The Nerve Centre

Nerve 18 on the Streets!

2011-07-06T03:31:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't know, the latest issue of Nerve is now on the streets! Pick it up from News from Nowhere, along Bold Street or check it out online!

An Insurrection at the Waters: Jo Bywater in conversation.

2011-04-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

An Insurrection at the waters: Jo Bywater in conversation.

Liverpool is home to talent of many kinds both home grown and otherwise. Originally from outside the city, Jo Bywater is a multi faceted artist and you may have seen some of her artwork at this year’s Threshold Festival. When it comes to music though, judging by the crowds who filled our space during the Insurrection, you must surely have seen her performance of some inspirational and poetic songs? If that’s not the case, I urge you go see Jo live as soon as you possibly can. But, you have to read this interview with her first. Or even print it out and read it on the way to seeing her live. Whatever you do, read below for what must be one of the most pleasing interviews I’ve done in a long time!

It was great seeing your performance at the Insurrection. Any highlights for you from the show?

I really enjoyed playing at Insurrection. My highlights were being involved in a show and exhibition that was grounded on an ethos of independence, free speech, action etc… It’s motivating and inspiring to me to be reminded that there are like-minded people out there who do want to listen to new music. I was in the company of some great creative people including yourself! (Blushes ensue from this writer!)

Some may know you better as an artist than a musician. Does your art feed into your music or do you try and maintain a separation between the two?

I tend to see everything as a picture anyway, even songs. Initially I wanted to keep the music and art separate but as they’ve both developed they’ve just naturally grown together. Neither of them completely feed each other but they’re very much both me and so do run along side each other. The first few paintings I did were visual representations of songs - ‘One Small Step’ is an example - I used that as a basis to start but my inspirations quickly changed to other things as i gained more confidence in my artwork. Over the last year when I decided to dive into creating my debut album the two crafts definitely came hand in hand. The project was something I’ve wanted to do for a few years but wasn’t in the position to do so either with money or resources.

Jo Bywater at the Insurrection.

‘(Art and music) come from very deep expressive places for me…’

You recently released your album for the world to hear. What inspired it's title Cycle Grace Pulse Break?

The title came from the song WAVE from the album. I’m a bit obsessed with cycles in life, that’s how I tend to rationalize or understand things and I love the sea. Cycle Grace Pulse Break are very tactile, physical and visual words, the 4 words all induce different feelings and ways that a wave/situations can impact, be it soft, supportive or harsh or in rhythm; metaphors for life and the bigger picture. ‘Cycle Grace Pulse Break’ is a dance - and playful. The year I wrote ‘Wave’ was also named ‘the year of fulfilment’ by me and a friend and that got into the first line of the song.

There are some great songs on the album such as Wave, which is the first single. What made Wave stand out as the first single and what is the song's inspiration?

‘Wave’ to me has an epic power to it and it’s very rhythmic. It was also the most recent of the songs I had written, gets great feedback and holds the album title in its chorus. It became the natural first choice to make a video for. As for its inspiration, I touched upon that briefly in an earlier question about the album title. In addition, it was about my observations and adopted attitude towards life’s ups and downs and that many things come to us in waves. I wanted to explore how they felt. I tried to emphasize the cyclical feel and drive of pulsing and rhythm in the chorus too.

Is there anything you would like to see more of in the world, be it something silly or something serious, and why?

I’d like to see more encouragement for kids to explore their creative expression freely and naturally and to challenge and explore the world/society around them; For more people to be in touch with their hearts and souls and not just their heads; For the taboo of mental health issues to disappear; For older people to be valued for their wisdom and not cast-off as past their sell-by date; More funny and clever street art/graffiti. More dragons, centaurs, care bears and hover-boards. More flying people - not in planes, just people knowing how to fly by themselves; these things to me depict personal freedom, expression, acceptance and dreams. I don’t think en masse people know they have an option to do that.

Is there anywhere that you find particularly conducive to making music or art?

I live in a flat in an old house in Aigburth, my room has big windows and trees and birds and is near Sefton Park. This is where I do my creating ultimately; usually with a cup of coffee. The places that charge me with creative energy and head space for the artwork and music in the first place tend to be certain parts of the park especially in the sun, rundown buildings, Mello Mello in town; always places that aren’t uniform and have got passion and a story to tell. - Things that ooze energy. But then I need peace and solitude.

What do you think the message of The Nerve Centre is?

A strong space for an independent voice; Action; Expression; A collective voice and elevator for valid and independent opinions and creativity; To challenge what exists in the mainstream and to create a proactive response and alternate voice; Local support.

Any final messages for the people of Nerve?

Keep up the good work! Persevere in carrying the torch, more people will get involved and the voice will be louder. Keep pushing to spread the word with more Nerve Centre's etc so more people will hear about it. And thanks!

Thanks to Jo Bywater for a great set at the Insurrection and an even better interview. Listen to her album and check out her live performance soon. You know it would be criminal not to!

Interview, blushes and live image by Sebastian Gahan.

Interview: 20lb Sounds

2011-04-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Dan, on guitar and vocals, Gary, on bass, and Ross, on drums, make up 20lb Sounds. You may remember just last year, on a cold and frosty night at Renshaw Street that 20lb Sounds played a memorable set during the RatHole Radio event. Early on in this years Insurrection they played a set at our lovely room in FACT. I caught up with the band...

Hi Guys. You played your first acoustic gig at the Insurrection. How did it go and any highlights from the night?

Gary: It was interesting to play the tunes in a different way than we usually play them.

Dan: Yeah, I joked that we were cheating with amps plugged in but it really was very different for us. It was nice to see the songs could still come across without loud distortion. That was a highlight for me.

You played a good set. One of my favorites was Jimmy Carter. I know the name is used in convenience, but is there anybody else, famous or not, who you'd like to write a song about and why?

Dan: I was trying to think of famous names but then I realised the answer, I'd probably choose my granddad. He led a very interesting life and was something of a legend to me. He was a docker in Liverpool and a strong union man, he influenced my political views a lot.

You also mentioned that people keep sending and/or telling you facts about the man himself - that is, Jimmy Carter. What is the most obscure or bizarre thing you've learned about Jimmy Carter so far?

Gary: That he is an honorary Geordie.

Ross: He was given the key to Newcastle a while ago. Hence the line in the song.

You also played at last years event at Renshaw Street. How has the band changed/developed since then and what does the future hold?

Gary: We had only just started back then. None of us had been in bands for years. We have all improved as players and we know more tunes now. Our set has gone from mostly cover versions to nearly all original tunes.

Dan: Yeah, we've definitely improved I think. Writing more of our own songs has been really important. I've enjoyed that a lot. Hopefully we can keep writing songs, recording them and playing gigs. Improving and growing. - If somebody else out there likes listening to our music that's great too.

Last year we had a big Greek god looking over us. What caught your eye particularly on the walls this year?

Gary: The projector screen.

Dan: That was pretty eye catching. There was a video of someone at another event (possibly in America) playing an acoustic guitar while we set up. There also seemed to be a lot of interviews playing and I enjoyed that. Some of the paintings I also liked but I'd struggle to name just one right now.

Besides 20lb Sounds, what other activities do the band pursue?

Gary: I also make drum and bass music with a friend. We call ourselves The Lone Gunmen and we have done a hand full of gigs. I also listen to Dan and Ross talk about cricket a lot.

Ross: We don't talk about it that much.

Dan: What can I say we're just that rock and roll, talking about cricket and drinking tea. We all do different things really. There's a lot of chat about football and other sports in the practice room though I admit. I like spending too long on the Internet myself, once I turn on the computer I'm lost for hours.

Your new E.P. entitled El Bubblino is out for the people to hear. What was the inspiration behind it and will there be any new material out soon?

Dan: I wrote the song about my friend Adrian McEwen's invention Bubblino. You can find out more about him at bubblino.com, it's something of a geeky inside joke really. He's from Mexico and he blows bubbles, it seemed like a funny subject for a song.

Gary: I expect there will be a constant stream of new material. We're finding it quite easy to get new tunes together and we work together well.

Some bands are named at odds with their output. Would you say that the band name is indicative of the music you make?

Gary: I don't think the name is representative of the bands sound at all. I don't think the band name is important. It's just that you have to have one.

Dan: I was gonna make some comment about the weight of our sound and how heavy it is, but you've ruined that argument now. There were all kinds of silly suggestions for names going round for months, but in the end we realised we just had to pick one and go with it. So 20lb Sounds it was.

The theme of the event at FACT is Insurrection. What issues in the news (or not) would you urge the people to consider seriously?

Gary: I would urge people to be suspicious of mainstream news and question how it is decided which stories make the news and which don't and what the motives are behind this.

Dan: That's a good answer. I'd probably say they should think about the major changes and cutbacks our government is making right now. I realise we have debts but there seems to be a lack of humanity to some of it. I wish politicians thought more about the consequences of their actions sometimes.

Is there a song someone else has written/performed that you'd love to perform yourselves and why?

Gary: I would rather play our own stuff and keep making new ones. If there was any song we particularly wanted to cover, we would just do it.

Dan: We've played quite a few covers since we started, but it's nice to write our own stuff I agree.

Complete this sentence. The Insurrection is....

Gary: The Insurrection is always the birth of a new corrupt system. Will this ever change?

Ross: I can't beat that answer.

Thank you to 20lb Sounds for an excellent show and an excellent interview. For more on the band see the link below...

http://20lb.net/

Interview and images by Sebastian Gahan.

Interview: Juve

2011-04-14T02:53:00.000-07:00

An Interview with Juve...

Our (other) man on the scene at the Nerve Centre talked to a fair few people there as well as wearing a rather nice hat. Here's a chat between Nerve's John Owen and Juve, a local hip-hop artist who performed during the Insurrection...

John: Why have you chosen the name Juve?

Juve: It started off as Juvekyle, a play on the word 'juvenile' since my name is Kyle and then it was just a bit of a mouthful so I just changed it to Juve...

John: When did you start ever doing anything like this?

Juve: When I was about ten my mum showed me an Eminem album and I was just listening to that and it inspired me to start writing. But it's only now, just recently that I've started constructing proper songs instead of just messing about with it, to be honest.

John: Do you like that style of delivery? Have you always thought that this is the style you want rather than crooning or something stupid like that?

Juve: I just think it's important to have a balance. If it's always bombarding people with messages sometimes people might be turned off by that. Sometimes you have to have a message, sometimes you might just want to get people attracated to the beat and make it catchy.

John: How old are you now?

Juve: Fifteen...

John: Do you think the people in your generation are inspired by events going on in the world or uprising? Does that that influence you in any way?

Juve: (Thinks) Sometimes...

John: Or does it go right over your head and do you think 'let's get on with life...'

Juve: Yeah, I think our generation is more interested in what's on telly than anything else.

John: And you've done a couple of songs about Facebook and other social networks. Is that a particular bug of your own?

Juve: To be honest, I like Facebook but I just thought I'd name a few things that I dislike about it.

John: And did you enjoy the space today?

Juve: Yeah, it's nice to see a variety of musicians, you know not like Justin Bieber to honest!

Thanks to Juve for performing at The Nerve Centre and taking the time to talk to us.

Interview by John Owen

Intro and transcription by Sebastian Gahan.

The Nerve Centre.

The Insurrection: Thank You All!

2011-04-14T02:17:00.000-07:00

The Insurrection at FACT's welcoming gallery has been a big success and from everyone involved thank you for coming! Check out some images from the event below:

Discussion.

Jay Lewis played twice!

The ever active screen!

Enjoying the images on offer...

Quite!

Jazamin Sinclair performs...

Jo Bywater...

Messages and Causes.

Mashemon are in the house!

Images by Sebastian Gahan.

The Nerve Centre.

Review: Jazamin Sinclair at The Nerve Centre.

2011-04-14T02:00:00.000-07:00

Those who stuck around after Jo Bywater's excellent set on the last weekend of our lil' old Insurrection in FACT's welcoming gallery will have enjoyed a set from local artist and musician Jazamin Sinclair. Most of the crowd did and they enjoyed a set of some well chosen covers and a couple of originals from the multi faceted artist and her guitar. Contrasting with the rough edges of the previous artist's set well, Sinclair's material was warm, performed passionately and believably and above all, the people liked what they heard.

Despite admitting to being 'scared' before the gig Sinclair showed no sign of it at all and gave a set quite similar to last years excellent performance at Renshaw Street. Why fix what doesn't need to be mended when it works perfectly?

The well chosen songs included the two originals, the almost Beth Orton like Old Change and the beautiful Sitting in the Sun, which certainly did conjure up with words being in just such a position, which is an excellent feat when one is in a darkened art gallery! The audience, growing as it was, was obviously in agreement as by the time the end of the set was reached with a performance of Rollin' in the Deep, for which she was joined by Denise and Jan on vocals, hit just the right notes and left people wanting more.

The bigger crowd for this gig was not a surprise and hopefully more people will go away having discovered some great songs and a multi talented artist.To find out more and hear some songs check out the link below:

http://web.me.com/jazamin/jazamin/music.html

Words and Image by Sebastian Gahan.

A video filmed during the Nerve Centre. How would you respond?

2011-04-14T01:39:00.000-07:00

Review: Mashemon at The Nerve Centre Insurrection.

2011-04-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

For days I'd been wondering just what the surprise Mashemon had mentioned for this gig was going to be. Something old? Something new? Something borrowed? Something...acoustic? Well, if this was a marriage of something it would be interesting and as with every Mashemon show, it was a treat for the ears and the eyes with candy coming from every moment of the show for our open mouths.

If that was a strange description for a gig, then I'm proud because many words have been written about strange things but not enough on Mashemon. In conversation before the gig words to the effect of 'not family friendly' were uttered by singer and guitarist Ronnie and although the other member of the baby eating twosome was discussing staying up late for The Sweeney - now Taggart I agree with but... - all was forgiven when the show began with the always informative projection screen showing the visual effects that accompany all the best Mashemon performances.

Soon a veritable feast of faces was filling the Gallery, consisting of invited guests, adoring admirers, persons attracted by notes floating through the darkened air and pesky people with notebooks and camera's like myself. The set opened with that staple of their shows Sanity Check. Backed by a video showing what appear to be the once commonly seen Top of The Pops dancers doing as their name suggests, it was a stripped down, mellower version of the rockier album take and was excellent. The sex industry baiting lyrics became clearer without the rock edge and made those dancing people on the screen look rather ironic but not very sexy.

This was followed by - rub your hands in anticipation - a new song called Another Mans Dirt that was also excellent and had a vaguely oriental flavour to the sound. And the new songs kept coming like missiles you really want to get in front of shouting 'hit me!' with Frank Bloke, which was introduced thus: 'If you don't like bad language, well...' The silence said it all as the song, with some of that ol' bad language was performed and well received. At some point in the night, someone trod on a wire and there was no sound for a minute or so. To rather hilarious effect, the person responsible was rebuffed with a joking 'He always like to turn up and cause trouble at our gigs!'

Last came the anthemic Facts, with it's chorus preaching to the choir somewhat with the refrain 'when you going to change your way to my way...' and ending the song with a request from the audience for the obligatory 'one more!' which was soon obliged with the charmingly titled On Your Knees. The stripped down sound for this gig really did show a different side of the band and it was highly enjoyable with the usual black humour, excellent songs and thought provoking visuals.

Do remember that if you don't go their way, Mashemon may just eat you. Be at their next gig and see why!

Words and Image by Sebastian Gahan.

Review: 20lb Sounds at The Insurrection.

2011-04-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

The life of a journalist is one of perfect busyness and enjoyment in many forms and so it was that I arrived at the Insurrection on a chilly afternoon that was fast becoming an unseasonal evening to witness a band whom I have seen before at the previous incarnation of The Nerve Centre.

20lb Sounds are as their name suggests all about making a good noise. Of course, it's a melodic noise and that makes it all the better. For this show they played an acoustic set for the first time and kept making joking reference to it with one liners about 'folking up' and 'shutting the folk up.' Frankly, I love jokes so I was along and smiling and when the music was being played I was enjoying it even more.

Lead by Dan Lynch - who may be known to many readers as the generous voice of Rathole Radio, who regularly charms our ears with a variety of Creative Commons sourced music via his excellent radio show - the band say on their website that they are at the beginning of a journey but that is the same for all artists and I enjoyed the songs they played, such as a song sourced from their new El Bubblino E.P. called Jimmy Carter which apparently has created a situation whereby people keep sending the band updates on said ex-President's whereabouts and actions! 'People think we're really into Jimmy Carter and they keep sending me updates on his travels and weird facts about him!' said Lynch with a laugh before opening the song.

It's bluesy swing on E.P. is less evident in the acoustic format but the charming conceit of using his name only because it fits the melody is brilliant enough to win over the harshest of audiences. The band gave thanks at one point for the audience 'not wondering off to do something else when many have done so before' and it is an act that surely would be ill informed when there is so much on offer with the bands music. It's a testament to 20lb Sound that their acoustic set is as much of a charm as their regular louder version

A cover of the Redemption Song was also successful and a never before played song Makes No Sense also impressed. Another good night of music at the Insurrection! To hear more of the band see the link below:

http://20lb.bandcamp.com/

Words and Images by Sebastian Gahan.

Mashemon: Note Left Unwritten at The Nerve Centre.

2011-04-09T15:56:00.000-07:00

Note Left Unwritten from Mashemon's brilliant show at The Nerve Centre a few days ago! Watch it, now!

The Nerve Centre.

Images from the Democracy Village.

2011-04-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Democracy Village by Tracey Dunn:

Here are some of my photos from the exhibition at FACT. I took them at Democracy Village last June. Democracy Village was a camp set up on Parliament Square outside the Houses Of Parliament, Westminster,London, to protest against the war in Afghanistan.

They wanted to 'Bring the Troops Home' and'Stop the War'. There were various tents, a Peoples' Bank, an info stall,lots of flags and banners,a garden for peace, a vegetable Garden and chairs to sit on. It lasted for three months although the People of Democracy Village still regularly hold events.

See these images and more at FACT until 12th April.

Images and words by Tracey Dunn.

Philosophy in Pubs at The Insurrection: Philosophy of Poverty.

2011-04-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

Big Society ideologues would have been tingling with pride on Monday as members of Philosophy in Pubs, Nerve and members of the public gathered at ‘Insurrection’ in FACT to discuss the crucial subject of ‘Poverty’ after a hard-hitting introduction from rap artist Immortal Technique with his ‘The Poverty of Philosophy’. Oh okay, a part of that might not be true. The lyrics refer to not the weakness of philosophy but its lack in poor communities.

Drawing from the video the first question was ‘Is poverty a natural state’? Most contributors commented that the poverty that exists now is systemic. Zambia, for example spent 7% of its budget on state services in 1997 while spending 40% re-paying foreign debt. Many ‘poor’ countries are rich in natural resources. It was suggested that, despite this, individuals are seen as and often feel responsible for their poor status.

There were many examples of poverty not just in the wider world but in our immediate surroundings. Although of a different order than the poverty experienced in most third world countries many contributors recognized a poverty of hope and spirit in some working-class communities. The discussion broadened out into a wider analysis of the destructive nature of inequality in society and how those without access to cultural capital may try to buy happiness through consumption.

For some group members there was the hope of gradual change as new technologies and different ways of networking provided new and exciting opportunities. For others the problem was more urgent and there were many passionate contributions. During final comments people recognized the worth of discussing a subject which is generally avoided. Over thirty people attended the meeting on a Monday afternoon, everyone contributing in some way to a rich political and philosophical discussion.

Words by Jimmy Stanton.

Fabian Rothschilde: Saturday April 9th at 7pm.

2011-04-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

FABIAN ROTHSCHILDE

Saturday April 9th at 7pm
Acoustic set

Insurrection at FACT Gallery 2

Fabian Rothschilde is the unacceptable face of non-linear funk for the i-pod generation and has placed a restraining order on himself.

The Nerve Centre.

Review: Tibi and Her Cello at The Insurrection.

2011-04-06T12:25:00.000-07:00

FACT was buzzing with an energy unusual to it's overall regular lethargic pace of art enjoyment and although the Insurrection was postulating over Open Source software, the people coming through the doors were waiting for Tibi and her cello to perform.

Soon the previously spartan occupied space was filled by people of all ages as a flurry of activity brought people through the doors as the always fascinating band set up took place. During all this I was mounting art onto the gallery wall and could feel the energy growing steadily in the Gallery. Of course, the real reason I was here besides adding beauty to the walls was to see Tibi and her cello perform.

Just as on record Tibi and her cello packs a perfectionist punch and never seems less than totally happy during the performance. In an age of performers who give little care to the audience watching them this show was a breath of fresh air and if the set seemed a little incongruous to the usual Insurrection performance it was only a good thing. After all, Tibi and her cello is a unique artist who clearly has no trouble getting a big reaction from the audience.

The set, although but thirty-minutes long, was a tour-de-force in musical perfection and never once was there a feeling of wanting the set or the songs to stop so when the set did end there was a sense of wanting more in the best possible way. From opener Far Away, with it's breathy vocals to the Spanish language songs in the set there was a hush over the gallery, with people captivated by the sound of the cello plucking it's way into the atmosphere as easily as oxygen.

Highlights include the fact that this was an acoustic set - her first in Liverpool - and the acoustics of the gallery being perfect for a unique performance such as hers. The audience were speechless at the end and a joking request of questions for Tibi was met with a silence that seemed to say that the music had said it all.

Tibi and her cello will playing at Leaf Cafe on 21st April. Get on down there and be blown away!

Words and Image by Sebastian Gahan.

Wednesday 6th April at The Insurrection@FACT.

2011-04-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

If you're in Liverpool tomorrow, or even just looking for something to do in Liverpool in general, you could do a lot worse than heading over to FACT and walking up the stairs to Gallery 2 where there is much to occupy the radical mind.

Throughout the day there will be a images of People Not Profit showing whilst 2:30 Anne Marie Howard will play some music for us. It promise to be a great performance!

Then, following a Philosophy in Pubs Discussion on the hot topic of whether we should have to pay for bankers cash, we have the legendary Stan Harper with some mystery guests playing along too from 5pm!

Come on down, you know you want to!

The Nerve Centre.

Messages To Japan.

2011-04-05T01:55:00.000-07:00

Please send your messages,thoughts and cheering words to Japan. Insurrection's can be positive and in the spirit of caring for our fellow human being we have set up this blog where you spread your words of encouragement.

If anybody has a story about some kindness or act of generosity experienced in Japan, a message of good will or even just some brief words on their feelings about the current situation and clear up in Japan please send them in to us and we will post them to the blog and spread them to the places they are needed the most.

Many thanks,

Sebastian and Shinobu Gahan,

creators of Messages To Japan.

Events at The Insurrection from Today until the End.

2011-04-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

Find below a list of all events that will be going on at The Insurrection from now until the end. (Click to view larger size)

Please come down and see a great exhibition of art and watch the projections which are well worth your time. Plus, there are plenty of sofas to lie back on and soak up the knowledge!

See you soon,

The Nerve Centre.

Mashemon: Friday April 8th at 7pm.

2011-04-03T09:51:00.000-07:00

If you don't know Mashemon by now, you must be in a cocoon somewhere in the catacombs of Liverpool. But, just to give you the benefit of the doubt we'll give you a chance to redeem yourself by heading down to FACT on April 8th and seeing them in the flesh - for as as far as we are aware they are not robots.

Blessed with a sound that is enthralling and topics that make you think beyond the realms of music, Mashemon will make sounds that won't leave your brain unless you hire a hypnotist. To make you understand, watch the video below:

Last year they performed in the window of the Old Paint Shop and attracted quite a crowd of (now not so) innocent bystanders. What will they do this year? Only the day of the show will tell!

Read an interview with the band below:

http://thenervecentreliverpool.blogspot.com/2010/09/nerve-centre-interview-mashemon.html

The Nerve Centre.

Video: Darren and Mike talk Insurrection!

2011-04-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

A quick video from the Insurrection!

Remember, you don't have to watch on the internet - unless you're very far away - just head on down to FACT and come up the stairs to Gallery Two, where there is art, music, discussion and a whole lot more awaiting your eager eyes and ears.

Events list here: http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/nervecentre/index.php

The Nerve Centre.

The Insurrection So Far: 2nd April

2011-04-03T04:15:00.000-07:00

As Insurrections go it's been a good one so far and yesterday was possibly the best day so far with steady numbers of people flowing into the gallery.

The evenings entertainment brought many people into the gallery to see Tibi & her cello perform a very well received set, David Bateman read some of his excellent peotry, Shifting Sandz bring their three selves for some excellent music and Jay Lewis perform another set for us! Have a look at some shots from the evening below...

Tibi and her cello in performance.

Jay Lewis plays his music.

Shifting Sandz in performance.


*Good weather illuminates the events list!*

Indeed it was an enjoyable day with the Flashmob workshop, the Open Source workshop and poetry and music from Tibi and her cello, (An excellent E.P. available from this artist! Review here.) David Bateman with his poetry, (Profile here) Shifting Sandz with their infectious folk music, (MySpace here.) and Jay Lewis with not one but two sets in a day! You can find out more at the Cracatilla MySpace page.

What will the future bring? Check the events page and see what's happening...

The Nerve Centre

The Insurrection Begins with a Bang!

2011-04-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

If you were there - and I hope you were! - you will have experienced FACT at one it's busiest periods with two grand openings in one night, one of them being our very own Insurrection.

Indeed, it was a packed night of mingling with friends new and old, interested parties wandering in from the main opening downstairs and above all it was the beginning of our second Nerve Centre. If I'm hearing cheers there, count me in!

The slide show of rare images from 1911 caught the eyes of many with it's fascinating historical detail and a great time was all around whilst Mashemon's Removal Music kept the vibes flowing in musical terms. There was also a surprise appearance from Mike Field playing some rebel rousing acoustic numbers to an appreciative crowd.

It was a great start to what promises to be a brilliant event. If you've not been down yet, why not? There's an Insurrection in the air and it's here at FACT with the people of Nerve!

The Nerve Centre.
(Sebastian Gahan - words and images.)

Jazamin Sinclair: Saturday 9th April at 13:30.

2011-03-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Many readers may know Jazamin Sinclair better for her artwork and exhibition organizing skills than for her music but that's going to change soon when she plays a rare show at the Insurrection.

Says Jazamin: "I am a musician: I sing and play guitar and play gigs in and around Liverpool. I play cover songs as well as songs I have written myself. I have been compared to & influenced by artists such as Beth Orton, Annie Lennox, Sheryl Crowe and Joni Mitchell. I am also a member of Sense of Sound Singers (formerly Sense of Sound Choir) and have been performing with them since early 2005..."

An extract from the review of last years appearance at The Nerve Centre:

'Sinclair’s clear voice and excellent guitar was outstanding... I could quite easily have sat through many more songs which is not something one can say often at a live show!'

To find out more about her many facets of talent seek the link below...

Link: http://web.me.com/jazamin/jazamin/welcome.html

Image by Joanne Roberts Photography.

The Nerve Centre.

20lb Sounds: Friday 1st April at 6pm.

2011-03-29T15:45:00.000-07:00

20lb Sounds: Friday 1st April at 6pm

April Fools day brings not tricks from the Insurrection but some great music from 20lb Sounds, who also played at last years Nerve Centre event when Rathole radio broadcast two shows from the venue. I was there myself and indeed it was a fun night and if anything, I can say that this will a great night too! Check out the video below to see an example of their musical wears!

20lb Sounds are a 3 piece rock band from Merseyside in the North West of England. Formed in late March 2010 the band consists of Dan Lynch on guitar and vocals, Gary Hughes on bass and Tron Bonham on drums. They hope to get more regular gigs, write more music, learn to play better and continue their journey. Join them this Friday for the next step of their musical adventure!

Link: http://20lb.net/
Bandcamp: http://20lb.bandcamp.com/

The Nerve Centre.

Read an interview with 20lb Sounds' Dan Lynch here.

Jo Bywater: Saturday 9th April at 13:00.

2011-03-28T16:10:00.000-07:00

Check out this video from Jo Bywater, who will perform at the Insurrection at FACT on Saturday 9th April at 13:00. An inspired performer, it's sure to be an excellent investment of your time!

The Nerve Centre.

Insurrection@FACT: Opening Weekend Schedule Announced!

2011-03-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

Just what you've been waiting for! The events of the Insurrection's opening weekend. Feast your eyes on them below! (Click image to enlarge and tell as many people as possible!)

Tibi and Her Cello: Saturday 2nd April at 5pm

2011-03-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday 2nd of April brings a performance from Spain's Tibi & her cello at The Nerve Centre's Insurrection in Gallery Two at the very convenient and spacious location of FACT in Wood Street.

Tibi and her cello is a folk pop artist based in Liverpool, (originally from Madrid). Her latest collection of songs are beautifully recorded presented in her debut E.P. 'Lost In The Sounds...' which is out now.

After graduating from Paul McCartney's music school she spent the Sumer on tour in Spain and collaborated with legendary film company Haikufilms on a music video for her single Far Away.

In December Tibi was introduced to the Spanish media by Depedro. (The guitarist of internationally acclaimed Calexico.) She featured as a support artist for various concerts and they performed together for the 'Alternativas en Concierto 2010.'

Tibi and her cello's song was chosen by Parnasse Barcelona fashion firm as the music theme for the promotional video of Autumn- Winter Collection 2010 -2011.

She is now returning to the UK to Liverpool to complete her first album in Liverpool. Her music is distinctive to listen to and is also captivating to watch with her impressive skills on the cello and simultaneous use of her voice. Her sell out tours in Spain and waves of media attention have even turned the heads of national press including Antena 3 TV and El Pais News.

Lovers of Joanna Newsom, Bjork, Laura Mailing and Fleet Foxes consider the kettle boiling.

'Are you aware of how other professional cellists can't do what you do?' Sir Paul McCartney.

'Resembling a European PJ Harvey...The undoubted highlight of the night!' Bido Lito Magazine (Issue 9 March 2011)

On the basis of this, you know you have to come down for what is sure to be an amazing performance!

Tibi and her Cello MySpace:

http://www.myspace.com/tibiandhercello

The Nerve Centre.

The Insurrection is Coming!

2011-03-25T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Insurrection is Coming!

From the 31st of March to the 12th April The Nerve Centre will be in FACT with music, discussion, performance and much more besides. More news of the schedule coming very soon!

The Nerve Centre.

New song from Mashemon!

2011-03-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Hello people of Nerve,

There's a new song from our dear friends Mashemon called Curtains. Listen below!

Personally, I like it.

The Nerve Centre.

Nerve Centre Interviews: Animal Prufrock.

2011-02-17T02:12:00.000-08:00

Animal Prufrock was once one of the dynamic duo of Bitch and Animal, who released three unforgettable albums together, What's That Smell?, Eternally Hard and Sour Juice and Rhyme. Following this, they went their separate ways and pursued with some vigor various projects of their own. Animal Prufrock recently released his/her new album Congratulations; Thank You + I'm Sorry on Righteous Babe Records and I talk of this album and more with Animal below...

Hi Animal! Your new album, Congratulations; Thank You + I'm Sorry is out for the world to hear. What are your thoughts a few months after it's release?

I feel really proud of it. I worked really hard on it for the last few years – and in collaboration with Ani’s production savvy – I feel that my voice is really clearly expressed and so people can love it or hate It. It’s an authentic piece of me and that feels good in and of itself.

For the people who've followed your work from Bitch and Animal's trio of truly indelible albums, Congratulations... may be a bit different but at once still familiar. What informed your creating the music that makes up the album and did you find solo recording that much different from duo recording?

Well, the biggest difference was the time frame. Bitch and I were always on a deadline with our records and in some ways none of them seem completely finished to me, although of course they are in their own right. But with this record I intentionally stepped out of the bizness model/time frame – and said I just want to make art, make something that feels like what's in my head – and that translation, the recording process – needed to have that kind of flexibility for it to gestate in its own time – and I guess that’s related to being autonomous and solo – not having to agree upon a schedule with a collaborator…

For me, listening to Congratulations... was an extremely uplifting and inspiring experience. What emotions do you feel when you listen to the record, and is there a particular song on it that you'd cite a favorite?

Aww, I'm happy to hear that! I feel a gammit (sic) of emotions, which I think the record covers. From heartbreak to love’s lift and passion in identity and sorrow and freedom. I love Liberation because it is so uplifting and joyous and I love Voglio because its Italian and dancy and I love I Like You because it's so raw and real… and I could go on about all the songs cuz art is a little like birth I think and I love all my creations in a different, unique way.

4. In your bio on your website, it says quite a lot in a but a few words. For instance, that you are a television theme song interpretive dancer. It's obvious what it means, but what are the television theme songs that really give a good performance and why?

Doogie Howser is in the top three...the classic Mike Post synthesizer grooves – you can't beat that! The classic Degrassi Junior High, also unbeatable and lets see… United States of Tara… ohmigod soo good!

It also says you know how to make really good pasta sauce! What makes the perfect pasta sauce and can you share a recipe?!

Well, my grandmother was a real kitchen goddess, or food witch as some might say – I mean, it was real magic what she did – and I used to ask her how to make sauce – and she would tell me in her funky Italian-English – and it was all about the feel – so I don’t follow recipes – but one trick she taught me which I will share – is to take your tomatoes, onion, parsley and garlic and put it all raw into the blender with a little olive oil…instead of sautéing – and then you cook that – and at the very end – you drop a rep pepper in for flavor…

Getting back to seriousness again, being an artist myself, I noted you are an artist too. What is the main medium of your work and what inspires you particularly?

I guess now I would call my self a trans-disciplinary artist – but I love drawing and water coloring and cray-paas – especially and always…

You're the Musical Director at CASA in San Francisco. What does your work there involve and what is the most satisfying part of it?

Well it involves me teaching music and performance classes to k-6^th graders and putting on two productions – one winter “recital” and then in the spring I write the music for an original musical for 100 kids – Leslie Einhorn is the director of the program and the playwright – we have a wonderful collaboration – and so I teach the kids the songs and then I am mister conductor in the pit – and put together a band and it’s a blast – super rewarding when the shows come together and kids are expressing themselves!

Now, a question that may seem somewhat strange. Your name is Animal, so the thing I'm wondering is what animal do you consider yourself in nature?

Well animal for me is a truly trans-gender name – which is why I like it – it is both/and – either/or – and it liberates me from making a choice to be one or the other – but I love and relate to dolphins, doggies, birds, bears, lions, caterpillars, and kangaroo babies.

As a part of the outsider music scene - if that can be a scene by it's very nature - why is it important to make music and generally be creative as opposed to not doing so in your opinion?

I think it is important to represent ourselves as much as we can – those of us who have been labeled or marginalized, told we are crazy or not worthy – I think its important to try and erase the stigma of “mental illness” and other “differabilities” so that we can find the commonality in diversity – and love and support all kinds of animals that we are…

Which artists we may or may not have heard of have been an important part of your life and what did they contribute to get you to the place you find yourself now?

Edwina Lee Tyler – the most amazing percussionist! – she is my drumming idol. If I articulate a tenth of what she articulates on the drums I am a success. Ubaka Hill – another percussionist to be reckoned with – who taught me that it is possible to play the #$% out of a djembe and not have calluses and Judy Grahn– her meta formic theory is like the missing piece in the story of human consciousness – I resonate with it and work with it all the time – and it helps me feel like I have a super-power because I bleed every lunar cycle.

What can we expect from your future work and is there anything you would love to do but haven't quite got to yet?

Expect a new musical, new music. Expect a dissertation in the next few years. I would love to act in a movie with Cate Blanchett – haven’t gotten to that yet…

Finally, any last words for the world out there to mull on over their brunches?

Being trans is both/and – Mull that! -You don’t have to choose one or the other. You can be all of who you are, whatever new and funky beings that is…

A big thank you to Animal for allowing me to quiz him/her and you can access more info on his/her work at the following locations:

Righteous Babe Records Page:
http://www.righteousbabe.com/artists/animal/congratulationsthankyouimsorry/

Animal Prufrock Homepage:
http://www.animalprufrock.com/animal_prufrock_official_homepage.html

Seba'

We Don't Believe in Christmas But....

2010-12-24T13:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday 4th December: Nerve 17 Launches at The Bluecoat!

2010-12-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

Lest we forget that there is the launch of the latest issue of your favourite magazine tomorrow afternoon! We'll be seeing you there from 4pm at the very central location of The Bluecoat in the Hub. There's so much going on and you can pick up the issue in physical form as well!

Click the cover to read online!

The Nerve Centre.

Liverpool: 'City of Radicals' 1911 - 2011.

2010-11-26T13:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday 4th December @ the Bluecoat 4.30-8pm

Nerve 1911 Calendar/2011: City of Radicals Launch

Liverpool, ‘City of Radicals’ 1911 - 2011:

In 1911 society was in ferment, a series of city-wide strikes shook Liverpool and radical artists rubbed shoulders with inspirational workers' leaders.

NERVE's 2011 calendar celebrates this centenary through images and significant dates. Come along and find out more about how the Bluecoat and others will be marking next year as 'Liverpool, City of Radicals'. Saturday 4th Dec 2010 The Bluecoat, School Lane.

Events will include:

4.30pm: Bed-In
A series of readings and performances under the theme ‘People Not Profit’, taking in
events from Liverpool’s radical past.

6.00pm: The Liverpool Socialist Singers bring their own form of radicalism to the
proceedings.

6.15pm: Bread and Gruel (‘Blind’ Scouse). Get a taste of 1911.

6.30pm: ‘Have Your Say’.

How can you join the celebrations of Liverpool’s past in 2011? This is an opportunity
to put forward your ideas and get involved.

For more details see: www.catalystmedia.org.uk, or ring 0151 709 9948

Nerve Magazine
96 Bold Street
Liverpool
L1 4HY
0151-709 9948
www.catalystmedia.org.uk

The Nerve Centre.

Details: Calendar Launch at The Bluecoat.

2010-11-24T12:19:00.000-08:00

Further details of the launch day have emerged from the void of the launch of Nerve's Calendar Launch at the Bluecoat:

http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/images/1911_calendar_launch.pdf

More details as they appear!

The Nerve Centre.

News: 1911 Calendar Launch at Bluecoat Dec 4th!

2010-11-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

It's a been a while since the last post here, but it's not because we're not working, far from it! Plans are being laid for the future of the Nerve Centre via many meetings, consultations etc and when the news drops, this blog will have it!

For now, some news for the people involved with Nerve, and the loyal readers awaiting the next issue. On December 4th, at 6pm in the probably crisp evening, there will be a launch party for the 1911 Near to Revolution Calendar. No doubt there'll be the usual Nerve personages present, plus the chance to meet many more new people in the ever larger Nerve circle.

In 1911 society was in ferment, a series of city-wide strikes shook Liverpool and radical artists rubbed shoulders with inspirational workers' leaders. Nerve's 2011 calendar celebrates this centenary through images and significant dates. Come along and see how Nerve, The Bluecoat and others will be marking next year as 'Liverpool, City of Radicals'!

Remember, December 4th, Bluecoat, 6pm...see you there!

The Nerve Centre

The Nerve Centre Interview: Anton Dolders

2010-11-02T02:53:00.000-07:00

Lydiate based artist Anton Dolders may be familiar to you if you were at the Nerve stall during The Bold Street Festival a few weeks ago. The reason for that is simple - he was doing his artistry and sketching the view of the day as the public walked past and looked on. I looked at the pieces he did and couldn’t fail to be impressed. For such a seemingly modest person, his work is excellent and well worth the effort of seeing. I caught up with him recently and discussed his work and other such juicy topics.

You did some live drawing at The Bold Street festival, just in front of the Nerve Stall. How did it go?

I drew the architecture looking from Bold Street towards St Lukes. It was difficult once the festival became crowded so I drew whatever views were visible through the revelers; mainly the architecture higher up and returned to drawing at street level when the people had dissipated later in the day. In retrospect, I should have included more people in the picture but I started with rigid detail for the architecture and I would have needed a slightly looser approach for capturing the motion and flow of the crowd. It’s too late now! It was good though, I enjoyed myself!

Did you go to the Nerve Centre and what did you think of the things that went on there?

Well, to be honest I didn’t go at all! The first look I got of inside the Nerve Centre was when you showed me the images on your camera at the Egg! (We met at The Egg on the open night of TwentyTen and as artists do, started a conversation.) I saw the photo’s you took of the Nerve Centre, and I guess you did it justice as it looked so good. The closest I got to actually seeing it was putting my head against the window and peering inside once when I walked past, unfortunately!

What do you think are the good points of spaces such as The Nerve Centre?

(Thinks) Well, it’s social, creative and I guess if you have the space The Nerve Center seemed to have from the photo’s I saw, you can do a lot and get people involved. It looks as though it has a free and easy atmosphere. That suits me.

How did you first hear of Nerve?

Well, people talk about it at events and I’ve heard of it frequently in conversation. To be honest, I never experienced the physical manifestation of it yet but I’m sure I will soon!

Anton currently is showing work at EggSpace, in the cool surrounds of Egg Café, and Madelainartz Gallery, conveniently located in Clayton Square. The pieces at EggSpace, Optical Synapse (top) and Receptor (bottom), are digital photographs, pregnant with wonder and mysterious enough to get one thinking of the possibilities.

Why did you choose the shots you chose for EggSpace's Twenty Ten exhibition?

The Egg is pretty hip and on the ball and the work I entered felt right for this thought inspiring setting

Do you have a routine for creating your work or do you “work as it comes”, so to speak?

I used to devote say, five or six hours in a day to creating, be it painting or drawing. But these days it’s less since I’ve started treating art as a more commercial venture. The sheer amount of Admin and socialising required squeezes the time for creativity. I remember the days when I had painting shifts; I was dead organised. The shifts were: 10am -12, then lunch/dinner 1pm -4/5pm. Then in winter the natural light runs out. In summer there is an extra shift, 7 till late. I'll get back into that soon.

What is your usual discipline of art?

I study landscapes; cityscapes; people and water and I portray them in pencil, pastel, charcoal or oil. They are actually my favourite media but I use others such as acrylic paint and building tools. I work in traditionally picturesque style and extreme contemporary. People remark that my more modern work is not at all similar to the landscapes and architectural studies and I say "Yes, they are; one influences the other. Work such as "Optical Synapse" and "Receptor" also portray structures and characters and are certainly dependent upon light for their illumination. Does that mean anything? There are layers of land supporting people and they are just conveyed in a more exhuberent manner than in the carefully controlled picture type pictures.

Do you have any favourite pieces of your work?

I enjoy working on most pieces of work but the technique I like the most is that of drawing with one pencil, usually a 2B on cartridge paper: a line drawing with both marks and empty spaces considered whilst capturing perspective, form and detail.

Talk us through your pencil drawing of St Lukes at Madalainartz. How long did it take to complete and what is the best location for sketching in your opinion?

My drawing of St. Lukes which currently hangs in Clayton Square Gallery was drawn from Renshaw Street and took approximately seven hours. I had to return for a second day to finish it because I had to talk to a lot of people whilst I was there. The best location for working on any picture is the one which gives you the most appealing viewpoint. It helps if it is slightly off to the side and spacious so you can just spread out with your stuff. Fields are good, especially under the cover of a tree as this helps prevent the page from being too glary.

As an artist, Anton also has part share in the R Gallery at Southport with many local artists, and is there regularly doing his craft for all to see.

What’s the story behind the R Gallery?

I entered into the group who exhibit at R Gallery after it was all well in progress. I already knew a few of them as I had previously exhibited with them and they invited me to come and look at the New R Gallery as its location changed about six months ago. Its now on London Street in Southport.

What are the aims of the R Gallery artistically speaking?

R Gallery's aims to promote art work by a variety of artists from all walks of life. We each staff the gallery for one day a week although some of us seem to do more of a day than others. There is a Help For Heroes art auction and exhibition on the 31st October starting at 4pm.

What is the scene in Southport like for arts?

The Southport art scene is pretty good. There are a number of exhibitions appearing and plenty of decent artists working and living in Southport. I am not one of them as I dwell approximately nine miles from there but I do frequent the town and have done since childhood. I have always liked its openness, colors, leafiness and coastal; seaside characteristics. Its a great place to practice art and the architecture is excellent, numerous Art Deco designs and forms. Southport does inspire me.

How does it compare with the ever growing Liverpool scene?

Yeah, Liverpool has a large art scene. London's is bigger. Hanging fees is Liverpool and Southport are far more reasonable though so I prefer it up this end of the country. Plus I am from here. I think the size of a scene is relative to the size of an area.

So, it seems that an artists life is ever busy, and the scene is ever growing. Certainly, this writer sees it every time a new show pops up, or a new gallery appears. But, artist or not, Christmas is coming faster than the famous Bullet Train. So, I asked Anton a seasonal question...

Finally, it’s coming close to Christmas now. What would you request from Art Santa and will you be creating any Wintry scenes in your art?

I am building a prints browser. I could pretend Santa brought it. A few pints would probably help there!

If you want to see Anton's work, head on down to any of the location mentioned above! But, I'm sure you'll come across a piece eventually as Anton is ever active at his art.Thanks to Anton for an illuminating chat, despite the technical problems and delays from life's random adventures we got there in the end!

Sebastian Gahan.

News: Mashemon Reviewed in Local Music Magazine!

2010-10-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

After a dry spot recently whilst we're working on the future of the Nerve Centre, here's some Nerve friend related news! Most of you were probably there at the Nerve benefit gig held last month, and a review of it has been published in Issue 6 of the local music magazine BidoLito! Read on and remember the evening...

Those of you who have committed the requisite good deed to hold Mashemon’s album Disposal Music in your paws will know it’s a good listen, and those who paid the requisite sum to enter this benefit gig for Catalyst Media’s Nerve Magazine saw a performance more than worthy of the good deed first committed to possess their music. The normally sedate surrounds of Next To Nowhere, the subterranean social centre underneath Bold Street’s News From Nowhere, was packed with people young and old, regular and less familiar, sober or not so sober who gave the space an atmosphere all of its own, and a magic as infectious as the most catching disease you can stomach to think of as you read this!

Lights were dimmed, music was played and after hours of anticipation and rumour, Mashemon appeared on stage in some pretty dapper looking suits guitars in hand and ready to assault the crowds with their intelligent music and sharp yet beautiful lyrics. The majority of the set was drawn from their aforementioned good-deeds obtained album and the crowd were surrounding the band at every moment during the set, revelling in the activist fuelled melodies of band components Rocky and Ronny. The dynamic sound of their set filled the area with their polished anarchist energy and one of the best things about the set was their use of multi-media. The animated films playing on the screen just behind them were fascinating to watch and really added a cinematic dimension to the performance that was appreciated especially by this reviewer.

One of Mashemon’s best qualities is the fact that they are brilliant performers, innovative and making the whole thing as natural as eating cereal for breakfast. The duo are as convincing on the stage as off the stage, and have a gift for translating the urgent, intellectual energy of their recorded output easily in the live format. There was definitely a hint of magic in their performance and songs such as religion questioning Brick, with its killer opening statement of “God is watching… worked for seven days, ain’t done much since” is up there with the best opening couplets and like the rest of their songs has a very definite message to be discovered in its hyper intelligent language. Similarly, Facts, concerns itself with war, “The patriot walks a path of war/There might be Christ on every corner/ But he ain’t got nothing ain’t been done before”, yet in a tonal juxtaposition has an almost joyous feel with its use of keyboards and the riffs that come out like screams of electricity. Magic!

There is much that one could say about Mashemon, but in doing that we’d be missing the point that there is a lot to recommend in this excellent local band that have made the perfect middle ground between grassroots artists and accessible music with vital messages that will be understood by many. In short, a good night! More of this and I’ll definitely to going Mashemon’s way!

Review by Sebastian Gahan.

The Nerve Centre: A Personal Thanks...by Kai Andersen.

2010-10-06T01:55:00.000-07:00

I've heard much about this piece of writing, and here it for all to read:

Nerve Centre...

Throughout much of August, beginning on -unlucky for some- Friday the 13th
and finishing on Saturday 11th of September, Nerve magazine, here in
Liverpool, brought artists, musicians, poets, political activists, community
activists, philosophers, socialists, writers, illustrators, anti-demolition
protestors, techies, old people, young people, tall and short people
together, even the occasional dog sat in on discussions and at least one
gave his opinion right in the middle and stopped us all in our tracks for
five minutes with a puddle. I think I must have been there when the place
was at its fullest, I was also there for a brief moment when I think it was
completely empty too. I touched the basement and the top of the roof, I
looked upwards and outwards right across Liverpool I looked down at shoppers
from the roof, workers coming and going, I saw and heard the hussle and
bustle of people enjoying a night out.

This was a very powerful, beautiful, inspiring, emotionally uplifting
experience for me and got everymore intense, I increasingly felt drawn in
and made some new friends and reaquainted myself with some old ones too, we
chatted with passersby who'd been drawn in. The venue was an empty shop
right in the middle of Liverpool city centre, where buses screeched to a
halt, where police car sirens were heard constantly, where shoppers and
workers passed by, in, out and through the former Rapid Hardware paintshop.
The building is free standing with four floors and a basement which was
filled with the sounds of people again, everything you could have wanted was
in there except for the exchange of money, a free cup of tea or coffee was
easily available, a nice comfy chair to sit and catch your breath. An art
gallery with a difference, art was spoken about, some of the artists
regularly paid visits, Carl Fletcher was the artist in residence -so to
speak- other artists also visited regularly to chat to people -like myself-
unused to visiting the sterile and silent spaces of most art galleries.

"Do you see yourself in the picture" says a voice behind me on my first
visit, I reply "No, I'm still looking at it..." that was a first contact I
made with Carl. Many people were taking photographs, one guy started moving
my umbrella around, I was a little peeved, then he started to take photos on
a compact camera and I got it, later on we chatted, he continued to take
photos quite regularly and set up an online web-log (BLOG) about what was
going on in the centre, I took plenty of photographs myself. Another person
I recall meeting spoke with an Australian accent, I was trying to show him
where somewhere was and he got a little peeved with me at first, however
he'd been living in a tent for a few weeks, while researching his family's
history, he later on brought us some free food he'd obtained from Tesco,
"freegan" style, I later on did so myself, narrowly avoided being stopped by
the police with who knows what consequences. This Australian guy told me how
his ancestors had been transported for stealing a sheep, which ironically
wasn't much different from taking food -perfectly good food- sealed in
plastic bads from bins, morally it is no crime at all!

I went along quite regularly to engage in discussions, organised by the
Philosophers In Pubs (PIPs) group, there we were able to talk freely and
openly, without being shouted down, without being made to feel big or small,
everyone who wanted to was able to talk and be heard, no one was TALKED AT,
or spoken down to. We discussed "What is Love?" and "Which is the bigger
impact on life chances gender or class", this small discussion which had a
majority of women speakers at it, we decided mostly that class was the major
discrimination. We discussed "Nature or Nurture", whether who we are is all
decided in our DNA and genes or whether we're influenced more by the
environment, we had a lively discussion, exchanged ideas and thoughts on the
subject. We discussed "Humour in relation to the Scouser" and again the
discussion flowed freely, openly and in the spirit of wanting to listen and
learn from one another, other discussions included "The legacy of 2008,
consumerism or community?" this was focussed on capital of culture and
discussed our afterthoughts on everything most of us had felt excluded from.
Mashemon played a few sessions in the shop window, I missed that as my
routine life obviously intruded every so often to take me back to my
reality, however I caught them in the evening doing a live session inside
and was well impressed, I took some photographs and got a CD in exchange for
the promise to do something nice and help someone out.

There were films aplenty, these included one I took in on the media
propaganda created by ITN news in the late 1990s on the alledged Serbian
Death camps, for thirty minutes a full explaination of how the world was
fooled had a small audience thinking how the media lies and misleads us and
sets up the public to accept a war or military attack. Unfortunately a DVD I
had intended to show refused to work -it went on strike- which was
appropriate as it was a film about the 1984/85 miners strike made by a
Canadian company and broadcast only in Canada in 2005, which I'd supplied
three sections of video for. There were plenty of poets reading inspiring
material, also these poets were given the time and space so they could
discuss their poems, which is as equally as important.

On the last day, it started for me with a discussion about "Where do we go
from here?" everyone who had been involved or spent extended time in there
expressed their feelings on the Nerve Centre event, we discussed about
obtaining a building permanently, some of us even talked of 'occupation' of
the very building we were in briefly but perhaps that was a still a step too
far for most people. However the thought that the building could be
demolished angered and fired me up, I said I'd stepped into too many
buildings, including my own family home a boot house in Norris Green, my old
college, schools I went to, the swimming pool in Broadway that had been
demolished, to me it just provoked extreme emotions, reminders of betrayal
and loss. I felt we needed such a place as one person said "It has disabled
access, it's light, open and in the centre of town!" yes any person in a
wheel chair could have got in, as there were no steps into the front of the
building, there was even a lift shaft which might have been able to be put
back into operation, we even considered a large marquee at one moment,
discussion was lively - passionate and healthy, nobody fell out with anyone
even though we all seemed at one moment to want different things. The
discussion was followed by music and poetry.

The afternoon seemlessly merged into early event and blended into the
darkness of the night, Tayo Aluko filled an entire hour with poetry, singing
and his thoughts of many and various things, it didn't seem like an hour
because it was so full of thoughts, ideas, songs, words and inspiration. We
couldn't get the CD player to work so after a couple of musician's played
the space was naturally filled by poets, speakers and other musicians, for
some reason I found enough motivation and inspiration to read one of my
poems written in 1995 and called "Pulling Down Liverpool" about demolition
and media assault upon our city and people, it was heard inside the room and
outside by passing people, people standing at bus stops, in cars and buses.
It's the first time in over five years that I've felt inspired enough to
read one of my poems and it just felt ever so right. The day ended with a
party atmosphere, we improvised the CD player by pointing the microphone at
the speakers to amplify it and created a nice cosy vibe in the room lit just
by ambient light, a few of us visited the roof, as this would be for most of
us our last day in the building, we peaked over the edge and saw people
going to pubs and clubs, we could see the Anglican cathedral, St.Lukes
church, the "O Five One", Adelphi Hotel and even the Liver buildings.

The Nerve Centre, building and event itself took on its own life, it became
in the ownership of all the people who stepped into it, it was a revolution
in thought, word, action and deed, I was certainly choked, a little tearful
at times on the Saturday, maybe a fired up with anger because Nerve had got
a small slice but had to feed the 5,000. We'd helped one another, touched one
another's real humanity.

Saturday night merged into Sunday morning for me because my heart and soul
had never left the place, Sunday morning I was at peace with myself. I
entered the main space early and offered to help out, I gently helped to
take down some of the artwork which I thoroughly enjoyed, this was just an
continuation of the event for me, it was funny at times, I found a pair of
long forgotten shoes in a hidden location, they even fitted, I forgot to
take them off. I helped drive some of artist Carl's work home to his
home/studio we'd exchanged an item of signed artwork earlier before we'd
left Nerve Centre, I didn't know who I was going to give it to, I'd already
given out about 20 red cards with an artist/political statement from Arthur
Scargill from 1982 (still shown outside the Nerve Centre building if you
look) on one side and some of my words on the other, I also produced a piece
of installation art on the third floor "Reflections in a mirror". I dropped
Carl back at the centre, drove off and then realised I'd still got those
tight fitting 'hush puppies' on my feet, I checked my car to see if I'd put
my comfy shoes in the boot, they weren't there so I drove back towards town
again, traffic had been stopped by an Orange Lodge march down London Road, I
parked my car in one of my 'free' locations and walked back to Renshaw
Street, in I walked and there was the bag, a Farmfoods bag with my comfy
shoes in, I saw Darren pushing Penny up the street on a large trolley,
though it looked like a big skate board.

So there's my thoughts... There were lots of things that happened in
between, hundreds of other people's stories, things I've forgotten about or
chose not to write here.

To Richie, Darren, Amy, Carl, Tracy, Penny who helped organise the event and
numerous others who have names, but whose faces I won't forget, a personal
thanks from me for this happening - this event - this revolution - the cups
of tea and coffee and for reigniting my artistic, poetic, creative and
political spirits.

I'll be touching Glasgow later today, Liverpool's twin city in Scotland,
which has also suffered the slings and arrows of adversity and 'cultures of
vultures' AKA Capital of Culture" -smiles better- before we did.

ta ra. . . . . .

(C) 2010 Kai Andersen - Yes even our words get stolen and appropriated by
capitalist culture vultures!

Say no more Kai, say no more.

The Nerve Centre.

The Nerve Centre Interview: Jazamin Sinclair

2010-10-03T04:38:00.000-07:00

For some reason, whenever I do interviews for this very blog, I decide on the agreeable venue of The Egg Cafe. Those who know it, will be aware that it has a great selection of food, a cool and varied clientèle and an ever revolving art gallery, EggSpace, inside of it. It makes it all the more fitting then, that I am chatting to Jazamin Sinclair, one of the lovely persons who puts EggSpace together. She also performed sets at The Nerve Centre and more recently during the Bold Street Festival for the Nerve stall. I met her and discussed Nerve, her various talents, music and more over a very refreshing coffee.

You performed at The Nerve Centre and more recently The Bold Street Festival at the Nerve stall. How did you feel about the performances?

(Thinks) Well, I was nervous at The Nerve Centre because it was my first solo gig for a while and I felt rusty and slightly out of practice. The Bold Street Festival gig was better as I'd also had a show the week before at The Gallery (In Clayton Square) and had rehearsed more so I felt quite relaxed and I enjoyed the performance, although I'm not sure people could hear much!

How did you come to know of Nerve?

It was around 2004, when I organised an exhibition with Karen Henley (as part of The Long Journey Home Group) at Quiggins, that I met Colin Serjent (Nerve's resident Art Critic!) who was interested in what we were doing and in reviewing our exhibitions.

You're multi-talented, being a painter, photographer, exhibition organiser and much more. How do you balance your time and do you find, like many artists, that being busy is the best thing?

Well, some weeks are really hectic and some are not so busy. On a really hectic week I could be working from nine am to ten pm but other weeks not. I like being busy, but it really does depend on the week!

Street Lites by Jazamin Sinclair.

"(The Nerve Centre) is a good thing. Keep it going!"

Those of you who came to The Nerve Centre may have seen Sinclair's Life drawings of nudes on the wall near the performance area, and it was only fitting, and perhaps coincidental, that she performed her set with them just behind or next to her depending on where you were in the audience. A solo artist as well as a member of Sense of Sound Singers, Sinclair's set was one of the many highlights of the four weeks and if you read my review you'll know just what went down as that particular gig. Being an artist of many disciplines, Sinclair has many strings to her bow, and I asked her in particular about the musical side:

Concentrating on your music, I recently reviewed your performance at The Nerve Centre and noted that you performed a few cover songs in the set. How do you choose which songs to perform?

There's a list of songs that I choose from and some songs that I want to learn, such as that song that goes like " Put all your troubles..." (In a moment of modern knowledge, I say that it's Eliza Doolittle's song Pack Up.) Yeah, that song. Although I think it needs the full instrumentation, rather than just me and my lonely guitar! (Laughs) It really depends on the venue, though, and that determines what I'll sing.

Any favorites to perform?

Well, Spaceman by 4 Non Blondes. Also Circle Game by Joni Mitchell.

Jazamin in performance at The Nerve Centre.

Do you approach creating your art pieces in the same way as creating a song?

Well, when I create a song it's usually a quick process. I'll have an idea, and I'll write it down, sometimes I'll finish it soon. Sometimes I'll return to it much later!

What is your creative process usually?

Well, it depends on the type of work. For paintings, I do a small ink and water colour drawing, from life, of something nearby, then I choose a small section of the drawing that I think will make a good painting and paint that part on a much bigger scale. For photography, it's whatever catches my eye really.

You're a member of Sense of Sound Singers as well as a solo artist. What is the usual process when working with them?

Perri Alleyne-Hughes arranges the various parts and harmonies for the songs and then we learn them bit by bit together over the weeks. We do lots of gigs and practice regularly so it keeps you busy and the skills and training you get with Sense of Sound are invaluable!

Liverpool is a very creative place to be in. How much does Liverpool, or aspects of it, affect your work?

Oh, I don't know really. I mean, I've lived all over the place but Liverpool is home so I suppose that it's where I take influence from. But, I couldn't say really! It's a very creative place with an active creative community so it's a good place to be an artist really! I think you will always take a certain amount of influence from where you are.

Clothes by Jasmine Sinclair.

To round off our chat I ask her about The Nerve Centre, a topic on many peoples mind recently due to its current - albeit temporary- lack of existence:

As many out there may know, we're currently seeking a new location for The Nerve Centre. What do you think are the positive aspects of a project such as The Nerve Centre?

I mean, it'll be good! There's lots of artists going in and out, showcasing their work. It's a great thing for the local artists.

Any thoughts, words of advice or wisdom for the people of Nerve?

(Thinks) It's a good thing. Keep going and try to find a new building!

Thanks to Jazamin for a wonderful chat. You can see the fruits of her organisational labours at EggSpace and you can discover Jazamin's work at her website:

http://web.me.com/jazamin

Interview and Photo by Sebastian Gahan@The Nerve Centre.

Related:

The Nerve Centre Live Review: Jazamin Sinclair.

The Nerve Centre: Towards A Better Community!

2010-09-29T14:42:00.000-07:00

The Nerve Centre:

Working Towards a Better Community.

"I’ve been left wanting more. I honestly think it has been special and I wonder if that has been because the people involved have had so much to say and do, but with so little time to cram it all in."

Rocky from Mashemon

After 4 full-on weeks of cutting edge art, poetry, music, film, performance and discussion, it became clear that, there was not only a demand for a permanent space but there is a definite need. With over 100 events, organized entirely by volunteers on a shoe string budget, and over 2000 people attending the Centre, many staying around to get involved, it became more and more apparent that the Nerve Centre had a future, or at least needs a future. All of those involved delivered an amazing, creative and positive 4 weeks. With openness, passion and commitment, we created, as many people said, ‘something special’.

"(This is) the big one. This stuff works, for me, because there's no one interest - something like Nerve covers a lot of interests, a very lot- it's informal, and it's open. People seem to respond to that."

John Daly

We should have a genuine grassroots arts and culture Centre run by the people for the people, a space were all those who are trying to improve our city have a space to exhibit, perform and discuss. A space that promotes mutual learning, self help and self organisation. A space that is genuinely, like the Nerve Centre, inclusive, that can lift the spirit of not only local artists but the city and its people, a space of genuine empowerment.

"It was great to see so many people from different walks of life mixing and sharing ideas. That's the most valuable thing to me."

(Dan Lynch, Rathole Radio)

The Nerve Centre passed over to the Biennial on September 11th but since then around 30 people have been meeting, looking at buildings, funding, aims, community and legislation, building a vision and a plan. If you are committed to promoting grassroots arts, cultural and critical discussion and would like to play a part in the future of the Nerve Centre then let us know.

Leave your comments and suggestions here.

"Let’s find other places for it to exist and keep it moving so it reaches as many people as possible!"

Steve Eye

The Nerve Centre Should Be Permanent

2010-09-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

See a letter from an impressed visitor to The Nerve Centre:

http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/views/letters-to-editor/2010/09/21/letter-to-the-editor-the-nerve-centre-should-be-permanent-92534-27307556/

The Nerve Centre.

Discovered: 20lb Sounds@The Nerve Centre

2010-09-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

The Nerve Centre played host to many artists, who hopefully made some videos of their performances whilst there. I discovered this one the other day, whilst idly skipping along the digital road of doom that is YouTube:

Isn't it nice to see the familiar decor we once enjoyed?! See the bands site here.

The Nerve Center.

Catalyst Review: Wild Eyes and Mashemon at The Nerve Centre.

2010-09-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Review: Wild Eyes and Mashemon at The Nerve Centre, 4/9/2010.

Taking to the shop window of the Nerve Centre, Mashemon are today joined by Richard M. Nixon. Well, a shop dummy with his face stuck to it at any rate. Alongside Tricky Dicky who is presumably there to provide Bez-style ‘vibes’, the duo kick off their first set with the New Order influenced ‘Facts’. The group quickly draws a sizeable crowd of slightly bemused looking passers-by, drinkers on a fag-break from Renshaws and Goths who have wandered out of Quiggins across the road. Continuing with Dull Boy, the track is a spin on the kind of 21st century T-Rex glam Goldfrapp used to do so well. The porn industry savaging ‘Sanity Check’ follows, ringing out like ‘Heroes’-era Bowie.

The band’s second set, this time performed indoors aided by a back projection screen is tougher and more guitar-heavy. Diverting into glitchy ‘Kid A’ style electronica at points, the intertwining of live guitar, bass and vox with triggered samples, synths and drums blend seamlessly. The band’s current ‘Removal Music’ LP is promoted by the brilliantly innovative idea of being free provided the recipient does a good deed in return. Suggestions in the accompanying text include tipping buskers generously and contributing to a tramp’s Special Brew fund.

Described in the Nerve Centre programme as a ‘psychedelic jam band’, The Wild Eyes are exactly that only without the tendency of some psych bands to disappear off into the melodic ether never to return. Opening with the same delay pedal glide as early U2 they move onto to Velvet Underground motorik beats and Dylan-style vocals in quick succession. Strongly influenced by the Nuggets collection, a digest of the greatest one-hit wonders, almost were’s and never-had-a-chance bands of the US underground in the mid 1960s, The Wild Eyes augment this with a large dollop of My Bloody Valentine style guitar clatter. The Nuggets tracks staple elements were the trebly aggression of The Who, the melodic nouse of The Beatles, The Stones’ swagger and a large portion of strangeness entirely of their own making and so it goes here.

The backdrop of the Nerve Centre and the varied crowd makes the group appear like The Yardbirds during their cameo as the in-house club band in Blow-Up. Battering through one track with drumming that would have done the Jesus and Mary Chain proud, the band’s economy is to be praised, singer-guitarist Huw wringing the maximum amount out of a single chord before switching briefly for the chorus to one other. Using the array of FX pedals at his feet sparingly so the sound doesn’t become saturated, he deftly steers the three-piece through the changes in tempo and texture with many of the tracks moving through various movements in the space of four minutes.

The finale however stretches things out to epic proportions. Beginning with a long-drawn incantation that recalls early Verve before sparking into life and speeding up, they squeeze the life out of a three-note guitar riff made vast by the cavernous reverb FX. Concluding their set in just over half hour which has seemingly felt like a quarter of that amount of time, The Wild Eyes’ pupils are fixed firmly on the future whilst acknowledging the sound-sources of the past.

Review by Richard Lewis.

Video by ?

Join Us at the Bold Street Festival!

2010-09-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

This coming Sunday is the Bold Street Festival!

You may ask "What's the Bold Street Festival?", and the answer is that it's a festival that is happening on Bold Street that is going to be well worth a visit! In fact, we're going to be there too with a stall just outside the venerable doors to our building that will have magazines and much more on it for your delection! There'll be some surprise guests coming along to perform, the usual Nerve gang, and a lot more besides!

In addition, we need some more volunteers to help man the stall so if you can spare a few hours, an hour or even a smaller amount of time, come on down! The stall will open at around 12pm and continue until 5pm, so if you find yourself on Bold Street and lacking something, come and find that something at the Nerve stall!

See you there on Sunday!

The Nerve Centre

The Nerve Centre Opens...A Flashback by John Owen.

2010-09-24T02:25:00.000-07:00

The opening night at the new Nerve Centre in the old Rapid hardware next to Lewis’s on August 13^th was chilled, exciting and the place to be. Despite the omens, no shenanigans of a bad sort occurred. On the contrary, a new baby or old baby was born, as a space was carved out for the city’s artists to use, but not exclusively, also a free discussion area, a creative Centre that seeks to merge art and the people and change the world with collective activity and mutual collaboration. Rock on.

Music, poetry and legendary harpist Stan Ambrose set the tone as the place filled slowly but surely to the rafters with no room to spit pips, but the mood was enlivened with rousing Socialist anthems and songs of struggle from here and afar by the Socialist Choir. (A feature on demonstrations in the city is here to stay!). The world is our city and worth fighting and dying for as people recounted poetry with anger and humour, followed by some ambient soft music from Biltone that cooled the atmosphere to a breathable mix. With free food and wine easing the tensions and old and new greeting and talking the night was a resounding success.

The artwork on display ranged from abstract photography to penciled cartooning to the Nerve covers charting the progress of the magazine which was the brainchild behind the Centre idea, to potent symbolism of cultural oppression and consumption in society dominated by image brands and cultural blandness. This fresh assault on the senses proved most stimulating.

A sculpture of a naked man rivaling Dickie Lewis, next door, could have been his cousin, stood guard, he didn’t seem to mind. The evening was the culmination, was the combined efforts of a small band of people who laboured through might and main to bring together the separate strands of art and culture, politics and trends, music and poetic people, that ever walked or talked in the city. Trojans of culture, Spartan with themselves, but their belief in the idea and its time was accurate, the backbreaking endeavors both mental and manual. This labour was a superhuman effort of people who have lives too, but pulled out all the stops to get this thing going, and were biggest fighters for its success

Themes vary, wires get crossed, nodal points meet ley lines like nick-naks get crossed. This helps bring to life new things, a hub, a Centre, a truly marvelous space strong and new.

The coordinator, a young woman who deserves all credit for pushing the right buttons to create a scene like this, Amy, was the engine or locomotive of the revolution here. Those that doubted were proved wrong she beavered away, pestered, annoyed, irritated, but eventually got this moving along with the deft skill and light touch plus ballsy attitude that deserves special credit we can all learn something here. Know it all veterans like myself and some other old timers proved the adage the best tutors are also the best pupils.

Taking up the gauntlet thrown down, talking the idea for the space till it wore thin like the cardboard in the shoes of the poor, angels who fear to tread on no corns, all obstacles were overcome, resistance met and avoided, got round over or under. In truth, a miracle of organization. Despite the climate of cultural death stalking the city as jobs go and buildings shut down, this Centre will be a beacon to those excluded minorities and migrants and low paid to use to help turn around their situation.

No magic solutions or panacea but just space to talk free and clearly. Those with no voice will have an echo chamber, a Soviet of the oppressed artistically speaking.

4 weeks is along time in politics. Who knows what will happen? Watch, but more importantly,use this space and help shape the city. Influence it's culture, change the world!

Rapid maybe slowing down but we are speeding up.

John Owen.

In retrospect, so true! Thank you to John for putting so well!

Merseyside Social History Course: Places Still Available!

2010-09-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

To everyone out there, here's a chance to get the last few places on the Merseyside Social History Course. All fees go towards the upkeep of Nerve and you'll be helping the magazine and learning of Liverpool's highly interesting history as well. Simply contact Ritchie at 0151 709 9948 or contact him via the e-mail address above to get more details!

The Nerve Centre.

The Nerve Centre Future: Aims and Objectives So Far.

2010-09-22T07:55:00.000-07:00


From the comments section, but worth a look for everybody. If you have any other ideas, thoughts and items to suggest feel free to contribute! There's a lot of good ideas here and if we could do all of these, The Nerve Centre will be a place of great importance indeed!

Aims and Objectives so far of the Nerve Centre:

To promote self organization and do it yourself by building the confidence of individuals and communities across the city.

To manage a space that offers groups and individuals a chance to meet and engage freely and explore issues often not covered in other areas of engagement.

To ensure that people and communities with limited access to the arts have that access e.g. those with disabilities, refugees, those on low incomes, etc.

To become an incubator for discussion and creativity in the city.

To run local and international short film and documentary cinema club – a chance for progressive local filmmakers to show their work – once weekly and for regional and international film presentations.

To become a venue for regional, national and international presentations, conferences, and lectures at a competitive price to increase income.

A venue for independent regional, national and international music events. Providing the opportunity for artists to develop, perform and build regional, national, and international networks.

Art fair and art auction – offering space and opportunity to regional progressive artists to exhibit and sell their work.

To provide a venue for regional, national and international project-based and emerging artists, musicians, and community arts groups to perform and exhibit work. A professional artist will curate the submissions.

To enable artists to share creative skills with the community – to establish various classes and study groups where people can share experiences and skills in a co-operative manner.

Training and educational projects – the centre at this stage already has a number of people who can offer educational training, particularly in the areas of creative writing, art, theatre studies, international politics, law, holistic medicine and various languages (e.g. Turkish, Kurdish, Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Gaelic).

To use the existing experience of members of the centre to offer training and education in marketing and promotional skills, self motivation and self awareness – in order to promote a positive self image of individuals attending the centre, thus providing a stepping stone to achievement based on the individuals own values.

To promote both the theory and practice of do-it yourself, self-help and self organisation of various excluded groups in the Merseyside area.

To run a International multi-lingual library.

To run Coffee shop / café – where Fair Trade coffee and tea from various countries can be consumed and available for purchase. (Long term aim of establishing a vegetarian cafe with international cuisine).

To establish a Food co-op and other co-operatives – to establish a network of food co-operatives so people, including those on low incomes, can maintain healthy diets.

To promote and introduce environmental and green initiatives such as sustainable energy and recycling projects.

To develop holistic and alternative therapy workshops so members of the regional community, often excluded from such approaches due to low incomes, can benefit.

Anything you could add? Post a Comment!

The Nerve Centre

The Nerve Centre Future: Some Thoughts.

2010-09-21T01:38:00.000-07:00

There have been many suggestions as to why there is need for The Nerve Centre in Liverpool and they can get lost in the melee of activity surrounding the aftermath and big "To be continued" left after our last day in what now houses The Bienniel's permanently empty-feeling exhibitions. If we want to get the atmosphere, community and welcoming vibes back into Liverpool, we need to start planning where we will go from now. To whit, we must bear in mind the following:

Although time and events can dull your passion for something, remember that people liked and still want The Nerve Centre. The sheer reaction we gained during our four weeks in the Old Rapid Paint Shop is enough to say that we must continue our work.

Even now, as I visit the various creative spaces of Liverpool, people recognise me and inquire as to how The Nerve Centre is going. Unfortunately, I can't tell them a place to go as there isn't one at the moment. If people ask you abut the Nerve or The Nerve Centre, remind them of what was there, and what will be happening in the future. Create a buzz that will carry us forward!

I miss The Nerve Centre. For four weeks I had a creative home, where my imagination could run wild, creative people were to met, learning of topics not normally promoted could be achieved and quite simply, I enjoyed visiting there in whatever capacity I was in. I know I'm not the only one who felt this way, so anybody who connected with The Nerve Centre should know that they are not alone.

There are plenty of places for The Nerve Centre to continue, so it's only a matter of time before we find a home. It'll take a big coming together of our various skills to do this, so if anybody wants to help, get in contact with us via the Contact page and we can start the ball rolling!

The Nerve Centre.

Nerve Benefit Gig at Next To Nowhere: 25th September

2010-09-20T15:37:00.000-07:00

Review: Biltone@The Nerve Centre.

2010-09-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

BILTONE

The Nerve Centre, 13^th August 2010.

The launch party of Catalyst Media's multi media event The Nerve Centre showcasing grassroots artists, performers, poets, musicians and the like was a hive of creative energy, with people of all ages flowing in and out, drinking open night wine merrily, talking amiably on a diverse amount of topics from the radical to the spontaneous and generally filling the once empty and, sadly, soon to be demolished Rapid Paint shop on Renshaw Street with a well deserved relevance in an area of relative nothingness.

Around half way through the launch party, Liverpool atmospheric balladeers BILTONE slipped quietly into the atmosphere and started setting up for their quietly electric show which made an obviously energetic crowd of what the band called "Lefties", in a reference to the political aims of the exhibition, on several occasions have to gag their excitement in a serious way in order to fully comprehend the bands atmospheric musings. Many bands have a sound to capture an audience straight away, and Biltone have that power as well. Their set began quietly and gracefully and took several songs for the band to get the ears of the crowd in full listening mode, (although with the launch party buzz going round that was easily forgiven!), but once the crowd were listening, they were enraptured by the delicate framing of their water colour like sounds.

Performing in front of a good crowd with evocative art at their backs and next to the once commercial shop entrance with security gates that no longer secure anything, the band started off with the subtle and stayed in that mood all through the set, often punctuated with some well placed asides, such as this reviewers favorite aside about "that guy taking photos of me" – that is, me! The humour was a great counterpoint to the delicate sound of the violin inflected songs such as the intriguingly titled The Pyramids Of Llangollen, or the familiar titled Hope Street, which may be a reference to our own Hope Street, which sailed around the gallery like a sweet musical spell bringing the assembled crowd to a hushed applause at the end of the song.

Highlights included the aforementioned cross-audience banter with the band, a magical moment where the violinist cradled his violin down and started plucking it like a particularly sweet sounding guitar whilst making what could have been whale noises into the microphone and my second mention of the night, “I thought the press were here but it’s just one person!”. One could easily say that Biltone were a good addition to the ambience of The Nerve Centre with their quirky sound and localised sense of humour and when singer and guitarist Joe bumped into me later and recognised me as the camera toting mobster he mentioned during the set, I assured him his soul was safe with me and congratulated him on an inner-eye opening set that was more than worthy of another listen when they next appear live.

Go see Biltone, and bring your biggest camera!

Review and Photo by Sebastian Gahan.

This review appears in Issue 5 of Bido Lito.

The Nerve Centre Live Review: Jazamin Sinclair

2010-09-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

JAZAMIN SINCLAIR@The Nerve Centre. September 2^rd 2010.

On an unassuming sunny afternoon, JAZAMIN SINCLAIR arrived fashionably late at Renshaw Street’s The Nerve Centre for her acoustic set. After an impressively quick set up and introduction possible only with an acoustic set, she opened up her performance with the self-penned Old Time, a short and sweet song that was met with much approval from the sympathetic audience. Following the applause she moved onto a cover of Beth Orton’s Stolen Car, which captured the feel of the original but was still recognizably different enough to work well in its eyes shut sing-along-ability. Next came a shift change with a cover of the ubiquitous anthem to either granny grabbing or punching, Take Your Mama Out, which had no such implication with Sinclair’s acoustic take on the song which raised more than a few smiles in the crowd.

Such a number of covers in a set could be seen as a concession to originality to some eyes, but a later chat to Sinclair and a check of her artist page is proof enough that she has many songs in her proverbial artillery. Following some sound issues amiably dealt with by Sinclair and a quick audience hearing check, it was back to business as usual with a cover of a song that some may know called Spaceman. Sinclair’s clear voice and excellent guitar was more than a match for the original, and the feeling in her performance was as evident as in 4 None Blondes’ original. As mentioned before, the set was primarily covers of other artists songs, but Sinclair never sold herself short, and the set’s brevity was disappointing as I could quite easily have sat through many more songs, be they covers or not, which is not something one can say often at a live show.

The fact she chose to perform songs from the singer-songwriter genre is definitely in her favor as these songs are usually well written, timeless and above all very good. Her version of Big Yellow Taxi was particularly good and had many, including this reviewer, ready for more. Its theme was also appropriate, perhaps unintentionally, as there were calls for a cleaner greener Earth posted just behind her, appropriately right next to her paintings which makes a very good backdrop to her music. For those who have not come across Sinclair before, you should go down and see her when you get a chance. This was her first solo show in a while, and despite her apologies after the show for the sound problems, there really was no need as the songs she chose, including an interesting cover of Skunk Anansie’s Pickin’ On Me, all spoke for themselves. The only complaint would be that more originals would have made a good show even better than it was. Simplicity is rare thing these days, and Sinclair’s acoustic performance was most definitely an example of the beauty of simplicity in music and performance.

Review and Photo: Sebastian Gahan.

Catalyst Review: Mashemon - Removal Music.

2010-09-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

If I had to list for you the multitude of good deeds I committed in order to gain a copy of this much discussed album, I would seem like man touched by a multitude of angels with very big halos. Instead, I'll tell you about the CD by Mashemon that hasn't left my stereo since I picked up my well earned copy last week at The Nerve Centre.

With a cover consisted of many fifties bathing costume clad dolls floating in a swimming pool whilst a similarly clad female looks into the distance smiling, the Removal Music album is a fast moving experience, with wit, charm and distinct melodies much in evidence. It's also well worth a listen as well for the adventurous, the keen of taste and the sonically adventurous. Opening with the opposite sounding Dull Boy, the Mashemon sound is hammered home instantly with a song that is anything but dull. In it's pertinent lyrics, pointed delivery and well produced sound, it is an opener in the tradition of the best, leading you with a aural bang across the temporal lobe to an adventure in a music wonderland where you go round and round in listening cycles and never, ever get bored. Following is Sanity Check, a deceptive slow opener that leads to a full foot-through-floor smashing that makes the listener nod to themselves in the way of "Hey, This is good!"

I could go on and say something similar for every track, but that would be pointless. It's enough to say that if you are a sinner, a saint, an anarchist, a rebel of any kind or just plain alive, you have a social obligation to do a good deed, whatever it may be, and earn yourself a copy of Removal Music! Stand out tracks for this intrepid reviewer are Sanity Check, This Monkey Is and Facts. So, in short, to paraphrase closer Facts, you really should change your way to Mashemon's way! Or else.

You know what you have to be doing now, people.

Reviewed by Sebastian Gahan.

The Nerve Centre: A Message from Bearclaw.

2010-09-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

mi campaneros, hola

for those about to rock

i have amassed about 21 files of audio recordings taken at the nerve centre, ranging from the discussions on the welsh streets, to pips (not pippi longstockings therapy sessions alas) to musical interludes from mashemon, plus the famous "wolfy" the centre dog barking. along with this i've taken over a 100 snaps, some good some bad some goddam ugly, but together a beautiful summer tapestry of the life and times of the nerve centre collective as it sprung to life on august the 13th or correctly a few days before with the rocksteady clean n paint crew.

those of you intwestd in a puddycat, sorry the tweetypie and sylvester cartoon, comes to mind with granny bashing the poor moggy on the head for wanting to scrump the canary.our reach is always further than our grasp to poss the impossible to live the dream to ride a silver machine sideways through time on a bluebadge dla scooter even.

some of us are in the gutter, but whilst there we get our brogues polished by the machine.

lotta continnuita

hasta siempra

el pueblos unidos

hamas sera vencidos

stavarich narodna volya bolshevski

tioch y ar lah

erin go braith

oops a daisy!

goodnight from the night garden.

-Message Ends-

The Nerve Centre.

The Nerve Centre Interview...Tony Chestnut - The People's Poet.

2010-09-13T14:33:00.000-07:00

On the very last day of The Nerve Centre's present run, Tony Chestnut turned up and gave a thirty minute show of his excellent poetry. As you may know if you were there, Tony is The People's Poet and in that he is very much a part of The Nerve Centre! I caught up with his fittingly be-suited self and asked some probing questions of him. His responses, fittingly poetic are below with some excellent photos of the man himself in action. Read on and be informed!

How was your performance at The Nerve Centre?

My performance was that of an Anarchist at heart.So I felt quite at home really.

You performed on the last day of The Nerve Centre. What was the mood on the day?

The mood seemed a little subdued yet positive.

Your poetry is to the point and highly entertaining. What influences your work?

The facts of reality that effect our lives political, social and esoteric. Nothing too flowery. Blood n guts poetry.

You aim to be the people's poet. What does being a people's poet involve?

The Peoples Poet is nothing without the people and to pass on love, positivity, humour. Express that which others may not be able to is my goal.

What is the message of the Nerve Centre?

Nerve Centre gather get gain and sustain don't let the bastards grind us down.

Did any pieces of art catch your eye?

Loved John O'Neill's paintings.

Is there a piece of poetry, either your own or someone else's, that you think captures the creative spirit of Liverpool well?

All Liverpool poets at some point convey an aspect of our city.

There have been diverse opinions of STOK's graffiti piece on the window. What did you think of it?

Graffiti should be more than tag name logo express more.

How did you learn of Nerve magazine and what is your favorite aspect of it?

Always been aware of Nerve since its coming from where I'm at.

Art and Liverpool. Why should these words match each other?

Liverpool is a diverse culture which has its voice in all the arts.

What should the future be for The Nerve Centre?

The future is to continue with using vacant properties when ever viable. Keep it fresh.

Finally, any parting thoughts for the people of Nerve?

Keep the faith in one another include more evolve beyond politics.

Thank you to Tony for entertaining us and remember that you can more of his work at his website.

The Nerve Centre.

Thoughts: The Nerve Centre is No More...For Now.

2010-09-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Well The Nerve Centre is no more - at least for now. All the paintings have been taken down from the walls, the artists left with their work, The spartan centurion, that stood guard and watched over everything, quickly left, crashing through the doors and shutters in the dead of night and running down Renshaw Street, towards lime street, frightening the last of the drunken yawning revelers, on his way back to his home by Sandhills station. The music, the film, the chatter has stopped. And now the Centre will be replaced by another group of artists. Who very quickly began to pull the place apart. As well as the upbeat vibe, the warmth, the creativity and the challenging discussions – some things stick in my mind. On the first night, someone said to me ; you know I have never seen any of these people at the art openings I go to’ During the the following weeks new people said to me‘ You gotta to keep this place going, the city needs it’ ‘You know during that discussion, I decided I was going to leave my job, and focus full time on The Nerve Centre’.‘let me tell you, I would have been dead, if I hadn’t have found The Nerve Centre that night, I really mean that, it saved my life’ ‘I laughed, I cried, I was moved, I felt so comfortable here, I have learnt so much, thank you’ And these are just a few comments. We need to start putting our ideas down on paper. The Nerve Centre is wanted and its needed. And this is only the beginning.

Darren Guy.

Please feel free to mail your thoughts and hopes and ideas on The Nerve Centre's past, present and future to the blog. Use the comments box, mail via Catalyst or check the contact info on the front page. As Darren says, The Nerve Centre is wanted and needed, and no one is in disagreement there. Let's make it happen!

The Nerve Centre.

The Nerve Centre Has Finished... For Now!

2010-09-12T12:40:00.000-07:00

Yes, people, The Nerve Centre went out with a bang yesterday. A well attended day, packed with fun and discussion, music and forward looking, and much much more.

Despite the inevitable last-day feeling that was in the air, everyone looked forward to the future of the seed we planted that has grown bigger than any of us ever expected! Rather, then, a very large "to be continued" spray painted onto the now proverbial doors of our show. It doesn't matter who it is who makes the moves to make the continued continue, but on the evidence of our last night, there is a great want for a continuation of The Nerve Centre. Certainly, we're aiming for another location, but the feeling of community, creativity and openness present at The Nerve Centre is the most important thing. Personally speaking, and I know others feel this way too, I will miss the space we had. The next few weeks will be learning experiences in themselves, as we readjust and head back to the routines we temporarily abandoned when The Nerve Centre opened it's doors.

Long live The Nerve Centre! We'll be back but we don't know when! Until then, keep checking the blog for reviews, articles and much more as we take a look back and a look forward as we make our first footsteps turn into great, catalystic strides!

The Nerve Centre.

Some Thoughts from STOK.

2010-09-10T15:17:00.000-07:00

I recently met STOK, street artist of Liverpool and asked if I could make some enquiries of him about many topics. But, in the way that these things happen, a few days later I got a selection of thoughts from the man himself...

"STOK Thoughts:

Calvin Cleins UNDERPANTS! & Christine Aguilera’s KNICKERS, modern TOBACCO SCIENCE aimed at destroying Family Values! Yet some Modern Artists have taken it upon themselves on behalf of MANKIND (btw) to be Freedom Fighters or Graffiti Writers!

When kids pass seven the tobacco science is too powerful, the uneducated girls become tricked into becoming Lap Dancers & Prostitutes for the new Tourist Trade & Booze Britain Culture?

Liverpool Home of the Brain Washed Slaves!

When Graffiti is feared than all is lost! Ya get me!"

Said thoughts are above and are as mysterious as his often found murals. But there's a message there, and I hope we will find it one day. That is, perception is the key and the future is for us to make.

The Nerve Centre.

The Nerve Centre Interview...Dan Lynch of Rathole Radio.

2010-09-10T14:56:00.000-07:00

Many faces have caressed The Nerve Centre with their art and their presence, and when Rathole Radio, broadcast not one, but two, hastily arranged shows from The Nerve Centre, many ears - and an intimate audience- were tuned into The Nerve Centre. The eclectic range of music Dan Lynch, ever cheerful host of the show, plays is excellent and well worth a listen. In fact, you can check the sidebar for links to both the shows! Listen as you read the latest Nerve News! Even better, read this lovely interview with Dan...I dare you! (Yes, humour again. Sorry!)

|You did two episodes of Rat Hole Radio from The Nerve Centre during it's brief opening. What was it like to be on location at The Nerve Centre?

Fantastic! I usually do the show from home and while it's nice to interact with people online through chatrooms and other things, it's really different to have an audience in front of you and see their faces. It gives the show a different feel I think. It's nice to have a back and forth dialogue with people in the same room.

Did anything catch your eye particularly in the gallery?

I particularly love the large "people not profit" banner at the back. The colours are great and the message is one close to my heart. I sang a couple of Billy Bragg songs and as I said at the time, there can't be anywhere better to do that than in front of such a banner. I also liked many of the paintings by Carl and others but I'm afraid the exact names of the pieces escape me now.

A memorable quote from the first broadcast, referring to our big statue "as very off putting when you're broadcasting" echoes many comments I've heard. Now time has passed, what is your opinion of homage to "Democracy"?

That was mostly a joke for people listening really, I didn't actually find it that off-putting. It certainly catches attention and I think it's an interesting piece. It got people talking and I suspect that's the intention so that's good. It's a big statue though, I feel sorry for whoever has to lift it in and out hehe. It should be on a plinth somewhere in town, that would be great.

The banner that never stays up!

Now to a question that's had many answers, what is the message of The Nerve Centre?

The message, that's an interesting one, different for everyone you ask I suspect. I think the message for me is that no matter who you are and what you do you have a value. That value can't always be measured in pounds and pence, but it doesn't make it any less real or important. It was great to see so many people from different walks of life mixing and sharing ideas. That's the most valuable thing to me. No matter what colour or creed, we are all the same inside and it can be good to talk to people outside your normal peer group and realise that. I think that's healthy.

Once the closing party has wrapped, and the doors are closed, where should The Nerve Centre go?

I'm not sure but the value of having such a place in a busy part of Liverpool is clear. It's a real shame you can't stay in the current location. I think another City Centre location with good passing traffic would be ideal. The council should do more to support these things. It may be worth talking to the people at The Black-E in Chinatown. It's a big place and they have similar community values I think. I did an event there earlier this year and I really like the place, plus it's nearby.

How did you learn of Nerve Magazine and are you a regular reader?

I only heard about the magazine through my friend Neil who organised How Why DIY. I have to confess I didn't know it before these events. I hope to be a regular reader in the future though and perhaps this is one of the biggest benefits of having the centre. People passing by and learning about it who wouldn't otherwise get a chance.

A lens aims at Dan Lynch mid-broadcast. Fez's are cool.

Will we be hearing more of 20lb Sound, your newly Christened band who played at The Nerve Centre, soon?

Yes I'm sure we'll do more. We haven't really been going long and only just got a name. I hope we'll have more gigs and some good recordings of the original tunes to share with everyone soon. There's a website at 20lb.net , I call it a website but really I'm still building it at the moment. Hopefully there'll be much more to see very soon.

How do you go about choosing what you will play during the show?

I try to focus on Creative Commons licensed music and independent artists because I think it's so valuable to hear from people who aren't just told what to say by management or a record company. In this day and age it's so easy to self publish and promote what you do on a worldwide scale. I believe artists should be taking charge of their own destiny, not waiting around for a record company exec to deem them worthy. You can connect directly with fans now, we don't need the middle men. The criteria for the show is simple really, I listen to tons of submissions along with other stuff I find and then I play the things I like. Doesn't matter what style or genre, I think it's good to mix it up. Obviously I can't play a lot of mainstream music for copyright reasons and I don't really want to anyway, for the reasons I've already mentioned.

Where would be your ideal place to broadcast from and why?

I'm not sure. I quite like my home studio if I'm honest, it's comfy. For the majority of the shows it's quite good to have a base like that. Doing stuff with a live audience is great though and having space for artists to play live sessions would be fantastic. So maybe an old warehouse I could convert into a studio/venue would be ideal. That's the pipe dream, if I ever get the money and time.

On a similar line, where's the oddest, or furthest, place you've had listeners from?

Hmm, good question. A lot of people listen from a cafe in Amsterdam where the owner has taken a liking to the show, they broadcast it there on the PA. That's pretty amazing. I regularly get emails from people who listen in Australia, New Zealand and all over America as well as Europe. That's really nice to know. It's amazing that you can reach that far with just an Internet connection.

The fez is still cool, apparently.

The music you play on Rat Hole Radio is highly eclectic. Is this a reflection of your own tastes?

It is eclectic yes. I think people get too bogged down in genres and pigeon holes when it comes to music. It's fine to know what you like but you have to try new things and not dismiss them without even listening first. You wouldn't eat the same meal 3 times a day for the rest of your life, so why would you do that with music, or any other art form? I listen to bits of everything and I only play the stuff I like, so it very much reflects my personal tastes I suppose.

What would you change about Liverpool, or the world, if you could change anything?

It's tough to say. I love this place and I defend it with a passion like many others. I think perhaps sometimes though we are a bit too quick to go on the defensive and get upset. The city has been run down in the past and we've had reason to feel neglected, but we need to look forward and not harp on the past so much. There's a lot of positive history around Liverpool but somehow you never hear about that, you just hear negative stuff. I hope that's changing, we can't sit around feeling sorry for ourselves. I'd like to get more people coming to Liverpool and giving it a chance. I organised a large technology event called OggCamp in April and that was partly the goal. So many people came from all over the world and said they'd been totally wrong in thinking Liverpool was crime-ridden or nasty. That's very satisfying to hear. We certainly have our share or problems here like crime and poverty but I think the misconception of Liverpool people get from the outside (often people who've never even been) is what I'd like to change.

Finally, any last words, pieces of advice etc for The Nerve Centre?

I would just like to say please keep doing what you are doing because it's massively valuable to the community. I think the world would be a better place if every high street had somewhere like the Nerve Centre on it, rather than just a succession of Starbucks, McDonalds and other faceless corporate outposts. So much of what we see today is harmonised and bland, individuality should be celebrated. I think the Nerve Centre has done that and provided a place where many people can find a home. The importance of that can't be underestimated.

Thanks to Dan for a revealing interview. You can listen to Rathole Radio via the website: ratholeradio.org/

The Nerve Centre.

Friday 10th September at The Nerve Centre.

2010-09-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

It's Friday 10th September, and if you should be going anywhere, its The Nerve Centre! If you're still in any doubt, let me tell you what's going on...

From 12pm to 2pm, we have another movie showing, and today it's No Impact Man. Trailer below...

From 2pm until 3pm we present poetry and discussion from Eleanor Rees and Dave Ward. Eleanor Rees’s Andraste’s Hair presents Liverpool as a fantastical city while Dave Ward’s Where The World Begins focuses on the dockers’ Strike.

Then, from 3pm, Carol Laidlaw leads a discussion on who makes laws, how they work, and how people can use them to to challenge injustice.
(Update: Unbeknown to me, Carol was unwell so couldn't make it. So, no discussion occurred! Sorry for the inconvenience if you turned up and were disappointed.)

If this doesn't tempt you inside, then check out the events lined up for our - cue the violins - last day on Saturday 11th. It'll be a grand send off so make sure you're there!

The Nerve Centre.

STOK Paints The Nerve Centre.

2010-09-08T14:18:00.000-07:00

Liverpool Artist STOK appeared from the ether and painted the front of The Nerve Centre a few days ago. It's still here, right next to the front door of The Nerve Centre and here I present a few images of STOK's mural for your attention. Street art can be like the proverbial Vegemite for a lot of people, which means you either love it or hate it. But instead of casting opinions about, we'll invite you to judge for yourself...

The Nerve Centre thinks this won't be here long, so enjoy it while it's outside our gallery!

The Nerve Centre.

Photos by Ritchie Hunter (Top) and Sebastian Gahan (Rest).