Future Yard, Birkenhead’s pioneering live music venue and cultural hub, has announced an ambitious new event series that takes place at the venue across 11, 12, and 13 June and explores the intersection of contemporary art and experimental music.
Curated by Turner Prize-winning Birkenhead-born artist Mark Leckey, the Selector series launches as an innovative programme of live performances and immersive experiences, bringing together cutting-edge musicians who challenge the boundaries of sound and culture.
Hyperdub artist aya (abrasive dance music), multidisciplinarian Richie Culver (lurking at the fringes of electronic music), and Preston’s Rainy Miller (raw, atmospheric soundscapes) have all been invited to perform by Mark Leckey, alongside a host of other cutting-edge artists.
There is a meet the artist talk with the artist at Tate Liverpool on 10 June, which is now sold out. However, the musical elements of Selector still have tickets available for three nights of performances at Future Yard.
Night one kicks off with Moolakii Club’s Live Soundtracks To Silent Films; a special version of a popular regular event at Future Yard, where electronic music artists are invited to improvise soundtracks to silent films in a live, audiovisual environment. For the Music From The Age Of Spiritual Machines series, artists VX and Sulk Rooms will interpret selected video pieces from Mark Leckey’s oeuvre, merging avant-garde cinema with live experimental electronica.
Night two showcases the work of Richie Culver, a stunning multidisciplinary artist whose practice operates at the intersection of contemporary image culture, expanded sound and post-documentary poetics. A full line-up of artists will accompany Richie Culver on this Friday night show.
Night three is headlined by London-based DJ and producer aya, whose work explores the transfigurative power of experience and the body, and whose most recent album hexed! was nominated as The Quietus’ Album Of The Year for 2025.
The closing Saturday night event exemplifies the series title of Music From The Age Of Spiritual Machines, by showcasing work that shows artists working at the bleeding edge of human experience.
As well as aya, night three also features Rainy Miller – originally hailing from Preston – whose work exists in a space where raw emotion meets atmospheric soundscapes. Ahead of Rainy Miller, you can catch Yeah You, who are a father-daughter duo based in Newcastle and Vienna and allow music to invade the family context, and have been known to make noise-pop out of field recordings taken in Ikea car parks.
A more detailed explanation of the live performances at Future Yard, as well as how to buy tickets, with discounts for Tate Members, can be found at https://futureyard.org/listings/selector-mark-leckey/.
At its core, Selector is a meeting point for disciplines – where music, visual art, and critical dialogue collide – reflecting Leckey’s longstanding interest in technology, memory, and the evolving cultural landscape.
Audiences can expect an evening of experimental expertise and live madness, as performances push beyond conventional formats into new sonic and visual territories.
Craig Pennington, CEO and Co-founder, Future Yard, said, “We have wanted to work with Mark Leckey on a project for some time, and this chance to do so in collaboration with Tate Liverpool is as perfect and mouthwatering as it gets.
“Mark Leckey has embraced the weird, outsiderness that Wirral is brilliant at fostering, and that vein of creativity is something we are keen to celebrate with this project. This Selector series has the power to showcase the incredibly potent meeting point of avant-garde music and art, and we’re incredibly proud to be partnering with Tate Liverpool to bring this to the fore. Buckle up!”
Selector represents a bold new chapter for Future Yard – reinforcing its role as a vital platform for innovative music and artistic expression in the North West.
Image: Mark Leckey. Credit: Alessandro Raimondo
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