Nick Ellis to revisit St Bride's Church as part of UK tour

Robin Clewley
TWO years on from his appearance at St Bride's Church, the illustrious Nick Ellis will make his return but this time to perform his latest work Speakers Corner.

It's hard to believe two years has passed since we ventured to the Co-Op on Myrtle Street buying a bag of Hula Hoops, Chipsticks plus some pre-mixed cans before ricocheting down Catharine Street, making a B-line for Little Catharine Street and then Percy Street - right in the epicentre of Liverpool's Georgian Quarter.

This time, we shall become prepared with sophisticated unmarked bottles of the finest vin rouge with Blacksticks Blue and red grapes - we have come along way since 2017.

It was in November of that year where Nick performed with a line-up consisting of lovable Scouse bard Roy and Mercury 13 front-man Mel Bowen accompanied by singer Emily Valerio.

But it will be on Saturday, April 13 when Nick makes his homecoming off the back of a UK tour which includes support slots for the likes of Steve Mason and She Drew The Gun.

Nick will also make another pilgrimage across the River Mersey to Thornton Hough Village Club which can be found down the Chester High Road, if travelling from Heswall.

His third album Speakers' Corner follows on from Adult Fiction and Daylight Ghosts, and has very much captured the mutual consensus of the majority of the public in Britain today.

Faced with uncertain political waters, constant threat of violence, gender imbalance and human neglect, right now the country is in a state of duress, yet, Nick manages to capture this feeling in just 12 tracks.

And for each of these 12, there is a character who stands up to tell their tale in a beautiful people power way.

Talking about the release last year, Nick said: “In 1973, Liverpool based sculptor Arthur Dooley and architect Jim Hunter were commissioned by the Transport & General Workers Union to design an iron podium at the Pier Head, Liverpool's centre-point of maritime activity, which would be intended for public speaking.

"It was used by protesters and trade unionists for 20 years until it was quietly removed by the City Council in 93/94, and never replaced.

"I felt this was a very suppressive, symbolic gesture - like taking away the focal point of the city's voice.

"The disappearance and subsequent lack of a current 'Speakers' Corner' in the city left me concerned, so I invented one of my own.

"I’ve created twelve characters to stand on it and talk, brought them alive through song and made them into a record.

"You see, despite the dominance of modern technology over the average person's methods of communication, word of mouth is still king - folklore will always prevail.

"And, folklore is best preserved in songs and stories...”

Expect line-up announcements very soon via www.facebook.com/Nick-Ellis-Music and www.facebook.com/mellowtoneclub/

Click here to get a copy of Speakers Corner

For tickets for Nick Ellis' Speakers' Corner tour visit www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Liverpool/St-Brides-Church/Nick-Ellis---Speakers-Corner/

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