Wirral artist’s mural celebrates 100 Merseyside musicians

The artwork, situated on the exterior of SP Energy Networks’ Mathew Street substation in Liverpool, celebrates 100 musical icons who have shaped Merseyside’s cultural heritage, past, present, and future.

From Wirral icons including OMD, The Mysterines, The Coral, OMD, Pete Burns, and Miles Kane to Liverpool legends The Beatles, The Teardrop Explodes and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, each figure aims to reflect the city’s rich and diverse soundtrack.

Joseph designed the mural, which is 15m wide and pictures 100 musicians as an audience, with Mathew Street as the stage itself (Image: SP Energy Networks)

The mural was designed and created by Wirral artist Joe Venning and is funded by SP Energy Networks and The Beatles Story via The Beatles Legacy Group and facilitated by Liverpool Business Improvement District.

As part of a wider £1m investment in the site, SP Energy Networks has contributed £25,000 to the installation of the mural.

Joseph designed the mural, which is 15m wide and pictures 100 musicians as an audience, with Mathew Street as the stage itself.

From Wirral icons including OMD, The Mysterines, The Coral, OMD, Pete Burns, and Miles Kane to Liverpool legends The Beatles, The Teardrop Explodes and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, each figure aims to reflect the city’s rich and diverse soundtrack (Image: SP Energy Networks)

He said: “The musicians in the crowd scene are arranged in roughly chronological order with the contemporary artists at the front and the Merseybeat era bands further back, to form a timeline of sorts.

“Whilst painting I started seeing connections between bands I hadn’t noticed before. The lineage of indie is pretty obvious from The Cavern bands to Jamie Webster via The Las, The Farm, The Zutons etc.

“You can also trace the family tree of dance music from CamelPhat back through the original 90’s Cream DJs and The KLF, and then through earlier electronica acts like OMD and further still into Disco with The Real Thing.

“I hope viewers will start seeing these kinds of connections too.

“You don’t see many murals where members of Atomic Kitten rub shoulders with members of Carcass.”

The musicians celebrated in the mural range from Sir Paul McCartney and Ian Broudie to Louisa Roach, Abi Harding, Mick Head, Carol Decker, Andy McCluskey, Holly Johnson, Jayne Casey, Chris Amoo, Mike McGear and Kingsize Taylors.

The bands featured include Red Rum Club, Camelphat, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Wombats, Dead or Alive, The Icicle Works and The Swinging Blue Jeans, together forming a visual celebration of Liverpool’s rich musical heritage.

Peter Hooton, Chair of The Beatles Legacy Group, who have co-funded the mural, and founding member of The Farm, said: “We are really excited about this brilliant new mural which brings to life Liverpool’s musical heritage, in the heart of the city.

“Tourists flock to Mathew St because of its bars and clubs but also because of its history, so it is fitting that it is located near to The Cavern and Eric’s, the venues that shaped much of that history.

“People will undoubtedly spend time pointing out the artists on the mural that have contributed so much to the culture of the city.”