Liverpool | Music Student Guide

As a student, Liverpool is one of the best cities in the country to live in, bursting with culture, sport and of course, music. 

Birthplace to the Beatles, home to Everton and Liverpool FC alongside world-beating food and drink, beautiful architecture and unrivalled cultural experiences, there's much for students to get their teeth into. 

With ICMP launching a series of undergraduate courses in the city, check out our student guide exploring what you need to experience when living here. 

Soak up the influence of the Beatles

From childhood homes to taking a walk down Penny Lane, the influence of the Beatles on the city of Liverpool is impossible to ignore. 

And it's certainly something to be celebrated - their impact on popular music and beyond is huge. 

Those keen to get under the skin of the Fab Four can visit the childhood homes of each member, take a trip to Strawberry Fields and visit the Beatles Story museum in the Albert Docks.

Elsewhere, you can get a Magical Mystery Tour to different parts of the city that made an impression on the group as well as visit the Cavern, the iconic live music venue where they first cut their teeth.  

Record shops 

As a musical mecca, there are also myriad different record shops scattered across the city for music lovers to check out. 

From second hand spots to the latest opening of Rough Trade, each offers plenty of brilliant sounds for you to dig into. 

Some of the best include Dig Vinyl on Bold Street and Defend Vinyl on Smithdown Road. Probe in the city centre has been around for decades and affiliated with many local talents including Half Man Half Biscuit and the scenesters who made up legendary post punk haunt, Eric's. 

Live gigs

As we've seen in our previous blog, the city of Liverpool is spoilt for choice when it comes to great venues to go and catch live gigs. 

From the legendary Cavern to the Invisible Wind Factory, there are gigs of all shapes and sizes for music lovers to seek out. 

The M&S Arena on the front is where the stadium-sized bands perform. Over the summer months, the iconic Pier Head and its On the Waterfront festival also offers the opportunity to see artists play a stage overlooking the Mersey. 

This year, Ocean Colour Scene and Deacon Blue are among the acts performing.  

Baltic Triangle

Situated to the south of the city centre, the Baltic Triangle used to be an industrial wasteland but has become the beating heart of the city's cultural and late night life. 

There's plenty to eat and see and do in this part of Liverpool, particularly in the Baltic Market. Based in Cain's Brewery, there are multiple different street food vendors while big sporting events can be caught at the new Boxpark. 

Different indie traders have set up shop in Cain's brewery while this being Liverpool, there is also the Yellow Submarine bar, a bar (you guessed it) inside a yellow submarine. It's a vibey part of the city that is full of those looking for an alternative night out to the city centre and home to multiple music venues and clubs.  

Pier Head and the Three Graces 

Liverpool's riverside is one of the most beautiful parts of the city next to the River Mersey. 

The Three Graces consist of the Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building and the Port of Liverpool Building and can be found on Liverpool's Pier Head.

These majestic buildings were conceived and constructed as symbols of Liverpool's international prestige and its commercial prowess.

If you do visit this part of the city, make sure to check out the multiple museums including the Maritime Museum and the Museum of Liverpool. The nearby Albert Docks is also home to Tate Liverpool and a fantastic variety of bars and restaurants. 

Bold Street 

Bold Street runs from the Bombed Out Church into the city centre and is an avenue full of independent retailers, counter cultural offerings and even a cat cafe (where the feline-minded can spend time in a room full of cats while enjoying a coffee or soft drink). 

Many of the best shops in the city can be found here - from Dig Vinyl to News from Nowhere and many, many more. 

Find out more

South Liverpool and Lark Lane 

Leafy South Liverpool is one of the most picturesque parts of the city with Aigburth, Sefton Park and Mossley Hill all full of green spaces.

Lark Lane is a thoroughfare bursting with indie retailers, great pubs and fantastic food and drink and is a good base from which you can explore the many delights of nearby Sefton Park. 

Calderstones Park is closer to Mossley Hill and full of more green space alongside the Reader charity and cafe. Elsewhere, Otterspool is a great spot to take in the River Mersey and catch a view of the Wirral across the water. 

Pubs 

If going to the pub is your thing, then you'll be spoilt for choice in Liverpool - the city's cup almost runs over with fantastic boozers and breweries.

For the latter, the Black Lodge and Love Lane are two of the best to be found in the city centre while the Liverpool Brewing Company offers a brilliant selection of ales. 

In the city centre, you can hang at the Ship and Mitre, the Pilgrim, the Grapes or even Ye Cracke, a pub near Hope Street where John Lennon is believed to have been a regular. 

Liverpool's music scene

While much is made of Liverpool's musical past - bands including Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The La's and the KLF alongside the Beatles - there are plenty of brilliant new bands who are continuing the tradition of acts writing brilliant songs with a knack for memorable melodies. 

From the hip hop of relative new comer Koj to the experimental rhythms of Ex-Easter Island Head and electronic producer Forest Swords, there's much more bubbling away here than might meet the eye. Guitar bands are what Liverpool is known for and there are some great recent success stories - Red Rum Club and Jamie Webster to name two - but there's a healthy amount of music breaking the mould in the city too.

Alongside live music venues, there are plenty of clubs and creative spaces supporting this thriving scene. 

Crosby 

If you head to the north of Liverpool, you will arrive in Crosby and it's beautiful beachfront. You'll also get the chance to experience Antony Gormley's 'Another Place'.

This bold piece of art consists of 100 cast-iron, life-size figures spread out along three kilometres of the foreshore, stretching almost one kilometre out to sea and is a permanent fixture in the beach. For anyone with a spare afternoon, this is a strikig and memorable cultural experience.