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“Hugely ambitious” Sound City Satellite planned for 2018

British showcase festival Liverpool Sound City is to take to the road next year, with a new touring event, Sound City Satellite, set to visit other towns in the north of England throughout April and May.

Sound City Satellite will tour towns between Liverpool and Manchester – as well as along the M62 corridor, which extends as far as Hull – in a bid to shine a “national and international spotlight” on the areas by showcasing their creative and cultural credentials. Participating towns will be announced in early 2018.

“If there’s one thing that Brexit taught us, it’s that there is a sense of social disenfranchisement between the significant suburbs that lie between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester and along the M62 corridor,” comments Sound City CEO David Pichilingi. “This should not be the case, when you consider that this great region has been responsible for some of the most important pieces of pop culture over the past 50 years. Going back further, the region has been responsible for some of the greatest innovations of the 20th century.

“Sound City Satellite is a hugely ambitious project. It strikes right at the heart of what we originally set out to do: to champion emerging business and artistic talent from our region and give them the belief that they do not need to move away in order to fulfil their potential and run successful businesses. The aim will be to foster a spirit of inclusion; that we are all in this together.

“It is not meant as a snub to London, but it is meant to help people view the bigger picture as well as encourage artists and businesses to stay in the north and build a real business economy outside of the capital.”

“The aim will be to foster a spirit of inclusion: that we are all in this together”

Steve Rotheram, Liverpool’s metro mayor, adds: “Music and the music industry have always straddled the rivalries between our two great cities [Liverpool and Manchester] and have flourished in many towns across our region. It’s an expression of a shared creative DNA that has continued to nurture and launch world-class talent. This is a great idea and a great opportunity to celebrate and enjoy something that unites us.”

The Sound City Satellite tour will conclude at Liverpool Sound City 2018 on 5–6 May, which returns to Liverpool city centre after a year at Clarence Dock in 2017 for its 10th anniversary celebrations.

Sound City COO Becky Ayres says: “We delivered three hugely ambitious and successful years of Sound City on the north docklands of Liverpool. Sound City was the first to shine a beacon on this neglected area of the city and, by doing so, we’ve even encouraged Everton FC to relocate to our former festival site.

“We now feel it is time for us to come back to the city centre and embark on the next stage of our journey. [Next year] will be all about re-establishing new links and a new feel. This will also lead us into the hugely ambitious plans that we have for 2019, which will be revealed over the coming months.”

The new venue will be revealed in the coming weeks, with artist applications for 2018 also opening soon.

Sound City last year welcomed investment from Modern Sky Entertainment, the company behind China’s successful Strawberry Music Festivals.

 


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