With 200 bands playing over two days, Matthew Street Festival could well be Liverpool's…read moreGlastonbury. A free event held every August Bank Holiday, MSF finds the city centre transformed into a den of music and mayhem. Last year's festival attracted over 30,000 revellers spread across six areas and this year's on 29 -30 August looks set to be even bigger. There's six outdoor stages planned in Williamson Square, Derby Square and Tithebarn Street amongst other locations. There's also temporary bars and hot and cold food stalls. The live music kicks-off at 11am til early evening with most style of music covered from rock, pop and blues to soul, indie and punk. The only downside is that the majority of bands seem to be cover bands and whilst this doesn't seem to bother most of the revellers, bores me. Luckily, a New Bands Stage was introduced last year with no covers. If you don't like being pushed against complete strangers singing and dancing, there's big TV screens that allow you to watch the performances from a distance. Just make sure you take a sunhat, a large bottle of water and some pennies for food, beer and the obligatory festival item, an inflatable guitar. N.B. I'd give the festival 4 stars for camaraderie but the dire covers bands strips it down to 3!

5 stars is probably a little extravagant for Liverpool's Matthew Street Festival for all things…read moreBeatle related as the talent can be a little hit and miss but overall the weekend long music and booze binge is a good laugh. It is an extremely busy weekend as most bars and clubs take part hosting tribute bands from all over the world. Over the years this has changed dramatically from a few Beatles tributes in The Cavern into a city wide festival for tribute acts for all sorts of classic rock groups, performances from old favourites and even showcases for emerging Liverpool talent. Three years ago was probably the best one I had been too and was definately the biggest. The streets were rammed with people and there were numerous huge stages in the middle of Liverpool's busiest streets.

Let's be frank: International Beatles Week is not for the faint hearted. It's for obsessive fans…read morethat know every Beatles single recorded and probably most of the catalogue numbers too! Taking place 25 - 31 August this year, it's been going for almost three decades and is a genuinely international event that attracts thousands of fans from all over the world. To keep you breathing, eating, sleeping, talking, singing and thinking about The Beatles for seven full days and nights, there's a packed programme of Beatles exhibitions, guided tours, guest speakers, film screenings and live gigs. Unfortunately, none of the latter include surviving Beatles but rather, a non-stop avalache of Beatles cover bands and contemporaries. Concerts take place at Cavern Club, Cavern Pub, Philharmonic Hall and for the first time, Liverpool Cathedral and Casbah Club. The former hosts a Love, Peace and Understanding concert with gospel choirs, string quartets, dancers and members of Cirque du Soleil interpreting Beatles songs whilst the latter are throwing a special garden party with 12 live bands and special guests. Of course, there's also a convention where fans can buy and swap rare and unusual Beatles memorabilia and collectibles. What's not to love? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI0Q8ytD44Y

I saw him screaming loud! I'm talking about the so called…read moreLuke Crumb (the Paul McCartney for the Spanish band Beat Tripper)...through years at the cavern i've never heard a voice so amazing, brilliant and very important, perfectly tuned up with the original one. With so many good bass player that are constrained to drop down the original beatles songs, this italian guy is surely unique and can stand out of the crowd with his crazy voice. Plus, during the performance, he jumps and dance and give to the audience memorable moments. I am sure that many others Beatle's fans agree with my description and are hoping to listen him once again. Last but not least the band perform an interesting and comical chronological show, I hope you have noticed them.

Mathew Street Festival takes place in various locations around Liverpool over August Bank Holiday…read moreweekend every year. This yearly festival is a celebration of Liverpool's music scene and music in general. Several stages and venues are set up in and around the city centre and play host to a vast array of mainly cover bands. As you would imagine, there are several Beatles cover bands but they seem to arrange amongst themselves to play different albums. In previous years, I have also seen a Bob Marley impersonator, a knock-off David Bowie and Stipe, a well known REM cover band. The best part of all this is that most venues are free to attend. Drinking is allowed on the streets and you are welcome to bring your own. It can get very busy but if you fancy a cheap-ish bank holiday, this is a good call

This years Mathew street Festival gave us, once again, THE CLASSIC MOTOWN SHOW What a show by this…read morelocal production company POSITIVE IMPACT The talent this city has to offer is just Fantastic. The singing, the choreography and the costumes, brought back the days of that great Motown era. Thankyou to the organises for the fantastic day. WELL DONE!

Bold Street is one of the city's most renowned areas. From the south end approached from the city…read morecentre Bold Street leads up to the bombed out church at the North end, with Chinatown to the right and the University Campus a little further up to the left. Concert Square, one of Liverpool's popular clubbing areas is accessed via Bold Street. There are hundreds of shops along here ranging from the larger nationwide shops near the Southernmost end: Waterstones; Argos; The Body Shop and the more in dependant retailers near the top which include clothes shops and gift shops. The mix of stores creates a distinct Bohemian feel along Bold Street, with cafes, boutiques, art shops, piercing parlours, hobby shops and book shops; there's something for everyone. There are often street performers and buskers along here which add to the atmosphere, Named after a slave merchant and one of Liverpool's ex Mayors, Bold Street has great history and ties to Liverpool's past; there are stories of ghosts and time warps, bullet holes and ruins from the war and architecture spanning centuries. Definitely worth a visit

I was trying to think of what unifies all the businesses on Bold Street and after only eighteen…read morehours of deliberation I had it sussed. Nothing. Nothing unifies them. They are linked together by the fact that they are not linked together. There's book shops and art shops and cafes, but ultimately it feels like you could find anything down here, like a taxidermist or a hat-maker or a weird emporium that sells shrunken heads. This seems even more unique when you stumble out onto Church Street to find chain store after chain store, a tapestry of shops that could be any other city in England. Not like good ol' Bold Street. Yeah, so there's a Waterstones and a Tesco (it'd be more sinister if there wasn't a Tesco) but for the most part this is a stretch of independently-run businesses that will either outlive the moon or die a death and never be remembered. I salute them all.

Fancy yourself as the next Chuck D, Bonnie Greer or Gil Scott-Heron?…read more Set up by WOW in early 2008, Liverpool Young Writers is an on-going project that aims to nurture and inspire creativity and talent in young people. Led by MC and DJ Nikki Blaze, the group includes 11 - 19 year olds interested in creative writing, poetry, rapping, rhyming and the spoken word. There's workshops in storytelling, writing and helping people find their own voice, learning and performance sessions and one to one mentoring. There's also regular showcases where the group get to strut their stuff and flex their vocal muscles in front of an audience. Meetings used to be held at Bluecoat Art Centre every Tues evening but are now held at Kuumba Imani Millenium Centre, Princes Road, L8 1TH. If you're interested in joining, get in touch through WOW and you might get the chance to share the mic with one of your icons. Previous LYW events have seen the group collaborate with Skinnyman, UK MC Sway and grime artist Bashy. Gil Scott-Heron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OET8SVAGELA

Forget Question Time, the BBC should commission WOW* to do a TV series of Rebel Rants!…read more Launched earlier this year, Rebel Rants is a series of public events where some of the most controversial, opinionated and outspoken writers, broadcasters and campaigners in the UK discuss contemporary issues. Held at different locations across Liverpool, the events that have taken place so far have all drawn large crowds and stimulated lively debates about each subject. If you didn't manage to see radical lawyer Michael Mansfield, journalist and former anti-corruption MP Martin Bell or feminist writer and broadcaster Germaine Greer, make sure you book tickets for the last two Rebel Rants. On 22 April, Darcus Howe will be arguing that in many ways Britain has changed for the worse for Black Communities (Black Foot on the Backfoot) and on 15 May, Bonnie Greer will be asking 'Obama: Is he doing it?' *WOW is an annual writing festival in Liverpool. They launched Rebel Rants to mark their 10th anniversary.

Mathew Street is a narrow alley in the heart of Liverpool's urban center. It's where you can find…read moreCavern Club where the Beatles got started playing live shows. There's a statue of John Lennon and names of bands carved into the bricks. It was nice to walk around the urban city in contrast to visiting the suburbs where the Beatles grew up. It's a good area and worth the visit if you are a diehard Beatles fan.

I don't think it's a baseless estimation on my part to think, with firm certainty, that the Beatles…read morewould not be drawn to modern day Mathew Street, in the same way that Bram Stoker would not be a massive fan of the Twilight novels. The place reeks naffness. The traditional pubs the actual Merseybeat bands visited between gigs are the few redeeming corners but they were long ago overshadowed by a flock of noisy, tasteless alcoholes. These are the kinds of scum-shacks that pulse with unashamed braggadocio, as if they deserve to be there because they play Please Please Me at forty thousand decibels. If new to Liverpool, I suppose you have to visit this place sooner or later but don't say I didn't warn you. If you like it though, bear this in mind, we will no longer be friends. Oh yes, that's right! Let's see where your allegiances lie!

Whilst it lacks the wow factor of her neon inside Liverpool Cathedral, Tracey Emin's Roman Standard…read moreis also worth seeking out. Her first piece of public art, it was installed in 2005 and consists of a tiny, life size bronze bird perched on top of a four metre pole outside the Oratory next to the Cathedral. Commissioned by the BBC, the sculpture reflects Emin's on-going fascination with birds and the belief that they represent strength and freedom. As the pole is centred behind the Oratory gates the Roman Standard seems to appear and disappear depending on where you stand, creating a feeling of mystery and ambiguity. Walk too far to the left and you could miss it altogether....