Garlands’ sound comes to Mathew Street Festival

Jul 30 2008 by Richard Down, Liverpool Daily Post

MATHEW Street will this year be dancing to the sounds of Ibiza courtesy of legendary Liverpool club Garlands.

For the first time this year the Mathew Street Festival will feature a stage hosted by a nightclub.

Garlands’ DJ Lez Calvert and resident Diva Angie Brown join tribute acts to Cher and Elton John, and stars from BBC TV’s Saturday primetime show The One and Only, including the winner Katy Setterfied as Dusty Springfield.

Club promoter Barry McDonald said: "Mathew Street has always been a fine festival but this year we’re going to turn it into a fun festival. This is what Garlands is best at and we’ll be bringing a bit of the magic of Garlands in Ibiza to the show."

Organisers are also aiming for another first, as Sunday’s line-up is to be as big as Bank Holiday Monday – traditionally the biggest day.

The big Sunday line-up includes Merseybeatles and Chas and Dave and will also feature a live feed relaying the moment that the Olympic Flag is passed from the mayor of Beijing to Boris Johnson, mayor of London.

On Monday, 90s chart toppers Right Said Fred and award- winning blues legend Connie Lush will perform on the Diva Stage.

This year there will be six outdoor stages in Liverpool city centre including a new main stage near to the Queensway Tunnel.

An all-new Mathew St Fringe Festival will feature original bands indoors, and each outdoor stage will get a theme; Soul, Diva, Brit Pop and New Bands.

The ‘08 festival will promote the best of Liverpool’s current music scene from hiphop to indie to psychedelic folk rock at William- son Square, on both days, and crowd favourites on the Pub Rock and Merseybeat stages on Monday.

Cllr Warren Bradley, leader of the city council, said: ‘‘Every festival needs to develop and stay fresh and this year’s fMathew Street Music Festival is no exception.

"The plans we have laid out, such as the new fringe festival and new bands stage, gives it an exciting new direction and the platform to grow over the years to come."

In total more than 80 hours of live outdoor music has been organised on the Bank Holiday including 95 bands performing from North and South America, Europe and Turkey.

More than 30 indoor venues have also signed up to host live bands over the weekend from as far away as Australia, Chile, Russia and Indonesia.

The outdoor stages will operate from 11am to 6pm on both days; indoor venues offer live music from noon until the early hours.

Other highlights of the weekend will include a 42-piece orchestra from the Czech Republic and a 32-piece military band from Brazil accompanying two Beatles tribute acts.

Bill Heckle, one of the directors of Mathew Street Festival Ltd, said: "One of the main reasons for Mathew Street Music Festival was to showcase new Merseyside talent and I’m delighted we’ve been able to go back to those roots in our European Capital of Culture year.’’

richarddown@dailypost.co.uk

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