Mathew Street Festival

When news broke that Europe's biggest free city centre music event was to be axed for health and safety reasons, venues and bands rallied round to save the spirit of the festival.
The result is a line-up which showcases some of the best young talent in Merseyside, and best of all, entry is free.
One of Liverpool’s most popular indie bands The Maybes? (don’t forget the question mark) are all set to rock Zanzibar at 8pm on Monday.
“Mathew Street is the one day of the year people can bring their kids into town to listen to music – it’s nice to see families out together,� says singer Nick Ellis.
“We’re looking forward to playing in the Zanzibar. It’s free to get in and I think it will keep the atmosphere that’s been built up over the years. Maybe it’ll be even better. Sometimes when something almost gets destroyed, it comes back stronger, and I think people are determined to have a good time whether they’re watching outdoor stages or bands in bars.
“After all, Mathew Street isn’t about politics or officials, it’s about people enjoying music. And that can happen with a few venues and bands playing. I think it’s going to be a good one.�
Mathew Street will see The Hot Melts come full-circle. Last year’s festival was one of the Wirral band’s first gigs. Just 12 months later they’ve already had a nationwide tour, headlining some of the biggest Carling venues in the country, and have quickly marked themselves out as ones to watch.
“Mathew Street was where it all started for us,� says drummer Jack Prince. “It was amazing to play alongside so many other bands, so when they asked us if we’d play this year we were definitely up for it.�
The lads will be playing the Barfly loft at 6.15pm on Monday.
“We’re looking forward to doing it again – it’ll be different this year, but there’s a lot of bands we like on,� says singer Will Baylis. “They’ve taken a lot of the bands who were already on, and added some more in too, so there seems to be loads on. I’d say get down early if you can. It’s going to be packed.�
Fellow Wirralians Freemaker are playing at Zanzibar at 4.15pm on Monday.
“Mathew Street is always something special,� says singer Andy Metcalf. “It’s good for everyone to see live music who might not usually get the chance. All our families come and watch us. It’s also a chance to win over some more fans who wouldn’t usually come to our gigs.�
Andy and the lads are looking forward to seeing some of the attractions the festival has to offer.
“The Alterkicks where boss last year and Nev Skelly's Big Swing Band, he's always a good one,� says Andy. “We also like going to see Japanese or Russians cover bands in various bars. It's crazy because they actually sound like them even though they can't speak a word of English.
“That’s what Mathew Street is all about - people getting together and celebrating the best music scene in the world.�