The Serial Kidders Issue by OPEN Magazine

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

EDITOR’S LETTER OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2014

The urban sprawl attached to the eastern side of the River Mersey, could at one point in history boast the title of Second City of the Empire - a dubious title considering empires are built on slavery, exploitation, and violence. At the same time it could also claim to be the world’s first global city, as people from every corner of the earth flooded through its internationally strategic ports and docklands which fastened the different continents of the world together: Liverpool was a fine brooch on the blood-stained cloak of British Imperialism. Fast forward a couple of centuries and even though the world has changed Liverpool still attracts outsiders: like the 50,000 who come here to study each year. It can also lay claim to some Second City titles with an asylum seeker population only smaller than Glasgow’s in the UK and the second most congested roads outside of London. Depending on who you are and why you’re here the city is either a gateway to the future, a land of forgotten dreams, or purgatory. But it is for these fresh faces that we have compiled a Welcome to Liverpool 2014 guide (page 48 ) as an honest attempt at advising those who have made the city their temporary new home. I recently caught the end of a show on BBC2 which just appeared to be scousers in front of a camera telling jokes. I hit the TV guide button to see what this programme was called. It was called “Scousers Telling Jokes”. So, because it seems the Beeb expects scousers to be funny, we thought we would live up to the stereotype and produce a comedy themed issue (which admittedly features comedians playing in Liverpool rather than being actual scouse comedians - complain to my email address) with the Serial Kidders: Noel Fielding, Cardinal Burns, and Tom Stade (page 40 ) who will all be performing at venues throughout October and November.

EDITOR

WORDS

Robbie Muldoon editor@open-mag.co.uk

Dave Crighton Zoe Yvonne Delaney Lucy Varley Josh Ray

ART DIRECTOR Robert May rob@open-mag.co.uk

DIRECTOR & SALES

PHOTOS Mike Brits Maxime Loisel

Michael Smith mike@open-mag.co.uk

ILLUSTRATIONS

DIRECTOR

Will Daw (willdaw.cofm) Sarah Fuller (sarahfullerillustration. wordpress.com)

Adam Duffy adam@open-mag.co.uk

SALES Alison Quirke alison@open-mag.co.uk

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT Mike Brits mikebrits.com

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Lucy Varley

COVER ILLUSTRATION Chris Bower (Chrisbower.net)

SPECIAL THANKS Laughterhouse Comedy Club

ADVERT DESIGN Greg Boulton

THIS MAGAZINE OFFERS YOU GREAT DIGITAL EXPERIENCES USING THE LAYAR APP

We also launch a new look website during this issue period, make sure you take a look at it over on www.openthecity.co.uk, it’s your essential youth culture city guide.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP, FIND THE SYMBOL AND SCAN THE PAGE For subscription info go to openthecity.co.uk. OPEN Magazine is published six times a year.

Robbie Muldoon editor@open-mag.co.uk

OPEN Magazine, Baltic Triangle, 34 Norfolk Street, L1 0BE Web: www.openthecity.co.uk Phone: 0151 230 8975 Email: info@openthecity.co.uk Twitter: @OPEN_MAGAZINE Facebook: www.facebook.com/ openthecity Printed by Custom Print Ltd, Liverpool.

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

CONTENTS

STUFF

upcoming nights before they sell out.

12 / Openers Drag Is So En Vogue Right Now and What the Hell is a Mothman?

60 / Behind The Decks We speak to Kermit Leveridge ahead of his show at Constellations.

19 / Viral Vidz People are silly.

MUSIC

20 / What’s Happening Some of the main events this August and September. 84 / Win a Comedy Club Night Out Who doesn’t need to have a laugh every now and then? 84 / Cartoon Illustration by Will Daw.

STYLE 24 / Check Out Shopping in Liverpool – the hidden gems. 26 / Liverpool Fashion Sketches Illustrations of some of the city’s top designers 36 / Sole Selection: Laces Out! A preview of Liverpool’s first sneaker festival, coming October

CLUB LIFE 58 / Get On It Get your tickets from 3B Records for the biggest

64 / Open Your Ears and Hear... Use the Layar app to listen to the sounds of Lapsley Jazz MC, Nelson. 66 / Liverpool Music Week 2014 A preview of the UK’s biggest indoor winter music festival. 70 / Dead Prez A true voice of hip-hop talks to OPEN before their UK tour in October.

ART & DESIGN 82 / Citygrams People, places, parties.

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

FEATURES

40 / Serial Kidders In conversation with Noel Fielding, Cardinal Burns, and Tom Stade.

48 / Welcome to Liverpool 2014: An OPEN Guide Some useful bits of info for newcomers to the city and people who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get out much.

74 / Cranio Artes The Brazilian street artist responsible for all the little blue Indians around town.

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

DRAG IS SO EN VOGUE RIGHT NOW By Zoe Yvonne Delaney / Make up by Louise McCole (@hrtsandanchors)

What do you mean you haven’t been binge watching ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’? Oh honey, you need to sashay away. Since emerging as a cult hit on Netflix, the reality TV show is the biggest thing to happen for drag in mainstream pop culture since errr, White Chicks? John Travolta in Hairspray? Drag is so en vogue right now and you’re just as likely to see a queen on your next trip to the theatre as you would down in gay town. Intrigued by men having better smokey eyes than me, I got local make-up artist, Louise McCole of ‘Hearts & Anchors Make Up’ around to mine to transform my rather reluctant boyfriend, Jack, into a fabulously fierce drag queen and talk me through the process. “I’ve certainly had a lot more drag queen work recently,” she revealed to me while unpacking a small suitcase (yes, a suitcase) full of make-up. “I love Ru Paul’s Drag Race! I’m dangerously addicted to it so I was made up when I began getting these kind of bookings”. “I’m trained in Theatrical Make-Up so drag isn’t too much of a challenge and it’s one of my favourite themes to do - it’s a bit of a change from my everyday appointments. Some queens are absolutely hilarious. I have to make sure I’m not shaking with laughter when I’m doing their face – I sometimes have to get them to be quiet so I can get their cheekbones painted on without any smudges”. She begins transforming Jack into a Jackie and so far, all seems pretty standard; cleansing, toning and moisturising, but then she pulls out a big bar of soap and begins rubbing it across his eyebrows! “It’s to flatten the brows,” she explains when she catches my bewildered look. “Men have bushier, more prominent brows than women so it’s important to get soap on them to be able to draw a new, more feminine shaped brow on”.

about moaning next time I’m having a bad brow day. Any other differences with male faces compared to women’s? “Contouring is much more vital,” she tells me. “It’s important for girls but with men you’ve got to work a bit harder to get the face shape more feminine – it can be a challenge if they’ve got a particularly strong jaw line. Jack here has got quite baby soft skin (alright Lou, don’t massage his ego) but with older men their skin can be slightly coarse so it’s a bit harder. And of course, you’ve got to make sure they’ve had a good shave before you start work – not something you normally have to ask your female clients to do… at least you hope not!” “I’ll tell you what the hardest part of doing this is – their bloody legs,” she says whilst giving Jack’s long limbs the evil eye. “Drag queens tend to be at least 6 foot, so you always end up tripping over their legs and trying not to mount them as you curl their eyelashes”. As Jack sits back in the make-up chair, mumbling something about deserving anal for donating his face as a canvas (dream on, lad), I’m amazed that in just half an hour, Louise has transformed my boyfriend into a better looking woman than me. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? He looks unrecognisable,” she says when it comes to the big reveal. It certainly is. I never thought I’d be spending a weekday afternoon looking on enviously at my boyfriend’s immaculate make-up. I just have one last question before Louise goes and I allow Jack access to the face wipes - what is it with drag queens loving such prominent lip liner? “Well, it’s a trick of the trade in the theatre to make the lips appear as large as possible, but yeah, Drag Queen’s aren’t bothered by the line being visible,” she informs me. “They could have possibly inspired ombre lips which are very on trend at the moment. It’s important that we remember the difference between ombre lips and overdoing it on the lip liner though”. You hear that, wools? Only drag queens can get slap happy with the lip liner so don’t bother showing off your failed ombre lips in Concert Square!

So having a strong brow game requires a bit more effort for men? I’ll think twice

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

WHAT THE HELL IS MOTHMAN? By Lucy Varley

By Robbie Muldoon

comic book artist to base their takes on the Mothman story?

Everybody loves a mysterious, sexy superhero, swooping in with effortless pizzazz, draped in their finest lycra. But how would you feel about a shifty looking bloke dressed as a moth lurking around? Popping up unannounced at various exotic locations around the globe, Mothman has heads turning everywhere, often accompanied with a weary look of sheer bewilderment. The exploits of Mothman are portrayed by local artist Tony Knox who uses a variety of mediums; performance, photography, and print to transform his form of cosplay into art. What is Mothman an expression of? I think of Mothman as an alter-ego of myself but kind of exaggerated. I’ve always had a fascination with moths. Where most people get a bit freaked out by them, I’ve always been more interested in saving them. When I was a kid, the moths always flew into the bathroom and then I’d find them in the toilet. I used to rescue them, dry them out and then off they flew. I think that was kind of my aspiration to be a superhero. That’s where the character of Mothman developed from. I was always intrigued by moths and how they’re a bit odd, a bit displaced in society. They exist, but they’re just kind of a reject butterfly, aren’t they? Does Mothman have an arch nemesis? As such no, because he’s so displaced in society; he’s a social retard and undermines himself enough without the need of an arch nemesis getting in the way. Why do you consider Mothman to be a social retard? Because, with Mothman, anything that could go wrong, will go wrong. The new comic is based in 1664, two years before

the Fire of London, and Mothman is travelling on a cargo ship with his pet rat named Bubonic. Bubonic escapes and swims to the coast of England, and then causes the Bubonic Plague. Mothman gets off the boat in London and goes in search of Bubonic. He goes into the bakery, and then accidentally starts the Great Fire of London. What is the strangest situation you have found yourself in as Mothman? I went to Egypt for one day dressed as Mothman. I just wandered around the pyramids dressed as Mothman. That was quite strange. It was weird just seeing people getting off their camels and just looking at me, dumbfounded. I went to a wrestling match once dressed as Mothman, and me and all the other wrestlers ended up doing the YMCA. I also started a performance outside St George’s Hall once, where I lit a bright red emergency flare and danced with it. I could have gone up in flames, like a moth to a flame. What is the brief that you give to each 14

To a degree with some artists, we run through the basis of an idea and it’s potential. I tend to give comic book artists a lot more of a free reign. I have worked with one artist called Anna McDade throughout every comic, who tends to do her own thing with the brief I give her. I have also worked with an artist called Owen Flynn, with whom I went to university. His work is incredible, and after showing off his paintings in Liverpool a few years ago when I curated the Eggspace, I had in my mind that I wanted to work with him on the Mothman comic book. I suggested to him that we somehow incorporate the Mothman drawings within his existing artwork by placing them over existing images. Everything is a work in progress. Do you envisage a time in the future when your comics become rare collectables worth lots of money? Without a doubt, because I only released a couple of hundred of each edition. Each issue is numbered. They are exclusive, and I don’t think people realise, but my comics are like gold dust. If you could do one thing to change the world as Mothman, what would it be? Even if Mothman had the chance to change something for the better, he’d mess it up. Say he went back to murder Hitler, he’d end up blowing up the wrong room.

View a large-scale page from Mothman and the Search for Bubonic at Metquarter - free / open daily

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

DEAR STREET PERFORMER... By The Free Help Guy

Here is a heart-warming response to a recent video that went viral appearing on the Facebook feeds of people all over the place in September 2014, of a street performer in Liverpool having his pants pulled down by someone from the crowd. Whilst some people shared the post with ‘hahahaha’ other people obviously recognised that this street performer didn’t deserve this humiliation. Somebody going by the name of ‘The Free Help Guy’ launched a crowd-funding page with the motivation being “it’s time to right a wrong”. The target of £500 was raised plus £78 over, by combined donations from 62 funders including one person who generously pledged £100. Unfortunately, the street performer was not tracked down and the money was donated to the designated charity. This is how the campaign was described online...

WHAT WENT DOWN? Within only a few days it [the video of the street performer getting his pants pulled down] had over 70,000 views on LiveLeak. Then the comments started appearing, like this (inaccurate) quip from someone with the (probably accurate) username, ‘Jonny Sh*tpants’.

internet folk also jumped to the street performer’s defence. Lots and lots, in fact...

aspirations and ambitions.

SO, WHY DO WE CARE?

Ah. You see, I don’t actually know who he is. Do you? I’m hoping that if we make waves with this campaign by reaching the target then we’ll be able to track him down or better still, he’ll come forward to us. If not...

It was Amanda Palmer who spoke so brilliantly about Street Performing and how it taught her that... “When we really see each other, we want to help each other”. Amanda Palmer, 2013 This man was just doing his job (yes, Jonny, it is a job) and absolutely didn’t deserve to be humiliated like he was. Righting this wrong will show him (and other performers) that we really do see him and that we want to help by turning that one a negative experience into a completely different, positive and collectively heartwarming one. What are we going to do about it? It’s simple. We club together to raise a small amount of money to fund whatever performing dreams, aspirations or ambitions he may have. •Our crowd funding target is a simple £500.

“Ha. He should go get a normal job.” Jonny Sh*tpants, 2014.

•100% of that money (minus Indiegogo and Paypal costs) will go directly to him from us, his audience, as a way to say “we see you”.

But it’s not all man-in-the-midstof-devolution kind of stuff. Lots of

•He can then spend the money to further his performing dreams,

BUT WHO IS HE?

WHAT IF WE DON’T FIND HIM? If we don’t find him within 1 week of the closing date of the campaign, 100% of the proceeds will go to the Performing Arts Children’s Charity to fund the amazing work they do.

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VIRAL VIDZ: PEOPLE ARE SILLY Lack of intelligence, drugs, and anger... they all make people do dumb stuff, just for our own amusement right here.

CAN YOU SPOT THE GUY ON MOLLY AT A WILLIE NELSON CONCERT? Are you on to it? Can you tell who it is yet? Willie Nelson is one laid back country singing cowboy and the guy in this crowd is rocking out as if he’s at an industrial speedcore gabba rave night. Can you feeeeel the music?!

Download the Layar app for your smartphone and when you scan this page the videos will literally jump off the page at you. Trust us, it looks boss. It also means the internet has now sort of spread to paper. Doesn’t it? View using an iPhone or Android (sorry Blackberry heads). Get it at www.layar.com/ download

UNIMPRESSIVE TWERKING Come on people I thought we went over all this in 2013 with Miley Cyrus: moving your badonkadonk in a manner to arouse somebody sexually is not something you should be doing in front of young kids! Wait to see the faces in this crowd.

RUSSIAN ROADRAGE!

PAIR OF PRANKERS

This video could act as a CBeebies interpretation of Ukraine asking Russia for Crimea back... because suspected Russians hiding their identities swoop on the pissed off motorist and give him their answer only its much funnier than the real life war zone in Eastern Europe.

The prank joke format is always great when it works properly. You get to see real reactions to a fake reality, the more extreme the better. The pranksters hold the power in this domain. Wouldn’t we all want to see the tables turned on Jeremy Beadle, Noel Edmunds and Dom Jolly? We’ll have to make do with this French dude instead.

DOWNLOAD THE FREE APP, FIND THE SYMBOL AND SCAN THE PAGE

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

WHAT’S HAPPENING: OCT-NOV 2014

Some of the main events taking place in the city over the next couple of months.

LIVERPOOL BIENNIAL

DJ YODA

UNTIL OCT 26 / Venues across the city A programme of contemporary art exhibitions taking place from July until 26 October, a great chance to top up your culture-o-metre.

OCT 09 / East Village Arts Club Tickets £15 Hip-hop and electro turntable extraordinaire DJ Yoda will be bringing a slick audio visual show to EVAC.

CARDINAL BURNS

JAKE BUGG

OCT 02 / The Epstein Theatre / Tickets £18.50 His debut album has sold over one million copies worldwide, whilst the follow up “Shangri La” was produced by the legendary Rick Rubin at his studios in Malibu.

OCT 18 / Echo Arena / Tickets £28 His debut album has sold over one million copies worldwide, whilst the follow up “Shangri La” was produced by the legendary Rick Rubin at his studios in Malibu.

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DEAD PREZ

TOM STADE

WWE LIVE!

OCT 23 / Kazimier / Tickets £15 An absolute gem of a show for the city as one of hip-hop’s foremost socio-political underground groups bring their fire to the Kaz.

OCT 24 / St George’s Hall / Tickets £16 Canadian born Tom Stade, with a penchant for storytelling, has steadily built himself a reputation as one of the most compelling and original stand-up acts around.

NOV 10 / Echo Arena / Tickets £32 It’s not real! IT’S NOT REAL! It is a laugh, though - if you’re into that sort of thing.

LIVERPOOL MUSIC WEEK

AN EVENING WITH NOEL

TONY LAW: ENTER THE

FIELDING

TONEZONE

NOV 08 / Echo Arena / Tickets £32 Expect Noel’s brand of surreal fantasy land comedy in a mix of stand-up comedy, live animation, music and some of Fielding’s favourite characters.

NOV 20 / Slaughterhouse / Tickets £14 Life-affirming, life-changing comedy from the multi award-winning nonsensemaker.

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CHECK OUT LIVERPOOL’S INDEPENDENTS

WHO: KIRSTY DOYLE What: Kirsty Doyle is a contemporary and utterly fabulous womenswear online store. Shop the new AW14 collection now at www.kirsty-doyle.com. This season the KD Studio has launched “By Appointment Only” for beautiful bespoke brides and bridesmaids to be. To enquire about having your dream dress designed especially for you by Kirsty, you can email info@kirsty-doyle.com. Where: Online at http://kirsty-doyle.com/ or on Instagram @Kirstydoyle.

WHO: CLAUDIA PINK JEWELLERY What: Girly, fierce, and unabashedly bright is one way of describing Claudia Pink’s jewellery shop on Bold Street. Bold would be also be another way of describing the jewellery and her sparkling customers. Taking inspiration from India, Morocco, Turkey and beyond; Claudia’s a perfect fit for that bold yet hippie chic look. Where: 84 Bold Street, Liverpool / Online at claudiapink.com or call 07849 325 807 between Mon-Sunday

WHO: ROXIIE’S TREASURES What: A unique, independent business tucked into the cozy heart of Crosby. Selling a wide range of custom made jewellery, bags, stylish scarves, precious gifts and chic home décor, with every visit to Roxiie’s Treasures, you’ll always find yourself a special gem. Where: The Treasure Trove, 187 College Road, Liverpool / online at http://rachelgilbertson.wix.com/ roxiiestreasures / Instagram @ Roxiiestreasures or call 0151 345 6331

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range of services they offer, including financial services, insurance, rent and legal protection for landlords, conveyancing, portfolio management, premier marketing and building services. Whether selling or buying a home, choosing the right estate agent for you is no easy matter. With their local knowledge and property marketing expertise, the devoted team at Block Properties promise to offer the care and support homeowners need to rest assured that they are in the very best hands.

Searching for the perfect property in which to settle down can be a daunting journey for some. But for those lucky enough to have discovered Block Properties, Liverpoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dedicated team of professional agents, the search for the perfect home is a luxury. Rachel Dickman and her business partner Alex Chialton, inspired by their entrepreneurial backgrounds, set out on an empowering journey to start their own business dedicated to finding people unique, beautiful propertiesâ&#x20AC;Świth a realistic price tag. Rachel, Alex and their passionate team strive to find buyers not just a house, but their perfect home. Block Properties pride themselves on the extensive 25

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

LIVERPOOL FASHION SKETCHIVAL ARTISTIC INSPIRATION MEETS TOP LOCAL DESIGNERS Illustrations By Sarah Fuller

Sarah Fuller is a south coast girl living in Liverpool with a passion for fashion sketching, fashion photography experience, and an eye for the retro. Sarah selected fashion designs from three of Liverpool’s top designers of the moment and here gives their AW14 looks her own unique interpretations.

CHRISTOPHER SHANNON London-based Liverpudlian designer specialising in menswear and graduate of MA Menswear at Central Saint Martins. Christopher’s AW14 Collection is full of pattern, tailoring and recognisable outerwear.

View more of Sarah’s work at sarahfullerillustration. wordpress.com

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KIRSTY DOYLE Kirstyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AW14 Collection is all about the line, the cut and the tailoring. The fabric is plain and embellished only with the occasional hint of bling or a pair of beautiful shoes. Her clothes are like a second skin, with swathes of fabric pulled tight under the bust or emphasizing the feminine curve of the body. kirsty-doyle.com

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SARAH BIRCH Silver Birchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s designs are very much about the narrative of the textile and print of the fabric. They create flowing and effeminate shapes, maximizing the print detail in each swathe of fabric. Instagram @silverbirchboutique

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OPEN PROMOTIONAL OCT / NOV 2014

AFFORDABLE WEDDING JEWELLERY FROM MOCOCO Deciding on getting wed, proposing and finding the perfect ring is a mammoth task for any man. OK, so your other half will probably already have decided on the majority of the plans for the big day (she’s been dreaming about this wedding since she was a little girl), but the enormity of the proposal process is often overlooked and still very daunting. Jewellery emporium Mococo, located in Metquarter, know that the engagement ring is one of the most exciting, important and challenging purchases you will ever make. With that in mind, and as a direct response to customer requests for Mococo bridal jewellery, founder Maureen Hooson has realised a lifelong dream and designed the Coco Kiss collection. Utilising Sterling silver, 18 ct rose gold and 18 ct yellow gold with brilliant cut diamonds, the engagement rings have been purposely kept at a lower price point. Mococo founder Maureen Hooson said; “Before starting Mococo, I was lucky to have spent and exceptional 22 years working in the jewellery trade in high end luxury jewellers. There, it wasn’t out of the ordinary for tens of thousands of pounds to pass hands for a diamond engagement ring.” Maureen continued; “These days, young people looking to get married have so many more financial pressures. Deposits for houses, cost of raising a family and the higher cost of living all eat into

our household budgets. I wanted to design a bridal collection that was of the utmost luxury and high quality whilst remaining affordable and realistic for young couples looking to get wed.” Inspired by love, Maureen designed Coco Kiss in collaboration with Vicki Smith, a former designer from jewellery powerhouse Boodles. Each piece features a contrasting precious metal kiss in either rose gold or 18 carat yellow gold with engagement rings featuring brilliant cut diamonds in two different weights, depending on your budget. Budgets and engagement rings always create a talking point amongst those looking to propose. The ageold myth that a man proposing to a potential fiancée should spend two months salary on an engagement ring is enough to scare of any would be suitor. “Don’t be frightened to move away from this tradition.” Says Maureen. “The price of diamonds and how much you spend on an engagement ring is actually part of a wider international advertising campaign that dates back to just before the second World War.”

Following WW1 and the Great Depression, the price of diamonds collapsed. Diamond cartel De Beers, spearheaded a global advertising campaign to drive up the popularity of diamonds. The phrase ‘diamonds are forever’ featured at the forefront of the advertising campaign alongside the suggestion that a man should spend two months salary on the ring. Attributing the longevity of diamonds to the duration of marriage was a great tactic and diamond sales soared. In 1939 about 10% of the worlds engagement rings contained diamonds compared to 80% in 1999. “Ultimately, getting married shouldn’t be about worrying about the amount of money to spend. Think about her taste and style and which precious metal she would prefer. If you’re still none the wiser, you could always propose with a temporary ring and visit our champagne bar together and view the Coco Kiss engagement collection over a glass of bubbles.”

The Coco Kiss collection is available to buy in Mococo’s Liverpool Metquarter store and at Mococo Chester, St Michael’s Row, Grosvenor Shopping Centre. View the full collection online at www.mococo.co.uk

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

ART & SOLE SELECTION SOME STUFF FEATURED AT LIVERPOOL’S FIRST SNEAKER FESTIVAL LACES OUT! By Rob May

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SERIAL KIDDERS NOEL FIELDING By Zoe Yvonne Delaney

Noel Fielding, the man Phil Jupitus magnificently described as ‘a Gothic George Best’, is 41 years old! Forty freaking one. This is like when I learned that Gwen Stefani was actually my mum’s age, all over again. It’s not that he’s especially baby faced; it’s just that he looks like he’d be more at home smoking outside Bold St Coffee with graduates, rather than down the local pub, playing darts (I have no idea what men in their forties actually do; I’m just lazily stereotyping). Either way, he’s looking good for his age - he could probably still blag a student ticket on an Arriva bus. Perhaps ‘The Fountain of Youth’ from Fielding’s most notable work, The Mighty Boosh, actually does exist? In the hit TV show, Fielding played the ultimate confuser (“Is it a man? Is it a woman? I’m not sure if I mind!”), Vince Noir. Alongside his highly wound sidekick, Howard Moon (Julian Barratt), The Boosh amassed a cult like following and took viewers on a surreal journey through time and space with their unique brand of comedy. Androgynous Vince; with his childlike outlook on life, narcissism and impressive hair hubris (“A basic back-comb structure, slightly root-boosted framing with a cheeky fringe”) quickly became one of the most popular characters in British comedy. The multi-award winning comedy troupe went on to produce three BBC series; two live UK tours and see Fielding and Barratt dubbed ‘the funniest double-act in Britain’ by NME. Since we last saw him in Zooniverse and Nabootique, Noel has been busy going solo. There has been two series of the inescapably whimsical Luxury Comedy, an inspired stint as a team captain on Never Mind the Buzzcocks, the infamous appearances on Big Fat Quiz and now he’s about to embark on a nationwide tour - his first in five years. An Evening with Noel Fielding promises to be a magical mix of his eccentric brand of stand-up comedy, live animation and music. There will even be some special guests too as he’s taking his brother, Mike Fielding (Naboo) and Luxury’s Tom Meetan along with him on the 34 date stint. It certainly sounds like it’s going to be value for money.

I caught up with Noel to discuss the upcoming Liverpool date but to be honest, we mainly ended up chatting about beards, Cliff Richard and Russell Brand’s move into politics. OPEN: So, your live show is called An Evening with Noel Fielding – it sounds more like an ITV special with the likes of Michael Buble rather than a comedy show? NOEL: Haha, that is the angle I’m going for, there are going to be a lot of Frank Sinatra covers [...] When I booked it, I didn’t really know what kind of show it was going to be – I hadn’t written it. I was thinking it may be an amalgam of things; I knew I wanted to do some stand-up, I have some characters and have people with me - quite a mixture.

But yeah, I was aware of what I did with the title. I did do it slightly tongue in cheek because it’s really not the sort of show I would ever do and it really made me laugh – it’s the sort of thing Barry Humphries would do. They’ll definitely be a mention to Michael Buble now you’ve said that though. The thing is with ‘An Evening With…’ is that it sounds like you’re 70 and ITV are giving you a pat on the back for being amazing but Buble has got to be incorporated into it too, now. A lot of the Operation Yewtree suspects loved a good old fashioned ‘An Evening With…’ but I reckon we’re safe with Buble. We hope.

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Yeah well this doesn’t go to print for a few weeks so you never know…. What’s happening with Cliff at the moment, is he alright? I hope to God he didn’t do anything. If Cliff goes then the whole fabric of society will disintegrate. The whole of the 70’s are going to be in prison, that’s what’s happening. Oh it’s horrible. It’s looking that way. Now your last solo show was scheduled in 2010 but, according to the fountain of knowledge that is Wikipedia, it got postponed due to you working on The Boosh movie. Where the hell is that film? We didn’t really know what to do. Oh God, I don’t know what we were doing. We were supposed to be going to America to do a show... then we decided no to that. Then we started writing a film but we didn’t know which one to write so we wrote half of a film, it was a musical like Rocky Horror, and then a different half of another film. They didn’t go together, obviously, which wasn’t useful to anyone. We ended up doing neither of those things and I started working on an animated thing while Julian worked on something else – it was a bit of a shambles at that point. Also, that last big Boosh tour, it was like 100 dates - I was wasn’t really in shape to tour. But I’m back! Has it really been that long? 2010? I like doing that, keeps people on their toes. It looks like it’s took me four years to pluck up the courage to come back on tour but I’ve done three series of the Buzzcocks, two of Luxury and I’ve done little bits of stand-up, but not a tour. I have been busy. I’m not judging. Are you looking forward to this long awaited tour then? Yeah, it’s going to be nice to see some faces. Comedy is best with an audience otherwise it all feels a bit weird; making it in secret and putting it on telly. You don’t really know how it’s gone; you get ratings and a few reviews but it’s not the same as going out into a room full of people.

When I was texting all my friends showing off that I was interviewing you, I noticed that the iPhone decides to autocorrect your name to Noël. What do you think about Apple giving you a Christmassy edge - too hipster? I was born on Christmas Day, just like Jesus. Haha, no I wasn’t... I knew, I have read your Wikipedia after all. Speaking of hipsters - the man who created Vince Noir must be a tiny bit hipster?

“ Comedy is best with an audience otherwise it all feels a bit weird; making it in secret and putting it on telly. ” You know what, no - I’m not like that. I’ve got loads of friends from Shoreditch who’ve got massive beards, short hair, tattoos – that seems to be the new hipster look, doesn’t it? When I went to Brooklyn, the Williamsburg crew all had massive beards – it’s quite funny, it’s like sitting in a convention of lumberjacks. Everyone looks like their dad, it’s all quite weird. I can’t really grow a great beard. And also, I’ve never wanted a massive beard. Do I really want something that covers up my face? That seems like a waste!! Haha, no, I’m joking. Too late, that’s going to be the headline of the interview. The truth is I’m just not very good at growing a beard. It all goes a bit rubbish. Russell can grow a good one, Russell

Brand. Ahhh, speaking of Russell, he tweeted you the other day – are you guys really going to reunite as the Goth Detectives for The Big Fat Quiz of the Year? Yeah we might be…(intriguing voice) Really? Maybbbbbeeeeee I want an exclusive, come on. Ahhh ok. I don’t know if I’m allowed to say. I’m taking this as a yes, Noel. Ah, are you? We might be, we might not… hahaha. I haven’t got black hair anymore - I can’t do it! You can! Come on, hair dye is like a fiver from Boots. Alright then. Five quid from Boots, yeah? I’ll speak to Russell and see what he says. He’ll find the Big Fat Quiz too flippant now he’s a politician. He has gone political of late, hasn’t he? Are you planning to join him on the revolution? Well, the thing is, I’d like to… no, basically. Hahaha. I’ve heard that he’s currently writing a political manifesto. Really? I know! It’s insane isn’t it? He’s gone serious. And I think Eddie Izzard is running for Mayor at some point – all the comedians are going for it. I better get involved somehow. I don’t really know how; it’s not my vibe, that. Maybe I could remake The Monster Raving Looney Party? You could form The Goth Detectives Party with Russell? The Goth Detective Party! Everyone has to wear black! We can spray all the Boris Bikes black, it will be amazing. I’m up for that, let’s do it!

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When you discuss this with Russell I want full credit. Haha, okay. I’ll wear a badge saying “It was Zoe’s idea” and if it all goes wrong we’ll definitely, definitely say it was your idea. Yeah but if it goes right then I’m laughing, I’ve started a political revolution. If it goes really wrong then we’ll all have to grow beards. Deal. I’ll probably grow a better one than you by the sounds of things. Haha. Basically we’ll grow massive beards and stand in Shoreditch then all my mates will get arrested instead of us. My mate Baccy has such a good beard, it’s huge. I was like, “how long did that take?” and he claims two months. I was like, “get lost, it would take me about ten years to grow that”. What do you think about them, you like them? Not for me. I’m not sure why girls are pretending we really fancy men with them - grow a personality, not a beard. My dad had a beard growing up, so I sort of have a fondness for them, though. My dad in the 90’s had a beard, sleeve tattoos and smoked rolls up – he’d be so on trend now. He was the pioneer of the look. Either that or just a bit lazy. Now we’ve gone a bit off topic with talk of beards and politics – any plans for the return of The Boosh? Maybe. The thing is, never say never. It’s difficult because when you get involved in something, you have to see it through and it takes a while. I don’t know when we’ll both be free but we still do fantasise about writing the film. Well you should get cracking, Wikipedia has blown your cover with that one– you’ve got people excited! I know! We need a year where we can sit down and write. People have such a fondness of The Mighty Boosh and it lives on in their memories so we don’t want to come back and do something not as good. True. A lot of the great series bow out after two or three series. Ah yeah, that’s true. If we came back and do something not very good then we’ll have undone all the good work that’s been done. It’s tricky. You never know what to do.

You can give me a ring once you’ve wrote it and I’ll let you know… Yeah we’ll try that. I’ll send it to you and you let me know. That would be great. I promise I won’t leak it - I won’t even save it to iCloud or anything! I’ll send it to you in a beard! I best start befriending those who enjoy the lumberjack look, then.

An Evening With Noel Fielding: 7th and 8th November, Echo Arena. Tickets (£28) available from echoarena.com

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SERIAL KIDDERS CARDINAL BURNS By Robbie Muldoon

The sketch show theme was past its sell by date after the turn of the millennium. A format that had been milked dry of laughs by Harry Enfield and Chums throughout the 90s needed a rest, despite attempts at a revival by Mitchell and Webb, and Armstrong and Miller. What British comedy really needed in 2012 was a pair of funny-looking fresh faces to come along and photobomb pop culture. Dustin Demri-Burns and Seb Cardinal did just that with their E4 debut series - Cardinal Burns. After critical acclaim, comedy awards and a BAFTA nomination, Cardinal Burns returned on Channel 4 earlier this year. If a sketch show is only as strong as its characters, Cardinal Burns can call on a brilliant roster of ridiculous spoofs, spins, and sleazeballs to have you in stitches. The ‘Office Flirts’ are two men who roam the floor of your typical administrative office space preying on stuffy women; one a hopeless social mis-fit, a square peg in a round hole of testosterone and the other a slick tongued, leather jacket wearing office temp who sticks little strips of fake facial hair - or ‘fanny ticklers’ - to his face.

There is also Hashtag and Bukake; a pair of Top Gun infused Turkish min-cab drivers who greet each other by running their fingers under one another’s noses, indicative of sleazy back seat encounters with their female passengers. And then there is the takedown of Banksy, the coolest street artist of our generation, portrayed as an insufferable bore who gets bullied by his ‘son’ Daniel, swings with his wife Gill (she prefers the other men), and shops for his paint at Homebase. We spoke to the comedy couple as they hit the road; taking their show on tour and out of London with a performance set for Liverpool at The Epstein Theatre in October, as part of Liverpool Comedy Week 2014. OPEN: The Guardian reviewed your current live show and described it as an “Absurd night of cut-above comedy”. Is absurd a good way of describing your style of comedy? Dustin: Yeah, in some ways it is, isn’t it Seb? It’s somewhat absurd. Seb: Yeah, yeah. I suppose a lot of sketch comedy is absurd anyway by its nature. It does get pretty strange and surreal in places. I saw your tweet at the weekend asking for any recommendations of places to go out when you come up to Liverpool - the seedier the better! Did you get any ideas? Dustin: We got a few tweets back just giving us the names of dodgy bars. We’ll avoid the seedier places probably. We’ll go some-

where really nice and have a polite dinner. We would have recommended The Grafton but it’s closed down now. Dustin: I think someone suggested that. It was famous for its grab-a-granny nights. Seb: Sounds good. Sounds right up our street! Dustin: Grab-a-granny night it sounds brilliant! Now I still find that some people haven’t heard or seen Cardinal Burns... Dustin: Yeah So, if I can - I just want to play a little game to help those who haven’t seen your show get a good idea of what you’re about. I’m going to name a pair of famous duos and you have to tell me which duo Cardinal Burns is more like, okay? Seb: Okay. First off, Laurel and Hardy or Beavis and Butthead? Dustin: Ooooh. Seb: Beavis and Butthead. Dustin: Beavis and Butthead, yeah... [The pair laugh back and forth Beavis and Butthead style] Armstrong and Miller or Bert and Ernie?

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Dustin: Bert and Ernie.

Dustin: [Laughs]

Kind with Lenny Henry, Tracy Ullman and a guy called David Copperfield, not the magician. But actually, now that I’m having to mention them, they’re not that famous are they? What about the Marx Brothers, wasn’t there three of them?

Seb: Oh, fucking hell.

Dustin: No, there were four.

Dustin: Did he say Chuckle? [Laughing]

Seb: Was it four? No, it’s a good point. There’s no famous trios... Oh, The League of Gentleman, of course!

And lastly, Ant and Dec or the Chuckle Brothers?

Are you going for the Chuckle Brothers? Seb: Yeah, fuck it, why not? Dustin: Put us down for two Chuckle Brothers, please. Okay, so that’s a cross between Beavis and Butthead, Bert and Ernie, and the Chuckle Brothers type of description we can go for? Seb: [Laughing] Dustin: Yeah, that describes us to a tee! By the way; why are there no famous comedy threesomes, do you think? Seb: There was a show called Three of a

Ah! What were your first memories of meeting each other? Dustin: The first time I met Seb, it was at Film School in Edinburgh, and he was on the verge of splitting up with his girlfriend and he was describing how he was going to go home and all the different ways he was going to try and kill himself... It was a mime act. Seb: It was a shotgun, wasn’t it? I kept blowing parts of my face off accidently but not dying. And I would try and stick the pieces of my face back on and I was getting more and more upset and kept shooting myself but it didn’t work.

Very dark! Have you ever had any creative differences? If so, how were they resolved? Dustin: I think we’ve never come to blows over anything, but when ideas come up that one of us are more keen on, you hear the other one out but if it’s something you can’t really get behind it usually sort of stops the other one from developing it as well. So we’ll move on from an idea if it doesn’t quite stick or gel between us. Now and again it will develop and work but usually it won’t get much further. [At this point I picture a graveyard of aborted Cardinal Burns characters] Do you get people impersonating your characters back to you in the street? Dustin: We get a lot of “Rachael, pleeeeeeeease.” We always find it such a weird catchphrase. It’s one of the only catchphrases from the show and it’s the weirdest one, saying, “Rachael, pleeease” out of context, but there’s the odd little line. Which character seems to be the most popular?

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Dustin: I think the girls, Young Dreams and Banksy seem to be the favourites. Has anybody brushed their fingers beneath your nose for a smell, in Hashtag and Bukake style yet? Dustin: [Laughing] Seb: [Laughing] No. I wish we had more of that! Yeah. It’s fair to describe some of your sketches as a bit dark. Do you ever want to go darker than you’re allowed to?

Seb: Unfortunately, it seems to be the case for a lot of comics. Well, it’s quite fun to explore the darker side of people because together with the lighter side of people that’s where you get quite funny and interesting stuff. What can fans of the TV series expect to see from your live show? Dustin: It’s characters from the show but a lot of new stuff as well. Stuff that we’ve been developing over the years, before we started TV. It’s not reliant on repeating the characters set-up on the show.

Seb: I think it’s more us censoring ourselves, there has been a few times - like in the second series - we played these festival stewards who go on a killing rampage and we were sort of questioning if we went too far.

Seb: It’s got its own life, really.

Dustin: The channel actually gives us a long leash.

Is that a series three?

There has been a lot written recently in the wake of Robin Williams’ suicide that for many comedians their humour comes from a dark place. How true would you say this is?

Any hints to new characters that we can expect to see? Dustin: Are we allowed to say Seb? I can never tell? Seb: It’s early stages yet but there are two characters who haven’t appeared in the series yet, but we’ve been told we’ve got to keep it under wraps at the moment. Thanks for your time boys and we’ll catch you in Liverpool. Dustin: Cheers, we’ll see you in that bar afterwards - grab-a-granny at The Grafton!

What are your plans after the tour? Seb: We’re writing a new series at the moment, it’s keeping us pretty busy.

Seb: Yeah, we’re developing that inbetween the tour, basically. Is it true you are working on a sitcom? Seb: Yeah, that’s the aim yes.

Cardinal Burns: Live, Thursday 2nd October, The Epstein Theatre. Tickets (£16.50) available from epstein.ticketline.co.uk

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SERIAL KIDDERS TOM STADE By Zoe Yvonne Delaney

“Is this Zoe? I’m so sorry – I’m in a basement flat with no signal and got a bit off my face last night with all the partying. I’ve just got your missed calls”. It’s 11.30am on a Tuesday morning and comedian Tom Stade has finally called me back. Our interview was scheduled for 10am and I may have gone a little ‘pyscho ex-girlfriend’ when he went straight to voicemail; ringing and texting frantically. Tom Stade is a rising star with rave reviews. Tom Stade has earned a reputation as one of the most original and exciting stand ups around. Tom Stade, however, is also not punctual. “Oh, it’s ok,” I lie. “I get no signal in my flat either so I understand”. The last bit isn’t a lie (Seriously EE, sort your life out) – I’ve been absolutely freezing, hanging off my balcony for over an hour just to ensure I had a few bars of signal ready from when the comic was ready to call me back. I’m cold and cranky. “Oh cool, so we’re no ‘3G buddies’ then?” he quips with his trademark stoner drawl. “Are you ready to do the interview now?” Oh, I’m ready to get this interview over and done with – my nipples could cut glass. He better be funny. Turns out he is funny – very funny. He won me over within minutes and quickly proved just why he’s on his way to becoming a household name. He’s charismatic, warm, and witty and he answers absolutely anything presented to him– even questions about bestiality (really). Since arriving in the UK, Canadian-born Stade has built up a reputation as a first class stand-up comedian; with his magnetic stage presence and impeccable storytelling skills. You may not clock the name straight away but his face, and distinctive voice, will most likely leave you saying ‘Ahhhh I know who that is’. His performances on shows such as Live at the Apollo, Stand Up for the Week and The Boyle Variety Show have ensured that he has become a recognisable face on the comedy circuit. “I love playing in Liverpool,” he enthusiastically declares when we get chatting about his forthcoming gig in the city. “I’ve been many times. Most of the time I go to a place called the Slaughter House, which is one my favourite places to work -in my top three of places to play. It’s such a little venue in a basement where you can get so connected to an audience; a lot of places you don’t get that connection. It’s the perfect condition for

comedy and plus, I kinda like Liverpudlian people – they don’t take much shit.” Scousers not taking much shit? That sounds like a fair shout. Comedians don’t either – a quick google while I was waiting for him to call me (I am actually over it, I swear) reveals that stand-ups get a bit pissy about boring interviews. I decide to try and make the interview a bit more entertaining rather than just asking him about his worst on stage experiences and other generic questions. OPEN: Wanna play ‘Would you rather?’, Tom? TOM: Sure, go ahead... Ok, Would you rather be 4”4 or 7”7? 7”7 – defo. That was the simple one to ease you in. Now, would you rather fuck a goat and nobody know or everyone think you’ve fucked a goat when you haven’t? [Big laughs] My ego says one but my heart says two! I’m a bit of a showboater... I’d rather everyone thought I fucked a goat and didn’t, than actually fuck one and not be able to brag about it. I’m going with ‘everyone thinking I’ve fucked a goat when I haven’t.’ Sweat mayonnaise or shit footballs? I’ll defo go with sweating mayo, simply for the fact I could make money from jarring it. But it would be sweaty mayo? Still mayo. Fair enough. Last one – eat a cactus or poo a cactus? I cannot believe I’m answering these. I will answer but just because you sound like a fun person. I think I would shit a cactus. Just so they’d go: ‘Isn’t that the guy that fucked a goat whilst sweating mayo? Did he just shit out a cactus?’

At this point Tom’s signal gives up and I worry that the only thing I’ve got from this interview is his ingenious plan to make money from sweaty mayo. Luckily he calls me back and we get chatting about the big news on the internet that morning - Sir Ian Botham accidentally tweeting a picture of penis. “If you’ve taken a picture of your dick, it’s not an accident that you’ve tweeted it. It’s not like “Ooooo, how did this picture of my dick get in my photo album?” He laughs when we discuss Beefy’s disturbing looking length. “With that said, it’s not that I’m against people sending dick pics around, but let’s just be real and not call it an accident”. Have you ever sent one? Accident or not? No. I wouldn’t send one in the fear that my daughter, who follows me on Twitter, could end up seeing and that’s the last thing she’s going to want to look at. Speaking of Twitter, are you a fan of it or not? Some comedians resent it due to how easily their jokes can be stolen on the site. I love Twitter! For many years I was against it until I signed up and got hooked. It’s sort of like being in a play – it’s instant gratification. And who doesn’t love instant gratification? I write something and 10 seconds later someone replies to me. I’m like ”Honey, my family may think I’m just okay, but this guy on Twitter thinks I’m dynamite!” Hopefully, Tom will receive the gratification he enjoys when he comes to Liverpool this October, with his fantastic UK tour, ‘Decisions Decisions’.

Tom Stade: Decisions Decisions , Friday 24th October, St Georges Hall. Tickets (£16) available from laughterhousecomedy.com

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WELCOME TO LIVERPOOL 2014: THE OPEN GUIDE By OPEN Staff Images: Adam Akins & Maxime Loisel

Liverpool: a city home to 1.5 million people and between the months of September and May 50,000 students. That’s a population influx the size of Crosby, loaded with £150m worth of student loans to spunk away on vodbulls, clothes and kebabs. It basically amounts to the same boost for the local economy as having ten Wayne Rooney’s move back home (just roll with that analogy).

BASIC SURVIVAL TIPS

Inspired by this annual flooding of freshers - a cycle that delivers new life to the city, an injection of vibrancy, and a river of visitors to the GUM clinics - and because we wanted to publish a good SEO based article (if you know what SEO means you’re probably feeling like you need to get out more, so this article also works for you) we have compiled our own honest welcome guide to Liverpool 2014: self-pity city in the eyes of Boris Johnson, a city on ecstacy to just about everybody else.

Another sure way to attract negative attention would to be seen with a copy of the Sun newspaper anywhere in public. This especially applies to barbers/ salons and any venues screening football matches.

Scousers have a good sense of humour, but if you want to register yourself as a potential target for mistreatment then just lay on a crap scouse accent and wave your arms up and down as you do a terrible Harry Enfield ‘calm-down’ impression. It will go down like a fart in a lift.

PEOPLE AND PLACES TO AVOID An especially good thing about Liverpool is that all its major attractions and destinations are relatively close to each other. The city is squashed up against the River Mersey (the other side of the river is not Liverpool), so there isn’t a sprawling metropolis like Manchester. So, if you can, you should avoid catching the bus at all costs. Sure, good people use buses, but so do some of the most feral and unhinged types inhabiting the city. Mixing with those kinds in a confined space is an experience that will leave you with a new perspective on society. The buses are always full and that empty seat next to you will get taken by the bus crank who will either; a) tell you all about when they used to ‘run this part of town’; b) have a full blown argument with their spouse on the phone in a way that indicates domestic violence; or c) vomit at any moment as their body rattles from the recent smack blast.

THE LOCAL LINGO The main problem for a lot of people

from outside of the city when engaging in discourse with a scouser is the speed at which we talk. A conscious effort is sometimes needed to decipher the words flying out the mouth in machine gun fashion. Once the adjustment to the pace of local speaking is made, you will need to translate some of the slang, of which there is a fair bit. Here are some examples. Beaut: No, this is not a contraction for beauty. If somebody calls you this it is to be derogatory: basically it means fool or arsehole. Bizzies: The swine, the filth, the pigs, the bacon, just another term for the police. Garys: Gary Ablett was a footballer who played for both Everton and Liverpool during the 80s and 90s at the time ecstacy was sweeping clubs in the city. Ablett rhymes with tablet, but nowadays, thanks to drug-prohibition profiteers, garys aren’t rarely contain ecstacy, just a mix of some dangerous shit you don’t want to be putting in your body.

PLACES TO EAT Maggie May’s 90 Bold Street, L1 You’re in Liverpool, so you’re going to have to chow down on the city’s signature dish, scouse. Maggie May’s dishes out delicious bowls of the meaty stuff for under 4 quid a pop. Make sure to order beetroot on the side and a fresh baguette to mop up all the bits you can’t get with your spoon - yes, you eat it with a spoon. American Pizza Slice 52 Whitechapel, L1 6EG The smell emanating from the open front shop of American Pizza Slice will lift you off your feet and pull you into its orbit like a black hole, leaving you slumped in a chair outside as a floppy slice of an American

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pizzas should be done, American style, obviously. Free State Kitchen 1 Maryland Street, L1 9DE Street-food is so hot right now, if it turned up to an audition on X-Factor it would have Simon Cowell in tears of joy, and this American styled restaurant is taking it and running with it. The Double French Onion Burger on their menu is labelled as ‘WINNER OF THE LIVERPOOL BURGER CHALLENGE 2013’; it’s not clear on whose authority and we may have to launch our own burger challenge to ascertain for certain, but we wouldn’t bet against it.

PLACES TO DRINK Camp and Furnace 67 Greenland Street, L1 0BY This Scandinavian style converted warehouse complex is one place you will find yourself spending many hours in; be it knocking back a glass of wine in front of the blazing log fire, tucking into tasty street-food during Food Slam Fridays, or catching one of an array of events they hold throughout the year. Camp is the place to unwind and enjoy a drink with a few friends. Santa Chupitos 41 Slater Street, L1 4BX A cocktail emporium on the corner of cobbled streets in the Ropewalks area of Liverpool. Look hard enough and you will see the outside covered in the art work of Brazilian street artist Cranio Artes. Santa’s has a real intimate vibe as people push into its confined space, but that just gives you a great excuse to talk to the person you have been eyeing up as your hand ‘accidently’ touches their arse. Definitely try the $5 Shake; a milk bottle full of cream and an alcohol percentage high enough to drop an elephant. Brooklyn Mixer 78 Seel Street, L1 4BH The Brooklyn Mixer is great because from the outside it actually looks like a building you would expect to see in Brooklyn, only without the poverty stricken residents sippin’ sizzurp on the porch steps. A great fix of classic soul and hip-hop beats with resident DJs on all floors regularly throw down the maddest and baddest block party vibes. No dress policy, no booth hire, no table service, real people, good music, good times.

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PLACES TO SHOP

Resurrection

Liverpool has all the same major brand shops as any other large city (fuck you globalisation!); Zara, Urban Outfitters, JD Sports, Topshop - you get the picture. What you want to know is where the shops exclusive to the city are that offer an alternative to the identikit high street.

27-29 Bold St, L1 4DN Branded casual streetwear for men and women stocking well-known brands such as Carhartt, Sugarhill Boutique, Vans and Glamorous, as well as some unique and unusual vintage fashion items. It says on their website that one of their famous customers was once Samuel L Jackson so yes, they stock Kangol.

Weaver’s Door 1, Cavern Walks Shopping Centre, L2 6RE Smart/casual menswear shop ran by lads who know their stuff. Great stock all year round but excels in its autumn/winter wears with coats and jackets and threads for that layered up look that works so well when still being light outside at 9pm is a distant memory. Brands include Grenson, Norse Projects, and Oliver Spencer.

Cricket 9 Cavern Walks, L2 6RE Cricket is Liverpool’s best-known designer boutique, thanks to the city’s football players and their WAGs who you will spot walking around the city carrying the signature Zebra striped store bags. Ok, if you’re a student you are priced out of shopping here; rent and food > Balenciagas.

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PLACES TO PARTY Abandon Silence Returning this October after a little summer hiatus as they took their electronic showcase to Croatia and a boat party at Hideout Festival. These boys have an eye for talent and guest artists to perform at Abandon Silence in its first few years have included Disclosure, James Blake, and SBTRKT amongst many more. Held every month or so, recent nights have taken place at the Kazimier, crammed to its 500 capacity. Aura 1 Mount Pleasant, L3 5SX This venue has a place in the hearts of many scousers as one of the spiritual homes of dance music in the city as the old 051 nightclub (how much more parochial can you get than naming your venue after the area code?). With a 2,000 capacity, Aura is capable of attracting internationally known DJs, and works with different promoters so there is always something for the weekend crowd or the students midweek. Chibuku Bookers of some of the biggest names on the house/techno scene, Chibuku Shake Shake is an event that started in Liverpool and spread as an award winning party. Nights are mainly held in the East Village Arts Club and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re guaranteed to get very sweaty and messy. Circus The brainchild of Liverpoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Yousef, Circus put the city firmly on the house and techno world map just over ten years ago and continues to grow strong with a reputation enhanced further with a recent quality Boiler Room session. Freeze At the forefront of the substantial underground house scene that has taken root in Liverpool. Freeze attracts internationally renowned DJs to its boundary breaking nights. The venues are exciting and truly rare, be it; a bombed out church, underground tunnels, or the pomp of St. Georges Hall, Freeze creates a unique experience every time mixed in with a real communal feeling amongst the crowd.

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Cream 1-3 Wolstenholme Square, L1 4JJ Probably the biggest global Liverpool music export since The Beatles. Cream is known worldwide with festivals on multiple continents and a 20-year residency in Ibiza. The biggest names in dance music come from all over the world to play at Cream’s spiritual home of Nation in Wolstenholme Square. It touches all genres of dance but has the EDM stars covered like nobody else. Garlands 8-10 Eberle St, L2 2AG From Thursday onwards, Garlands is guaranteed to be one of the busiest places in the city with a reputation built on good music and a welcoming atmosphere. It is a gay club so door policy is a bit stricter than anywhere else in town. If you look like there’s a chance you could cause trouble in there you won’t be getting in - although that hasn’t stopped Joey Barton in the past. Get Down Presents October’s booking is Trikk, reigning from Portugal and now residing in London. He has been gathering momentum over the past couple of years, has two Boiler Room appearances, and has signings to Scuba’s label Hotflush and Pet’s Recordings as well as ManMakeMusic. This is an event for the househeads and has weekly shows for the student

crowd at Heebie Jeebies Basement and a monthly regular at The Shipping Forecast. Juicy Starting up in Manchester, this hip-hop night can now also be found in London and Liverpool. Hosted in The Shipping Forecast every Thursday this is one strictly for the students looking to party to a mix of Biggie Smalls and Nicki Minaj collaborations. Less Effect Less Effect is a club night focused on bringing the freshest and most exciting names in electronic music to Liverpool; with arguably one of the most diverse sets of residents the city has to offer, ensuring that no event is the same as the last. These underground nights can be found holed up in some dusty venue around the Baltic Triangle with an RC1 sound system on blast. Medication A rites of passage for students in Liverpool. Every Wednesday Nation hosts this rowdy night for up to 2,000 of the city’s students looking for a big midweek blow out and vodbulls at dirt cheap prices. It ticks all the boxes and remains a staple of the student experience, hand-in-hand with STIs - which, ironically, will leave you needing a different type of medication.

MODU:LAR One of the newest nights on the block, MODU:LAR looks to assemble a regular line up of quality underground artists - ones that are progressing towards the very forefront of their minimal, dubby Techno genre. Early events were held in large warehouse spaces down the Baltic Triangle area of town but have since moved to one of the city’s most interesting and iconic club spaces, The Magnet basement. RUBIX Regularly pull together an incredible line-up blending globally recognized DJs with the best local talent and can be found reverberating the foundations of a warehouse space around the Baltic Triangle area. From October they will be launching a weekly Thursday night, RBX, an alternative to the usual shite students nights; listening to Grease, Chesney Hawks and the Spice Girls. It will be free with good drink offers consisting of house, techno and everything in between.

So there you go, Liverpool; former home of the Beatles and Wayne Rooney - now a temporary playground for 50,000 students and literally boatloads of tourists who keep so many people in jobs that we haven’t got any choice but to welcome you all with open arms!

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GAME OF LOANS! MARC JONES, PROMOTER OF THE MEDICATION NIGHTWATCH... TELLS OPEN ABOUT HIS LIVERPOOL

CLUB LAND I love the fact that Liverpool never let in the big corporate clubs! All Liverpool’s greatest clubs and venues have been independent ! I learnt so much from Cream in the 90’s about how to put on a big event and more importantly, no matter how big the club, if you treat every person who comes through the doors as part of one big happy family, they will reward you with loyalty for years to come. I also have so much admiration for the Chibuku boys and what Yousef does with Circus is always stunning. Voodoo, was such a brilliant techno club and No Fakin’s hip hop nights were just immense. Also Garlands and Liquidation ( Liverpool’s longest running indie night) both still going strong after 20 years and also the Krazyhouse were I spent 10 happy years as DJ and promoter!

PROMOTERS These are real mavericks! They are the people responsible for filling clubs and attracting the best up and coming DJ’s and bands to the city. Promoters, are the true visionaries, the musical adventurers who are constantly ahead of the game! All of them have run with bands and DJ’s when they could only pull one man and his not arsed dog! As a promoter, you are only as good as your last show and if it stiffs, you go hungry or you heard back to your parents to raid the fridge.

However, I like to think there is a small group of us, a band of brothers who have tried our damnedest to bring the best new music to this city. I have a lot of time for Mike Deane from Liverpool Music Week, Tom Lynch from Harvest Sun and I love what he is doing with Psych Fest with Craig Pennington! However, the main man is and will always be Roger Eagle, the man who put on the Clash, Ramones & Sex Pistols at Erics and in Liverpool. Also up there is James Barton and Darren Hughes who were the mad men at the height of Cream, Richard McGinnis at Chibuku, Dave C at the Warehouse and Royal Court, now Revo from Evol (who has just been nominated for Indie Promoter of the year) but I also like to think I have played my part, running Medication for nearly 20 years and also giving Radiohead, Oasis, PJ Harvey and The Verve some of their earliest gigs in the city.

cities like Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester! Then all of a sudden Cream happened and it became the jewel in the north’s clubbing crown, overtaking the Hacienda! All of a sudden people starting flocking to the city from all over the country and very soon students started to come as well! Not long after that Medication started up and the rest is history and while it’s a simplistic view to say Cream caused this rejuvenation of the city, it certainly helped kick start it! I love September in Liverpool, it’s usually good weather and there is such a massive buzz about the place when the new students arrive on mass for Freshers! It’s not just clubs and bars who welcome them back, everybody does....shops, cinemas, restaurants, chippies, taxis! Even the cynics who think ‘bloody students’ acknowledge the cultural and financial impact they have on the city these days!

STUDENTS

SOUND CITY

I was explaining to some new students that back in the late 80’s and early 90’s that Liverpool was probably the last place on earth students wanted to come to. We were so lagging behind

I was live events director for the first two years of Liverpool Sound City and together with festival booker Revo we put well over 300 bands ( It was a 4 day festival in 2008 and 2009) I think that

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first one helped create the template for its future success. Never easy to start off with and in year one I never saw one band as I was fighting fires across 30 different venues but it was amazing. I think the first year was always the most successful until the past couple of years when it has just gone from strength to strength! Dave Pichilingi, is one of my best friends although we do have some cracking differences of opinion. I once accused him of being Brian Clough and me Peter Taylor but he turned round and said ‘Are you joking...you are Cloughie!’ No argument and you know what maybe I am. I quite like that. This year I came back in as a consultant as part of a great team and thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. It will be very interesting to see how it develops this year because big changes are in place for next year.

people who have been connected to the music or night time economy that I have met! These include Doreen Allen from Erics and Planet X, Geoff Davies from Probe, Ian McNabb, Ian McCulloch & Will Sergeant, Pete Wylie, Paul Simpson, Pete Byrne, Peasey, Roger Hill, Jayne Casey, Bernie Connor, Ian Prowse and Rob Gutmann but also from club land Andy Carroll, Lee Butler, Dave Booth & Dave Graham. I think Liverpool’s underground has been small but very influential and I have nothing but admiration for all the bands, musicians, photographers, graphic designers... artists like Jamie Reid who did the Sex Pistols artwork and new artists like Boneface! It’s not easy making a living being a creative in Liverpool and perhaps we don’t get the recognition but we know who we are and we are very proud of what we do!

GREAT CHARACTERS Liverpool is so full of great people, not those scousers who get off to London and never come back! Amazing people who are warm, witty and with have more great stories than the Arabian nights. In my line of work it’s mostly

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GET ON IT TICKETS TO THE NIGHTS THAT MATTER All tickets available from 3B Records & Tickets, 5 Slater Street, Liverpool 3brecords.co.uk @3brecordsLTD info@3brecords.co.uk 0151 353 7027

LESS EFFECT - 1ST BIRTHDAY

CREAM BIRTHDAY PART 1

Saturday 4th October, 24 Kitchen Street, Tickets £11.25, Doors 10pm – 4am

Saturday 11th October Nation Tickets available in store only

Om Unit and Alex Coulton will be on the decks as one of the city’s newest electronic underground music nights, Less Effect, celebrates turning a year old. Expect the usual mix of bass, dubstep, grime and techno.

A line up that includes; Chuckie, Oliver Heldens, Danny Howard, Paul van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold amongst many others.

CYRIL HAHN Tuesday 7th October, The Magnet Tickets £13.70

LIVERPOOL MUSIC WEEK 2014; EVOL AND CAMP AND FURNACE PRESENT: CARIBOU Thursday 23rd October, Camp and Furnace, Tickets £22, Doors 6:30pm – 11pm The UK’s largest indoor winter music festival takes place over 10-days for an impressive run of dates and kicking proceedings off are the magnificent Caribou; responsible for one of the favourite tunes of the summer, Can’t Do Without You. The event will be centred around the city’s two main artist gigging venues; Camp and Furnace and the Kazimier.

RUBIX HALLOWEEN SPECIAL Friday 31st October, District, Tickets £9, Doors 10pm This is going to be real party this one, limited capacity of 350 which will be a lock out on the night. Line up; Mendo (Clarisse Rec./Suara), Rudosa (Area Remote) and resident. Friday 31st October in District. Fancy dress encouraged.

YOUSEF PRESENTS CIRCUS: THE LEGENDARY HALLOWEEN FANCY DRESS PARTY Saturday 1st November, East Village Arts Club, Tickets £22.25, Doors 10pm – 4am When Yousef first conceived the idea of Circus over a decade ago, he wanted to promote a party in his then hometown of Liverpool for somewhere he could play quality

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electronic music and have fun. And from its first bass-reverberating session, Circus has evolved into one of the best house and techno parties on the planet. Circus has come a long way. What started off as a simple ‘house party’ in one small room has become a globally recognised club night of immense stature, reaching a decade of brilliant parties which inspire its audience and DJs alike. This year’s annual favourite Halloween party features sets from Yousef, Joseph Capriati, Oliver Dollar, and Kink.

SUPER WEIRD HAPPENINGS IN CONJUNCTION WITH FREEZE AND OXJAM Saturday 18th October Constellations Tickets £13.45 Doors 4pm - 4am As part of the Oxjam Liverpool Takeover, and in conjunction with Club Freeze, Greg Wilson and his new multi-media platform Super Weird Substance will be hosting a Super Weird Happening at the newest addition to the Baltic Triangle – Constellations / The Observatory on Greenland Street. This half-day extravaganza takes place on Saturday 18th October (4pm to 4am). This follows on from 2 memorable Greg Wilson appearances in Liverpool this year for Club Freeze – the most recent of which was an unforgettable day at the Bombed Out Church in July. There’ll also be special focus on live act Blind Arcade – a new outfit fronted by cult Manc icon Kermit Leveridge (Ruthless Rap Assassins, Black Grape) whose mixtape, Blind Arcade Meets Super Weird Substance In The Morphogenetic Field, enjoyed viral success during the summer months. As well as Greg Wilson, the twelve–hour event will include DJ sets from Kermit & Organic Gav, Bernie Connor, Derek Kaye, Danny Fitzgerald and Autocycle alongside a host of record stalls, live art and in-depth conversation hosted

by Bernie Connor with special guest John Higgs, who has written essential books about The KLF and Timothy Leary, joining Kermit Leveridge and Greg Wilson in discussion.

CHIBUKU PRESENTS DUSKY ‘THE NEXT STEP’ Saturday 18th October East Village Arts Club Tickets £20 Doors 10pm - 4am The deep house duo come to Liverpool as part of their autmn winter 2014 tour and take to the decks for an extended 4 hour set. 59

CHIBUKU PRESENTS HANNAH WANTS, BONDAX AND FRIENDS Saturday 15th November East Village Arts Club Tickets £17.85 Doors 10pm - 4am

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BEHIND THE DECKS: KERMIT LEVERIDGE RETURNING WITH BLIND ARCADE By Josh Ray

Although you’re probably most familiar with him through his work with Shaun Ryder in Black Grape, Kermit Leveridge’s genius runs far deeper than those contagiously wacky pop hits. Having cemented the foundations of the UK’s electro scene in the early 1980s with Broken Glass, Kermit continued to innovate in the 1990s with the Ruthless Rap Assassins – an outfit Roots Manuva pins at the “roots of grime.” After his hedonism took him to the very fringes of existence, Kermit needed time away from music, but he continued to write during this introspective period. Upon meeting Bristol born bass producer Luke Evermean AKA EVM-128 it soon became clear it was time to return. The pieces of Blind Arcade started falling together and after taking the project to DJ Greg Wilson, the Super Weird Substance label was formed and the three of them quickly set about making a mixtape. The resulting Blind Arcade Meets Super Weird Substance in the Morphogenetic Field spread organically over the summer, paving the way perfectly for an autumn UK tour, which will be taking over the Baltic Triangle’s Constellations and the Observatory for a full twelve hours on 18th October. OPEN: Where did the idea for Blind Arcade come from? There was never an initial idea for Blind Arcade - me and Luke were just getting stoned and making tunes together. Then and few people heard them and were going “shit, they’re really good!” We did a few more, and then I started listening to it and seeing the response from people and thinking “hmm…” And I got in touch with Greg but he was double busy at the time and it took him a while to get back to me actually but when he got the time to sit down and listen he was like “yeah, I’m in! They’re really good.”

It’s nice to be working with Greg again though - I like Greg. We have a really good understanding and friendship and respect for each other. That goes a long way. OPEN: You two go way back. Do you remember when you first met him? He was a DJ when I used to go to the clubs. He was a top DJ man, and we just got talking, we got chatting about stuff and we just got on. He started managing the breakdance crew Broken Glass and then a few years later I sent him some stuff from the Rap Assassins and he was like “yeah man, this is really good.” I trust Greg; he’s straight and honest with me. He’s a good barometer for what’s good from me. I know if Greg’s digging it, I’m right. OPEN: When you sent Greg the demos to put together the mixtape, he was clearly influenced a lot by John Higgs’ book about the KLF. Have you read it yourself? Haha yeah! We passed it around; I read it, Luke read it – everybody connected with it and interpreted it. It’s like with this mixtape as well it’s by serendipity not design – things have just appeared as they have done. The way it all came together, it was just like magic really. OPEN: There’s a lot of symbolism in the mixtape. One thing that jumps out is the sample taken from Donnie Darko. Do you believe destruction is a form of creation? Well it is; I had to destroy myself to become the person I am now. I understand that concept completely. I was dead twice - how much more can you destroy something! You have to break things to make things you have to. That’s one thing I’ve learned in life.

to release a 7” as a kind of catharsis to let you move on with Blind Arcade? Well yeah, that’s what it was. It was like a full stop on everything before. Fresh new page – bang! I’m not that crack-smoking heroin-injecting monster that I used to be. I could have been a bitter, twisted horrible person but I don’t want to be like that. I can’t rely on anyone else for my happiness and the thing that makes me happy is to make music and to write. So I’m going to do the best that I can at these things - to feed my soul. And if I can feed other people’s souls while I’m doing it, that’s a bonus. OPEN: Although you drew a line under that time with the poem, you still continue to explore darker territory with The Footprint. Can you tell us a little about that project? It’s totally different from Blind Arcade. People are going to be very surprised - after the things in Blind Arcade and then hearing that. It’s a lot darker; it’s the flipside of the Blind Arcade stuff. The Footprint is very heavy thought. It’s a very heavy thought that stops you and stuns you and blows your mind. OPEN: After you finish the autumn tour what’s on the horizon for Blind Arcade? Straight after we’ll be in the studio. Me and Luke work pretty quickly together so we’ve got a load of tracks backed up that are really good and we did a couple of new ones in Manchester and they went down a storm. We want people to come to these events and go away glowing and feeling good, you know. It’s all about love man, there’s enough shit going on in the world.

OPEN: Do you think you learned a lot about yourself during that period? Oh yeah! I know who I am now. I never used to know… I was a lot of different people to a lot of different people. It was when I made a decision to stop lying and doing certain things that everything just became easier. I just realised “wow, it doesn’t need to be like that!” I took it to the fringes - to the edges - to the margins. A lot of writers and musicians and artists, we tend to do that; push things to the edges. We’ve got to stand on the edge and glimpse into the abyss. We want to do that, we want to gain more knowledge; that muse - the inspiration whatever you want to call it. OPEN: Your poem Lies and Other Fools provides a harrowing insight into that darker period. Do you think you needed

Super Wierd Happenings in Liverpool, Sat 18th October with Kermit Leveridge at Constellations

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FOUND: YOUR CREATIVE SPACE

To enquire about booking the space, contact Chris Green chrisg@baltic-creative.com / 0151 708 5700 www.baltic-creative.com

These days, project work can be carried out independently by team members on opposite sides of the globe. In theory. In reality, nothing beats a collaboration of creative minds around the table. The Creative Space (within Baltic Creative) is a place that accommodates up to 30 people for workshops, events, film screenings and art exhibitions amongst other things. Commonly known as ‘the Big Shed in the cafe’, catering can be provided by Unit 51 - who supply a great range of drinks and bites to eat. All the A/V facilities you will need to augment your meetings are included; Windows laptop, HD short throw projector, 2m x 1.5m electric projector screen, 4x50W surround speaker system, Apple TV and full range of Apple adapters, plus the room is fully air conditioned and

Image: Pete Carr

there is a whiteboard, marker pens and paper - the essentials! Lucy Byrne of dot-art used the Creative Space as a workshop: “The room worked really well. The set-up was great and everyone on site was really helpful.” The space is free of charge to Baltic Creative tenants or available to hire for £30+VAT per hour to external clients.

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OPEN YOUR EARS AND HEAR... NELSON Who: Nelson, Jazz rap MC and producer from Aigburth, Liverpool.

When a short and polite email from a 19-year-old jazz rap emcee landed on the festering pile that is the OPEN inbox, my first thought was, ‘what’s a jazz rap?’ I’m assuming enough of you will be wondering the same thing, as it sounds like a collaboration between a really hip dad and his cool son... well, that’s basically what it is. The best

example I can give you is the 2004 song by Nas and his father, Olu Dara, “Bridging the Gap”. The lyrics are often based on political consciousness, Afrocentrism, and general positivism. Allmusic writes that the genre “was an attempt to fuse African-American music of the past with a newly dominant form of the present, paying tribute to and reinvigorating the former while expanding the horizons of the latter”. Musically, the rhythms have been typically those of hip hop rather than jazz, over which are placed repetitive phrases of jazz instrumentation: trumpet, double bass, etc. The amount of improvisation varies between artists: some groups improvise lyrics and solos, while many of them do not. A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Digable Planets are pioneers of the jazz rap genre. What Nelson brings in his first two

releases, from his debut mixtape, titled ‘Neo Noir’, is calm and a confidence as he drops dark, deep bars delivered with obvious intelligence. “You need to lighten up, life is but a quiz and the meaning of life is to find a reason to live...” is one positively philosophical and existential related line from Rhapsody. We eagerly await in anticipation to hear more from this promising young talent and his small collective of creative minded south-Liverpool individuals.

Listen to Nelson with the Layar App

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DON’T STOP THE MUSIC LIVERPOOL MUSIC WEEK KEEPS THE FESTIVAL VIBE GOING LONGER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE By Dave Crighton

Let’s face it, nothing breathes life into the UK summer more than a great music festival, and this country is blessed with some of the best in the world. Between May to September droves of people depart Liverpool to make annual pilgrimages to Isle of Wight, Glastonbury, Leeds and Reading amongst others. Without exchanging a word you can recognise a fellow scouser from a hundred yards and quite frankly they get anywhere where there’s real quality live music. Liverpool itself is like a microcosm of the wider festival world with the likes of Creamfields, Sound City and Liverpool International Music Festival showcasing the best local talent alongside top international bands, artists and Shaggy (throwing a strop in Sefton Park!). So, it’s quite fitting that this city keeps the festival vibe going later than anyone else with the UK’s largest indoor winter music festival, Liverpool Music Week.

Running from October 23rd through to November 4th, Liverpool Music Week will stage over 50 events and feature 250 acts, making the festival’s 10th anniversary bigger and better than ever.

THE VENUES Liverpool Music Week is anchored around two of the best-loved venues in the city: Camp and Furnace and The Kazimier. Both are nationally recognised as thriving hubs for music and arts, and provide a fitting backdrop to a festival that attracted almost 50,000 music lovers in 2013. Camp and Furnace is in the heart of the trendy Baltic Triangle and its reputation for world class food, art exhibitions and, of course, music make it the perfect place for some stunning headline acts.

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The Kazimier is famed for its bold approach to staging some of the best-loved experimental club nights, theatre productions and indie film festivals. So, what better place to host some of the best new and established acts on the scene?

WHO’S PLAYING?

Liverpool Musc Week Oct 23 - 4 Nov ; Visit Liverpoolmusicweek.com for full info and tickets

Caribou (Oct 23), Mogwai (Oct 24) and Wild Beasts (Oct 30) are set to headline at Camp and Furnace across three nights, each of whom promise to bring an incredible sound and atmosphere to the ever popular venue. Caribou will kick off the headline proceedings with what will surely be a master class in sonic melody meshing of the highest order. The pioneers of post-rock electronica and John Peel favourites, Mogwai, will

be a big draw. Whilst Wild Beasts will add a good old fashioned touch of indie rock, complementing a good all around atmosphere at the venue. The O2 Academy provides the venue for the closing headline of the festival, The War On Drugs (Nov 4). Playing as part of Music Week Extra, the lads from Philli USA, head up the ‘Look Back Show’, which embraces the festival’s 10th anniversary. The Kazimier plays host to a number of free shows featuring both established and up and coming acts. LA based Liars (Oct 31) make a welcome return to the city after the release of their seventh studio album ‘Mess’ earlier this year. They’ll be joined by indie rockers The Antlers (Oct 28), the woosy bliss of Peaking Lights (Oct 25) and the swirling psychedelia of Hookworms (Oct 27). Leeds-based post punk band The Eagulls (Oct 26) will be making the

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slightly further afield) John Wizzards (Oct 29) from South Africa make up the venue’s headlines acts. Free tickets for The Kazimier gigs are available though the Liverpool Music Week website and will fly out fast. The festival savvy might want to purchase a Kazimier ‘Golden Ticket’ at a tenner and guarantee entry into three of the six nights.

OPENING: SYNDROME 2.3 One of the rising stars of the international electronic music scene, Vessel, will be performing alongside instrumental act Immix Ensemble to create a totally unique genre crossing performance to open the festival. Acclaimed artist Sam Wiehl will provide a stunning visual backdrop to give an additional perspective to this interesting and ambitious project. The multi-sensory spectacular has been commissioned in association with Tate

Britain and Liverpool University and will take place on October 22nd at Liverpool University’s Victoria Building. The event highlights the diverse and culturally rich nature of the festival as a whole, embracing different art forms, encouraging people to try something new whilst laying on a party atmosphere to rival anything else from the summer festival circuit.

NOT TO BE MISSED… The Closing Party on November 1st is an absolute must! An 1800 strong crowd packed out last year’s event enjoying loads of acts across 11 different stages. This year is hosted across a wide range of venues including: Camp and Furnace, The Blade Factory, Constellations, 24 Kitchen Street, District and The Nordic Church. In addition to these spaces new venues, art studios and derelict spaces will be brought to life for one large anniversary celebration to close the 10th edition of the much-loved music festival.

This year’s Closing Party is set to be another sell-out with a headline performance from Glasgow-based outfit Chvrches. Other top acts include The Black Lips and Radio 1 sensation Nick Mulvey. If that’s not enough the party will definitely have a local feel with performances from 17-year old Liverpool prodigy producer Lapsley and one of the city’s most talked about new acts, Bird. Peter Jackson as We Are Catchers provides a haunting and yet deeply compelling melancholic touch to proceedings. And, no large scale music event in Liverpool would be complete without a turn from the excellent Tea Street Band, who are sure to get the winter festival goers warmed right up. Liverpool Music Week is an event you simply have to attend. Before the bands hit the road for their autumn and winter tours, take this last opportunity to be part of something bigger at a festival that just keeps on delivering.

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DEAD PREZ A TRUE VOICE OF HIP HOP By Robbie Muldoon

The beacon that drew my ear towards hip-hop music during my formative years was 2pac. When I heard his posthumously released single “Changes” on a mate’s CDR, everything about it instantly appealed to me. It’s ironic that one of the artists I have been the biggest fan of died years before I had ever even heard of him. What followed was a period of buying up the 2pac back catalogue, DVD documentaries, and hours spent searching the Internet about the rumours of a ‘faked death’. Tupac Shakur was one of the most sociallyconscious, politically-aware, and militant rappers of all time. If he had managed to dodge death that fatal night in Vegas, you can bet one group we would have seen him collaborate with is Dead Prez. In fact, the two share such similar world-views that in 2006 Tupac’s affiliated group, the Outlawz, released a joint album with Dead Prez titled Can’t Sell Dope Forever. When it was announced that the group, responsible for one of the defining tracks of the entire genre - “(It’s bigger than) Hip Hop”, released in 2000 - was heading to Liverpool this October to play at the Kazimier, it was an opportunity to put some of the topics surrounding hip-hop to an artist with political leanings of the kind that Tupac had, for a glimpse at what the hip-hop poet may have had to say today if he was still alive; without suggesting for a moment they share the same talent - even though the genre’s biggest name today, Kanye West, recently cited the duo as one of his main artistic influences, explaining, “ It wasn’t until I hung out with Dead Prez and understood how to make, you know, raps with a message sound cool that I was able to just write “All Falls Down” in 15 minutes.” Not a bad acknowledgement, coming from an egomaniac. When M-1, the rapper, activist, author, and one half of Dead Prez called me up from New York, I was able to pick the brains of one of hip-hop’s true thinkers about events in Ferguson, Obama, and corporate control of the media. Oh, and what’s this hip-hop Illuminati connection all about?

OPEN: If hip-hop should be a voice that resonates with the people out on the streets, do you think hip-hop made its voice loud enough heard in response to the recent events in Ferguson? M-1: Oddly enough, I don’t think hip-hop, necessarily, is the voice that needs to be heard when talking about Ferguson. And the reason that I say that is because one time hip-hop stood as the voice for working-class, resistant people, people who had something real to say about conditions that existed in the world. But today, because of the watering down of corporate hip-hop, hip-hop does not convey that message anymore. And the last thing that I would want to see happen is that a real resistance which is building across communities all across America, might be cheapened in Ferguson or anywhere else by people who are opportunist hip-hop voices. Before, you didn’t have to worry about that, you knew things were difficult for the artist and they would say something about a cause because it was genuine. But today the voices that need to be heard are those of the people, the actual people in my opinion.

“ I will definitely shout, ‘fuck Rupert Murdoch’ and his local paper as well - what’s the name of it again?” How far has America progressed since Rodney King? Well Rodney King was 1992, so if you can imagine that it was the verdict for Rodney King that caused the riots, and I don’t know if you remember but Ice Cube had this song called “Tear This Motherfucker Up” the same Ice Cube today that does family movies - and it was in response to the Rodney King riots. The first lyrics were “Can you believe not guilty, filthy devils tried to kill me.” Those words I still remember to this day was a response to the verdict that came from Rodney King. In that case if you ask me have we come far since Rodney King? I would have to say no, because in courtrooms all across America the same police who are reigning down terror and injustice in our communities are found not guilty all the time. The same thing that happened with Rodney King just happened with Oscar Grant in the Bay Area; and the same thing happened again with Sean Bell

in New York City - except they paid some money - it was still a not-guilty verdict for the oppressor. So no, we haven’t come far at all. This deep into the Obama administration, what is your verdict on the first black president? I understood Obama and who he was, what he was, when he was selected into office. So I was clear that the agenda of Obama did not come out of the black community. He wasn’t a product of struggles for rights and justice for black people of the world. He was not on the front line of any of these struggles. Obama was selected into office. I didn’t consider that he would take up these struggles. Obama is a phenomenon that is a white middle-class phenomenon who was put in place as somebody able to do the dirty dealings of this government but in a liberal face, in a brown face. So I considered him a neo-colonialist then and he is still neo-colonialist, he lives up to every letter of the word. The legacy of Obama will be the one that will de-mystify for black people the fact that a black president would mean something good for black people. Which it has not. One topic that is widely discussed across hip-hop forums online is the Illuminati. Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye are all accused of being controlled by the hand of the Illuminati. What do you make of these hip-hop Illuminati myths? I think the mystification of the Illuminati has been mainly a diversion for people and especially the black community because it gives this false idea about who is opposing us; some secret agency instead of some real agencies and people who are doing actual things. I think that is the advantage that the people who have made the Illuminati so culpable are about. Dead President has been identified as members of the hip-hop Illuminati force which is of course ludicrous, as ludicrous as it gets but nonetheless I endure that because people have been droned into a meaningless silly activity of trying to expose the Illuminati or identify the Illuminati as if it would bring some power. Because real power is gained by political progress, so that’s what I think. What’s your opinion on Fox News over there in America? Fox News is controlled by Rupert Murdoch; Rupert Murdoch is a propagandist scientist, who has been responsible for changing and obfuscating messages and information that gets to our people. I think you have to break it down and say who’s

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who in the media game, then you will understand the reasons why they would twist the information that they have. [Ed note: I then give M-1 a brief history of Rupert Murdoch and The Sun’s opposition in Liverpool, and suggest a way he can get the crowd going at his Kazimier show] I will defintely shout ‘fuck Rupert Murdoch’ and his local paper as well, what’s the name of it again? The Sun Okay, definitely. This is what we do. I don’t know if you know but I was part of writing a record with Nas called “Sly Fox” and that song was about that. KRS-One said hip is the knowledge, hop is the movement; hip hop equals intelligent movement. Do you see this defined in the new generation of artists?

Dead Prez play the Kazimer on october 23rd. Tickets from £13.50

I see some intelligence. I don’t quite see the movement. I see people grinding to get that dollar. But I don’t see the access to the people. I don’t see people using hip-hop in the traditional sense of the word that KRSOne defined. Only a few people are keeping it true. A lot of people are making music and some of it is okay, and a little bit of it is good. Of course a lot of it is bad. How would you rate the level of lyricism among the new artists?

At one point lyrics were something that people really sat and cultivated and the wordplay and the dynamics of the lyrics and even delivery. Today deliveries are all the same, it’s all about really the flow - it’s the flow over the beat today for most young people. Lyrics have never left the artists who have something to say, they’re always looking for a quicker way to say it. But when it comes to people who are just concerned with Billboard charting and dance records there is no lyricism. I think that is devoid of lyrics. What’s one thing one person can start doing for themselves today to start making a positive change in the world? I think what people can do is really engage in the world. You should wake up in the morning and look at yourself as a person who can be an instrument of change. On a really practical level I think if my partner Stic was here he’d be like stop smoking cigarettes, exercise and make ourselves live longer; so definitely live healthily. I think you should then meet with the people next to you and talk - even if it’s only an hour conversation each week - and find out what are the real issues and at least you’ll know what needs to be done and somebody can do something about it. We’ve got to become more informed.

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DINING OPEN OCT OUT:/ CLASSIFIED NOV 2014

CARGO RESTAURANT BAR & DELI

COFFEE & FANDISHA

Cargo is a family run restaurant, bar and deli that serves fresh, locally sourced produce. Our diners can enjoy stunning views across the Mersey and even incredible sunsets. If you are lucky enough to be dining with us whilst one of the cruise ships are in port then you really are in for a treat as we have a ringside seat here at Cargo. Whether it’s a business lunch you’re after, a private family party or you just want to nip in for a coffee, our friendly staff look forward to welcoming you.

The perfect urban haven, where coffee meets popcorn! It’s all happening in the heart of the Baltic Triangle. Coffee & Fandisha offers a fresh addition to Liverpool’s growing appetite for speciality coffee. Sourced entirely from local and cooperative farms in Ethiopia, where coffee is a staple of life, the coffee shop takes inspiration from the traditional ways of the Ethiopian coffee ceremony: serving their coffee - which is deliciously fragrant and let’s not forget ground by demand - alongside complimentary baskets of spiced popcorn (fandisha).

Alexander Tower, 19 Princes Parade L3 1BD Tel: 0151 227 4448 Website: www.cargoliverpool.com Facebook: cargoliverpool Twitter: @cargorestaurant

5 Brick Street, Liverpool L1 0BL Tel: 0151 708 6492 Facebook: coffeefandisha Twitter: @CoffeeFandisha

BALLE BALLE CREATIVE INDIAN BISTRO

PHI THAI BAR & RESTAURANT

The perfect place to enjoy a party, we at Balle Balle serve fantastic Indian food with robust aromas, vibrant colours, earthy flavours and truly exotic tastes which in turn represents great value for money. Housed in a large traditional brick warehouse our bistro has a Bar Lounge in the lower floor, restaurant seating 100, bar with DJ and dance floor on the ground floor, outside seating, easily accessible location & a free car park & if that is not all - a live interactive kitchen & a very warm and friendly service. The venue can be hired for lunch time meetings

For a relaxed and charming authentic setting, without the city centre price tag, Phi Thai is the perfect place to come if your looking for the ideal adult place to dine. Phi Thai Restaurant & Bar sits at the very heart of the charming village of “West Derby” making it an ideal local neighbourhood restaurant. We are only 10 Minutes drive from the city centre with easy parking and the restaurant and staff provide for an excellent dining experience with one of the best atmospheres so feel free to join us.

57 Blundell Street, Liverpool L1 0AJ Tel: 0151 709 3060 Website: www.balleballebistro.com Facbook: balleballe.liverpool Twitter: @BalleBalle57

7 Almonds Green, West Derby, Liverpool Tel: 0151 345 4348 Website: www.phi-thai-restaurant.co.uk Facbook: PhiThaiLiverpool Twitter: @PhiBarWestDerby 73

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CRANIO ARTES AND HIS BLUE BRAZILIAN INDIANS APPEARING ALL OVER THE WORLD By Lucy Varley

It is undoubtedly a popular conviction that art is amongst the most captivating forms of self-expression. For Fabio Oliveira, known to the world of art as Cranio Artes, his distinctive works are about more than just creativity. His idiosyncratic murals – exuberant with a somewhat enchanting character – hope to provoke spectators

to ponder the issues of our contemporary world; from consumerism and identity to corruption and our vulnerable environment. Cranio’s Indians, which have almost established themselves as a second identity to the notable artist, are the product of his imaginative journey to divulging a valiant figure which would truthfully portray the aboriginal people of Brazil, in Cranio’s characteristically curious and often comical situations. “My art is a mixture of a surreal environment with my blue indigenous character. The whole idea of my work is to show what is going on, and the real things that happen in our society, sometimes with humour, sometimes with an unreal dreaming scene. My character is blue ‘cause he’s got the huge metropolis disease of massification and consumerism.” Cranio’s passion for adventure and travelling overseas, encountering people from a whole host of cultures and circumstances led him to explore our sprightly city that is Liverpool, where he etched onto the heart of our city’s walls some of the most intriguing of his masterpieces, which would later inevitably be admired by the wonderstruck

masses. “I love to travel overseas, meet people and new cultures and cities around the world. I love to paint in the UK. I try to paint different things here than I do in Brazil, but I also need to show what happens in our country, the homeless people sleeping on the streets, people showing off their new sneakers or mobiles...it’s a different place, but the idea is always to discuss the little things that nobody cares about.” Whilst many aspire to change the world, Cranio believes that he is already doing it. Passionate about his teachings, Cranio teaches young students the unique graffiti and painting techniques he uses in order to develop them into better artists for the future. “I also donate canvases at social auctions to raise money for those people that really need support. This year, I’ve donated again to raise money to build soccer fields in the poor suburbs in a few cities in Brazil that have a huge lack of entertainment.”

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CITY GRAMS PEOPLE, PLACES, PARTIES A round up of Instagrams taken between August - September at some of the best events listed in the last issue of OPEN.

@redbulluk3 #harbourreach #albertdock @michael_legge #beerdfest #winner Opposite page (Left to right) @luisewatson #ellaeyre #campandfurnace #mtvbrandnew @gina_tsang_ #summercamp #gruffrhys @wasted_heroes #boilerroom #circus @markmcnulty #LIMF @georgeroch91 #creamfields @alexagoddard #LIMF

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@lynmatfogstar – Ainsdale Woods Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself. — Jean-Paul Sartre

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014

WIN AN EVENING OF COMEDY LAUGHTER HOUSE COMEDY CLUB

Courtesy of our friends at Laughterhouse Comedy Club we are offering two tickets to a Friday show in October and November. Laughterhouse is Liverpool’s premier comedy club and over the next couple of months you can catch shows by the likes of Paul Foot, Tom Stade and Tony Law, and also coming up in December; Jason Manford, Hal Cruttenden, Terry Alderton and Paul Sinha. On top of this we will also throw in: a night’s stay at the fantastic and luxurious Richmond Hotel in Liverpool city centre’s Hatton Garden.

HOW TO WIN

Visit laughterhousecomedy.com for full event listings

For your chance to win a night of comedy, all you have to do is follow and tweet @OPEN_MAGAZINE; @Laughter_ house; @TheRichmond1 including our web address openthecity.co.uk, with the hashtag #OPENLAUGH.

That’s it, and we’ll randomly pick a winner from the tweets. The competition closes on Monday 27th October 2014. View full comedy listings at www. laughterhousecomedy.com

TERMS AND CONDITIONS All entrants must be over 18 years of age. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, THE PRIZE DOES NOT INCLUDE TRAVEL TO/FROM THE EVENT, CAR PARKING, SPENDING MONEY, T OR ANY OTHER EXPENSES INCURRED AS A RESULT OF ATTENDANCE AT THE EVENT.

OPEN OCT / NOV 2014