Liverpool Sound City

Vicky Andrews

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Liverpool Sound City

1-3 October 2021

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Liverpool Sound City. Photo © Niall Lea
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With more false starts than the Grand National, Liverpool Sound City have got everything crossed that the long-delayed festival will now return to the city in October 2021.

The new dates on the first weekend of October cautiously follow the government’s roadmap out of lockdown and it can’t come soon enough for festival organisers, who have now had to postpone the event three times from its original date of May Bank Holiday 2020.

Sound City has earned a reputation around the world for capturing the vibrancy of Liverpool with a three-day festival and solid music industry conference, drawing inspiration from the US festival South By South West. It’s the place to discover the giants of tomorrow and was one of the first to host huge names like Ed Sheeran, Florence and the Machine, Stormzy, Jungle, Alt-J, Paloma Faith, The 1975, Christine & The Queens, Years & Years and many more at the beginning of their musical careers.

The original Sound City in 2008 was held across some of Liverpool’s coolest city centre venues, including The Kazimier, The Zanzibar, The Black-E and even Liverpool Cathedral. In 2015, the festival moved to an arena set-up at Bramley-Moore Dock, with limited success. Since then, Sound City has come back to its roots and now takes place across the Baltic Triangle at venues including District, Camp & Furnace and 24 Kitchen Street, as well as outdoor stages, pop up shows and more.

The first wave of artists to play Sound City 2021 include Rejjie Snow, Red Rum Club, The Snuts, The Lathums, The Mysterines, The Murder Capital, Lanterns On The Lake, Abbie Ozard, Brooke Combe, Hello Delaware, Miss Tati and Isabel Neib. Enjoying amazing new artists in incredible venues is what makes Sound City great and it’s exciting to see a line-up coming together that looks set to bring together genre-pushing favourites, thrilling live bands and more must-see moments.

Sound City is also a champion for Keychange, a global movement focused on the restructuring of the music industry to achieve gender equality. While many of the world’s major music festivals have carried on perpetuating male-dominated line-ups, more than 120 UK music organisations – including Sound City – have promised to achieve a gender balance by signing up to the Keychange 50:50 pledge.

With many more names to be announced, including a special third headliner, finally coming back to Sound City is going to be a very special moment. We can’t wait.

Where to go near Liverpool Sound City

Hern Food
Leeds
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Hern

This produce-driven bistro in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, prides itself on cooking with the only finest ingredients and his headed up by Cordon Bleu-trained chef Rab Adams.

Indie Makers
Leeds
Shop
Indie Makers

Indie Makers, located in Leads’ corn exchange, trades in art and gifts from independent makers across the UK.

Plant Point
Leeds
Shop
Plant Point

Plant Point is designed to help you bring the jungle into your urban or suburban space. The home of beautiful plants in Leeds.

Leeds
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Eat Your Greens

Eat Your Greens is a vibrant, organic restaurant bringing a hint of European flair to the city’s plant-based dining scene.

Sela opened in 2004 with an idea to provide quality imported beers from around the world, fun cocktails to compliment the beer selections and a stage for the region’s finest and most talented musicians to play on.Over ten years later, we’re still all about the beer, cocktails, live music and pizza!We carry over a selection of over thirty different beers spanning the globe from Pickering with The Great Yorkshire Brewery’s Yorkshire Blackout, to New York with a selection from Brooklyn Brewery, and Belgium with longtime Sela favourite, Vedett.Our cocktails change regularly too. Our best-sellers are joined by fun, new offerings and our pizza menu is regarded as one of the best the city of Leeds has to offer.As for the live music, Sela has had not only the great and the good from the region. Local funksters, The New Mastersounds are regular visitors and we stage the amazing Mojah Reggae Band for their weekly Wednesday residency.  Our other long running programming incl
Leeds
Restaurant
Sela Bar & Pizzeria

Sela Bar is a cosy Leeds basement spot with live music, great drinks, and a cool, laid-back, atmospheric vibe.

Leeds Beckett SU
Leeds
Restaurant
Leeds Beckett Student Union

Leeds Beckett Student Union hosts big-name artists and supports students through events, live music, and a vibrant campus venue.

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There's ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and entertainment facilities, making for a great evening out!

Watch the latest film releases and enjoy the industry-leading Sony 4K Digital screens, boasting spectacular picture quality, along with enhanced audio quality courtesy of Dolby 'Profound Sound'. Stepped SuperVue seating means you will never miss a second of the action while VIP seating guarantees you an extra touch of luxury whenever you want to upgrade.

Three of the nine screens showcase the newest 3D releases while Vue Classical brings the latest stage sensations to the big screen, and parents can save as they go with Family Tickets and Kids AM screenings offering great value for money.
Leeds
Cinema
Vue Cinema – Leeds Kirkstall Road

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There’s ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and

Restaurant 2
Leeds
Café or Coffee Shop
Empire Café

Empire Café is located in Leeds’ ‘home of day dining’- Fish street!

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Phranakhon

Phranakhon Thai Tapas is a revolutionised Thai dining restaurant with a combination of European indulgence and authentic Thai tastes.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Wen’s

Wen’s is a family owned Chinese restaurant specialising in authentic, home cooked cuisine.

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