POP26

POP26: A Climate Carnival
03.03.2022
A day of climate debate, conversation + collective action in DIY music

FREE

We are pleased to announce POP26: A Climate Carnival; a day of debate, performance, celebration and dialogue as we explore how the DIY music sector is responding to the climate emergency. Taking place as part of The Good Business Festival’s Going Zero Carbon with Wirral celebrations, POP26 will explore the power of music in the climate debate and the impact of live touring, while shining a focus on emerging collective action in the creative space.

POP26 will also see the launch of Future Yard’s Sustainability Roadmap, our plan to limit our impact on the environment and ultimately become the first carbon-neutral grassroots music venue in the North of England, and one the first in the UK.

Produced in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, Future Yard’s Sustainability Roadmap has been conceived as an open resource for other music venues and creative spaces. Society’s response to the climate emergency must be collaborative and this is our opportunity to share our ideas and actions with the wider music and creative community.

Future Yard have committed to a long-term goal of becoming carbon neutral, one of the first grassroots music venues in the UK to do so. “We all have a responsibility to the environment,” says Future Yard CIC Director, Craig Pennington. “The touring live music industry has an acute sustainability problem. We are committed to ensuring that we create a place that has a net positive environmental impact, one that fundamentally takes carbon out of the atmosphere and plastic out of our oceans, not one that adds to the problem. Our Sustainability Roadmap is the first step on this journey and we are passionate about sharing this with the wider creative sector.”

Taking place across two back-to-back sessions on Thursday 3rd March, POP26 will feature a diverse range of debates and conversations throughout the day, culminating in an evening of live performances, headlined by anarchic electro-punk trio Tokky Horror. The line-up also includes synth-pop artist PIXX, who is part of the Music Declares Emergency collective of artists raising awareness about the climate emergency.

“Delighted to be back on stage for the first time in three years to share new music at Future Yard. It’s so good to see how much love and effort has gone into making this event an opportunity to raise awareness for the vulnerability of our beautiful planet. Having witnessed the amount of plastic waste created in the live industry, it’s exciting to see a venue creating the changes we need to see.” Pixx

Also joining the evening is bedroom pop singer-songwriter Amber Jay. “Being sustainable and taking care of Earth is something you’d think would be a natural and obvious way of living. I think as humans we’ve become so detached from nature and the planet we live on. Constantly distracted and looking for stimulation has led us to mindlessly inhabit earth instead of consciously being at one with our home. Our environment is the root of everything. All things come from this one planet and without it nothing ceases to exist.”

The evening will also see an activist drag performance. “If you lower your expectations then nothing can disappoint you!” Auntie Climax is the shiniest, baldest, briniest drag thing this side of the Irish Sea. She offers a unique drag storytelling piece from the perspective of a lonely satellite circling a rapidly changing earth.

Tickets for POP26 are free, but must be reserved in advance. They are available now. Separate tickets are available for the daytime (2pm – 7pm) and evening (7pm – midnight) activity.

Future Yard presents
POP26: A Climate Carnival
Thursday 3rd March 2022
With The Good Business Festival, Ecotricity and Shift Liverpool
75 Argyle Street
Daytime programme 2pm – 7pm | Evening live performances 7pm – midnight

PANELS

Shift Liverpool: collective action against climate change
14:15-15:15
Cultural organisations in the Liverpool City region have teamed up during the pandemic in a new sustainability network called Shift Liverpool. Within the network, the 60+ member organisations collectively share knowledge, resources, and ideas on how to become more sustainable and tackle climate change. This session will explore collaborative working and individual organisation’s approaches to their environmental footprint.

• Jon Davies (chair) – Organiser, Shift Liverpool / Administrator, Metal
• Shaun Curtis – Organiser, Shift Liverpool / Director, Metal
• Francisco Carrasco – Creative Director, LUMA Creations
• Grace Harrison – Development Co-ordinator, Kitty’s Launderette
• Emma Smith – Artistic Director + CEO, Liverpool Irish Festival

The power of music in the climate debate
15:30-16:30
Around the world, artists are increasingly joining the climate conversation. Music is a powerful tool to communicate what is happening to the planet. Artists have a major platform to raise awareness to their audiences so that more people can join the climate movement. POP26 will explore music’s unique power and position to share our planet’s future through key artist and music sector perspectives.

• Ross Patel (chair) – CEO, Whole Entertainment / Board Member, MMF (Music Managers Forum) / SVP Strategy, UMA Entertainment Group
• Mollie Rush (Tokky Horror, freelance tour manager)
• PIXX
• Amber Jay
• Auntie Climax

Touring live shows sustainably
16:45-17:45
Putting on a live show can have a significant carbon impact: from heavy power-usage, to hundreds of miles of transporting, to feeding artists, crews and audiences. This panel will discuss ways to do this better and more sustainably, and how to influence all stakeholders to embrace a sustainable future and ensure the live touring sector can become a force for positive change.

• Nathalie Candel (chair) – Sustainability Manager, Future Yard / freelance tour manager
• Jamal Chalabi – Tour + Production Manager, Backlash Productions
• Timothy Chapman – Business Development Manager, Ecotricity
• Hannah White – Co-Founder, The Sound Lounge

Future Yard Sustainability Roadmap launch
18:00-18:30
The afternoon programme will culminate in the launch of Future Yard’s Sustainability Roadmap. Shaped through partnership with Liverpool John Moores University, the team at Future Yard have created a roadmap outlining how we limit our impact on the environment and will ultimately become the first carbon-neutral grassroots music venue in the North of England. “Sustainable practices are not to be considered a best kept secret, but exist to be shared and inspire others to do better.” says Future Yard Sustainability Manager, Nathalie Candel. “We invite all music venues, creative organisations and individuals to join us on this journey.”

• Craig G Pennington (chair) – C0-founder, Future Yard
• Nathalie Candel – Sustainability Manager, Future Yard
• Dr Ariel Edesess – Research Assistant, LJMU Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory
• Nick Doran – Innovation Manager, University of Liverpool

Tickets available online in advance via Eventbrite. Tickets are FREE but must be reserved in advance.
Future Yard is a cashless venue – all payments are taken by contactless or chip and pin. Live curfew 12am.
If you have any specific access requests, please read all of the details about accessibility at Future Yard here.

We encourage active travel to our venue and are pleased to launch our new Velo Park Cycle Storage as part of the POP26 celebrations. We encourage the use of public transport; our nearest train station is Birkenhead Hamilton Square (three-minute walk), which is only one stop from Liverpool James Street. Birkenhead Bus Station is a two-minute walk from the venue.

Future Yard’s Kitchen will be open throughout the day, serving our famous selection of veggie and vegan delights. As part of our sustainability roadmap, we have committed to a non-meat policy across the venue; the carbon footprint of a vegetarian diet is about half that of a meat-lover’s diet.