No Rock And Roll Fun

A HIPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPPY: Congratulations to the team behind Liverpool's Bandwagon nights, who celebrate their first anniversary this week with a double-headed twin party thingy. Managing to survive without funding from the Arts Council, ESF, EMF or the lottery, the club has managed to almost single handedly revive and retail the concept of Liverpool as a place with a musical future rather than one large albatross in the past in a way that should shame some other local venues as they sit on their centrally-funded asses wondering where it all went wrong. If Liverpool deserves to be European City of Culture in 2008 - and, you know, I'm far from convinced we do - it should be about the sort of stuff the 'wagon are doing, not as the handsomely retainered Sir Bob Scott believes; basing the bid on the fact that The Beatles Came From Here, You Know. Sadly, ironically, humourously, Liverpool City magazine is running a competition this issue which asks "Which Liverpool band has had more number ones than anyone else?" - obviously went to press before Elvis stole the Beatle's crown, then. Which has taken us off the point we were making somewhat. But, yes, with Bandwagon (and Jump Ship Rat), Liverpool actually has some promise of managing to have some sort of culture left by 2008. That's got to be worth celebrating.