By Abi Barthrop

Said to be the growing cultural hub of Liverpool, where else is better to display your art. 

The Baltic Triangle has always been a place for the creatives of Liverpool. From its range of artsy bars to independent coffee shops, it’s a part of the city full of fun new places to explore. As well as it is a popular destination for creativity, it’s also an amazing location for street art and graffiti artists. Their passionate displays of art have brought colour to the baltic area, fitting perfectly into the artistic expressionist aesthetic. 

The Wings of Jamaica Street are an iconic piece of graffiti. The wings were hand-painted by geologist come to artist Paul Curtis in 2017. The artwork, having taken Curtis ten hours to complete, have since received attention from the press and media internationally. 

Accompanying the Wings on Jamaica Street are pieces by Irony and Silent Bill, as well as the skatepark; a known graffiti hotspot. Silent Bill is part of a Liverpool based collective, the Secret Society of Super Villain Artists. The SSSVA was founded by artist Silent Bill in 1921, they are a  network of artists who work together to plant their roots within the independent art community, they very strictly do not condone vandalism. 

Other key spots to check out the street art of the Balltic Triangle are New Bird Street, Flint Street, Newhall, and Watkinson Street. Here you can find artwork by Dotmasters, Silent Bill & Silent Belle of The SSSVA and various other artists such as John D’oh. A notable piece on Watkinson Street would be the etched metal door, as well as this there is also the D’oh piece which mimics Banksy.

A part of my hyperlocal website, The Baltic Biz, I did a mini series of posts reviewing bars around Liverpool.

Baltic Spotlight: Bongos Bingo

By Abi Barthrop
Where is it: CONTENT: Cains Brewery Village

When is it: various dates, see website

What is it: fancy a riotous night of music, drinks, dancing & a cheeky bit of bingo? Then Bongos Bingo is where to be. Accompanying the host Slutty Susie & Horny Heidi, who lead you through a chaotic night of Bingo like you’ve never experienced before.

Why go: Bongos isn’t just a fun night for the drunken bingo and dancing, it’s genuinely an amazing atmosphere. My night was spent facing upon benches and being captivated as I waited for my numbers to be called. Sadly, I won absolutely nothing but that didn’t tint my view of a night at Bongos. There are some amazing prizes up for grabs for the lucky ones. From a box of Coco Pops to £500, there are some great winnings upon for grabs.

The Peoples Opinion: “One of the best nights out you can have. Dancing , singing and bingo, with some of the weirdest prizes you’ll ever see!.”

Baltic Spotlight: Hippie Chic

By Abi Barthrop. 

Delve into the glorious hippie that hole that is Hippie Chic for a night of disco and bohemian vibes!

Where is it: Located within the Cains Brewery Village, the heart of the Baltic Triangle.

Why to go: Fancy a night of dancing in a world that transports you to Glastonbury itself? Look no further than Hippie Chic. It’s infamous for its instagrammable floral tent. From the skull swing to the flower wall, never forget to snap a shot!

The Drink Of The House: The frozen strawberry daquiris are to die for!

The People’s Opinion: ”Had a fab night so far, really brilliant staff, so friendly. DJ’s been great even had a dance.”

Done for my hyperlocal Website project at LJMU, The Baltic

With the U.K’s hospitality industry finally getting back on its feet after Coronavirus, Boris Johnson announces the governments plan B for Covid. 

The introduction of Plan B brought a whole load of previous restrictions back such as the recommendation to work from home and masks to be worn inside most public venues, besides hospitality. A returning restriction of the NHS Covid pass to be mandatory within specific settings is one that will affect hospitality. This may be as it will filter out a fair few customers. 

These plan B restrictions may likely be only the start . Reports have started to come in, claiming that ministers are looking at a ‘Plan B Plus’ or ‘Plan C’.

For the hospitality industry, this will mean that face masks, besides when seated, may be become mandatory when inside these venues. As well as this, it is very likely that table service only may be brought back. 

There is even a chance that the NHS Covid app, used to check in to hospitality venues such as cafes, bars and restaurants may return, according to The Daily Mail. 

Covid restrictions returning can cause major issues for the hospitality industry if they weren’t to remain at Plan B’s current extent. Coronavirus caused a major drop in the public’s spending into the hospitality sector. 

Speaking to Jenny, the owner of Chapters Of Us, she stated in regards to Covid and her staff: “We’ve got quite a lot of staff, who might start to pick up covid and start having to isolate which puts a lot of pressure on the workforce that are already in. People having to isolate again, and then just every time there’s an announcement people get the fear of coming out, and every time there’s an announcement we notice our turnover dips off for a couple of days at least.”

She continued in stating about the need of government funding support, “I don’t think there’s one business that’ll survive if there isn’t some financial support behind it. And furlough needs to come back, so the staff has some support as well.”

According to Gov UK, consumer spending may have begun to increase since May 2021 but it still remains 70% lower than pre-pandemic levels, The lack of consumer spending leads to a lack of funding, in turn causing a cut in pay & employment. 

At Love Lane brewery, we spoke to one of the waitresses, Martha to;d us about how she would personally struggle, “This is my sole kind of income at the moment. If we were to be put back into another lockdown, put on furlough, it would be really difficult, I’d be more anxious, more worried about what the future entails.”

We can hope that any upcoming continuation of Covid restrictions don’t impose massively on the hospitality industry. With the Baltic Triangle thriving mostly off of small businesses and independent creatives, they will need government support to survive any lockdowns or harsh restrictions put in place.

Published on Let It Happen https://letithappenmusicblog.com/introducing-anorak-patch-the-latest-addition-to-nice-swan-records/

Unbelievably, at only the ages of 14 to 16 years old, they’ve managed to join a labelrepresenting the likes of Sports Team, Hotel Lux and many more upcoming artists.

Following their two previous releases, ‘Beans” and “6 Week Party”, comes their latest release “Irate”. The track is about “the paralysing times we are in now.“, yet also conveying “how we have hope for the future“.

Emerging onto the scene only last year with their debut singles, Anorak Patch have already made it onto the BBC 6Music Playlist, as well as landing a place on the bills for both The Great Escape and Farmfest.

The four-piece hail from Colchester, having formed in high school in 2019 by keyboardist Effie Lawrence. Anorak Patch further consists of Luca Ryland (drums), brother Oscar Ryland (guitar) and Eleanor Helliwell (bass).

Irate, their most recent release, came about during the first lockdown. Having both the bands keyboardist and guitarist exams been cancelled, they were collectively left feeling frustrated. This is expressed lyrically- “what is in your head”. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Queens of The Stone Age, System Of A Down & Black Midi, the track radiates irresistible energy.

Watch Anorak Patch ‘Irate’ video here:

Elaborating on the track, Eleanor, bass, stated:

“We wanted to write something more meaningful, something about the paralysing times we are in now.“

Continuing in stating,

“However we also wanted it to convey how we have hope for the future. “no vapour trails above” shows how we were trying to stay optimistic.”

uckily we were able to catch up with the band.

How they are taking on 2021:

“We want to fully oversaturate peoples’ feed with our brand, so all they see is our name.”

What’s to Come:

“We are releasing multiple singles over the course of the next year. We’ve developed our sound over the past couple of months by delving into new artists and genres. We think it’s really important to listen to as much music as possible. This has really allowed us to look at our music through a new light, grabbing as much inspiration as we can from other artists. It’s crucial to always be soaking up information in this industry, and our new music coming out this year really reflects that.”

Favourite New Artists (Right Now):

“We have been very into new upcoming solo acts ‘Holly Humberstone’ and ‘Jean Dawson’. We love the nostalgia they bring into their music, as well as their overall aesthetic. They both have emerged through the music industry so fast, which is fascinating because their music isn’t conventionally commercial which in a way – has now become commercial in itself.”

Listen to Anorak Patch ‘Irate’ here

published on let it happen blog https://letithappenmusicblog.com/finding-aurora-the-last-call/

Hailing from South Wales comes garage rock quartet Finding Aurora. Having started as a bedroom project in Newport in late 2017, the band eventually took to stage in 2018.

Since their entrance into the world of live music, they’ve managed to sell out to crowds of 100+ in venues around Cardiff and their hometown, Newport.

Finding Aurora are a band to catch live, a riotous live performance mixed with their enthralling tracks makes them ones to watch. Their music is typically for fans of bands such as Soundgarden, Foo Fighters and Queens Of The Stone Age. With the band themselves finding artists such as Descendents, Black Flag, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, AC/DC.

Stating “I think I like to take a lot of inspiration from those kinds of eras for music as it holds a memorable place in my heart still to this day.”

Since their first gig in May 2019, at the Dragonffli, Pontypool, the band set straight for the studio. From this, they recorded and produced their debut EP, self-titled Finding Aurora. The band worked alongside Jeff Ross, of Skindred and Dub War. Their self-titled EP was well-received, in-turn setting up a good start for the 4-piece.

For the band, the recent recording process has “an absolute blast to say the least. ” The band stated, “the process for putting our new tracks together has been so much damn fun and I think myself and the band have learnt a lot about how to make songs better and how to write better songs from a producers perspective.”

Fellow Welsh artist Tom Auton has been involved in the process, with the band stating,

“he is honestly one of the most talented dudes I’ve ever met in my life, a relentless work ethic and makes incredible sounding music. recorded this song just under a year ago at Musicbox in Cardiff and in Tom’s living room. “

Watch Finding Aurora ‘The Last Call’ video here:

The Last Call is the band’s latest release. The track is described to be about cutting off those who make you feel like nothing, moving ahead and giving them the last call. The track instantly explodes to life with a crescendo of instruments. The Last Call is a blistering riot of emotions, perfectly articulated through the emotive lyrics.

Regarding inspirations behind the new release, Finding Aurora stated,

“it was inspired through a lot of personal experiences I had had during the end of my teenage years, through a lot of people I had met who were toxic and never brought much to my life personally and they weren’t very inspiring”.

Listen to Finding Aurora ‘The Last Call’ on Spotify:

Published on Let It Happen https://letithappenmusicblog.com/2020/06/a-love-letter-to-glastonbury-festival/

Glastonbury Festival, one of the most renowned and iconic festivals in the world, one where millions try for tickets, with only around 135,000 succeeding, this love letter is for you.

I was around 13/14 years old when I first ventured to Worthy Farm for the 4-night escape that would soon become a reoccurring highlight. Topping the bill that year was Kanye West, The Who & Florence & The Machine, last-minute step-in after Dave, of the Foo Fighters, managed to do some damage preventing touring. With my only prior festival experience being a few years of Reading Festival, I thought I was prepared for Glastonbury, wasn’t it just a festival like any other? From looking out my dad’s car window down onto the festival itself I was overwhelmed by the escapist world I saw, fellow Glasto punters- you’ll know the route and site I mean.

Glastonbury is like walking into a dream world like no other. Away from it’s known icons, such as the Pyramid stage, there is so so much more for you to lose yourself in. From the darkest hours of the night to the early hours of the morning, you can disappear into the Far East corner, see the weird & wonderful, often politically fueled, sites of Shangri La & Hell. Or take a trip down the Rabbit Hole to discover a new undercover artist, rise up to the Crows Nest to witness a bit of blistering punk. Upon entrance, you’re immersed in a world like no other. 

Without sounding too pretentious, Glastonbury is something that those who haven’t witnessed it for themselves won’t understand the wonder of it. I’ve been so incredibly lucky to create many beautiful memories, too many to write down properly, much easier to bullet point, so here you go:

• Witnessing Foo Fighters immensely insane 2017 headline set.
• Arcadia when it used to be the gigantic spider, it truly blew me away.
• Being up on shoulders for Circa Waves T-Shirt Weather, this song for me, although generic, just screams Glastonbury (this highlight goes for more than one year).
• The Cure headlining in 2019, genuinely couldn’t say if I cried or smiled more during those treasured few hours.
• Wolf Alice 2016 pyramid stage set. That brief set will forever be one of my Glasto moments, I remember loving every minute of it. When it ended my mate called me up saying how he’d seen me multiple times on the BBC coverage, at only 14 I was buzzing.

Although Glastonbury is an extravaganza of a variety of arts, music, for me, remains the sole part of the festival. The festival’s lineup always shows off an array of artists from across all genres, countries & walks of life. Topping off the iconic lineup are the secret sets. Any Glasto punter will know the Williams Green tent on  Thursday evening is the place to be for such, yet that’s not it. Across the weekend, festival-goers are given the chance to see often upcoming artists, or already well established, play a surprise secret set. Notable ones include The Killers’ 2017 John Peel set, !. Over the few years I’ve been, I’ve been lucky to experience some insane sets. Just to mention a select few of many: 

• Foals not-so-secret set at the Park last year, how I managed to get in the soon after closed field and be so close to the front I’ll never know.
• Wolf Alice Williams Green secret set, they were the second band I ever saw perform at Glastonbury & from that performance they became one of my favourite groups ever.
• Vampire Weekend on the Park Stage last year. Hearing the New Yorkers cover Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac on a hazy summer morning was truly beautiful.

Glastonbury, you are the source of the majority of my most cherished teenage memories, and hopefully will be the source of many future ones. Fingers crossed for tickets next year.