many galleries scare potential visitors away whilst street art gets people talking more excitedly than perhaps any other form. It has many thousands of books and magazines in many languages devoted to it and despite its natural, perhaps expected, tendency to vanish at the hand of graffiti removal teams its loss can be felt as much as any classical work on occasion. But street art being on the street means it is a reward of kinds. A good piece of street art, be it a mural, a paste up, a stencil piece, a sticker, knitwear(!), or anything else beyond can make your day that little bit brighter. Often it’s possible to see people with their camera out, looking at an intriguing piece of art on the street and in that moment it has achieved its raison d’etre. Perhaps this is the way to be seen by many more pairs of eyes than what most pieces of art will ever have gaze upon them. In that sense there is much positivity; the artist gets their work seen and the passers-by enjoy the streets in ways that are not usually encouraged to. Indeed, look past the criticisms and the positive essence of all art is seen. Tucked away on the second floor of Grand Central, Renshaw Street, is a venue called Zap Graffiti. Promoting graffiti as a positive art form, the venue aims to ‘create and develop graffiti as an art form as much as possible, share experiences, and develop the scene from the roots working with kids and all the way up’. Amongst the many activities you can participate in at the venue there is mural workshops, a one to one graffiti class where you can create your own banner and various events up and down the country. With a steady flow of visitors to the venue, it is a joy to behold possibly the brightest walls of anywhere in the city, filled with creativity like nowhere else in the area. The constant smell of fresh paint is central to the vibe of keeping the movement going with constant workshops and visiting artists, with the golden rule being to make your work better than what was there before. From top: Training Bombing - Creme and unknown others, Why So Serious? - Silent Bill, Die - Artist Unidentified, PM - Artist Unidentified, Bwah - Artist Unidentified and Crystal Paste Up - Artist Unidentified.

Kieran Gorman, of Zap Graffiti Arts, said: “Liverpool has a small yet growing graffiti art scene which is developing each year through the endeavours of local artists. There are now various private sites across the city were permission has been sought and obtained through businesses creating space to produce quality graffiti art work legally. This has encouraged a whole host of other local, national and international artists to visit and work in the city on a regular basis, either as part of organised, often funded, events such as the Hub Festival, off their own back or in colloboration with graffiti writers here at these sites. Discussions are now in place with Liverpool City Council regarding their provision support towards new projects and development of dis-used/neglected spaces for the purpose of graffiti art projects.” Of course, Zap Graffiti is a place where graffiti, or street art as it’s also known, is par for the course and wholly positive. Its no tagging rule - painting a symbol or name as opposed to a piece of art - ensures that the space remains exciting and colourful but the streets are a completely different matter. There are some legal walls that can be used by strict permission, but most street art, however brilliant it is, can be classed as an illegal act and can get those who practise it into trouble. You know that, of course, but it needs to be said and this article seeks not to encourage illegal acts but to celebrate the creativity of those artists who make the streets a brighter and more interesting place through their excellent work. Should your inspiration be peaked, please pop into Zap Graffiti and enquire about a class. And remember the next time you see a great piece of street art it may not be there for long so enjoy it whilst you can! Perhaps the last word should go to Psychonautes who beautifully encapsulates the idea of street art thus: “It’s a way to question people who then become more interested in art. The more colourful the streets are the better!”

Words by Sebastian Gahan

Above: The King’s Peach - GCSOC, Hands Mural - Artist Unidentified and A...in Ape - Tomo.

I’m starting small but thinking big...

Natalie Haywood– Café society entrepreneur

Black AND gold

Photography // Mark McNulty, Styling // Louise Dalrymple, Make up // Kate Smith using Dermalogica & MAC, Hair // Phil Gallagher @ Hooka, Stylistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assistants // Siobhan Kerrigan and Maeve Wearne, Models // Melissa and Alana @ Impact Models Agency, Location // Camp and Furnace. 14

Opposite // Top Boudoir Boutique. Above // Dress Raiders Vintage, Shoes Topshop, Rings Freedom @ Topshop.

Dress Raiders Vintage, Shoes Topshop, Rings Freedom @Topshop

Above // Faux Fur Jacket Halston Heritage @ Cricket, Jumper Boudoir Boutique, Vest Cricket, Leather Trousers Topshop, Belt worn as a necklace Raiders Vintage. Opposite // Jacket Topshop, Top Stella McCartney @ Cricket, Trousers Alexander Wang @ Cricket.

Above // Top and Skirt Topshop, Body Chain Freedom @ Topshop Opposite // Jumpsuit Raiders Vintage, Bag Stella McCartney @ Cricket

Above // Jacket Balenciaga @ Cricket, Dress Tibi @ Cricket, Necklace Freedom @ Topshop. Opposite // Dress Tibi @ Cricket, Necklace Freedom @ Topshop, Shoes Terry de Havilland @ Boudoir Boutique.

Above // Dress Manosh @ Boudoir Boutique, Belt Raiders Vintage, Ring Freedom @ Topshop. Opposite // Dress Lanvin @ Cricket.

Above // Jacket Isabel Marrant @ Cricket.

REPUBLIC OF THE MOON

As the players in the new 21st century race for the Moon line up – the USA, China, India and Russia jostling with private corporations interested in exploiting the Moon’s resources - a group of artists are declaring a ‘Republic of the Moon’: a ‘micronation’ for alternative visions of lunar life. Republic of the Moon challenges utilitarian plans for lunar mines and military bases with artists’ imaginings and interventions. Combining beguiling fantasies, personal encounters, and playful appropriations of space habitats and scientific technologies, Republic of the Moon reclaims the Moon for artists, idealists, and dreamers. The last Moon race was driven by the political impulses of the Cold War, but shaped by extraordinary visions of space created by writers, film-makers, and artists, from Jules Verne, Lucien Rudaux, and Vasily Levshin, to HG Wells, Stanislav Lem and Stanley Kubrick. Can artists’ quixotic visions reconcile our romantic notions of the Moon with its colonised future, and help us to reimagine our relationship with our natural satellite in the new space age? Curated by FACT and The Arts Catalyst, Republic of the Moon includes major new commissions by Agnes Meyer-Brandis and WE COLONISED THE MOON, and works by Leonid Tishkov, Andy Gracie, Liliane Lijn and Sharon Houkema. Agnes Meyer Brandis’ poetic-scientific investigations weave fact, imagination, storytelling and myth, past, present and future. In major new work The Moon Goose Analogue: Lunar Migration Bird Facility Liverpool, the artist develops an ongoing narrative based on the book The Man in the Moone, written by the English bishop Francis Godwin in 1603, in which the protagonist flies to the Moon in a chariot towed by ‘moon geese’. Meyer-Brandis has actualised this concept by raising eleven moon geese from birth in Italy, giving them astronauts’ names*, imprinting them on herself as goose-mother, training them to fly and taking them on expeditions. The artist will build a remote Moon analogue habitat for the geese, which will be operated from a control room within the gallery. Luring us onto the surface of the Moon, WE COLONISED THE MOON (Sue Corke and Hagen Betzwieser) will create an immersive audience experience, Enter At Own Risk. For this new commission, the artists are synthesising the smell of the Moon and developing an experimental performance piece, drawing on the entertainment iconography of early astronaut training.

Leonid Tishkov’s Private Moon, by contrast, brings the Moon down to us. Tishkov tells the story of a man who met the Moon and stayed with her for the rest of his life. In a series of photographs, the artist pairs images of his private moon with verse which describes how the Moon helps us to overcome our loneliness in the universe by uniting us around it. Tishkov and his illuminated moon have travelled the world for almost ten years. He has a dream to fly with her to the Moon. Transforming the everyday into the mesmerisingly beautiful, Sharon Houkema’s M3, created with characteristic simplicity with an overhead projector and a bucket of water, conjures a moon so tantalisingly close you can almost hold it. Weaving together artistic metaphor and scientific rigour, Andy Gracie‘s DIY- astrobiology experiment Drosophila Titanus attempts to select and breed an organism – a new strain of fruit fly – that might survive on Titan, a moon of Saturn. The artist recreates the environmental and atmospheric conditions found on Titan using everyday materials such as vodka, smoke alarms and a bicycle pump. The first version of the experiment was performed by Gracie with Kuaishen Auson, Janine Fenton and Meredith Walsh, in Laboratory Life, co-commissioned by The Arts Catalyst and Lighthouse earlier this year. In Liliane Lijn’s moonmeme, the artist reveals her concept to write on the Moon from the Earth using a laser beam. The word ‘SHE’ is projected onto the surface of the moon, and the meaning of this word being gradually transformed as the Moon moves through its phases. Combining territorial appropriation, the technological extension of human consciousness and mythologies, moonmeme is a symbolic union of opposites and an homage to the feminine principal of transformation and renewal. The artists in Republic of the Moon regard the moon not as a resource to be exploited but as a heavenly body that belongs to us all. Who will be the first colonisers of the Moon? Perhaps it should be the artists. Republic of the Moon December 16 - February 26 2012 FACT, Liverpool Images (L-R) Leonid Tishkov, Personal Moon; Agnes Meyer Brandis, The Moon Goose Analogue: Lunar Migration Bird Facility Liverpool 25

TUMBLING INTO WONDERLAND Alice in Wonderland Until January 29 Admission: £8.00/£6.00 (Gift Aid with donation)

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”

Alice bands, Disney’s powder blue dress and pinny, Helena Bonham Carter’s gargantuan head; Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has woven its magic over fashion, art, film and everyday vernacular for generations. It is now Tate Liverpool’s turn to demystify the world of Alice and creator Lewis, as it takes us behind the scenes of the man, his book and inspired art in their latest exhibition Alice in Wonderland, running until January 29. Lewis Carroll’s timeless novels, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, have fascinated and inspired many generations of artists since the first novel, published over 150 years ago. Alice in Wonderland at Tate Liverpool is the first exhibition to provide a comprehensive historical exploration of how the stories have influenced the visual arts, providing insight into the creation of the novels, the adoption of the text as an inspiration for artists and the revision of its key themes by artists up to the present day. The starting point for the exhibition is Carroll’s original manuscript, given to the 12-year-old Alice Liddell as a Christmas present in 1864. Carroll’s own illustrations in the manuscript, and the famous illustrations by Sir John Tenniel in the first published edition, indicate that images were an integral part of the story, creating a visual world, which took on a life of its own. Carroll was very much part of the art scene of his day: a photographer and art connoisseur, he mixed in artistic circles and counted artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Sir John Everett Millais amongst his friends. Work by Rossetti and Millais will feature, alongside paintings by William Holman Hunt and Arthur Hughes, referenced in Carroll’s diaries. There will be a rare opportunity to view Carroll’s own drawings, photographs and photographic equipment, alongside Victorian Alice memorabilia, documents from early stage adaptations, and original drawings by Sir John Tenniel. Carroll’s stories, soon adopted by artists, inspired and provided an expression for themes within their work. Surrealist artists from the 1930s onwards were drawn towards the fantastical world where natural laws were suspended. There will be the opportunity to see Salvador Dalí’s series of twelve Alice in Wonderland illustrations and work by Max Ernst, René Magritte and Dorothea Tanning. The British Surrealists, dubbed ‘the children of Alice’ will be examined, with key

pieces from Paul Nash, Roland Penrose, Conroy Maddox and F.E. McWilliam. From the 1960s through the 1970s, conceptual artists took Alice as foil for exploring our relationship to perception and reality, and the stories inspired responses in both Pop and Psychedelic art. This section will bring together work by Mel Bochner, Jan Dibbets, Dan Graham, Yayoi Kusama, Adrian Piper, and Marcel Broodthaers amongst others to highlight the era’s responses to the novel as it reached its centenary. Mel Bochner will reprise his seminal 1969 work Measurement: Perimeter in the Wolfson Gallery. The work displays the exact measurements of the room, with a unique ’Alice’ twist, giving the viewer a new perspective of the scale of their surroundings. The artist has entitled the piece Measurement: Eye-level Perimeter (Ask Alice) 1969/2011 especially for the exhibition. Contemporary artists continue to take inspiration from the books, exploring ideas such as the journey from childhood to adulthood; language, meaning and nonsense; scale and perspective; and perception and reality. The photography of Anna Gaskell, alongside more recent pieces by AA Bronson, Joseph Grigely, Torsten Lauschmann, Jimmy Robert and Annelies Štrba demonstrate how the continuous revision of the form and themes within Carroll’s novels have preserved their artistic relevance. The exhibition is curated by Christoph Benjamin Schulz with Gavin Delahunty, head of exhibitions and displays at Tate Liverpool, assisted by Eleanor Clayton. Accompanying the exhibition will be a full colour publication with contributions by Dame Gillian Beer, Carol Mavor, Christoph Benjamin Schulz, Edward Wakeling and Alberto Manguel.

“Alice: It would be so nice if something made sense for a change.”

Images by Anna Gaskell (opposite), l - r: Kiki Smith, Sir John Tenniel, Anna Gaskell, Conroy Maddox, Graham Ovenden, Sir Peter Blake (both)

OPEN EYE GALLERY

Mitch Epstein

Open Eye Gallery has opened it brand new gallery space in Mann Island, presenting work by world-class photographers Mitch Epstein and Chris Steele-Perkins for its programme of inaugural exhibitions. Open Eye Gallery has been one of the UK’s leading photography spaces since 1977, and is the only gallery dedicated to photography in the North West of England. The new gallery is a bespoke space developed by Open Eye director Patrick Henry with architects RCKa and comprises three areas for exhibitions. The main exhibition galleries on the ground floor will showcase an international programme of cutting-edge contemporary photography, opening with award-winning, New York-based photographer Mitch Epstein’s acclaimed American Power series. Awarded the prestigious 2011 Prix Pictet photographic award, the body of work reflects on energy production, power politics and the American Dream gone awry. The first floor of the gallery will house a series of exhibitions drawn from the richness of the gallery’s archives, launching with Magnum photographer Chris Steele-Perkins’ The Pleasure Principle, while the gallery’s exterior wall will be used for large-scale Wall Work commissioned pieces, the first being a striking new artwork by S Mark Gubb. The Mitch Epstein; American Power, 5 November to 23 December 2011 American Power at Open Eye Gallery is the American photographer Mitch Epstein‟s first solo show in the UK. Epstein was awarded the prestigious 2011 Prix Pictet photographic award for this body of work, which examines how energy is produced and used in the American landscape, questioning the power of nature, government and corporations. Chris Steele-Perkins; The Pleasure Principle, 5 November to 23 December 2011 The Pleasure Principle is a powerful and searching photographic portrait of England in the 1980s. Chris Steele-Perkins records the rapidly changing social landscape that he found after returning from extensive travels in the third world. Using ideas of pleasure he explores public rituals that cut across class and location. in but had never fully felt part of. Painted Photographs from the collection of Martin Parr, 13 Jan — 18 Mar 2012 Photographer and collector Martin Parr’s ‘painted photographs’, found in flea markets and second-hand shops, are press prints and publicity shots of actors, musicians and sports stars from the post-war decades. The images have been ‘painted’ by newspapers or magazines to improve their 28 reproduction or indicate areas for cropping.

Chris Steele Perkins

Mitch Epstein

Chris Steele Perkins

Martin Parr

Martin Parr 30

RED HAT NO KNICKERS An online vintage store with gorgeous hand selected stock is exactly what the quirkily named Red Hat No Knickers is all about. The online shop, launched by John Moores graduate Holly Milner just a month ago, has a big range of on-trend pieces from coats and jackets, knits, pretty dresses, playsuits/ jumpsuits, 80s tops, ankle boots - and all at affordable prices. It is the affordable alternative to high street shops making vintage accessible to everyone. So, no more cowering faces when bumping into someone wearing the same new dress, you’ll be the only one within miles around to be wearing your special new purchase. Holly said: “It’s good to know all the hard work (and excessive amounts of coffee intake) has all been worth it, I’m so pleased with how the website is looking. “I’m dedicated to meeting our customer’s high expectations. I try to provide a selection of clear photographs, sizes and measurements in order to provide customers with the perfect fit.” There is always a gem to be found at Red Hat No Knickers. And for all of you vintage lovers, quote Object of Dreams at checkout and you will receive a lovely 15% off! www.redhatnoknickers.co.uk

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ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY Throughout history, art and money have always had something of an ambivalent relationship. The role of the professional artist is in itself a product of excess wealth in any given society. Unless there are surplus resources produced to sustain them, such a function cannot exist. In ancient societies, art and culture was produced by members of communities as merely part of their whole existence. The creation of more intensive agriculture produced a surplus of food, which led to a freeing up of people and resources. This meant that some people could become dedicated to producing art in exchange for sustenance produced by others, paid for those with the power and the capital to commission it. The professional artist had been born. Art of course is meant to be, and I do believe it is, something that is above the everyday banality of existence. Truly great art; music, films, sculpture, whatever can transcend cultural and political boundaries, language, and the lives of the individual people and cultures that produce it. The ancient Roman and Greek empires and the people that created them are long gone, but we still have all those armless statues to remind us of them. Yet in the time that art is being created, the money needs to come from somewhere. Art may rise above such things, but artists themselves and institutions that support art do not, there are always resources to be got, bills to be paid. And, usually, those providing the money have had some say in the art, to a greater or lesser extent. A cursory glance in any art gallery with a historical collection reveals the influence on art of wherever the centres of power and money lay at any given time in history. For centuries the Catholic Church held much of the power in the Western world and had something of a monopoly on commissioning most artistic production. Later, royalty and the wider aristocracy called the tune. The Medici dynasty that ran the Republic of Florence funded much of the Italian Renaissance. Further on, the mercantile proto-capitalists in the wealthy Netherlands bankrolled the Golden Age of Dutch Painting, with their demand for secular imagery to adorn their homes. In 19th century Britain, it was the new industrial barons who paid for much of the art. On Merseyside, the Tate, Walker and Lady Lever Art Galleries were originally paid for by Henry Tate, Andrew Barclay Walker and William Hesketh Lever, magnatesets in sugar, brewing and soap manufacture respectively. All those grand palaces of culture were paid for fromby the profits made from selling commodities to the new urban masses created by the Industrial Revolution. In Victorian Britain, sponsorship of the arts was a good way to improve your image as more than a businessman. It was an early example of ‘brand association’ that continues right through to today’s Unilever plc, the successor to William Lever’s firm, sponsoring Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall projects. Later, New York became the post-WWII centre for arts, paid for by that city’s status as the centre of modern capitalism. And, as London took over and became the world centre of ‘casino banking’ after the ‘Big Bang’ that revolutionised the stock market in 1986, those that had grown rich in this brave new world bankrolled much of the ‘Young British Artists’ movement. 32

Yet this was more of a blip really in the UK though. After WWII, the Government assumed the role ofas the principle patron of arts, in much the same way it did with health, coal and railways, with the foundation of the Arts Council of Great Britain in 1946. The Arts Council is widely regarded worldwide as a good model of support for the arts, neither directly state controlled and thus subject to adverse political interference, nor laissez-faire and thus entirely reliant on the whim of the market. However, there is an inevitability of not being able to rely on the state consistently for funding, as the recent cuts in public expenditure has proven. These cuts have created much debate about what or who will pay for the arts in future. The current Coalition Government is keen on more corporate sponsorship for the arts and, in particular, philanthropy from rich individuals, something which has left many people aghast. Many view state support as purer than corporate support or wealthy patronage, as if it taints the art less. Yet, state funding is also has its own issues. It is certainly not ‘innocent’, being paid for of course through the taxation garnered through our capitalist system. Rising and falling with the whims of any given government and subject to the whims of individual Arts Council staff, state fundingit inevitably has its own agendas with, strings and bureaucracy attached that can be very frustrating to creatives. There is no one perfect system for funding of the arts, but artists and arts institutions must make terms with their role in the wider economy. Art is not, and never has been, totally ‘pure’, the money must come from somewhere, even if that creates distaste in the mouth of people who presumably aren’t struggling to feed themselves or keep an art gallery open and with free entry. Yet, engaging with economic reality doesn’t have to mean producing poorer work. Today, there is a greater variety of ways that ever to fund creative endeavours. In terms of institutions, a mixture of funding sources is probably the healthiest, as influence from one source or the other is less likely to interfere with the integrity of programming and also leave it less vulnerable to one source of funding drying up. Something that the people running Britain’s wider economy, with its over reliance on financial services banks, could have taken heed of. The Tate may be regarded by some as a corporate monolith, but it operates a good mixed model of funding, with Government money now accounting for less than 50% of its income, the rest a mixture of sales, memberships, donations and corporate and foundation sponsorship. Tate's well off members and supporters help pay to keep its doors open for free and its outreach and education programmes running for the less advantaged. Although many smaller and regional institutions couldn’t match Tate’s prowess, at the opposite end of the scale, in 2012, Shetland Arts will open Mareel, a cinema, performance and creative industries centre in Lerwick, one of the remotest parts of the UK. Mareel has no revenue funding to support its operation and activity. Instead, they plan to sustain themselves through the ownership and exploitation of intellectual property rights – by investing in the creation of arts projects and working to leverage the value of any content. It will also take advantage of digital communications with

live music content captured and broadcast from the venue, giving it an audience stretching far beyond its isolated base. If this can be done in a remote Scottish island, surely some of the institutions in England’s regional cities could take inspiration. What about individual artists? Again the internet is an invaluable tool for the upcoming creative that was not open to others in the past. The net has made self-promotion far easier. You can sell you e-book or artwork online and cut out the middle man. You can put music or film on YouTube for a potential global audience for free and makecreate your own impressive website that you don’t need a degree in computing to build. Crowd funding, or 'micro-philanthropy', via the net is also a new option. WeDidThis.org.uk is a site that has helped individual creatives and groups to source funding from ordinary individuals to support everything from arts clubs for disadvantaged kids in Peckham to a travel journalism assignment across Europe. Aside from working as an individual, there is indeed strength in unity, both in operating a more traditional business model such as a limited company, or any number of alternatives. The artists’ collective has appeared repeatedly through history, with mixed success. Many artists’ studios in Liverpool, such as The Royal Standard and Red Wire, operate on this basis of collective management,

operation and funding, banding together to provide studio and gallery space, collectivise resources and bid for bigger funding from other sources. It is also possible to find a balance between producing ‘pure’ work you want to pursue and commercial work that pays the bills. Again, there’s a long tradition of this, William Blake did commercial work as an engraver his whole life to support his own artistic endeavours. More contemporary, here in Liverpool we can see self-sustaining arts organisations like Mercy and the Kazimier who have found a balance between sustainable commercial success while maintaining their artistic integrity, producing work for corporate or state clients or paying patrons and re-investing that back into more ‘purely’ artistic work. In these austere times, probably more than ever artists and arts institutions must stare their bank accounts in the face, but doing this doesn’t have to mean selling out. All the great art works in history had to, one way or another, make terms with the economic and political reality in which they were created. As Bob Dylan said, ‘you’re gonna have to serve somebody’ but, more than ever, it can be on your own terms.

Words by Kenn Taylor Illustration by Anthony Jaycott anthony-jaycott.com

WE ARE THE 99% While over the pond in New York, OoD’s roaming photographer Naomi Da Costa Greaves captured the mood of the revolution happening in the streets of the world’s biggest economy. The movement that began in September is one that comes from the gloomy state of world affairs as unemployment rises and we see the polarity between ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ grow to unprecedented levels. Inspired by the Arab Spring, the movement has spilled to numerous well-off countries not to mention our own Occupy London movement. This is a movement without one specific agenda; it is a call of action against the obscene wealth of big banks, corporate executives and financial institutions. It is a call of action for a fairer world - one where young people don’t despair that they are one of the one million unemployed or an older generation don’t commit suicide because of living below the poverty line. We are the 99%.

Photos by Naomi Da Costa Greaves

THE CUBICAL: IT AIN’T HUMAN... Words by Sebastian Gahan Photography by Julie Naglestad Following The Cubical’s It Ain’t Human album released in November, the raucous psychedelic-garage-blues five piece have received show-stopping reviews for their new offering. Sebastian Gahan talk to lead guitarist Alex Gavaghan about their latest album. With 11 truly excellent songs to enjoy, The Cubical’s new album It Ain’t Human showcases the band’s trademark raucous sound, passionate vocals and pertinent lyrics. The addition of a plethora of instruments has enhanced the band’s sound pleasingly as well. Alex Gavaghan explains the madness behind the multi-talented music: “‘We actually got quite a few (instruments) onto It Ain’t Human. I played Marxaphone on the album which was good fun. If you can find another album released this year that features a Marxophone I’ll give you a Marxophone! Producer hero Keith Thompson played the dog. We had Mandolins, Djembes, Banjos, Xylophones, Belts, all kinds of stuff. I’d love to get a Gospel choir in at some point and a Pedal Steeler, although we may go electro for the next album with Moogs and Synths. We wrote a song called Computerish a while back, a classic in the waiting. Either that or my vision of an album made entirely of animal noises could come to fruition. I might keep that for my solo project though which is called ‘Alex Gavaghan’.” Having listened to the album countless times I can certainly point out many personal favourites but how about Alex’s key tracks? “The

Myth of Willie McGrath I think is a real achievement,” he said. “We’ve had that one in the can, man, for ages and have always wanted a New Orleans jazz funeral brass section on it to so it could really live up to its potential which I think it has. I’ll plug the two brass guys involved because they’re great guys and an utter joy to work with... James Blow on trumpet and Simeon Scheuber on trombone, amazing instinctive musicians. It was almost orgasmic hearing the brass after imagining it for so long. In fact, I want it played at my funeral if my next of kin is reading. “It always takes so long to get everything prepared for a release. Not the writing, that’s easy. But all the other stuff involved… mixing, pressing, promo, arguing about artwork. It’s a right royal pain in the arse but rewarding when every thing’s finished and out there. The reviews thus far have all been amazing, so that helps keep The Cubical happy!” That includes the filming of videos as well. You will find an excellent video online for ‘Dirty Shame’ so I had to ask Alex about its inception: “The inspiration is an amazing video of a song called Prisencolinensinainciusol by Adriano Celentano, an Italian comedian / musician. It’s a satire on what English is supposed to sound like to non-English speakers but it’s sung in pure gibberish; loads of sexy 60’s dancers and whatnot. We loved it and thought we could pay homage to it with our own lo-fi version. I think we pulled it off considering the budget, or lack of. We filmed it at Dolphin Dance Studio in Liverpool. The mime artist, who people seem to think is me but is actually local toe rag Andy Smillie, was just a piece of absurdity we inserted. It was Dan’s vision. He has good vision.” Despite the album only just hitting Probe there are rumours of a third album in the making. “We recorded it in 12 hours at Lightning Recorders Studio in Berlin in September,” said Alex. “It was done in an old reel to reel four track studio so more or less completely live with one or two overdubs where possible. It was a completely different approach to It Ain’t Human for which we took our time with extra instruments and the like. The songs are pretty raw and straight forward. It sounds great, loads of reverb and Tremolo Guitars. Like a Quentin Tarentino wet dream!” Perhaps the last word on the excellence of The Cubical is thus: “We’ll just keep on going and see where it takes us. We think we’re good enough to eek out some kind of financial future with it all and we’ll continue to work hard to that end. Whenever I see my nan she says: ‘Are you still doing yer music?’ “Yes, I’m still doing me music and I think that’s where we’ll be for the foreseeable future. We’re a bit like warts - ugly; hard to get rid of; but very infectious.”

PLEASE THE EARS & PLEASE DON’T Frankie and the Heartstrings/ The Ladykillers/ The Wild Eyes @Mojo

Frankie and the Heartstrings photo by Marie Hazelwood

With the funkiest, most un-violent moshpit underway Frankie and the Heartstrings enter. They lap this up with Frankie Francis sauntering about on stage like a stroppy love-sick teenager in true 90s hero style. He sings “I wrote this song with you in mind” as if personally addressing the audience and they feed off each other between songs with a charming drunken wit. Sporting a predominately nineties vibe their influences hail other decades such as the sixties and even fifties at points, keeping a highly strung ‘twangy’ guitar to please the current indie scene. The support acts provided a new wave, postpunk feel to the evening, namely Liverpool’s The Ladykillers. From the back of room you’d be mistaken for thinking they were straight out of that era, as they were as sure of their sound as the punk band 999 was in the early eighties. However they’re incredibly young, talented and tight, capturing an essence that will take them to big places in the future. The Wild Eyes also borrowed new wave’s ethereal qualities and overlaid it with unrelenting Stooge-esque distortion at points. Sounding like a mash up of an indie-garage band and a slowed-down ‘Madchester’ rave get up, they had a presence capable of achieving such a unique sound. Cat Mackinlay

Twin Sister/All We Are/The Readymades/ Carousel @Mojo Sunday night gigs usually generate a unique atmosphere. Beginning the evening is Liverpool indie guys Carousel. They announce themselves with some stark piano notes and seem to enjoy this monotone, disjointed quirk as it takes form in several synth voices and in one song morphs into a two tone Agogo. Sounding like a laidback Coldplay but with edgier potential they seem as if they’re still settling into their own sound slightly. Next the Readymades, who in contrast are very readymade in their Beach Boys, slightly Eagles-esque guitar sound. Next band, All We Are, set their primitive, rhythmic drums to the backdrop of Wickerman, psychedelic type folk. After which several Twin Sister die hards begin filtering further forward, creating that Sunday gig atmosphere. It’s their hard to box off style that warrants them attention, with a vintage style that appeals to a modern indie audience. Especially Andrea Estrella, whom on particularly high notes could be mistaken for a young Kate Bush under that wide brimmed floppy hat. Switching from sweet to surreal, psychedelic to sinister, the hint of funk in the bass, jangling guitars and whispery vocals create a different setting song to song. Cat Mackinlay

Twin Sister photo by Marie Hazelwood

Big Deal/ Big House/ Secret Garden Gathering @ Mojo The stark lights of the stage dim, fading the intimidating wall of Elvis faces and focus solely on our first act of the night, Secret Garden Gathering. Their warm, psychedelic sound invites the audience in to follow the melancholic swells of emotion in each song. After they leave it’s up to Big House to pick up the mood. The duo take Mojo completely into the 1960s. A film-esque quality about their image, both take up the vocals singing escapist lyrics making you feel both at home and away to a better place. The headlining duo Big Deal then enter. Sporting an acoustic and an electric guitar they sound like a stripped down Sonic Youth. Their songs are largely adolescent and sweet leaving you looking for the attitude their name suggests although evident in their understated, cool demeanor and killer grunge outfits. You could be forgiven for wanting a slight ‘rockier’ gear change throughout as each 36 act prided itself on it dreamy, faraway sound. Anything heavier however may have interrupted the magical mood they created so perfectly. Cat Mackinlay

Arctic Monkeys @ Echo Arena If you were studying the evolution of a modern day rock band then Arctic Monkeys are the ideal band to look at. The Sheffield based rock band have totally revamped their, look, attitude and sound, and seem like a completely different band from the teenagers that broke onto the scene in 2006. I found myself wondering how the four piece would cope with playing an arena like the Echo, which is a massive step up from the likes of the Liverpool Academy, where they have previously played. However only a few songs in my doubts were put to rest, with the 21-song set kicking off with Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I Moved Your Chair moving expertly into Brianstorm which blew the roof off. The bands influences are clearly shown in their live performance, with a louder and more aggressive approach to their music. It is clear that the quartet have been working with Queens of the Stone Age front man, Josh Homme. Highlights of the night were some of the heavier songs from their third album Humbug, such as Pretty Visitors and Dangerous Animal, both of which show a different side to the band. Only a handful of bands in modern music could have such control over an audience of 10,000 and create such an atmosphere. With four albums and a set list complied of hits already, it would seem that the Sheffield boys are only going to get better. Tom Griffiths

Big Deal photo by Marie Hazelwood

The Phantom Band photo by Marie Hazelwood

PREVIEWS

Ghostpoet photo by Rebecca Marie Hawley

Pete Bentham & The Dinnerladies photo by Mark McNulty

Love Music Hate Racism Xmas gig @ Mello Mello, December 17

The Whip photo by Rebecca Marie Hawley

Liverpool Music Week closing party @ CUC CUC saw Liverpool Music Week sign off in style. A warehouse filled with numerous floors, venues, a studio, restaurant and cinema was the perfect setting to showcase over fifty bands. Once inside the atmosphere was a warm welcome; a hive of activity with musicians lugging instruments and people constantly on the move. Even ‘Lee’ from Hollyoaks was spotted several times moving from room to room. The Annexe gallery still had the speculative air of an art gallery with its bands performing at audience level. Fear of Men pleasantly kicked off the proceedings with a sound somewhere between lo-fi and nineties Britpop. Venue Two however was much bigger with its stage opposing a bar that was constantly crammed with thirsty punters. The Phantom Band in particular pulsated the jam-packed crowd with booming toms and high levels of Krautrock that at that level vibrate your brain. In the Beer House there was an acoustic duo serenading another crammed bar with Beatle covers. Upstairs the exotic, Chinese-themed Dragon Room saw Vasco Da Gama’s crowd dancing to their melodic grooves and tight drums beats. Behind the third floor stages we were given several stickers for the band the Eagulls and caught up with a member of Freakbeat Films who was there to film The Loud’s live set. At the front of the stage New York punkers Cerebral Ballzy began firing up a mosh-pit resulting in a real live fight with band and audience members. A bit of a storm in a tea cup the band’s set carried on for one song and ended in the presence of several concerned bouncers. The Mercury Prize nominee Ghostpoet was amazing, with his Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam rocking the house out, the crowd loving his lo-fi, electro-grime. Last but not least Venue One was reminiscent of Liverpool’s 02 Academy’s main stage and housed bands such as the highly anticipated The Whip, who suited the current wave of Stone Roses nostalgia. Ending on a more chaotic drunken note than it began, this was definitely one of the biggest and best night’s Liverpool’s seen in a while. Cat Mackinlay

Album review // The Sums If Only The Sums make a welcome return with their excellent new album If Only. The Sums haven’t released much material since their acclaimed 2008 EP Treat Your Victim. The band is led by lead singer and rhythm guitarist Digsy Deary, who has co-written the songs with bassist and fellow vocalist Chris Mullin. Lead guitar artistry comes courtesy of Lee Watson and Chris Campbell completes the line up on drums. There are so many prime tracks on here that they all standout as equally as each other - ranging from the seething to the sublime. The opening track Darken My Doorstep has plenty of passion and ferocity. Digsy’s delivery has always been a definitive factor both live and in the studio. He’s a clever and subjective lyricist. The album has a powerful side and a more subtle side where the latter is displayed in tracks such as Rise. It’s cool and laid back with Lee providing an excellent bluesy slide guitar while Chris backs Digsy to great effect. Who Cares is an absolute gem. Digsy’s voice is wistful creating a melancholic atmosphere with the music. The track rises into a chanting crescendo and then drops back down again. The Sums are back with a bang. Shaun McCoy

Merseyside Love Music Hate Racism invites you to a bumper night with Dirty Revolution, Dead Class, Pete Bentham & The Dinner Ladies, Old Radio and Toxteth Rebel Alliance DJs. Love Music Hate Racism was set up in 2002 in response to rising levels of racism and electoral successes for the BNP, they use the energy of the music scene to celebrate diversity and involve people in anti-racist and anti-fascist activity. Could you ask for anything more to see out 2011? And all for a fiver. Fun starts at 8pm and goes on to the wee hours.

Circus Boxing Day @ venue TBC, December 26 It’s something of an institution in Liverpool. One of those parties that falls under the ‘Essential Rave’ tag, alongside New Years Eve, birthdays, and Creamfields. A bona-fide cannot-miss, sure-fire guaranteed blow-out that gets the scouse partygoers, and the legions piling in from the rest of the world, moister than an Everton Liverpool Champions League final, a party so good most people just skip New Years and plump for this instead. Which makes it all the more satisfying that the line-up collated reflects the party’s importance, with an aural masterpiece served up. It’s all about Tech House, Techno and Prog House the day after Christmas, as we loosen our belts tighten our dresses and head over to Circus Boxing Day. This year over at The Masque, Loco Dice, Yousef, Art Department, Guti - live, Tini, Lewis Boardman, Alex Wolfenden and Scott Lewis will be blowing the roof off. Circus is renowned for it’s diverse and quality line ups and welcoming party atmosphere conducted by Superstar DJ YOUSEF as it’s resident and promoter. A purely house affair attracting the cream of the worlds finest DJs has achieved its simple aims: fun atmosphere with serious house music. 37 Tickets: £21.50

EATING AND DANCING

Just one of the many weird things during the 2011 festival

Hanover Street Social Restaurant Hanover Street, city centre

Threshold Festival Baltic Triangle

Hats off to Hanover Street Social for suggesting we try the Oyster Bloody Mary and us loving it. We were feeling a little hungover so the drink sounded perfect, but with an Oyster in it? A hesitant sip, so far so good then we downed the shot glass. An interesting texture with a sweet aftertaste, it’s definitely a must if you visit this lovely restaurant.

Threshold Festival returns to Liverpool 10 - 12 February 2012.

Situated on Hanover Street, the restaurant is the latest venture from the guys who own Salthouse Tapas just across the road. With a decor of kitchen kitsch and elegant french style, it beckons during a cold evening for anyone who wants a taste of good food and delicious cocktails. Choosing the Roquefort cheese, poached pear and walnuts salad as a starter for myself and the French onion soup with grilled gruyere crouton for my partner we tucked into the good food, with an attentive waitress on hand to guide us through the chic menu. The soup was a hit, in her own words: “A proper french soup, you can taste the onions which are well cooked and delicious, most places the soup is a bit washy but this is great for a cold night.” My salad was lovely and crisp, the strong flavours of the cheese offset by the sweetness of caramelised pear. I can’t stress how much better of a night you have because of good service, it can turn an evening from fun and laughter with good friends to one of awkwardness if met by a sullen waiter - no problems there though. So on to the mains we chose a perfect melody of dishes to complement the night. A fresh and filling mixed grilled seafood, aioli and french fries for my partner, and grilled Sirloin steak with watercress, tomato and french fries for myself. Delicious in every way, the chips were a taste of home, the steak cooked just right, a main for winter. Like lovers in the night we finished the highly enjoyable experience sharing the apple and rhubarb crumble with vanilla ice cream, two spoons one desert (so full from the mains we could never have fit a desert each). A rich and rewarding dinner, perfect for friends and lovers who want an elegant meal at a good price in a warm and friendly eatery. 38

After the hailed success of it’s maiden voyage in February 2011 at Contemporary Urban Centre, Greenland Street, and with over 20 promoters already on board from Liverpool such as Liverpool Live, Antipop, Mellowtone, Rebel Soul Collective, Newpath, Headspace & further afield including Salford based innovators Un-convention, Manchester contemporary art and creative writing champions ‘Blank Media Collective’ and alt-folk wunderkinds ‘Imploding Inevitable Festival’ (with ‘Stealing Sheep’ already herded into their line-up). ‘Under The Influence’ will once again bring across the Threshold of the emerging “Shoreditch of Liverpool” The Baltic Triangle. Chris Carney, festival director, said: “We were under no illusions about Threshold Festival 2011, it was new territory & it was a monumental (with the emphasis on the latter two syllables of that word) undertaking. We did it & people loved it from punters to artists to volunteers to CUC staff & now we’re back in the Baltic Triangle to do it all again in 2012. Get ready for some amazing antics.” The Early Bird tickets for Threshold 2012 are on sale now and at £15 are a super bargain. They’re only available until Christmas Day when the price will start to creep up as the opening night approaches. All tickets are available from Skiddle.com “ThresholdFestival” so click on and buy yours now or to offer your services as a volunteer just email info@thresholdfestival.com

I’m fighting stereotypes...

Natasha Jonas – Champion