As Rihanna, Amy Winehouse and Avril Lavigne celebrate being winners at this year’s MTV Europe Music awards, Liverpool has been announced as the host city for the awards in 2008. Named the 2008 European Capital of Culture it is fitting that the city will also be host to Europe’s biggest music awards.
“It is a perfect match,” says Bryan Gray, Chairman of Liverpool Culture Company. “There was huge competition to stage these awards so this is a major coup for Liverpool, the new arena and our European Capital of Culture celebrations. This event and the plans we have in place to celebrate them will provide a huge international platform for the city, the arena and the music scene in Liverpool today. It’s pop music coming home.”
Pop music is indeed coming back home to the UK if this year’s awards ceremony is anything to go by. UK artist’s Muse and Amy Winehouse beat off fierce competition from their U.S counterparts bringing home the awards for best headline act and the prestigious artist’s choice gong.
Liverpool is the perfect choice to bring the awards to the UK for the third time. “With its stunning back catalogue of musicians and current crop of chart toppers, Liverpool is a creative force in the world music industry,” enthuses Rt. Hon James Purnell MP, Secretary of State, Department of Culture, Media and Sport.
David Lynn, Executive Vice President & Managing Director, MTV Networks UK & Ireland added, “with the MTV Europe Music Awards returning to the UK 2008 will be a year of major events across our music, kids and comedy brands. As well as the Europe music awards ceremony in November which attracts some of the hottest artists from around the world to the UK, Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards will return in October and there will be a series of large-scale Paramount Comedy events starting with the Edinburgh Festival as well.”
The offical European Capital of Culture have lined up a year full of spectacular cultural arts events, kicking off with a celebratory weekend of performances by Liverpool’s most famous talent, past and present. Ringo Starr, Dave Stewart, Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, No Fakin DJ’s, The Bunnymen, Pete Wylie, Ian Brodie, Shack, and The Christians are just some of the stars celebrating the official opening of the brand new, eco-friendly, Liverpool Arena which will also house the MTV Europe Music Awards later in the year.
Also, taking place is the Fresh Festival which sees jazz taken to a new level as international and home grown musicians present a cutting edge take on the music genre. For theatre fans, there is the world première of 3 Sisters on Hope Street, an adaptaion of Chekov’s classic play by Diane Samuels and Tracy-Ann Oberman, and all that is just a small part of the programme for January! No wonder MTV want to get in on the act, Liverpool is definitely the place to be in 2008, and there’s only 54 days to go till it’s here! (I know that also means that there’s about 46 days left to buy all your Christmas gifts but I just couldn’t resist.)
Visit http://www.liverpool08.com to find out more on the 2008 MTV Europe Awards and for a full listing of events as part of Liverpool 2008.
