Liverpool producer Ben Harper says the city's music scene is booming, with more bands than ever before. The Halewood-born producer, who has worked with acts including Keyside, Kairos, and the Wirral-based band The Mysterines, believes the city is experiencing a golden era of musical creativity.
From LIPA to Producing Hits
Harper's journey began when he learned guitar at a friend's house, leading him to study at LIPA at age 17. After playing in his own band, The Gear, he transitioned into production. His big break came when he worked on demos for The Mysterines' first record and travelled to London to learn from renowned producer Catherine Marks. 'I was just some kid out of uni and I was getting to learn from an A-list producer,' he said.
The 'Hairs Standing Up' Moment
Harper describes the feeling of producing a perfect track: 'When I am in the studio if it makes the hairs stand up on my arms and on my neck, I know I have got a winner track.' He recalls demoing The Mysterines' song 'Dangerous' in his Ford B-Max: 'We had the song on and it was one of those moments where we were all buzzing... I was just like 'oh my god, this is such an amazing song, this is what it is about'.'
Liverpool's Music Scene Today
Despite the city's historic global successes with bands like the Beatles and Echo and the Bunnymen, Harper insists the current scene is uniquely vibrant. 'Liverpool's music scene is vast. There are so many more bands now than there has ever been. When I was in bands, I could count on two hands how many there were. Now, there is probably a 100 plus. The standard of bands now has gone up so much,' he said.
Advice for Aspiring Musicians
Harper encourages newcomers to network and persist. 'Just keep working hard and keep meeting like-minded people... Go to gigs and have a pint with the band after it and go and meet with them, have a drink, have a coffee, whatever it might be, just go and have those conversations,' he advised.
