February 2008 Archives

I was among the audience at a packed Metropolitan Cathedral last night for the world premiere of the new Tavener Requiem.
And of course if you see today's ECHO you'll also know we were adding to the one-million plus figure of people who have got involved in Capital of Culture so far this year.
In fact, Hope Street alone was humming with people last night - I drove into town and found it nigh on impossible to get a parking space even at 6pm.

Caipirinhas on a school night?
Oh go on then!
I went to the Hard Day's Night Hotel opening bash last night where the Moet flowed and the Mersey Beatles played.
Obviously sitting on the number 82 bus clutching my invitation wasn't exactly the dream red carpet arrival I'd have liked, but it got me there.
There were a real mixture of people in the place, from old Mersey Beat stars to Anthony Hannah on crutches.
He told me: "If I'd known I was going to be papped (ie photographed) I'd have decorated them."

So Roger McGough has dusted off his schoolboy French and has written a new adaptation of Moliere's classic Tartuffe for the people down at the Playhouse.
The Mersey Sound poet was at a lunch yesterday to unveil the next tranche of shows for 2008 at the Playhouse and Everyman.
Because I'm having one of those weeks (turning up for the Joseph press night 24 hours early - although I still maintain I'd been given that date) I managed to go to the wrong theatre and dashed in to the right one, the Everyman, hot and bothered just before the start of the announcement.

It's taken archivists two years and a lottery grant to get to grips with the Philharmonic's 167 years of archives.
Seeing what my junk room/study is like after only five years in Liverpool, I don't envy them.
But what they have now marshalled seems to be a treasure trove of information, images....and a little bit of artistic sniping to boot.
An ageing Elgar turning down the presidency of the Rodewald Concert Society led to the great composer being described as "stupid" and "impertinent" by the man chosen as second best!
Crotchety or what?!

Does anyone remember the fight comedian Richard Herring got into after his show in Liverpool last summer?
The police turned up and just laughed.
Well, Herring not only remembers it, he's put it in his latest show as I discovered at the weekend.

One lucky artist will be £2,000 better off next month when the winner of the inaugural Liverpool Art Prize is chosen.
The six shortlisted artists in this new contemporary art award - organised by Art in Liverpool - are ceramics artist Emma Rodgers, painter Gareth Kemp, video artist Imogen Stidworthy, sculptor Jayne Lawless, photographer Mary Fitzpatrick and The Singh Twins.
Their work will be on show at Novas's Contemporary Urban Centre from Friday, February 29 until April 10, with the winner being chosen at an awards ceremony on March 9.
The overall winner will receive £2,000 and there is also a People’s Choice prize of £500 which will be awarded from votes cast by the public, and will provide an opportunity for visitors to the exhibition to express their preference.
See more details by visiting www.liverpoolartprize.com

Another coup for Liverpool.
The BBC has announced today it is set to hold its Sports Personality of the Year awards at the ECHO Arena in December.
Hot on the heels of the MTV awards the month before, this just shows a) what a fantastic venue the arena and conference centre is turning out to be and b) just how high profile Liverpool's Capital of Culture year really is becoming.
Now all we need to secure is the Booker Prize and next year's BAFTAs and we're away!
If anyone has any suggestions about other awards ceremonies etc they would like to see Liverpool bid for, let me know.

More than 25,000 people have now passed throught the Walker Art Gallery since Ben Johnson set up his Liverpool Cityscape studio barely a month ago.
The artist admitted to me last night he had been "overwhelmed" by the interest in his artwork.
But despite the fact it must be odd to be trying to create art in a goldfish bowl, he appears to be thriving on the attention.
I had a brief chat with him at an event organised by investment company Rensberg Shepherds which will be a main sponsor of the exhibition showing the final canvas.

More than 25,000 people have now passed throught the Walker Art Gallery since Ben Johnson set up his Liverpool Cityscape studio barely a month ago.
The artist admitted to me last night he had been "overwhelmed" by the interest in his artwork.
But despite the fact it must be odd to be trying to create art in a goldfish bowl, he appears to be thriving on the attention.
I had a brief chat with him at an event organised by investment company Rensberg Shepherds which will be a main sponsor of the exhibition showing the final canvas.

I felt rather sorry for Liz McClarnon yesterday.
Despite being due at the Brits, she gamely allowed herself under the make up artists' brush first for a Smokefree conference at St George's Hall to show the effect smoking has on the skin.
Forty-five minutes of latex and layering revealed the 26-year-old's face to be a playground for lines and bags and leathery-look skin.