Musicians Ni Maxine and Test Card Girl Will Take to the Shakespeare North Playhouse Stage in July

Musicians, Ni Maxine and Test Card Girl will take to the Shakespeare North Playhouse stage for ‘Andy Burnham & Steve Rotheram's Northwest Mix Tape’ on Saturday 1st July. 

Grab a drink and take your seats as Steve Rotheram, Mayor of Liverpool City Region, and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, share their passion for music and delve into their personal musical influences. Accompanied by live music by musicians Ni Maxine and Test Card Girl. 

Hailed a ‘Black Woman at The Forefront of the UK Jazz Scene’ (Black Ballad), Ni Maxine is a Neo- Jazz Singer-Songwriter; a Black British woman sparking intergenerational conversations for change, exploring themes of home, identity, self-esteem & belonging. Described as Erykah Badu & Gil Scott-Heron’s lovechild, her conscious & political lyricism has taken her to the main stage at Liverpool’s Africa Oyé & London Jazz Festival. With a BBC Introducing highlight session under her belt & her debut single ‘Strange Love’ played across Jazz FM, Radio 1, 1Xtra & Selector Radio (internationally), Ni Maxine is one to watch. 

Described as ‘Life-affirming Mancunian electro-pop’ (Tom Robinson BBC 6Music) Test Card Girl is a solo project by independent synth-folk Manchester singer-songwriter Catherine Burgis who started writing songs in 2019 to escape a life of perpetual admin. Having spent a year as a musical comedian, travelling the country with a miniature Yamaha keyboard, Catherine won North West Comedian of the Year before re-purposing the tiny keyboard to write her first single 'Holds Me Down'. The song featured on BBC6Music and Radio X, and she was named amongst Steve Lamacq's 'Ones to Watch' in 2021. Catherine received an Arts Council grant to record 3 more singles in 2021 and released her debut EP ‘Fly’ in September 2022. The EP was recorded at Airtight Studios in Manchester with producer Seadna McPhail and ranges from stripped back indie-folk songs to large-scale synth-pop singles. It features guest performances from drummer Andy Hargreaves (I Am Kloot), bass player Nathan Sudders (Miles Kane, Guy Garvey, Nadine Shah) and co-production from Peter Jobson (I Am Kloot).  In January 2022 she was announced as one of ten Manchester International Festival Sounds Artists and longlisted for the Glastobury Emerging Talent Competition and will be touring the throughout 2023.

‘Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram’s Northwest Mixtape’ will take you on a journey through the Metro Mayor’s favourite tracks, highlighting the diverse musical landscape that has shaped their experiences. Get ready to discover new artists, genres, and songs that have become the soundtrack to their lives.

This unique event offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from these influential figures as they discuss the transformative power of music and the role it plays in their lives and political journeys. 

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