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What's on offer at the UK's Museum of Popular Music. DISCOVER THE ULTIMATE HISTORY OF BRITISH ROCK & POP As the UK’s only museum dedicated to celebrating British music, the British Music Experience boasts an unrivalled collection of memorabilia, stage outfits, instruments, images and footage. The museum charts the beginnings, rise and influence of British pop from 1945 to the present day and includes outfits worn by artists from Mick Jagger, Freddie Mercury and Dusty Springfield, to Adam Ant and The Spice Girls and musical instruments played by some of the world’s most renowned artists from Queen's Roger Taylor and Marc Bolan, to Ian Curtis and the Sex Pistols. You can even find the original statues from the Brits and the Apple Corp front door from Saville Row. The Museum includes galleries, interactive zones, audio visual experiences and hologram performances. You can get hands-on in the Interactive Studio by learning to play guitar, drums or keyboards, dance your way through the eras in the Dance the Decades studio and get your voice studio-ready in the Vocal Booth. THE INTERACTIVE STUDIO This fully interactive part of the British Music Experience gives you the chance to learn and play on a whole range of amazing instruments. Here you'll find electric, acoustic and bass guitars, as well as Roland drums, synthesisers and keyboards. VOCAL BOOTH Get your voice studio ready in our Vocal Booth. Situated inside the Interactive Studio, the vocal booth features 28 iconic tracks from the eras. Our professional vocal coach Jennifer John guides you in a range of techniques to get the best out of your voice. DANCE THE DECADES Suitable for all ages, our Dance The Decades Experience brings together 70 years and 12 iconic dance styles in one spacious booth. Our virtual teacher is on hand to teach you all the moves that ruled the dance floors of the past and then you can strut your stuff and try it out for yourself. For the real extroverts who love to show off their skill, there is a handy phone holder, so you can film yourself. STAR CAFE & BAR The licensed Star Café & Bar is located off our main foyer, and is open to the general public (no ticket required). It offers a delicious selection of Illy Coffee, specialist teas, fresh cakes, cold drinks, toasties and paninis. More Info. MERCH STORE EVENTS, LEARNING & PUBLIC PROGRAMMES The Merch Store is open daily and sells a range of band t-shirts, books, vinyl and memorabilia, alongside items from our temporary exhibitions past and present. Learning and public programmes, together with our events programme and temporary exhibitions further add to the experience. We offer educational workshops and bespoke tours for school children, and a range of public events including film screenings, Q&As, book launches and live gigs. We are even available for private hire if you’re looking to host an event with a wow factor.

Find out more about our Star Cafe & Bar situated inside the Cunard Building on Liverpool's Waterfront. STAR CAFE & BAR AT THE BME Our fully licensed Star Café & Bar is located off our main foyer, and is open to the general public (no ticket required). Situated inside The Grade II listed Cunard Building - one of Liverpool's famous Three Graces - the C afé is located in the manager's office of the first class passenger lounge of the Cunard Line. There is also exterior seating by our museum entrance where you can enjoy great views of Liverpool's Waterfront. Opening Hours During regular museum opening hours, the Star Café & Bar is open 10am - 4.30pm. Events The Star Café & Bar hosts a number of smaller events - including our monthly BME Pop Quiz alongside book launches, Q&As and acoustic performances. Check out our event programme on the homepage and keep up to date with what's on by following us on social media. Drinks The Star Café & Bar serves Illy Coffee and a range of specialist teas from Taylors of Harrogate. The Café Bar is fully licensed, and serves a range of alcohol alongside zero alcohol options and soft drinks. Food We serve a range of fresh cakes from Liverpool-based Cuthbert's Bakehouse alongside hot paninis, toasties and and ciabattas from the Real Wrap Co. (all subject to availability).

A very special evening of conversation with musician, singer, songwriter, poet, artist and label boss, Peter Doherty. Peter Doherty In Conversation Thursday 16 June, 7.00pm Join us for a very special evening in conversation with poet, musician, singer-songwriter, artist and label boss, Peter Doherty on the launch date of his candid memoir, A Likely Lad. “There’s an earthy, brute honesty to parts of the book, a naivety, sometimes a delight taken in certain nihilistic incidents in these pages, that seem now to belong to my past, to youth and, dare I say, to drugs – and increasingly I feel adult and sober.” – Peter Doherty, A Likely Lad Peter Doherty is the last of the great rock n roll stories. To his devoted fans, he is a cult hero, a modern-day Rimbaud. Musically, he has defined the past twenty years of indie rock with his sound, lyrics, lifestyle and aesthetic. And yet, he has had times of being seen as the nation’s bad boy and a public enemy. But which Peter is he? Since the Libertines rose to international fame, Doherty has proved endlessly fascinating. A whirlwind of controversy and scandal has tailed him ever since the early 2000s, so much so that all too often his talents as a songwriter and performer have been overlooked; for every award and accolade, there is a scathing review. Hard drugs, tiny gigs on the hoof, huge stadium shows, collaborations, obliterations, gangster and groupies – Doherty has led a life of huge highs and incredible lows. Today, with his wildest days behind him, Doherty candidly explores some of his greatest and darkest moments, taking us inside the creative process, decadent parties, substance-fuelled nights, his time in prison and tendency for self-destruction. With his trademark wit and humour – and with sober and sometimes painful insight – Doherty also details his childhood years, key influences, pre-fame London shenanigans, and reflects on his era-defining relationships. Peter Doherty is one of the frontmen of the rock band, the Libertines, who this year celebrate the 20th Anniversary of their debut album ‘Up The Bracket’ with shows across Europe and the UK, including Wembley Arena (23rd July). After departing The Libertines he formed Babyshambles with great success and most recently the Puta Madres. In March of this year Peter collaborated with French composer/producer Frédéric Lo and released the acclaimed album ’The Poetry Life of Crime’ which they have been touring in May. Peter’s music is as eclectic as it is introspective, and is consistently thought of one of the leading lights on the British rock scene. Born into a military family, Doherty spent much of his youth moving from place to place across Europe. He immersed himself in books and poetry – something that is evident in his lyric-writing to his day. Peter will be in-conversation with DJ, journalist and author Dave Haslam. Peter’s book will be available to buy on the evening, price £20. The event will be followed by a book-signing. All tickets £8 - on sale 10am, 24 May Please note, our museum galleries are closed during events.

Marking the 60th anniversary of Bob Dylan's first UK tour in 1965 Dylan in Britain Talk in the Discovery Zone Saturday 10 May, 2pm To mark the 60th anniversary of Bob Dylan's first UK tour in May 1965 - which included a show here in Liverpool at the Odeon Theatre - the See You Down The Front podcast has joined with Dylan expert Chris Hockenhull for an illustrated talk to discuss the legendary singer's early visits to the UK and their impact. Bob Dylan's visits, tours and one-off gigs in Britain in the 1960s and 70s contained some important and widely discussed moments in his career including the infamous 'Judas' heckle that greeted his move away from acoustic music, his headlining slot at the Isle of Wight festival and his return to Europe after almost a decade for a run of Earl's Court shows as well as the huge outdoor `Picnic' gig at Blackbushe Aerodrome in front of a reputed 200,000 people. Plus there will be the story of how, for a BBC TV show, Chris re-created Dylan's celebrated photograph surrounded by local children in Dublin Street, Liverpool, from 1966, bringing back many of those who had appeared in the original shot four decades later. Entry is free and the talk will take place at 2pm in the museum's Discovery Zone.

Events Archive- The Charlatans Exhibition The Charlatans Exhibition Oct 2018-Jan 2019 The band's 30-year success story was told through items on display including the band's instruments, Tim's scrapbooks dating back to the early days, gold discs, Charlatans TV and rarely seen Charlatans memorabilia. The Charlatans' Tim Burgess and Mark Collins will be visiting Liverpool for a signing session and live set to launch an exhibition at the British Music Experience. The exhibition drew more than 5,000 visitors from as far Tokyo, Utah, Dallas and all over Europe when it was shown at the band's North by Northwich homecoming festival in Cheshire last May. Exclusive to Liverpool will be some of Tim's handwritten lyrics, interactive screens where you can play on the Charlatans app and watch videos and interviews through the ages, plus big screen live footage and "very special effects" which are currently top secret. Many of the exhibits, posters and gold discs will be free to view BME's foyer and Star Café, with the rest being housed in the attraction's ticketed main space. Tickets for the launch event, which includes a live set and a Twitter listening part celebrating the Wonderland album's 17th birthday, sold out in minutes. To bring our Charlatans exhibition to a close, we organised an evening with Martin Blunt (Charlatans bass player and founding member). Martin will be showing a couple of short films (‘You are Here’ is a film about Charlatans keyboard player Tony Rogers) before holding a Q&A about his career in and out of the band. He will be interviewed by Carl Hunter (bass player with The Farm). The evening finishes with a DJ set, where Martin will be playing music that influenced the band.

Eurovision 22 winners Kalush Orchestra's stage outfits on display at the BME. Eurovision Winners: Kalush Orchestra 20 April - 10 September 2023 Championing Ukraine and defying the tragedy of war, Kalush Orchestra appeared at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Turin and swept to sweet victory wearing the outfits which will go on public display as part of our Eurovision celebrations at the BME. Oleh Psiuk is 28 years old and a Ukrainian rapper, founder, and frontman of Kalush Orchestra. His music career started out of pure passion, inspired by Enimen. Kalush Orchestra was created in 2021 with the name Kalush stemming from Oleh’s hometown in the Western part of Ukraine. The group is part of a vibrant Ukrainian-language hip-hop scene that has been trending in the past few years with dozens of top stars appearing in modern urban culture. Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, with their entry song Stefania . "Glory to Ukraine! Thank you to all the Ukrainians who voted for us, to the entire diaspora. We put in a lot of effort every day and can't convey how happy we are that we have succeeded now! Glory to Ukraine!" - commented on the victory of the leader of the group Oleg Psiuk. Now Kalush Orchestra is a band of seven, with multi-instrumentalists Tymofii Muzychuk, Vitalii Duzhyk, Andriy Gandziuk, known as MC Dzhonni Dyvnyy, mysterious KilimMan (lead dancer under the nickname that translates as ‘Carpet-Man’), Sasha Kondratiuk, and Sasha Tab (vocalist of the band, also known as a member of the band "Salto Nazad"). After the band’s epic win, they raised $900,000 by auctioning off the glass microphone and a further $370,000 by raffling off the pink bucket hat frontman Oleh Psiuk wore during the performance. Oleh went on to have a second pink bucket hat custom made and have since reunited the hat with stage worn outfits to go on display. Beyond the musical influences of their home country, Kalush Orchestra also showcase their Ukrainian origin through their outfits, wearing traditional ‘Hutsul keptar’ vests, a pink bucket hat tailored in a typical Ukrainian style, or dressed up as Hutsul molfars (molfar = magicians, shamans, and healers among the Hutsul people of Western Ukraine). Each band member’s outfit includes black and red coloured elements. As they explain in their own words: “Red, on the one hand, is a symbol of love, and on the other hand – it’s a symbol of suffering. Black is a symbol of darkness and fertility of the earth .” Oleh commented on the style and inspiration of the sound and look of Kalush Orchestra, “The essence is that we take the old Ukrainian folklore that has been forgotten. We dig it out from many generations and add modern, contemporary elements, rap, and instruments. In the end we have a combination of what our ancestors had and what the young people like today. And those are our songs.”

In conversation with Mark Radcliffe In Conversation with Mark Radcliffe Join us for an evening in conversation with multi-award-winning broadcaster and accomplished author Mark Radcliffe as he talks about his latest book, Crossroads. This event has been rescheduled from it’s original date 28th April, and coincides with the launch of the paperback version of the book. Standing at the crossroads – the Mississippi crossroads of Robert Johnson and the devil’s infamous meeting – Mark Radcliffe found himself facing his own personal crunch point. Aged sixty, he had just mourned the death of his father, only to be handed a diagnosis of mouth and throat cancer. This momentous time in his life, and being at the most famous junction in music history, led Radcliffe to think about the pivotal tracks in music and how the musicians who wrote and performed them – from Woodie Guthrie to Gloria Gaynor, Kurt Cobain to Bob Marley – had reached the crossroads that led to such epoch-changing music. Radcliffe takes a personal journey through these touchstone tracks, looking at the story behind the records and his own experiences as he goes in search of these moments. ‘Mark Radcliffe is like our shared friend. We feel we know him from being our late night, early morning or afternoon companion for many years. His voice is always a comfort and his music knowledge rivals that of anyone I know. His writing is like his broadcasting – light and funny when needed but it is beautifully emotional like the man himself. Long may Mark and his stories be part of our lives’ Tim Burgess Mark will be in conversation with Liverpool’s UNESCO Head of Music, Kevin McManus. Signed copies of the book will be available to buy on the evening. Event Date: October 22 2020 Time: 7.30pm Ticket Price: £8 (on sale Friday Sept 11)

Playing seminal Scottish albums in the BME Star Cafe each Sunday at 11am. Sunday Album Playback in the Star Café The Best of Scottish Every Sunday 11:00am To accompany our Don't You Forget About Me Exhibition, we have selected a number of seminal Scottish albums to play in our Star Café each Sunday morning. Join us at 11:00am each Sunday as we play a classic Scottish album. From Indie to Pop, Punk to Prog, we will be playing one album in full each week – so head to our Star Café, grab a drink and a snack and settle back to hear a bit of Scottish music history. Our Star Café is located off our main foyer and is open to the general public, no museum ticket required. Sunday 25 September - Danny Wilson, Meet Danny Wilson Sunday 2 October - Twin Atlantic, Vivarium Sunday 9 October - The Shamen, En Tact Sunday 16 October - Emili Sand é , Our Version of Events Sunday 23 October - Marillion, Misplaced Childhood Sunday 30 October (exhibition closes) - Simple Minds, Once Upon a Time

Test your knowledge of all things Eurovision in our big May edition of the BME Quiz The BME Eurovision Quiz Museum main hall Wednesday 10 May 2023 - 7pm Will you be leaving in a state of Euphoria, or are you just determined not to finish Rock Bottom? The May edition of our BME Quiz is bigger and more poptastic than ever, as Eurovision heads to town! Think you know your Eurovision trivia - why not test your knowledge with music rounds, picture questions, iconic outfits…so if you fancy a night out, just make sure you Save All Your Quizzes For Us! Teams can be up to a maximum of six people, so grab a few friends and get into the Eurovision mood. The quiz will take place in the main hall of our museum, surrounded by iconic rock and pop memorabilia, including Sam Ryder's Space man jumpsuit from Eurovision 2022 and our new Eurovision displays. So here goes…Waterloo was the winning song by? (Well maybe not that easy!!) Star Café bar open from 6pm. All tickets £10

A temporary exhibition charting the history of the iconic guitar brand through one of its most loyal artists - Noel Gallagher. Epiphone 150th Anniversary: Featuring the Guitars of Noel Gallagher Wednesday 27 September 2023 - Sunday 14 January 2024 Our current temporary exhibition charts the history of the iconic Epiphone brand through the guitars of one of its most loyal artists, Noel Gallagher. From the timeless cool of the jazz age through the looking glass of 1960s psychedelia to the wall of sound of 1990s Britpop and today’s eclectic scene, Epiphone instruments have remained central to pop culture’s “big bang” moments. The Casino, the Texan, the Sheraton, the Riviera – model names that chime with guitarists everywhere, inspiring awe and desire in equal measure, whether you are a Beatle or a beginner. What most people don’t realise, however, is that Epiphone’s history stretches back even further than Gibson’s, beginning 150 years ago in a port on the Aegean Sea in what is now Turkey. Moving into 2023, Epiphone has grand plans for its 150th Anniversary year, including a raft of exciting new product releases, special events, activities with signature artists, and much more besides. Here’s to the next 150 years – the House of Stathopoulo has never been in better health. To mark the anniversary from a British perspective, this temporary exhibition will feature some of Noel Gallagher’s most treasured guitars. Noel Gallagher’s love for Epiphone started with The Beatles. Thirty years after Revolver, Epiphone instruments were used throughout the sessions for albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, and, in 1996, Oasis headlined two epic shows at Knebworth, with Noel using a 1990s USA-made Sheraton for the era-defining performances. While he used a wide range of guitars, pedals, and amplifiers throughout his career, Gallagher often used a cherry sunburst Epiphone Les Paul, two Epiphone Sheratons, and the Beatles’ favourite Epiphone Casino. Gallagher says “I wanted to start playing Epiphones because of the Beatles. I didn’t know anything about guitars then. They looked good; they felt good, I could make them sound good. I’m a songwriter, not a guitar player. You know, that’s my thing. I’m not one of those people who can sit in a guitar shop and play lots of things. I will literally play an E chord, and if it had sounded great and felt good, I would have just said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take it. '” To mark 150 years of Epiphone, Noel has kindly loaned four of his private guitar collection for this exhibition, including his Epiphone Riviera with Bigsby from the Definitely Maybe album cover and his Epiphone Frontier FT110 used on the (What's the Story) Morning Glory recording. We have a season of activity supporting the celebrations including the Epiphone take-over of our Gibson Brands Interactive Studio which has been refreshed and restocked with a line-up of the finest Epiphones for all visitors to play along with the Gibson App. Epiphone 150th Anniversary: Featuring the Guitars of Noel Gallagher is included with all general entry tickets purchased. To find out more about 150 years of Epiphone, head to https://www.epiphone.com/en-GB/150

An evening in conversation with one of the most successful musicians of his generation. An Evening in Conversation with Midge Ure 9 December - 7.00pm We are delighted to welcome one of the most successful musicians of his generation, Midge Ure to BME for an evening in conversation. An artist who has received Ivor Novello, Grammy, BASCAP awards along with a flotilla of gold and platinum records, really needs very little introduction. By the time Midge's single "If I Was" went to No1 in 1985 he had already crammed several musical lifetimes into a 10-year professional career - Slik, The Rich Kids, Thin Lizzy, Visage, Ultravox and of course the most famous one-off group in musical history Band Aid all had the guiding hand of his musical navigation. November 25, 1984 was a historic day for Midge and all of pop music, as 36 artists by the collective name Band Aid gathered at SARM Studios in west London under Ure's production. They recorded 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' a song he had just written with Bob Geldof as the industry's heartfelt and eloquent contribution to Ethiopian famine relief. 600,000 copies sold in its first week in the UK alone and that was only the beginning: 800,000 more were bought in the second week, more than three million world-wide, and the unstoppable emotion engendered by the project led to Live Aid, the summer 1985 global concert that, all exaggeration aside, spoke for a generation. Within months, a staggering £8 million had been raised for the starving in Africa, and Geldof said that without Ure's initial enthusiasm for the idea, not to mention his rapidly penned sketch for the single, neither Band Aid nor Live Aid could have happened. Midge’s career continues to this day as writer, musician, producer and TV presenter. Midge and his band Electronica are returning to the UK with the ‘Voice & Visions’ tour, celebrating 40 years since the release of Ultravox’s Rage In Eden and Quartet albums. For this special evening, Midge will be in conversation with publisher Ronnie Gurr talking about his career to date. As an extra treat he will also perform a couple of acoustic songs. Midge’s new photobook, ‘in a picture frame’ will also be on sale at the event - a stunning collection of photographs taken by Midge on his travels between 1980 and 1985. All tickets £16. On sale Friday 5 November, 10am. Tickets to the event will allow you unlimited general entry to the BME for one whole year. You can help us support and grow the archive and collection of instruments and outfits by agreeing to Gift Aid your event ticket. We will receive £0.25 for each £1 spent. Remember to complete your Gift Aid declaration and hand it to us on arrival. Thank you for the support.

For your field trip, the BME offers a selection of workshops, guided tours and a dedicated session in the Gibson Interactive Studio for students of all ages. LEARNING AT THE BME Boasting an unrivalled collection of stage outfits, memorabilia and instruments, the BME charts the beginnings, rise and influence of British pop on art, fashion and even the government from 1945 to the present day. An education field trip to the BME in Liverpool includes one of our interactive workshops and a tour of the galleries - both led by one of our Learning Crew. With over 75 years’ worth of history to draw from, our workshops can be tailored to your needs. A member of our team will contact you ahead of your visit to discuss your requirements. There is also time in our Gibson Brands Interactive Studio, where each student will have an opportunity to play a variety of instruments and use our Dance the Decades dance studio. Workshop minimum is 10 students One teacher goes free per 10 students. All carers go free. Students: £10.50 each Additional teachers: £18 each A typical visit lasts 2.5 hours. Lunch space is available in our Discovery Zone (limited capacity) - please request when booking. Groups of over 30 students will be divided into smaller groups. Our workshops can also be adapted for SEND and University visits and we offer specialist guided tours for Art, Design and Fashion students and opportunities to use the museum for art classes. To book your school group or for more information, please email info@britishmusicexperience.com or give us a call on 0151 519 0915 (please note our phoneline is only staffed when the museum is open). Download our Risk Assessment "Fantastic trip t oday with my GCSE and A Level music pupils. The education package is outstanding and directly links to the content of the GCSE and A Level courses. The pupils left inspired and excited! Thanks to the staff who were fantastic and made us all feel welcome. Highly recommended!" Wirral Grammar School (visit February 2022) "Very accommodating. Staff very friendly and dealt with the kids' needs. Programme was brilliant. Tour was great and appropriate time given." Ellesmere Park High (visit November 2022) "Brilliant Eurovision workshop - relevant to student studies." Moorside High School (visit April 2023) "Abi and Paul's knowledge and enthusiasm really came across and our pupils loved the whole experience." Redbridge High School (SEN - visit May 2023) "Loved EVERYTHING - really good experience for our kids. Staff were ace and really knowledgeable. We all learnt so much and it was very interactive." Rudheath Senior Academy (visit June 2023) WORKSHOPS Our programme of workshops caters for a range of ages and abilities and cover a variety of curriculum areas. Workshops are held in our dedicated education space, the Discovery Zone. Pop Culture Explore the social and political backdrop behind pop music. Our Pop Culture workshop explores some of the key events that have shaped modern Britain since 1945 and examine how changing attitudes and technological advances have been reflected in popular music. Learn about the music and fashions that have emerged from music movements and explore the social and political reasons for the rise of famous styles. Suitable for Key Stages 3, 4 and 5 - perfect for all students, but particularly good links to Citizenship, Humanities, English, Music, Art and Design, Creative and Media Studies Pop Culture: Rewind Music is more than just a soundtrack to our lives; it has an enormous impact on the way we live. This fun, interactive workshop takes you on a journey back through time to the end of the Second World War, using stories, music and objects from the British Music Experience collection. Let our musical friend, Dougie Floyd, take you on a trip back in time. Prepare to sing along, dance and dress up as we journey along the soundtrack of our country’s history! Most suited to Key Stages 1 & 2 and SEND Euro Pop Culture After Liverpool's spectacular hosting of the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest we continue the legacy with our Europe-focused workshop. Get ready to travel around the world over the past six decades! We'll learn about how social and political changes have been reflected in the world's most fabulous, most inclusive and most watched live music event - the Eurovision Song Contest. Most suited to Key Stages 3/4 - perfect for all students, but particularly good links to Citizenship, Humanities, English, Languages, Music, Creative and Media Studies. The Interactive Studio The Interactive Studio is stocked with a wide selection of guitars, with each of the guitar stations connected to a bespoke interactive guitar lesson for beginners, intermediate level and advanced. Students can also take lessons on industry-favourite Roland keyboards or let off some steam on the electric drums also complete with interactive tutorials. Each Education visit includes dedicated time in the Interactive Studio. Dance the Decades & Vocal Booth Suitable for all ages, our Dance The Decades dance studio brings together 70 years and 12 iconic dance styles in one spacious booth. Our virtual teacher is on hand to teach you all the moves that ruled the dance floors of the past and then you can try it out for yourself! The Vocal Booth features 28 iconic tracks from the eras and our professional vocal coach Jennifer John guides students a range of techniques to get the best out of their voice.