A brand new mural on Mathew Street will celebrate 100 Liverpool musical artists

A new mural will be unveiled on Mathew Street celebrating 100 figures from music who have shaped Liverpool’s cultural heritage, past, present and future.

From The Beatles to OMD, The Teardrop Explodes to Frankie Goes to Hollywood, the mural is designed and created by artist Joe Venning and is funded by SP Energy Networks and The Beatles Story via The Beatles Legacy Group, and facilitated by Liverpool Business Improvement District. 

Three artists were shortlisted after a callout for ideas for the wall on Mathew Street, a few steps from The Cavern and Eric’s, two music venues that have shaped both Liverpool’s music history, and the world’s. 

Wirral based artist Joseph Venning has already created one mural in Liverpool, a 40m wall at ACC Liverpool celebrating the city’s sporting, artistic, comedic and dramatic talent.

This new mural at Mathew Street is 15m wide and pictures the 100 musicians as an audience, with Mathew St as the stage itself. The mural itself will cover the exterior of SP Energy Network’s substation wall

The musicians included in the mural range from Sir Paul McCartney and Ian Broudie, to Louisa Roach, Abi Harding, Mick Head, Carol Decker, Andy McCluskey, Holly Johnson, Jayne Casey, Chris Amoo, Mike McGear and Kingsize Taylors. The bands featured include Red Rum Club, Camelphat, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Wombats, Dead or Alive, The Icicle Works and The Swinging Blue Jeans. 

Artist Joe Venning says he wants people to make connections through the artists features, from dance music and disco :

“The musicians in the crowd scene are arranged in roughly chronological order with the contemporary artists at the front and the Merseybeat era bands further back, to form a timeline of sorts. 

Whilst painting I started seeing connections between bands I hadn’t noticed before. The lineage of indie is pretty obvious from The Cavern bands to Jamie Webster via The Las, The Farm, The Zutons etc. You can also trace the family tree of dance music from CamelPhat back through the original 90’s Cream DJs and The KLF, and then through earlier electronica acts like OMD and further still into Disco with The Real Thing. I hope viewers will start seeing these kinds of connections too.

You don’t see many murals where members of Atomic Kitten rub shoulders with members of Carcass!”

Scott Mathieson, Director of Network Planning and Regulation at SP Energy Networks, says:

“Liverpool’s music has echoed around the world and this mural brings that energy right back to the heart of the city. Our substation has long been part of the fabric of Mathew Street, on the doorstep of Liverpool’s most iconic live music venues. Mathew Street is at the heart of Liverpool’s creative community and we’re proud to celebrate the cultural icons that helped shape Liverpool’s spirit and inspire generations.

“It’s been a pleasure working with Liverpool BID, The Beatles Legacy Group and the artist Joseph Venning to ensure the environment is reflective of the culture and ambition of Liverpool at a time when we’re investing record amounts into the local electricity network infrastructure.”

Peter Hooton, Chair of The Beatles Legacy Group, who have co-funded the mural, and founding member of The Farm, says:

”We are really excited about this brilliant new mural which brings to life Liverpool’s musical heritage, in the heart of the city. Tourists flock to Mathew St because of its bars and clubs but also because of its history, so it is fitting that it is located near to The Cavern and Eric’s, the venues that shaped much of that history. People will undoubtedly spend time pointing out the artists on the mural that have contributed so much to the culture of the city.” 

Bill Addy, CEO of Liverpool Business Improvement District, says:

“We are delighted to be supporting this mural, which puts the legacy and impact of our city’s music centre stage. Mathew Street’s musical heritage is one of the reasons tourists visit from across the world. The Cavern Quarter is such a distinctive and vital part of our city, the artworks throughout it are part of a visual storytelling, showcasing why the spirit of this place is such a passionate one”. 

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