Sound City Liverpool Announces Seismic Shift and Belle and Sebastian

Sound City Liverpool Announces Seismic Shift and Belle and Sebastian

Liverpool Sound City is celebrating the launch of it’s 8th festival with two momentous announcements: a move from its original home in and around the venues of Wolstenholme Square to the iconic Bramley Moore Dock and secondly unveiling of one of the UK’s best loved cult bands as it’s first headliner: Belle and Sebastian.

Said Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian “We’re looking forward to headlining Liverpool Sound City on 24th May. This is the last date of our tour and we can’t wait to play at the Liverpool Docklands, It’s such an iconic location…”

Sound City CEO Dave Pichilingi explains the move: “Our goal year on year is to evolve, grow, challenge, inspire, surprise and delight.  

The decision to move to Bramley Moore Dock is based on that ethos and vision. The site is quite literally incredible, at once a blank canvas but at the same time a powerfully evocative backdrop of the real Liverpool, it’s industrial heritage and a once in a lifetime opportunity to breath new life into the sleeping heart of this city.

“The move is not just prompted by our desire for the new but also as a response to the feedback we have had from our audience. Ultimately we have outgrown our old home. It will be sad to leave working with the people and venues we have worked with over the past few years but we don’t want a situation where people have to queue to watch acts or worse still not get to see them at all. Sound City is based on egalitarianism, just as this city is, and we chose the new site to ensure everyone who comes gets the chance to see and engage with everything.”

The move will see the redevelopment of the dramatic and historic Bramley Moore Dock, built in 1848. Sound City 2015 will utilise the existing industrial architecture and warehousing on the docks as unique venues whilst blending in a series of bespoke pop-ups, big tops and tents and for the first time an outdoor main stage giving an unparalleled view of the main artists with Liverpool’s world famous skyline in the background.

Pichilingi added: “The possibilities with Bramley Moore Dock are literally mind blowing. The ways in which we can harness the existing structures and how we use the lighting to pick out amazing industrial buildings are endless.

“Then there is the water, not just the dock but the Mersey itself. We have some big ideas, very big ideas, about how we’ll use the river and waterways, all to be revealed. Rest assured though it’s going to make Sound City one of the most unique and awe-inspiring festival sites in the UK if not the world.”

The site change also opens Sound City up to bigger artists, the first being the legendary Belle and Sebastian who will play on the historic Liverpool waterfront backed by a full orchestra.

With more high-profile headliners to announce in the coming months Liverpool Sound City has not lost sight of its ethos of showcasing emerging artists. The festival has previously provided a springboard for the careers of many now revered acts from Jake Bugg to Bastille to Royal Blood and is committed to finding and developing artists and bands from across the region and the globe.

In one final announcement Sound City 2015 is changing to the later date of 22-24 May. Early bird tickets are now on sale but the site change does not mean a hike in prices.

Head of Marketing and Sales, Alex Simmonds said: “Sound City 2015 is going to be bigger and better in everyway. An awesome new site and lots more budget going into acts and audience experience. Our ticket prices are remaining exactly the same as last year though. We might well be achieving the next level in the Sound City journey but we are most definitely not selling out!”

To buy wristbands or to apply to play at Liverpool Sound City 2015 visit http://www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk/