Sound City is thrilled to announce that soul-pop sensation, Olivia Dean, will be joining the likes of The Reytons and Maisie Peters on the Sound City 2023 mainstage.
After a string of uplifting, soulful singles and features with the likes of Loyle Carner, Olivia Dean has become one of the most talked about new UK pop stars. Fans of Maisie Peters will undoubtedly be drawn towards the infectious breezy melodies of Olivia Dean’s music while her big brass backing will create the perfect live atmosphere for all in attendance.
Sound City 2023 takes place this month, from 28th – 30th April 2023, with tickets on sale now from the official Sound City page on See Tickets.
Welcoming music-loving attendees and artists from across the UK and the world over, Sound City takes place in its Liverpool home, a city with a buzzing live music scene and a rich musical heritage. It is the must-attend celebration of music discovery, and undisputedly the UK’s independent festival for new music, kicking off festival season with a plethora of the most exciting emerging acts spanning a multitude of genres. Sound City is the UK’s lead festival for Keychange and thus, they consistently deliver a diverse and gender-balanced line-up full of the most exciting emerging artists making it the ultimate festival to discover the sounds of the future.
Joining Olivia Dean on this final wave of artists for Sound City 2023 is Tik Tok sensation James Marriot who has built a huge following thanks to his indie rock anthems and engaging online content. Scottish outfit Declan and the Decadent West have become renowned as one of the most exciting live indie acts around while genre-melding Aussie artist Allday will be ending his UK tour run with a huge performance at Sound City. The announcement also boasts some of the most promising female indie stars such as Nieve Ella, Lizzie Esau and Hannah Grae as well as a host of homegrown Merseyside talent including Monks and SPINN. The weekend will also feature showcases from Virgin Music UK, Modern Sky, Kilimanjaro, SESAC, SAMA, PPL Momentum, M Pour Montreal, Horizons, Sentric Music, Tunecore and Run On Records.
The festival will kick off with New Music Friday on April 28th which will see artists perform across a host of local venues around Liverpool City Centre while the Sound City Festival weekend will take up residency at a new home on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April 2023. Mountford Hall at the Liverpool Guild of Students will play host to festival goers this April. One of the city’s biggest live music venues, steeped in musical history with artists from Queen and The Buzzcocks to Jessie J and Dizzee Rascal having taken to Mountford Hall’s stage over the years. The venue boasts a state-of-the-art light and sound system, and is just a 5-minute walk from Liverpool city centre.
New Music Friday
Ahead of the main Sound City festival weekend and rounding off the one-day conference, there will be a brand new nighttime music billing, running from 6pm-11pm on Friday 28th April titled ‘New Music Friday’. This new addition to the Sound City weekend will see the likes of Swim Deep, Beren Olivia, Michael Aldag and more perform across intimate local live music venues, as attendees are invited to explore Liverpool city centre. Sound City is renowned for uncovering new talent, with past alumni including Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Stormzy, Grimes, Yungblud, The 1975 and more.
Having just been named ‘Best Metropolitan Festival’ at the 2022 UK Festival Awards, Sound City has an unrivalled reputation for showcasing the next wave of new music from the UK and internationally and so ‘New Music Friday’ will be the perfect way to kick off the weekend in style, explore the thriving music scene in the heart of the city and discover your next favourite artist.
Apply To Play
Sound City has partnered with Tunecore to launch their Apply To Play system for 2023 which allows emerging artists from across the country the chance to submit their music and join the 2023 festival line up. As the UK’s leading festival and conference for new music and the loudest voice championing emerging artists in the North, Apply To Play is one of the core elements of Sound City as it allows the next wave of young musicians to be heard and showcase their amazing talent to over 5,000 daily attendees.
This year’s Apply To Play winners are, Evie Moran, Nxdia, Pet Snake, Lazygirl, Winnie Ama, Esme Bridie, Alright (OKAY), Stanleys, Kaiden Nolan and Picture Parlour. Plus, Florence Noon, Lei Hope, Afreine and Bertie will be joining the line up as ‘Tunecore Buskers’.
Sound City Conference
The annual Sound City conference is the UK’s leading independent music conference and AIM UK’s ‘Conference in The North’. For over 15 years, Sound City has welcomed leading industry figures, emerging artists and aspiring music business professionals to Liverpool for a full-day programme of educational panels, in-conversations and networking parties. Sound City 2023 is the must-attend event for established music professionals and aspiring creatives alike, as music lovers and industry leaders from all over the world are welcomed to the North of England for an unrivalled day of innovative, forward-thinking industry discussion. This year’s line up will feature in-conversations with Jamie Webster, Lady Leshurr and Bob Vylan plus a host of panels covering a wide range of the industry’s burning issues.
Taking place on 28th April 2023, tickets for the Sound City Conference are on sale now via www.soundcity.uk.com
Sponsors and Partners
Sound City is proud to work with many leading and innovative funders and partners. These include Arts Council England, who recognise the unique contribution made to the music industry through its inclusion as a National Portfolio Organisation. Their partners for ‘Pay It Forward’ and for their emerging programme – CAPLL LTD, scotts, Tessuti, their Principal Creative Media Education Partner – SAE, their Official Sponsor of Apply to Play 2023, Tunecore, their Major Partner & Headline showcase of New Music Friday 2023 – Virgin Music UK. their official food partner, Bundobust, their Official Innovation Partner Amplead, BBC Horizons, BPI, Bruntwood, Farah, their Official Discovery partner, Gigseekr, Kilimanjaro, Keychange, Leeds Conservatoire, Liverpool Hope University, Modern Sky, Musicians Union, PPL, PRS Foundation, Run on Records, SAMA, SESAC, Sentric, and UK Music for which they are hosting the Outstanding Map Graduate Awards and Vevo for their 2023 festival.
Sound City 2023 takes place this month, from 28th – 30th April 2023, with tickets on sale now from the official Sound City page on See Tickets.
Image credits:
Sam McMahon
Disclosures: TheFestivals is funded through advertising and sometimes earns a commission on purchases made through links on this website, including in this article: See Tickets
Add as a preferred source