By Anayo Eltringham Onuora
In a city where guitar music is treated like heritage, Liverpool’s alternative music scene still has a visibility problem. That image, shaped by decades of Beatles nostalgia and indie-rock revivalism, leaves little room for Black alternative musicians in the city’s music scene.
Liverpool’s obsession with boy-band indie
Current Liverpool artists such as Jamie Webster and The Wombats thrive on civic pride; tracks including ‘Fields of Anfield Road’ and ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’ are symbolic of Liverpool’s cultural experiences.
However, Liverpool’s music scene has long been dominated by a familiar image. Guitar-driven, indie boy bands fit comfortably within the city’s well-established musical identity, which has been paved by the likes of Echo & the Bunnymen and The Beatles, for example.
“A lot of my students are young boys,” says Merseyside-based guitar teacher, Joe Coburn, “Most often they’re wanting to learn Liverpool tunes, Beatles, The La’s, some Brit-poppy stuff too.
“It just shows how these bands are 100% still relevant. I don’t know any indie band at the minute who isn’t influenced by them. It’s basically impossible not to be,” Joe says.
While that success is not the fault of the artists themselves, the overwhelming focus on these acts has often left little space for Black alternative musicians to receive the same visibility, support or recognition.
For Black women in particular, this absence can feel even more pronounced. In a city constantly celebrating its music culture, artists who exist outside of the expected Liverpool sound are frequently overlooked. Not necessarily because they are absent from the scene, but because the scene does not know where to place them.
The Beatles gene
Finding Black musicians, especially women, involved in rock, punk and metal across the North-West can feel isolating. A city so attached to its musical past often leaves newer, more diverse alternative voices out of the conversation.
In many ways, post-punk trio steel. challenges the image Liverpool’s alternative scene has long projected. Fronted by bassist and vocalist Jo Makabayi, the band’s presence alone subverts expectations within a culture still heavily associated with white-male indie acts and traditional guitar music.
“Liverpool is stuck in this Beatles daze,” says Jo. “It’s great, but I don’t resonate with it. I want to see the Black gene in alternative music, not just the Beatles gene.”
steel. broadens the idea of who gets to belong within the city’s alternative spaces, and for Black alternative Scousers, that visibility is crucial.
The importance of representation
In a scene where representation is often limited, bands like steel. offer Black audiences the ability to recognise themselves within it.
“There’ll be one woman in the crowd who comes up to me after a show and says, ‘I really enjoyed this, I loved seeing you up there.’ Just words of encouragement,” says Jo.
“Because it’s just so rare to see a lead in that genre, a female lead, female black lead as well.”
The visibility of Black artists within alternative music scenes continues to carry cultural significance, particularly in cities where genres like punk, metal and post-punk remain dominated by white musicians.
Jo says, “The amount of people at gigs that don’t talk to me, but will talk to my guitarist Toby, because he’s the white guy with the guitar. They talk to him.”
For many Black alternative artists, representation is not just about diversity, but about challenging long-standing assumptions around who these spaces are for.
In Liverpool, music has historically been tied to a narrow image of indie culture. Therefore, the presence of Black musicians within alternative genres reflects a broader range of identities and influences in Liverpool music.
How do alternative black musicians go unnoticed?
Genres such as jazz, R&B and soul have always had a place within Black music culture, but alternative genres are still often viewed through a predominantly white lens.
For Black musicians outside of traditionally expected genres, this can affect visibility and acceptance. The assumption that Black artists naturally belong within certain musical spaces can narrow opportunities for experimentation, making alternative scenes feel less accessible.
Artists who move beyond those expectations are often left underrepresented, despite the growing presence of Black musicians within contemporary alternative music.
After shifting her sound from R&B to alternative rock, retired musician, Kezia Jones, says she lost a lot of support, eventually stepping away from music altogether.
“There’s a bigger space for jazz and R&B artists here. It’s not huge, but it’s there,” Kezia says.
“I used to gig quite regularly across Liverpool, just bars and pubs. After a while, I shifted my music to more indie stuff, but there’s no space for me there. I lost a lot of motivation and couldn’t justify keeping it up, so I don’t gig at all anymore.”
Kezia’s experience reflects a wider tension faced by some Black alternative artists, whose work can challenge both industry expectations and audience perceptions around race and genre.
Changing the scene
Liverpool continues to celebrate itself as a city built on music, but for many Black alternative artists, that identity can often exclude them.
While bands like steel. challenge the city’s narrow image of who alternative music belongs to, musicians such as Kezia Jones show how difficult it can be to exist outside of those expectations.
As Liverpool’s music scene continues to evolve, the city must be more willing to recognise the Black alternative artists within it.
