Dancin’ in the street

Aug 28 2007 by Jade Wright, Liverpool Echo

It may be half a century since Mathew Street first echoed to the pioneering sound of Merseybeat but this weekend it once again became the centre of the city’s music scene.

From humble beginnings, the Mathew Street music festival has become a celebration of music old and new and, despite the lack of outdoor stages, the crowds were determined to have a good time.

Locals and visitors alike flocked to the city centre for the UK’s biggest free city centre music festival.

Hundreds of thousands of people packed the streets yesterday enjoying the finale of the annual celebration of The Beatles. Many families had brought picnics, as young and old enjoyed the atmosphere in rare moments of bank holiday sunshine.

Castle Street, usually bustling with traffic, was turned into a funfair for the weekend, and on Mathew Street itself, live music spilled out of every pub. Among the cacophony of interwoven hits, strains of Oasis, Bob Dylan, and of course the Fab Four could be heard through the doors and windows of the pubs and clubs.

Liverpool’s most famous sons were at the heart of the celebration, with tourists queuing up to have their photographs taken alongside the sculpture of John Lennon near the Cavern wall of fame.

Amid the crowds, mop-topped tribute bands ambled along between venues, brandishing guitar cases like badges of honour.

Away from the tourist routes, and the sing-along hits, Merseyside’s new young bands shone at venues across the city. Over on Seel Street, Barfly and Zanzibar led the way with some of the hottest unsigned acts, with sets from The Maybes?, The Hot Melts, Rude Ruby and The Loungs.

John Conway, 68, a retired joiner from Crosby, has been coming to the festival since it began.

“I’d recommend it to anyone – there’s a big variety of music on offer, something for all generations,” he said. “There’s always a friendly welcome in the bars. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed myself.

“I didn’t like the big stages anyway, and I think an atmosphere like this will keep people coming back year after year.” Jenny Brandreth, 36, a teaching assistant from Allerton, brought her son Alec, 11, and daughter Sophie, 6.

“We’ve been coming for years, but we weren’t sure about this one because of all the problems with the stages,” she said. “It’s been a good day. We’ve met up with friends and seen a few of the bands. Most of them aren’t my cup of tea, but we had a good time. That’s what it’s about really.”

During the festival, 400 bands performed at 90 venues across the city and organisers believe that the huge choice of music attracted different generations.

Jason Harborow, chief executive of the Liverpool Culture Company, said: “I think it has gone incredibly well. There has been something for everybody, lots of different types of music and all kinds of entertainment.

“There have been queues outside some of the venues, particularly on Mathew Street itself, but that’s no different to previous years. A lot of people want to see the Cavern and the pubs around there, and they want to spend time inside soaking up the atmosphere, but everyone has been very good natured about it.”

The festival is a huge Liverpool attraction, with last year’s events enticing more than 300,000 people from over 40 countries.

Mr Harborow added: “I don’t think that moving it indoors stopped people coming, and I think those that did have had a good time.”