Liverpool Sound City
Annual music festival in Liverpool, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Liverpool Sound City is an annual music festival and industry conference held in Liverpool, England. It was founded in 2008 by Dave Pichilingi. Sound City was located in Liverpool City Centre venues, such as The Kazimier, The Zanzibar and the Liverpool Cathedral, until 2015 when it was relocated to Bramley-Moore Dock in Liverpool's historic docklands.
| Liverpool Sound City | |
|---|---|
| |
 The Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne performing at Sound City 2015 | |
| Genre | Indie, Alternative, Electronic, Rock |
| Locations | Liverpool, England |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Website | liverpoolsoundcity |
In 2015, the festival took place on Friday 22 May through Sunday 24 May, with headliners The Vaccines, The Flaming Lips and Belle and Sebastian[1] and several artists including, Everything Everything, Peace and The Cribs.[2] Previous artists included Florence and the Machine, The Maccabees, The xx, The Kooks and Ed Sheeran.
The Sound City conference is a one-day music industry conference with keynotes, in conversations and workshop sessions from key digital industry figures. In 2015, the conference took place on Thursday 21 May - Friday 22 May in the Titanic Hotel at Stanley Dock. Speakers included Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, Ramones manager Danny Fields and Mark E. Smith of The Fall.[3]
In 2025 the Sound City conference announced a partnership with UK record industry trade body BPI to incorporate BPI's In Tune With Tomorrow Summit as part of the conference.[4]
Previous line-ups
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Arts
Screenadelica is a large gig poster exhibition that has toured and exhibited across England, Europe and the world. It is essentially a 'pop up' gallery celebrating the art of the screen printed gig poster. The works include UK and international artists from the gig-poster 'scene'. These artists have full band and management support to design for The Pixies, DJ Shadow, Björk, The Cure, PJ Harvey, Brian Wilson, Kellis, Gogal Bordello and many more. The art works can be bought at an average price of £30 a piece. Screenadelica host a wide variety of styles promoting the bands that the artists love, inspired by the music they hear.[13]
Film
John Peel World Cup
Every year, the John Peel World Cup runs in conjunction with the Sound City festival. The five-a-side tournament stocks band members and music industry professionals into different teams. The funds that are acquired from the event go to the British Heart Foundation in memory of John Peel, the namesake of the tournament. [14]
Photography
In 2009, photographer Kevin Cummins discussed his portfolio at the festival. This portfolio played a part in the rise of both "Madchester" and "Britpop" and includes artists such as Joy Division, The Stone Roses, Manic Street Preachers, R.E.M., U2, Patti Smith, Marc Bolan, The Smiths, Oasis, Foo Fighters and Buzzcocks.[15] In 2012, music photographer Gered Mankowitz attended the event as well. Mankowitz has photographed some of the most famous musicians of the 20th century such as The Rolling Stones, Kate Bush and Jim Hendrix. Notable photographers who have attended the festival include Bill Harry, Mark McNulty, Kevin Cummins, and Ernie Paniccioli. Liverpool Sound also works with local universities and communities to provide photography students an opportunity to develop their skills, gain experience and expand their portfolios.[15]