The Liverpool sound was a welcome addition to the international music scene in the 1960s, and it later served as inspiration to musician and Scouser Craig Martin who will perform The Great British Songbook at Panthers later this month.
“I’m from the UK and I was born in Liverpool, and the Liverpool sound from the 60s, 70s and 80s had a huge influence on me growing up as a teenager throughout the 80s,” Martin reminisced.
“And it wasn’t just the Liverpool sound; it was that 60s pop group sound that I found easy to play along to. It’s not complicated music, it’s quite simple.
“Obviously, every song is different, but there weren’t many chords in the songs, so for a young boy wanting to be a singer and a musician, it was a great sound to start playing along to.”
Eventually, Martin played at the birthplace of the Beatles – Liverpool’s famed Cavern
Club.
“That’s where the Beatles played for a couple of years before they were discovered; but every great band from Liverpool played there and every great British band has been there,” Martin explained.
“It’s an iconic venue and I performed there as a teenager. I went back 25 years later – a few years ago now – to do a show and it was phenomenal.”
Lucky for us, that phenomenal energy crossed the globe with him for The Great British Songbook.
“It’s not just a 60s show, I do 70s, 80s, 90s – I do noughties stuff. I want to appeal The Great British Songbook to the masses,” Martin stated.
“The show has pop, rock and a little bit of swing thrown in, and there are some beautiful ballads scattered throughout the show – but it’s mainly mid-to-up-tempo.
“There is a lot of energy and it’s 100 per cent live.”
The show finishes with a Liverpool anthem, but the musician wasn’t willing to divulge the song title – that’s for you to find out
yourself!
“It makes people cry,” Martin said.
“I remember I had a guy come up to me and he was crying, and his mates were laughing at him, and he said the song meant so much to him.
“I think it’s beautiful that a song can do that to somebody – it was a lovely moment.”
If tracks like ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Wonderwall’, and ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ are your cup of tea, book a ticket to see Craig Martin and his six-piece band play The Great British Songbook at Panthers Leagues Club on September 21.
Tickets for the Brit-Pop feast are available online at https://penrith.panthers.com.au/event/the-great-british-songbook.
