For Skating Polly fans (and fans to-be) it’s amazing news that they return to the UK in March 2023.  These are the dates:

06/03: Brighton, UK – The Hope & Ruin
07/03: Norwich, UK – Waterfront Studio
08/03: Newcastle, UK – The Cluny
09/03: Sheffield, UK – Corporation
10/03: Liverpool, UK – O2 Academy2 Liverpool
11/03: Hull, UK – Polar Bear
12/03: London, UK – Moth Club

Of course it’s disappointing if the band aren’t playing near you – especially in major gig cities such as Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol where they usually play.  I’ve had official confirmation that there are sadly no more UK dates on this tour to be announced.

But consider the fact that a friend who was living in the US had an 8 hour drive to a Skating Polly show – even though it was taking place in the same state!  Of course, bands don’t play every US state on US tours any more than they play all 27 countries on an EU tour or 4 countries on a UK tour.

The band are already playing 23 gigs in 30 days!

But if you are a fan of the band and want to experience one of their legendary live shows, one benefit of the UK is that it’s reasonably compact, and with National Express Coaches / MegaBus, Trains and Travelodges, you can travel to a gig in another city without breaking the bank, and even turn it into a mini-break.

Myself and Moonfrog who are promoting the Liverpool show, would of course like to welcome you to our show!  (Other shows are of course available as per above).

One of the reasons we booked the O2 Academy2 Liverpool for this show was because we noticed a lot of people who came to our previous Skating Polly show travelled from outside Liverpool, some as close as Wirral, some from the other end of the country, so it’s proximity to the main train station Liverpool Lime St, (it’s literally less than 100 metres away), coupled with earlyish curfew means it’s convenient for getting home.

Once we saw the rest of the tour dates, we realised it was a fortunate choice!

ACCESSIBILITY

For accessibility, companion tickets etc, click here.

VENUE

The O2 Academy2 Liverpool Website has an FAQ section, which covers most questions you are likely to have.

AGE RESTRICTIONS

8+ under 14s need to come with an 18+ adult Under 25s require ID to buy alcohol.

CURFEW

The venue’s latest curfew is 11pm, however it’s typically earlier to ensure people can get trains etc, the final decision will be confirmed nearer the time.

PARKING

As you can see from this map, there are car-parks very close to the venue!

Your best bet is to take a look at Parkopedia and search for O2 Academy Liverpool, 11-13 Hotham Street, Liverpool, L3 5PD

At time of writing, 6pm-11.30pm on the day of the gig starts at £2.40 for a 6 minute walk or £7.50 for the Lime Street Car Park in the picture.

If you prefer to pre-book a space, it’s worth checking out JustPark at time of writing, prices start at £5.40 a 7 minute walk from the venue.

 

GETTING HOME FROM LIVERPOOL TO…

 

WIRRAL / CHESTER / WARRINGTON / ST HELENS / WIDNES etc

Since the venue curfew is 11pm (typically earlier, but will be confirmed nearer the time) you should be able to get train or bus.  Check local Merseytravel and MerseyRail services.

MANCHESTER

I was surprised when I saw there was sadly no Manchester show this time.

If it’s any consolation, welcome to my world 😉 A lot of the bands I want to see play Manchester and not Liverpool, so I spend a lot of time on the train between the 2 cities in the wee small hours.

Fortunately, trains run late and frequent, so shouldn’t be a problem getting home.

Curfew will be confirmed by venue nearer the time, it’s never later than 11pm (usually earlier) so you should be fine on any of these trains, though if it was me, to allow for merch stall etc, I’d probably leave it until after 11pm.  That said, if you live near Manchester Victoria you could be home by midnight so depends on your priorities.

Depending on where in Manchester you’re going, I’ve pre-booked taxis in the past for around £40-£80 (going the other way), which especially if there are 3 or 4 of you, could be a good, convenient option to look at.  There are sites where you can request a quote.

STAYING OVER

If you live further away than Manchester or Chester then if it was me I’d try to make a weekend of it, the gig is on Friday night so you could spend a day in Liverpool and either get the train back Saturday evening or even stay overnight and go home on the Sunday.

I’ll keep my eyes peeled for deals such as this one and post them on the Live Music Pix Facebook page, so please follow if you are interested.

If you’re a Beatles Fan, Liverpool FC or Everton Fan, Brookside fan etc etc then it’s a no-brainer.

Liverpool is a great city to come and visit, and friends who visit are always keen to return.

It’s well worth popping along to the British Music Experience.

If you’re a fan of The Smiths (a photo at the Salford Lads club is essential), New Order/Joy Division, Frank Sidebottom etc, or indeed Manchester Utd or Man City then Manchester is only an hour away by train on the Saturday and there is a cheap, frequent service.

Chester is nice and touristy, and again only an hour or so away by train.

At time of writing, a room in a travelodge close to the venue is around £60-£70.

I’d urge early booking, since these are prices 2 weeks ahead (at time of writing) all it takes is the arena to announce a big show that night and prices will instantly hit the roof.

Don’t forget to book your show ticket too in case it sells out!

If you’re driving, going further out, you can get a room for as little as £35 (though remember there is a toll to get through Mersey tunnel to Wirral, currently £2 I believe.

New Brighton has moved a long way from what it was in the 80s, I’ve been on a couple of works nights there and it’s quite bohemian with all the street art etc.

Worth considering, Again, trains are available:

Premier Inn‘s similar story, about £10 more but slightly comfier, and of course Booking.com and AirB&B are your friend!

GLASGOW

The band have mentioned several times that they love playing Glasgow, so they are probably as disappointed as you are.

Given the distance, I’d recommend staying-over in Liverpool, having a strong Irish influence, you will feel at home, with similar sense of humour to Glasgow!

If you want to get back the same night without staying over, your best bet is the 23:00 or 23:19 train to Manchester Piccadilly, which gets you into Manchester just after midnight, 8 minute walk to the coach station and then the 01:35 direct coach from Manchester direct to Glasgow for 06:45.

I did do some investigating into minibus/coach hire in case there are enough people interested.  Quotes so far would indicate about £100 a head, I’m not sure if people would pay that much for convenience of being dropped and picked up at the venue when scheduled public transport is fairly convenient and relatively cheap, but if you would be interested get in touch!

BIRMINGHAM

Again, the Birmingham show usually sells out, so I was surprised to see there isn’t a date on this tour.

Like Glasgow above, I’d recommend staying over if you can.

If you do want or need to go straight home, unfortunately after 9.30pm the next train to Birmingham isn’t until 23:33 and doesn’t get in to 6:48am with changes at Crewe and Tamworth, with a 5hr wait in Crewe!

Your best bet therefore, is probably the coach which departs Liverpool One (16 minute walk) at 23:35 and gets to Digbeth at 02:30

If you prefer the idea of an organised coach, get in touch! iIf there is enough interest we may be able to organise one.

BRISTOL

Again, definitely worth staying over, but if you can’t, Bristol isn’t the easiest of places to get to/from Liverpool by public transport, and is quite pricy for some reason.  Probably worth looking at London too.

If you’re much younger than me, of course you could go clubbing in Liverpool and get the 6.05am Megabus for £14.65.

Or the National Express at 08:10 which is only 4hrs 50 and £22 at time of writing.

CARDIFF

Again, best bet to stay overnight in Liverpool, but if you need to get back, there is a train at 23:33, however there is a 4 and a half hour wait at Crewe.

There is a Megabus at 06:05

And NX at 08:10

Again, worth comparing with London and see which option you prefer, but being the Friday night is convenient.

IRELAND and ISLE OF MAN

We had people attend from both Ireland and Isle of Man last time, so it can definitely be done!

Liverpool is well-served for flights to John Lennon Airport as well as Ferries.

OTHER OPTIONS

Of course there may be fellow fans in your area who are driving to the show and would be happy to give you a lift.  I’ll see if there is a way to formally set something up if people are interested.  Just drop me an email.

NOBODY TO GO WITH?

It would surprise you how many people don’t have a gig partner to go with. Whether you are single, your partner isn’t into your kind of music, or you are new in town – if you don’t fancy going on your own then check out Meetup.com. At the Jimmys show around 20 people, a mix of male and female, came via meetup and had a great time – why not join them this time, and gain some new gig buddies?

ONE LAST THING!

Once you’ve booked your transport and/or hotels, don’t forget to get your tickets for the show!

See Tickets
Eventbrite
Ticketmaster

See you there, it’s going to be amazing!