…the fundamental endeavour of freedom of speech, is to galvanize another to think for oneself…” – An unidentified University Lecturer, Liverpool Transport Strike, 1911

Speakers’ Corner is Nick Ellis’ third album release in as many years, and was conceived in the heat of the historic, explosive Spring and Summer of 2017. The narrative captures the uncertain and anxious atmosphere of a divided, disillusioned and broken Britain, caught in the zeitgeist of a major cultural, social and political shift.

One of Liverpool’s finest.” – Getintothis

As the title suggests, the power of words is key to the concept and is what lies at the heart of Speakers’ Corner. Ellis digs deep into Liverpool’s radical history of social, cultural, artistic and political rebellion to find the roots of what gave the city its most defining characteristic: a voice.

Nick Ellis carries the song above and beyond the traditional, propelling it into the realms of a psyche soundscape.” – Bido Lito

Nick Ellis spoke of the inspiration behind his latest album, “In 1973, Liverpool based sculptor Arthur Dooley and architect Jim Hunter were commissioned by the Transport & General Workers Union to design an iron podium at the Pier Head, Liverpool’s centre-point of maritime activity, which would be intended for public speaking. It was used by protesters and trade unionists for 20 years until it was quietly removed by the City Council in 93/94, and never replaced.”

“I felt this was a very suppressive, symbolic gesture – like taking away the focal point of the city’s voice. The disappearance and subsequent lack of a current ‘Speakers’ Corner’ in the city left me concerned, so I invented one of my own. I’ve created twelve characters to stand on it and talk, brought them alive through song and made them into a record.”

Speakers’ Corner is available now from: Mellowtone Records