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Academy stars celebrate
Independents Day
THE best of Liverpool's up and
coming musicians showcased their talents at a special event as part of
Independent Venue Week.
The 'LIMF Academy Showcase' took place at City Centre venue
Magnet, on 28 January 2016 and saw the 'Most Ready' artists from 2015's
Liverpool International Music Festival Academy celebrate their success.
The Showcase not only coincided with independent venue week, but also
reaffirmed Liverpool's newly awarded status of UNESCO City of Music which
the City received because music is at the heart of its contemporary culture
and it invests in young people so that world class talent can continue to be
honed here.
It also came just 2 months after LIMF scooped a national award at the UK
Festival Awards for:- 'Best Festival for Emerging Talent'
based on the amazing work by the Academy.
Audience had a chance to see the 3 2015 winners who are:-
Amique; working on his craft since the age of 7, Amique is a singer,
producer, composer, arranger, multi instrumentalist and band leader and has
gained a reputation as a serious talent within the industry. Jalen
Ngonda; USA born Jalen has classed Liverpool as home since 2014. He was
inspired by his father's collection of jazz, hip hop, soul and classical
records and is widely regarded as one to watch. Amique said:-
"I am really excited to play the upcoming LIMF Academy showcase at Magnet. I
get to play with the most fabulous musicians and I'm super grateful for the
opportunity."
Michael Seary; The 24 year old Liverpudlian producer creates mostly drum and
bass tracks, releasing EP 1343 Days to critical acclaim and support. His
LIMF Academy win has resulted in him working with one of his producer
inspirations Feint as well as Grammy Award winner Steve Levine. New songs
and collaborations are on the cards for 2016 as he takes more steps towards
bigger success. Michael Seary said:- "The academy has been a
good springboard in my career as it has opened up new opportunities to me
that I would not have achieved without the support from the Academy team.
The money that was awarded to me has helped me to better my image and artist
profile by allowing me to have professional level promo shots taken, get
music videos shot and high end mastering. But aside from the money the one
to one support behind the scenes has been exceptional as the whole academy
team do genuinely only want the best for you. With the help of the support I
have managed to gain multiple national radio plays on tracks of mine which I
feel the academy is directly responsible for."
Eleanor Nelly who took the Academy's 'One to Watch'
title last year, in 2015; the 16 year old singer / songwriter is cutting
her musical teeth by playing at festivals and venues up and down the country
and has recently released her 1st EP Insane and Loved.
Katy Alex who is a 2014 LIMF Academy graduate and described as a northern
Lilly Allen. With a passion for fashion and music she performs regularly in
the City and is hoping to be signed to a major label in the next two years.
L U M E N is 17 year old Liam who has been championed by BBC Introducing and
spends most of his time making music and experimenting with sounds. He is
hoping to start to get noticed and get an 'in' into the music industry.
Yaw Owusu, LIMF Curator, said:- "With all the recent awards, including
UNESCO City of Music, 2016 is a very exciting time for the City and our
music creators. The spotlight is once again thrust on our music makers. It's
amazing that at the same time our pool of raw music talent is probably as
strong and as deep as it ever has been. The LIMF Academy hopes to continue
to be a central part of the grassroots music culture and a leading beacon
for music talent discovery and development in the region, making sure our
stars of the future get the support they need. Our crop of talent this year
are all doing amazing things. Our 'Most Ready' are now breaking through on
national platforms and the story is just starting. It's vitally important we
all get behind these artists and help them as they build their careers."
The LIMF Academy Showcase is hosted in association with Bido Lito! Sam
Turner, from Bido Lito, said:- "2 things we try and champion through
Bido Lito! is emerging talent and independent culture, so having the LIMF
Showcase gig as part of Independent Venue Week is a perfect fit for us. It's
been fantastic seeing the Academy artists progress through the programme so
we're really looking forward to seeing them all together in a live setting.
It'll be a boss night."
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£32 million roads scheme set to move closer
PLANS for a £32 million improvement and widening of a
major route in North Liverpool are set to take a major step forward. A new
plan which could lead to the regeneration of the Welsh Streets has been unveiled
by Liverpool City Council.
The Council's Cabinet is being asked to approve plans to enter a 6 month
exclusivity agreement with development company Place First, during which time
they will carry out surveys and investigations before developing a new master
plan and submitting a planning application.
The firm is a specialist development company with a proven track record in
converting 19th Century housing into high quality homes that meet modern
standards whilst retaining their original character and layout.
It is hoped a significant proportion of the 300 homes can be refurbished, with
some knocked '3 in to 2' to make them larger and appeal to
families.
Those in a really poor condition and too costly to repair will be demolished
with the possibility of creating community open space and new properties in
their place.
The move follows a decision in January 2015 by the then Secretary of State Eric
Pickles to overturn his independent planning inspector's approval for a scheme
which would have seen 271 homes be replaced by 154 new houses, along with 37
refurbished terraced properties.
Mr Pickles also scrapped long standing planning and regeneration guidance which
supported the need for large scale demolition, and replaced it with an approach
that favours retention and refurbishment of older stock.
Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson said:- "All we have ever done is try to do
what the residents have told us and it's important to remember 80% of them
backed the original plans for this area. As a result of the prevarication over
this scheme from different outside interest groups we have lost a £13 million
Government grant. However, given that the Government has changed the planning
rules we need to find a way forward in order to get this area sorted out as soon
as possible and I am pleased we have been able to find a partner that is willing
to look into taking on the Welsh Streets. The residents of the Welsh Streets
have been in limbo for years after the Coalition Government axed the Housing
Market Renewal Initiative. To add insult to injury, Eric Pickles then overturned
his own planning inspector's decision on a subsequent scheme despite it being
supported by the vast majority of the local community. PlaceFirst have a great
track record in regenerating old houses and I know they are genuinely excited
about what they can do in the Welsh Streets. I want them to crack on with the
detailed survey as quickly as possible. We've demonstrated with the regeneration
of Anfield and our Homes for a Pound scheme that we are leading the way in
finding imaginative ways of retaining properties where it is viable to do so."
Councillor Frank Hont, Cabinet member for housing, said:- "We took some of
the residents to Accrington to see some of the other projects that Place First
are working on and the feedback we had from them was really positive. They are
really focused on creating a new community for the area which has a long term
future and I am really confident that we can come up with a scheme that delivers
the best of the old and the new. I would like to thank residents for their
patience, resilience and support over the last few years and sticking with the
area when some of them are in poor health as a result of the conditions they are
living in."
David Smith Milne, Managing Director and founder of Place First said:-
"Place First is really excited about this project. The Welsh Streets are on the
doorstep of one of Europe's most exciting and culturally distinctive Cities.
They are also walking distance from 2 of England's best public parks, and have
the benefit of highly rated local schools within a short walk. Liverpool, like
everywhere else, really needs good quality and expertly managed homes for
private rent. Remodelling these Victorian properties creates an opportunity to
deliver some of the most distinctive and exciting family rental homes in the
City. We are looking forward to working alongside Liverpool City Council and
local residents groups to develop and deliver this project."
Irene Milson, Chair of the Welsh Streets Community Association, said:-
"This community has been waiting a long time for new homes and it is extremely
frustrating that the previous scheme wasn't approved by the Government We await
with interest the details of this new set of proposals and will make our
decision based on progress over the next few months."
The report will be considered by the Cabinet on Friday, 5 February 2016. |
