Liverpool: Did we mention it was where The Beatles came from?

UNESCO are, apparently, busily declaring some places to be "Cities of Music", for some reason, and Liverpool Council is happy to burn through cash bidding for the title:

Liverpool City Council leader Councillor Warren Bradley, who will chair of the UNESCO bid steering group, said: “Music is in Liverpool's blood and its influence has been truly global from the days of sea shanties and Merseybeat to classical and dance – it was a fundamental reason why we were European Capital of Culture.

“The city today has a phenomenal pool of talent and its exciting that now, more than ever, it has the venues, the studios, the promoters and the festivals to nurture new ideas and diverse artists who will carry on Liverpool's best musical traditions.

“To be a UNESCO city of music would be a massive boost to the city’s international cultural profile and give the city a focus, like in ‘08, to develop our music offer at all levels for the benefit of musicians and music lovers alike.’’

"Develop our music offer" - the very words have a lyrical quality to them, don't they? Admittedly, it's like a late-period Robbie Williams lyric, but a lyric nevertheless.

Not quite sure why, if the city is felt to be so synonymous with music, you'd need to spend money getting an outside body to say "yes, the city is synonymous with music", but having kind of failed to have turned their Capital Of Culutre year into any real lasting legacy, there's a sense of a city scrabbling round to do something, anything, next.

The Echo points out that UNESCO has already made Liverpool a World Heritage Centre. It does neglect to mention that less than two years after the title was bestowed, UNESCO had to make an emergency visit back to the city in response to council planning decisions for Mann Island, issuing a stern 'it's okay for now, but we're watching' report.

Coming the week after it turned out the £1.4million taken from the neighbourhood renewal fund to kit out a tourist information office for 2008 was wasted as it was built in the wrong place, the people of Liverpool must be thrilled at the prospect of burning through more cash on a pointless title.

Capital of Culture download: Cooking up support

So, how did Liverpool win its place in the sun as Phil Redmond's Capital Of Culture? It turns out with a bit of sleight of hand:

In an interview with radio station City Talk, Sir Bob [Scott, who led Liverpool's bid] said: “When we offered them (the judges) a trip to Liverpool, we said ‘you can do all kinds of things. You can go to a play, movie, go on a pub crawl’”. Three of them said ‘we would like to go on a pub crawl’.

“We worked out who they were and we made bloody sure who the people in the pub were when they arrived.

“And that made quite an impact.”

Well, there's nothing too wrong with stage-managing events like this. I guess it's not like a trial.

And what became of it at last? I couldn't help noticing during one of the reports on the legacy of 2008 for Liverpool the council spokesperson started with "the Liverpool One development" - which is a big shopping centre which was already being built before the bid went in. A major boost to the cultural life of the city, if you count a branch of Debenhams as a citadel of culture.

Capital of Culture update: The year's highlight approaches

The Standards Board for England inquiry into the tussle between Liverpool City Council's Warren Bradley and Mike Storey, and Jason Harborow of the Culture Company has been completed. The central figures have been delivered a draft of the findings; oddly, the Standards Board thinks they should get a chance to comment on them before the people who have paid their wages do. Still, not long now before we should all find out what really happened, or an official approximation thereof.

Pete Burns: The homecoming:

Pete Burns is going to Liverpool - the first time since 1992 - at the request of Julian Cope. He's going to play a night celebrating Erics, but he stresses that he wouldn't normally do this sort of thing:

“It seems I’m part of the Liverpool scene after all these years. It was a shame that wasn’t the case when I was there.” Pete pauses for a second, and reflects a little sadly. “I suppose things are always different in hindsight.

“It’s difficult for me to feel anything about it. It’s all so long ago.

“I don’t sit glued to the internet looking back at the old days. That’s not my thing.

“I’m looking forward to doing the gig. I’m probably either going to do a dance set or an acoustic set. Three or four songs.”

Why choose now to come back?

“Julian asked me to do it,” he shrugs. “I’ve always liked him. Out of them all, he treated me well. He always thought about things. He had something going on underneath the surface. I think that’s why we were friends.

“I haven’t spoken to him in a long time, so I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

Burns is amused at having been recast as a favourite son:

“I’ve always felt on the margins. I’ve never been part of anything. I’m not particularly social. I don’t seek people out.

“So it makes me laugh that all these years on I’m being included in this rewritten history of Liverpool. I wasn’t included at the time.

“I was told the other day that I’m in this play about Eric’s. I don’t know what that’s about.

“My ex-wife Lynne and I were the social outcasts of the city. We were ostracised by everyone. We didn’t fit in. Well, it was us and (Frankie Goes to Hollywood keyboard player) Paul Rutherford. The three of us stuck together because no-one else would speak to us.”

One of the amusing things about the Capital Of Culture year is the way the official history has started to absorb the city's counter-culture, blithely unaware that the Erics and Planet X scenes were a reaction to, not a product of, the city they called home. It's true that Burns wouldn't have been Pete Burns without something to react against, but stimulating creativity through rejection is hardly a trait to celebrate.

Capital of Culture update: Liverpool's Got Talent

If only Liverpool had a pier rather than the Pier Head, for Phil Redmond's stewardship of the Capital of Culture year seems to be an end-of-the-pier show in search of a venue.

Just announced is a talent show with a prize money can't buy. If the workings of the Liverpool Culture Company so far are anything to go by, being close to organisers might help, but money? Money won't buy the prizes:

The winner, or winners, will play a starring role in the closing ceremony of Capital of Culture, make a guest appearance in Hollyoaks and win £1,000.

Curiously, given that this is supposed to be an open talent contest, two of the prizes seem to suggest that specific talents would at least be an advantage of some sort.

So, who are the judges?

The star judge is Jennifer Ellison - music fans will recall the extent to which her estimation of her talents diverged from those of the general population; there's also Emma Rigby, who is in Hollyoaks, apparently. And:

Liverpool comedienne Pauline Daniels, ex-Brooksider Philip Olivier, celebrity hairdresser Herbert Howe, Sir Paul’s brother Mike McCartney and The Farm guitarist Keith Mullin will also be judges.

Keith Mullin is a lovely bloke, and Macca's brother at least has a track record. But, really, Herbert Howe? He's going to bring his way with a styling brush as a way of judging stars?

It's fine for a bit of fun; a bank holiday bit of nonesense. But when you're trying to show the depth of talent a city has, it undermines you a little if the best judge you can find is the man who styles the hair of the woman who does the books for the man who wrote the cheques for the now-defunct Brookside.

Mathew returns

After last year's Mathew Street debacle - and I'm not sure anyone is any the clearer as to how the council managed to screw it up so spectacularly - this year, the event is back (or at least is planned to be.) James M brought the announcement to our attention:

Liverpool's "year of culture" goes from bad to worse. Bill Heckle, director of the Matthew Street festival claims to have listened to the public. I presume that's "listened" in the Gordon Brown sense of the word. Right Said Fred? Chas & Dave? Both are nostalgia/tribute acts in themselves. As for the stage given over to local unsigned acts, that was done at the previous festival in 2006; a stage stuck out at the Pier Head, separated from the rest of the city centre. Moreover, the space given over in Williamson Square to local hip-hop acts seems insultingly tokenistic. Ah, well, never mind. If we get bored of yeah, yeah, yeahs & mop top wigs, there's always the Kaiser Thiefs, Antarctic Monkeys & Absolute Bowie, eh?

The strangest announced act is Amy Wynehouse - which is less a tribute act, more like one of those supermarket own-brands that try to pass themselves off as a proper brand by making the smallest possible changes to the packaging. Thay are also billing Cher, which we're guessing might not be the real thing.

Capital of Culture Update: There's more to Beatlepool than the Livers

If we cast our mind back to the point of spending a small fortune on the Capital of Culture, it was to show the world that there was more to Liverpool culture than the Beatles. So far - if you ignore the coverage of the financial disasters - it's been marked with Ringo at the opening, McCartney at Anfield, and a guest appearance from Yoko. And Beatles topiary.

Now, then, they've added the "first ever" Beatles Day, an event marking the, erm, 44th anniversary of, um, the first time they returned home after playing America. Let's face it, we've all been on the edge of seats wondering exactly what they'd be doing for such a significant anniversary.

There are plans that the day will generate money for charity, which is fair enough, but really it's more like a confirmation that the official view of the city is that, pretty much, it's Beatles or nothing. Imagine if all the council and local media effort that goes into bolstering the Macca-Lennon myth had been spent on finding a way to keep the Picket where it should have been and the rehearsal spaces in the heart of the city.

[Thanks to Jim M for the link]

Capital of Culture Update: McCartney tickets screwed-up

To the long-line of mistakes, errors and fluffs in the organisation of Liverpool's year as Capital of Culture, add another: irate early ticket buyers are angry that they paid £75 for tickets that are now being offered for as little as £35. The Culture Company is trying to put on a brave face:

Last night, Kris Donaldson, director of Liverpool Culture Company, said: ''As has been well publicised, the Liverpool Sound capacity has expanded by 11,000 since the ballot last September.

"In that time, stage specifications have also changed. Both of these developments will be of huge benefit to concert goers in terms of the overall experience.

"As a consequence, some event logistics have been modified, including reconfiguring the location of some of the seats for less than 10% of the audience.

"An initial poll to those affected has been very positive, and most are happy as their seats are in an excellent position. As an alternative, customers have been offered a refund."

A team of translators are trying to write a version of this statement in English. They're failing, though, as there is no positive way of "paying forty quid more than someone else for the same seat" in any language.

Of course, it's easy to offer refunds - after all, the tab is going to be picked up by Liverpool council tax payers.

Still, brave face, good people of Merseyside: Only another six months of dripping humiliation to endure.

Capital of Culture Update: Liverpool celebrates the local boys

The people of Liverpool will be delighted to know the money they've spent underwriting the Paul McCartney celebration of all things Liverpool is going to be well spent promoting local talent, like, erm The Kaiser Chiefs. There are a million bands in Liverpool, and for some reason they've had to ask a Leeds act to be the support. Funny that.

Meanwhile, a bunch of extra tickets are being made available for the gig:

Five hundred of the tickets - dubbed the best seats in the house - are being made available to charities and community groups in the city.

Organisers hope the £75 tickets could be offered as competition prizes to help the groups raise money.

Well, that is a fine gesture - giving a bunch of tickets to charities and communities to help them raise funs.

Sorry, did we say "give"? It turns out the phrasing of "made available" was carefully chosen:

Phil Redmond, creative director of the Liverpool Culture Company, said the tickets could not simply be given away.

"We just have to make sure that the box office numbers stack up," he said.

"We are actually offering the best seats in the house for community groups to buy and then they should be able to sell or raffle them off."

Yes, having screwed up the money so badly that local council tax payers are having to put their hands deeply into their pocket to keep the thing going, now they've decided they need to try and balance the books by taking money off charities for the tickets. Charming.

[Thanks to Jim M for the link]

Capital of Culture Update: Council tax underwrites McCartney's gig

More misery for the people of Liverpool: their council has just signed off a £1.7million commitment to underwriting costs of Paul McCartney's Anfield gig this summer.

Yes, that's right: council tax payers in Knotty Ash and Huyton are going to dig into their pockets to guarantee Paul McCartney's show goes ahead. The BBC has seen a report revealing the details:

The report states: "The alternative of not agreeing to these arrangements is likely to result in the concert being cancelled with significant reputational loss to both the Culture Company Board and the City Council."

We love the idea the Company Board and City Council feel they have sort of reputation left to lose after the Mathew Street disaster and subsequent attempts to avoid blame, much less reputations they think it's worth risking the best part of two million quid to protect. Two million quid of other people's money.

And will the city make it back?

All 25,000 tickets for the event were sold in a ballot last year. A further 11,000 may now be made available.

The extra tickets, which are subject to licence, would generate an extra £200,000 for the concert budget.

So, 11,000 tickets would bring in £200,000, which suggests that the original tickets would have raised about half a million quid. Since the gig is going to cost £1.7million to put on, we're assuming that with a budget like that, it must be being organised as one of the tasks for this year's run of The Apprentice.

Ms Ono goes to Liverpool

One of the attractions of Liverpool's year as one of Europe's two capitals of culture was a visit from Yoko Ono.

Well, we say "attractions", it was certainly on the diary.

Yoko loves Liverpool so much, she often pops back. Sometimes twice in a decade. This time, she was thrilled:

“I’m sure John would have been totally proud of it and I am too.

“I hope it will be a contribution to Capital of Culture in the sense that I wanted to give some love and encouragement and inspiration to people while doing this.

“I think Capital of Culture is so grand and just the thing to make the next generation very different.”

Although since the supposed point of the Capital of Culture is to celebrate the cultural contribution of a place, shouldn't the aim be for the next generation to be exactly the same (as in, equally creative and that.)

We love the contention that Lennon woulde be "totally proud" - given that he hardly set foot in the place after Love Me Do came out, it's hard to see exactly what he'd be proud of.

Talking of former Beatles, Ono attempted to defend Ringo's reputation after he laughed at the very idea of the place on Jonathan Ross' programme:

“Ringo loves Liverpool. If someone said anything bad about Liverpool he would punch them.

“I suppose he just didn’t want to say the predictable, you know, when people are asked if they love their mother and of course they say yes. It’s his sense of humour.”

We've rubbed our eyes a couple of times reading this: Is she suggesting that a hollow laugh when asked what you miss about the city is a joshing response? And since when did Starr ever try to avoid doing the predictable?

Capital of Culture update

There's much, much more to Liverpool than The Beatles, you know.

There's, um, hedges. Admittedly, they are hedges in the shape of the Beatles.

Icicle defends Beatle

It's been a few weeks since Ringo Starr upset Liverpool by hastening from launching the City of Culture year to laugh when Jonathan Ross asked him what he missed about Liverpool. Ian McNabb - yes, Ian McNabb - thinks his fellow townspeople are being unfair:

THERE’S been a lot made of Ringo Starr’s comments on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

Jason Starkey called me the other day and he was saying how upset his dad was by all the negative reaction in Liverpool.

I’m very proud to come from Liverpool, but the main reason this city is on the map is The Beatles.

As far as whatever he said that night goes, where was the famous Scouse sense of humour?

This year promises so much, but we need voices of dissent to question what goes on and the opinions that are presented as fact. One of those will be mine.

Yes, your questioning voice, Ian, has been heard. Although it seems to be desperately trying to spin Ringo's interview into some sort of party line.

Suggesting "the famous Scouse of humour" is somehow lacking when a bloke pockets a big cheque for praising the city, then - as soon as he's off the city's soil - laughs like a drain at the suggestion that there might be something about Liverpool he misses is curious. McNabb seems to think the fault lays with the Scousers who don't enjoy being patronised rather than with the man who takes their money and laughs in their face.

Starr wasn't shounding a note of dissent - he was being a hypocrite. If he wanted to show some individual thinking, he could have done it by not being part of the Capital Of Culture year, and explaining then why he doesn't want to live in a city he supposedly loves so much.

Capital of Culture update: Race the Beatles

Having managed to screw up much of the rest of the plans for 2008, Liverpool seems to have abandoned any attempt to use the year to announce to the world that there's more to Merseyside culture than The Beatles, and now seem to just be concentrating on shoring up Beatles tourism.

So it is that this year, they've given the half-marathon a Beatles theme.

Presumably if you don't make it all the way through to the end, you'll be termed a Stuart Sutcliffe.

Capital of Culture Update: Liverpool pays up

A couple of days ago, an anguished Paul Clein, Lib Dem city councilor from Liverpool, wrote the Guardian to defend his team's record:

John Healey's claim that Liverpool city council tops the league of inefficient councils is blatantly partisan and contradicted by the evidence.

Here's some blatantly partisan evidence for you to consider. The doughty council tax payers of the city are having their pockets picked to find a quarter of a million to pay off Jason 'Beg, Steal or' Harborow, former head of the Liverpool Culture Company. Harborow fell out with council leader - we're using leader in an ironic sense here - Warren Bradley after the mismanagement of the Mathew Street Festival came to light earlier in the year.

It's not entirely clear if the quarter of a million quid will come from the £20m hole in the Capital of Culture finanaces, or if it will be added to the size of that hole.

Atomic Kitten's guide to downloading

So, the big push to grab "Liverpool's first number one of 2007" - part of the Capital of Culture celebrations is on.

It's not really clear that Atomic Kitten were the best choice for the job, as it does rather remind people that - despite Liverpool's former strong record at turning out chart hits - the city hasn't topped the charts since Atomic Kitten did back in 2002. It's not quite the longest drought - there was a seven year gap between Sonia and Three Lions - but making a huge fuss about being the home of number ones when you've not managed a big one for over half a decade seems a bit of a hostage to fortune.

The omens for the Kitten's cover of Anyone Had A Heart breaking the dry spell aren't great, either. The Liverpool Echo reveals:

Their aim is to get Liverpool’s first number one of 2008 and raise £1m for Merseyside charities.

But, it is only available as a download, which means you will need a computer with internet access to get your hands on a copy.

So, nobody much interested in releasing it as a physical single, eh?

Aware that these new-fangled downloads are confusing to a lot of people (apparently), they decide to show that anyone can do it. Since the rules on employing three year-old kids are difficult, they've got one of the Kitten to explain how simple it can be:

Liz McClarnon showed just how easy it is.

She said: “I’m a big fan of downloading. I get everything on the internet these days. Plus, it’s loads cheaper, so rather than paying two or three pounds for a single, you only pay 79p.

Although, of course, a single has more tracks on, and you're getting a physical article as well. So it's not "loads cheaper" - actually, for what you get, it's more expensive.

Oh, and the official site hosting the download is charging 99p.

Ringo takes shine off City of Culture

Whoops.

The grand opening of the Capital of Culture had gone well, what with Ringo turning up - and, after all, he was a Beatle. Even although part of the original idea of the Capital of Culture was to try and remind people there's more to Liverpool than The Beatles.

And Ringo said nice things about the city, and everyone was very happy:

Ringo sang “Liverpool I left you but I never let you down” from the top of St George’s Hall during the People’s Opening.

In front of a capacity crowd at the new ECHO Arena Ringo said he was “this close” to moving back.

A week later, he turns up on Friday night with Jonathan Ross and is asked what he misses about the city:

Ross: “What do you miss about Liverpool when you’re not there.”

Ringo: (laughter)

Ross: “I didn’t know that would get laughter . . . Is there anything you miss about Liverpool?”

Ringo: “Er, no. . . Look I love Liverpool. I was a child in Liverpool. I grew up in Liverpool. My family members are in Liverpool. But you know. . . .

I had to tell the audience as it was so excited that I was this close to coming back. But I had a great time up there at the weekend [during the opening ceremony]. I did.”

Council Leader Warren Bradley is outraged - he took time out of trying to bury the Mathew Street Festival screw-up to try and spin the story:

Cllr Bradley, deputy chairman of Liverpool Culture Company, said: “It’s not helpful on national TV.

“But we saw at the press conference he did in Liverpool that’s Ringo’s style, to be flippant.

“He came to Liverpool and did a PR job for himself. And what we got from him being home paid dividends for us here and abroad.

“I’m not going to get hung up on it.”

Cllr Mike Storey, executive member for regeneration, said: “It’s hugely disappointing and sad.

“It’s disappointing someone who came to lead Capital of Culture year should go away and be so negative about it.”

And Ringo got VIP treatment when he was in the city - imagine what the people who turn up and pick their way through a series of building sites must go away thinking.

Capital of Culture Update: Favours and back scratching

The appearance of Sirenz on a list of bands to play Liverpool's prestigious-ish Mathew Street Festival turns out to be down less to their skillz as their contactz. Having the son of Liverpool City Council's Head of Sports proved to be the key, as detailed in a series of amusing emails leaked to Liverpool Subculture. (Part two and Part three.) When even a battle of the bands can't be run without favours being called in and strings being pulled, what hope is there?

Capital of Culture year: turmoil kicks in before it even starts

The omens for Liverpool's year as the European Capital of Culture aren't looking good.

The worries that visitors would be greeted by an enormous building site - rejected as scaremongering back when the planning was underway - have been borne out by experience; last week, plans were announced to cover some derelict buildings, like teenagers hiding unwashed pants behind the curtains; unfortunately, little can be done about the numerous building sites cluttering the city centre - especially with four sites being closed down following the collapse of the Livesey Building Company.

Meanwhile, funding for the year has turned into a nightmare, with the council suddenly realising it's about twenty million quid short for its plans. Before the year even begins. Like a drunk flogging his kidney for a bottle of booze, the council is now considering flogging off property owned by the people of the city to try and avoid the place going all Northern Rock.

They might wind up having to flog the Town Hall at the rate they're burning through the cash: Jason Harbarrow is due to be canned from his role running the year (and what better time to lose your pilot than, erm, nine days from the start?); he could be due up to a quarter of a million quid in severance pay, to say nothing of the costs of recruiting a replacement at short notice.

There's still the question of what exactly happened with the late cancellation of the Mathew Street Festival, as well: "Independent" council appointee Standards Board chairman Howard Winik has compared the two versions of the report on the event - one produced by the non-independent-at-all internal enquiry and one after it had been revised by council leader Warren Bradley, and declared there was no funny business:

“I have read and compared the report in the form originally handed to the leader of the council with the published report.

“I have ascertained and read each amendment. A few of the amendments were corrections of factual errors and some were typographical and grammatical corrections.

“Some amendments went to the emphasis put on certain matters by the interpretation of the investigating officers.

“I am satisfied that none of the amendments affect the substance of the findings. The recommendations of the two reports remained the same.”

Which makes you wonder why Bradley was so terse about anyone not from his team looking at the original version: are we really expected to believe that a document was considered so sensitive it could only be read by a Labour councillor under supervision and on the strict understanding that he not divulge the contents to a living soul simply because it contained a smattering of typos?

Oh, and Bradley and Mike Storey are to be investigated by the nation standards board for England and Wales over claims relating to the treatment of Jason Harborow. Storey has previously been censured by the board for bringing the council into disrepute over his struggles with David Henshaw, former Liverpool City Council Chief Executive.

Strangely, none of this found its way into the Liverpool nativity/

Mathew Street cancellation: who knew what when?

An email which appears on the Liverpool Subculture blog, apparently from Chris Green at the Liverpool Culture Company, suggests that plans to axe the Mathew Street Festival were being laid back in February, and that the key figures in the city knew that Mathew Street wouldn't be going ahead long before the public announcement. Such curious goings-on in the city.