Bluecoat celebrates Beefheart 45 years on

The Bluecoat is continuing its 300th birthday year with a weekend of events in celebration of Captain Beefheart.

The late singer, musician and artist – born Don Van Vliet in 1941 – had his first ever exhibition of paintings at the Liverpool arts venue, 45 years ago.

Now Bluecoat bosses are set to look at his role as a ‘20th century visionary’, with three days of events from November 10-12 devised by independent curator Kyle Percy, Bluecoat artistic director Bryan Biggs, and Chris McCabe, head librarian at the National Poetry Library.

Expect music, poetry, a fanzine, walking tour, archival display, symposium and a student exhibition.

The Magic Band, Captain Beefheart’s band, plays the Music Room at the Philharmonic Hall on November 10, while another event involves 13 poets reading new work in response to his albums.

The programme, which also features musicians like Dave McCabe and Edgar Jones and the New Joneses, aims to explore Beefheart’s specific relationship to Liverpool, where he performed several times, and his continuing impact on the city’s musical and creative scenes.

Bryan Biggs says: “The weekend will explore the idea of him as ‘total artist’ who moved between artistic disciplines, and frame him as more than just an idiosyncratic musician of the 1960s counter-culture who gave up music to develop a career as an expressive painter.

“The variety of events will spark interest and discussion with existing fans, but we also want to expose Beefheart’s art to new audiences”.

For full details, visit the Bluecoat website HERE.