Xolo (pronounced Cho-lo) is the Little Girl Giant’s four-legged friend, who will be following her as she searches for her Uncle around Liverpool.
 
It will be the first time the 9ft dog has ever been seen in the UK.  A playful addition to the show, Xolo will have fun interacting with the crowd and will be a huge hit with the expected 250,000 strong audience.

Xolo is a Mexican, hairless dog and is believed to have been considered a sacred animal by the Aztecs.  The latest Sea Odyssey addition is 3.5metres long, weighs 200 pounds and can reach speeds of up to 6kph.
 
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Culture and Tourism, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “When we originally announced that the Little Girl Giant was coming to the city there was a huge amount of excitement, and now we have three giants exploring Liverpool this has turned out to be the must-see event of the year!
 
“Xolo will add a fantastic dynamic to the show – he’s fast, playful and fantastic to watch – it won’t just be dog-lovers he’ll appeal to but people old and young.
 
“This is the first time street theatre experts Royal de Luxe have ever brought three giants to the UK, so it’s a real coup they want to showcase some of their most popular characters in our city.
 
“It really will be an unmissable event, and one that people will remember for years to come.”

Sea Odyssey will see the three giants exploring the city, covering a massive 23 miles between them.

It is only the third time Xolo has taken part of a Royal de Luxe show.  He made his first ever outing in Mexico in front of an audience of 3.5million people in 2010, and then performed in front of 600,000 in Nantes in 2011.

 The full route and latest information can be found at www.giantspectacular.com

With over 400 applications, the panel certainly have their work cut out. Good Luck Everyone!

All interested performers should submit their entry online at http://www.mathewstreetfestival.org/band-application/

2012 marks 50 years since The Beatles came together and to celebrate the pivotal anniversary of Liverpool’s favourite sons, there’s a year worth of events taking place across the city.

The city council is joining forces with organisations across Liverpool to put together a programme of activities which pays tribute to four young lads who changed the music scene forever.

The programme so far will be launched at a special event on Friday 24 February, at the venue where it all began – The Cavern Club.  The announcement will come just hours after it has been launched at Carnegie Hall in New York during an event aimed at attracting American Beatles aficionados to Liverpool.

Highlights include:

Liverpool City Council

• August will see the 20^th Mathew Street Music Festival and Fringe which will be a huge celebration of all things Merseybeat.  Two of the stages will not only play host to the usual high quality tribute bands, but there will also be a special section for acts influenced by The Beatles.

The Cavern Club

• Saturday with The Beatles – every Saturday throughout 2012 the club’s resident Beatles tribute bands will give special performances in the venue’s Live Lounge.
• Beatles-mania will take over Hulme Hall in Port Sunlight on 18 August, as a musical extravaganza takes place to mark the historic day that Ringo Starr made his debut with The Beatles as their official drummer.
• 19 August marks the 50-year anniversary of the Fab Four’s first gig at The Cavern and the venue will be in full party-mode to celebrate the occasion.
• International Beatles Week (22 – 28 August) will mark the 50^th anniversary in style with bands and fans from all over the world descending on the city. Gigs, guest speakers and the world’s biggest Beatles convention will all make this an unforgettable week.
• For the first time, on 25 August, Port Sunlight Summer Festival is teaming up with International Beatles Week and will see tribute bands take to the outdoor stage to give a Beatles flavour to the event.

The Beatles Story

• To celebrate the release of The Beatles’ first single, a special Love Me Do Weekend will take place at the Albert Dock over the weekend of 5 – 7 October.  It will be a weekend of fantastic music and performances, and maybe even a record breaking attempt…
• On Sunday, 9 December, a John Lennon Peace Vigil will take place at the European Peace Monument in its new home near the Echo Arena, marking 32 years since his death.

The Epstein Theatre

• Taking to the stage of the newly refurbished Epstein Theatre (formerly The Neptune) a long awaited theatrical production celebrating the life of Brian Epstein will raise its curtain on 15 November running until 1December.  Produced by Bill Elms & Jen Heyes Productions Ltd, EPSTEIN is a one-man play with live music, written by Andrew Sherlock and directed by Jen Heyes.

Liverpool Philharmonic

• The Two of Us: The Lennon and McCartney Songbook will see two very special evenings of songs written by the world’s greatest song writing duo performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  Conducted by John Wilson, there will be performances of favourites such as All You Need Is Love, Yesterday and Strawberry Fields by the highly original singer Joe Stilgoe, award-wining jazz singer Claire Martin and Liverpool favourite, actor and vocalist Mark McGann. The show is scripted by writer/director Bob Eaton, author of the Liverpool Everyman’s 1981 hit Lennon, which made a star out of a teenage Mark McGann.  Two performances take place on 22 and 23 June at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
• Liverpool Philharmonic Beatles Weekend will take over the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall from 7 to 9 December:

Friday 7 December – Re-live the sights and sounds of the sixties with the world’s premier Beatles tribute band The Bootleg Beatles and their spectacular two-hour multi-media stage production featuring all the classic Beatles hits. Using film footage of the period and ‘with a little help from’ their regular brass and string ensemble, the show traces the history of the Fab Four from Liverpool’s Cavern Club through Sergeant Pepper to The Apple Rooftop.

Saturday 8 December – A sell-out in 2008 and 2010, The John Lennon Songbook returns by popular demand. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will be joined once again by vocalists Joe Stilgoe, Claire Martin and Mark McGann to perform classics such as Imagine, Woman and Ticket to Ride.

Sunday 9 December – See Mark McGann return to Liverpool Philharmonic with his extraordinary portrayal of John Lennon. Lauded by critics and audiences alike, In My Life is a show which traces Lennon’s life, using both Fab Four and solo songs and interspersed with a first person account of a remarkable series of events.

More events are expected to be announced in the near future.

Further details about all the events taking place including times and costs (where applicable) go to www.VisitLiverpool.com/50yearsofthebeatles

Line up includes

• Paul Kappa
• Merseycats’
• Just John and Paul
• Liverpool Community Choir

Full line up available to download from http://www.albertdock.com/mathew-st-festival-fab-four-family-stage/

Backbeat is the story of how the Beatles ‘became’ the Beatles – when John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe embarked on their journey from the famous docks of Liverpool to search for success in the seedy red light district of Hamburg.

The compelling triangular relationship between the band’s original bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, the striking German photographer Astrid Kirchherr whom he fell in love with, and his best friend John Lennon, became an intrinsic part of The Beatles’ story – and put them on an unstoppable trajectory onto the world stage.

Directed by the award-winning David Leveaux, Backbeat features the all-time rock ‘n’ roll classics that the Beatles cut their teeth with Twist & Shout, Rock ‘N’ Roll Music, Long Tall Sally, Please Mr Postman and Money – live on stage as performed by ‘The Beatles’.

To enter, simply email your name to backbeat@akauk.com with ‘Mathew Street competition’ in the subject line. Competition closes Friday 9 September.

5 pairs of tickets valid for performances 24 September – 15 October, subject to availability. Tickets are non-transferable and no cash alternative will be offered.

Winning tickets will be reserved for collection at theatre Box Office.

For the first time, residents and visitors will be able to buy a special black and gold wristband which gives them access to special offers and discounts from retailers, restaurants, bars and attractions across Liverpool on the 28 and 29 August.

Offers include 20% off meals at award winning restaurant Lunya in Liverpool ONE, 20% off the Yellow Boat Tour and 10% off clothes from Resurrection on Bold Street.

The wristbands cost just £3 and can be bought online via our ‘Shop’ page or at The 08 Place and Liverpool ONE Information Centre.

Leader of Liverpool City Council, Councillor Joe Anderson, said: “Band Together is a fantastic scheme for everyone involved.  Not only does it generate some financial support for the event, but thanks to the generosity of many of the city’s retailers, festival-goers will benefit from all the special offers.

“As a result of the budget pressures the city council faces we’ve had to think of different ways in which we can encourage people to support the annual event.

“Mathew Street Music Festival is hugely popular, but is costly to put on so we’re asking for support from those who take part in and enjoy the event.  It isn’t feasible for the council to continue to solely fund the event and the level of support we receive this year will shape the future of the event.

“The number of benefits people can receive when they pay just £3 wristband are fantastic, and I hope as many people as possible back the initiative and support this much-loved event.”

One of the special offers has been put forward by Liverpool music store Dawsons.  The Ranelagh Street store is offering customers discounts on brands the Beatles famously favoured.  There will also be 10% off accessories such as drum sticks and guitar strings, and all Beatles related books and souvenirs.

Dawsons Music Manager Kingsley Rich said “We think the Band Together concept is a great idea. We thought we’d enter into the spirit of things by offering some great deals on brands that The Beatles used, such as Gretsch and Epiphone guitars, and Vox amps.  We will also offering special discounts on accessories and our range of Beatles music books.

“And it makes sense to encourage more people in this great music city to pick up an instrument and show off their talent.”

There are other firsts for the festival this year – a VIP bar and terrace which offers an oasis of calm in the heart of all the action.

The stylish VIP area offers complimentary drinks and snacks, comfy sofas, free hair and make-up repairs, private loos and live entertainment.  Tickets for this exclusive marquee cost £25 and include the official Band Together wristband.  For more information visit www.mathewstreetvip.org.

There’s also an online competition run by top Midlands brewer Marston’s which is sponsoring the Superlambanana stage. They are encouraging local bands to upload their youtube videos for the chance to play at events and festivals in the city.  Judging will take place after the Festival and the most popular bands will be invited to play at a range of local venues and festivals in 2011 and 2012. The website address for entries is www.marstonsepa.co.uk/mathewst/.

This year is the 19th annual festival taking place on the 28 and 29 August.  It has the usual rich mix of international bands and local talent.  This year musicians from more than 30 countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Norway, Germany and the USA will be performing.  More than half of the acts are from the Merseyside region, and there will be a strong Beatles and Merseybeat presence across all the stages.

The event will see more than 80 hours of live outdoor music performed on five stages.

Highlights include a Liverpool Number One stage, where all 53 number ones recorded by Liverpool artists will be played, and a special celebration of the music of George Harrison.

The Made In Liverpool stage will feature original bands and artists from the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s and the Radical Stage will celebrate Liverpool’s Year of the Radicals.

There’s also a nod to the 2012 London Olympics with a London Calling stage, while the contemporary stage at The Tunnel has tributes to Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Katy Perry.

All the offers festival goers can make the most of so far are:

• 20% off meals at Lunya, Liverpool ONE
• 10% off accessories such as drum sticks and guitar strings, and all Beatles related music books and souvenirs at Dawsons Music.
• 10% off clothes from Resurrection on Bold Street (excluding sale items)
• 25% off meals at La Tasca
• A free soft drink with any burrito bought from Barburrito, Liverpool ONE
• 3 for 2 on all treatments at Scin Beauty Salon, Liverpool ONE
• 10% OFF at Menkind, Liverpool ONE
• 10% OFF at PizzaExpress, Liverpool ONE
• Free hair corsage with spend over £30 at Ollie & Nic, Liverpool ONE
• Free CD (Laurel Collective/The Boxer Rebellion) with every purchase at Ted Baker, Liverpool ONE
• 10% OFF at Krispy Kreme, Liverpool ONE
• Selected bottled beers and wines by the glass only £2.99 at Vinea Bar Shop & Deli, Britannia Pavilion, Albert Dock
• 10% OFF at Greenwoods, 33-35 Ranelagh Street
• £10 eye test (normally £20.95) and 2-4-1 on glasses (inc free sunglasses) at Specsavers, 52 Lord Street
• 1/3 OFF Radio City Tower tour at Radio City, St John’s Beacon
• 20% OFF the Yellow Boat Tour, 32 Anchor Courtyard, Albert Dock
• 241 Cocktails (Sunday to Thursday 4pm-8pm) and 2 Cocktails for £10 (exc Saturdays) at Revolution, Atlantic Pavilion, Albert Dock
• 25% OFF at Cafe Rouge, The Met Quarter

EDIT – The line up is now live.

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