Knowsley Music Festival returns! Following on from the success of last year’s festival, which saw incredible home-grown Merseyside talent take to the stage over 10 nights, the festival is back with another fantastic line up of artists from across the Liverpool City Region and beyond!
In addition to the main music festival line up, the Knowsley Fringe Music Festival returns with FREE shows taking place at venues across the borough. The full line up is here.
Lightning Seeds + support from Casino
Thursday 9 November 2023 – 7pm
St Chad’s Church, Old Hall Lane, Kirkby L32 5TH
Tickets £15
Lightning Seeds were formed by Ian Broudie in 1989 and became one of the most iconic bands from the 1990s. For Knowsley Music Festival, the band will be performing a one-off, stripped back acoustic set of their glorious and uplifting psychedelic pop classics, playing a selection of their greatest hits such as Pure, The Life of Riley and Lucky You. Following the release of last year's critically acclaimed See You In The Stars album and a triumphant Glastonbury set, they will be performing fan favourites from their platinum selling Jollification album and beyond.
Michael Head and The Red Elastic Band + support from Rianne Downey and Astles
Friday 10 November 2023 - 7pm (doors at 6pm)
Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park, Longview Drive, Huyton, L36 6EG
Tickets £15 Book tickets
There are few songwriters to ever surpass the gifts he’s brought, either on his own, with The Pale Fountains, Shack or The Strands, but Michael Head and his Red Elastic Band start to unwrap the fifth decade of his artistry with some of his finest work. His 2022 album, Dear Scott, as cohesive and coherent as any album he’s made and this time in the company of producer, Bill Ryder-Jones, is the luminescent result of Head’s star collapsing before morphing to illuminate the skies twice as brightly as before. A dizzying constellation of carefully-crafted songs, pin-sharp playing and deft, life-bringing production, Head’s latest masterpiece, according to the man himself, was a simple matter of his band leading by example and honing their craft, requiring him to up his game. Dear Scott’s title refers back to a golden age of show business, writing and movie-making, a million miles from a pandemic-shrouded Liverpool, that captivated Head in recent years. It’s a place of escape. It is a rewarding journey, made special by its ocean-deep depths. Is there another, living songwriter who can make us feel quite this way?
Rianne Downey
The unassailable rise of hard-touring and sweet singing Rianne Downey continues Finding a prolific seam of urgent, worldly-wise and eminently sing-in-the-showerable songs to share with the world. This year has already found Downey hitting new highs with the releases of step-up singles, Alright and Hard (winning both BBC Radio 1 and 6 Music support) and a sell-out UK tour. Downey’ sound, both in the studio and on stage, is emboldened by the experience and creativity of her band, comprising Liverpool-based musicians, Nathaniel Laurence (guitars), Phil Murphy (drums) and Sam Topping (bass).
Astles
Astles music colours misty melancholy in pastel seaside shades. This should come as no surprise given that Daniel Astles grew up between the sleepy seaside town of Southport and the independent state of Liverpool. His songwriting is a homage to the heartfelt, a tender celebration of flesh and blood, whispered into your ear by a voice as warm as milky tea
Late Night Lillies: Låpsley, Hannah Morgan Immi Dash and Lazygirl
Thursday 16 November - 7pm (doors at 6.30pm & refreshments available from the St Nicholas Centre from 6pm)
St Nicholas Church, Church Road, Halewood, L26 6LA
Tickets £8 Book tickets
Låpsley has finally found a balance. ‘I’m now in this beautiful middle space’, she says. ‘But you need to experience the extremes to learn where that is.’ After an explosive rise to fame as a teenager, when she first uploaded her minimal, mournful self-produced electronica to SoundCloud, Merseyside raised Holly Fletcher’s debut album Long Way Home was released to critical acclaim on XL in 2016. Singles Hurt Me and Falling Short confirmed her as one of the most exciting new songwriting talents, whilst DJ Koze’s disco edit of Operator produced an instant dancefloor classic. Extensive touring followed as Holly honed her craft as a writer and performer, her first proper gig was at Glastonbury, she’s since gone on to play Coachella, All Points East and countless other festivals.