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Artist News Business News
Musicians and producers rally to save Liverpool’s Parr Street Studios
By Andy Malt | Published on Thursday 4 June 2020
A host of artists and producers have come together to join the fight to save Liverpool’s Parr Street Studios, which faces closure as developers attempt to convert the building that houses the studio complex and two accompanying venues into luxury flats.
Among those calling for it to be saved are Elbow’s Guy Garvey, PiL’s Jah Wobble, Travis’ Andy Dunlop, producers Mike Cave, Ben Hillier and Ken Nelson, and the Music Producers Guild.
A group called the Friends Of Parr Street has been formed to call on Liverpool City Council to classify the studios as a ‘community asset’, which would recognise its community and economic significance. The group says that, by applying to have the ‘community asset’ classification, its objective is “to allow a community-backed alternative bid to enable the studios to continue to promote Liverpool’s music scene”.
Local music industry group the Liverpool City Region Music Board has also given its support, saying in a statement: “Parr Street Studios was purpose built. It is not something that can be replicated elsewhere. Beyond that, the internationally recognised brand of Parr Street is something that has taken 25 years to build. This would be destroyed overnight. There are many other buildings within the city that have undeniable cultural value and are protected as a result. Parr Street Studios should be recognised with the same importance”.
“We are supporting the application by the Friends Of Parr Street and want to work with the building’s owners to help find a solution that works for them, the city of Liverpool and our esteemed music community, as well as the global music business”, it went on. “It’s vital that we work to save what is a crucial part of the city’s musical legacy and its ongoing development as a world class UNESCO City Of Music”.
In his own statement, Guy Garvey said: “With Ben Hillier, Elbow made our first two records at Parr Street Studios – and those records remain the most original, intricate and soulful that we’ve made. We discovered what we do there. It shaped us for the career to follow and was quite literally the time of our lives”.
“The excellent design of the studios is only one element”, he goes on. “It welcomed us into the heart of the great city of Liverpool. A place that feeds the creative soul with its history and culture. Working in a city that prioritised what we did opened a universe of crackling, breathless possibility and gave us the confidence to experiment in our writing and in the production”.
“Parr Street has to be preserved. It’s one of the few precious cathedrals to music creation and production left. While the music industry had largely abandoned its new artists in recent years as the world changed from physical sales to streaming, income is slowly becoming fairer and I see a day on the horizon when artists can once again afford to hire producers and use their mysterious vital skill set and use these amazing spaces properly again”.
“Nigel Godrich once compared losing these places and the passed down art of high-end studio production to losing [a] painting or sculpture”, he concludes. “These places make music better. Love music. Love Parr Street. Parr Street’s history alone should be enough to protect it. What will be lost to future generations if it closes is incalculable. It’s priceless”.
