The Mersey Sound to be celebrated

A series of events and exhibitions are set to take place in Liverpool to celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the most influential poetry anthologies of all time.

The Mersey Sound, written by Liverpool poets Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten, was first published in May 1967 and is one of the world’s bestselling poetry anthologies.

To mark the anniversary, Tonight At Noon, named after the first Adrian Henri poem in the collection, will shine a spotlight on the piece of work which captured the mood of the Sixties and brought poetry down from the shelf to the street.

Adrian Henri’s partner, Catherine Marcangeli, has curated all the Tonight At Noon events which have been commissioned by Liverpool City Council. She said: ““Adrian Henri, Roger McGough and Brian Patten changed a generation’s perception of what poetry could be, and could be about.

The Mersey Sound

“Their poems were accessible and anchored in contemporary urban culture; pop and popular, irreverent, humorous, political, tender, surrealistic. They shaped the poetry, music and art scenes of 1960s Britain, and their work has had a lasting impact on artists as varied as Paul Weller, Carol Ann Duffy and John Cooper Clarke.

“The Mersey Sound 50th anniversary celebrations aren’t about nostalgia though – from April to July, a programme of readings, concerts and exhibitions will revisit the Liverpool Poets’ work and introduce it to new audiences.”

Tonight At Noon is set to begin on Wednesday April 12 and take place at venues across Liverpool until Saturday July 15. The event is part of Liverpool’s 67-17: 50 Summers of Love celebrations.

Assistant Mayor and Cabinet Member for culture, tourism and events, Councillor Wendy Simon, said: “The impact and influence of The Mersey Sound is far reaching and it was important not to let the 50th anniversary of this seminal anthology pass without celebration.

“Catherine has curated an exciting series of events which will not only showcase the work and lives of the three poets, but will also give us a sense of the influence their creativity had on other artists.

“Tonight At Noon is undoubtedly going to appeal to existing fans of the anthology, but we hope it will also help a whole new audience, old and young, discover this amazing piece of work and enjoy for themselves the outstanding talent of three Liverpool-born writers.”

The exhibitions taking place include:

The Mersey Sound Archives
Hornby Library, Liverpool Central Library – Wednesday 12 April to Saturday 15 July.

A tribute to the publishing phenomenon which saw three Liverpool writers make poetry part of popular culture. They wrote of young love, pop idols, atomic bombs, eccentric bus conductors and sci-fi superheroes in poems that were contemporary, urban and accessible. This exhibition takes place in the surroundings of the Hornby Library and will include displays of original manuscripts, posters, letters, key documents along with audio and visual material which trace the emergence of Adrian, Roger and Brian on the 1960s poetry scene.

Adrian Henri – Painter, Poet, Performer
Dickens and Gladstone Galleries, St George’s Hall – Wednesday 12 April to Saturday 15 July.

Although he came to prominence as a poet in 1967, Adrian Henri was regarded as a ‘total artist’ having trained as a painter and exhibiting widely throughout his career. He also fronted the unlikely poetry-and-rock band Liverpool Scene, leading John Peel to dub him “one of the great non-singers of our time”. In 1969 the band supported Led Zeppelin, played the Isle of Wight Festival and toured America.  This exhibition will showcase 1960s artworks, poems and original rock posters offering a glimpse into to Henri’s multi-faceted talents.

Thurston Moore Concert
Concert Room, St George’s Hall – 8.30pm, Tuesday 30 May.

Thurston Moore is best known for being the co-founder of legendary alternative rock group Sonic Youth. His use of unusual tunings and distorted sounds have had an impact on experimental and post-punk music the world over, and he has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Moore has collaborated with writers, musicians and artists as varied as Yoko Ono, William Burroughs, Merce Cunningham and Sean Lennon. He is also a poet and a fan of The Mersey Sound. Thurston is on a world tour to promote his latest album RocknRoll Consciousness, but he will stop off in Liverpool to perform a specially commissioned musical response to The Mersey Sound.

New Writing
Poetry reading at Bluecoat – 7.30pm, Friday 16 June.

The impact of The Mersey Sound has resonated for decades for generations of writers and performers. Five poets have been commissioned to create new pieces of work in response to the writing of Henri, McGough and Patten. Taking part are award winning poets Paul Farley, Deryn Rees-Jones, Eleanor Rees, Lizzie Nunnery and Andrew McMillan. They will be joined onstage by Brian Patten and Roger McGough.