Special Plug-In: The Narrative

The Narrative brings together music fans and creatives alike for a monthly songwriter showcase and networking event in Liverpool, and we're thrilled to announce that it's making its way to Arts Bar Studio Three in March. At The Creative Wire, we're passionate believers in the power of networking, and our values align perfectly with The Narrative's mission to connect creatives and inspire collaborations within the local scene.

Featuring performances by the incredible songwriters Natalie McCool, Eleanor Boland, and Remée, The Narrative offers more than just music—it's an opportunity to delve into the stories behind the songs in 'in the round'.  The Narrative is Created by creatives, for creatives, the event focuses on the creative process and networking across all sectors of the music industry, making it inclusive for artists, industry professionals, and music fans alike. It’s also a chance to support the local scene by purchasing a what you can ticket.

Our sit down with Rheana Forrester sheds light on the inspiration behind  The Narrative and its goal to provide a platform for creatives to meet, collaborate, and showcase their work. Through a careful selection process that prioritises diversity and experience all the way to her plans for the narrative in the future…lets dive in!

Can you tell us about the beginning of The Narrative? What inspired you to create this monthly songwriter showcase and networking event in Liverpool?

The simple answer is that I wanted to attend an event like this, so I hoped that if I start one, other people would too! The more detailed answer is that I felt there wasn’t a specific event in Liverpool for creatives to meet new collaborators, and to showcase the incredible variety of creative work that takes place in the city. Around the same time I had this thought, I went to watch a friends gig, Satin Beige, and she performed a beautiful intimate set and discussed each song before she played it, and it reminded me of a songwriters-round that I attended years ago in London. I thought it would be great to combine these two ideas, and create an event where all kinds of creatives can meet, listen to amazing music, to hear songwriters talk about their creative process and to put spotlight on the ‘behind the scenes’ parts of the creative industries.

How do you select the featured songwriters for each event? What criteria do you consider?

There are a number of ways that we select the songwriters, and various different criteria! We have an ‘apply to play’ form that people can complete, we approach people directly, we speak to people at The Narrative events and we listen to recommendations from other creatives. The most important thing to us is that we have three songwriters at each event that are all as different as possible to each other. We book songwriters of different experience levels, from songwriters with global hits to grassroots writers, and from artists that are writing and touring to writer-producers that write for other artists behind the scenes so don’t often get the chance to talk about their creative process. It’s important that we show a range of different experiences, and that we represent a variety of creative career-types to show the different paths people have taken.

What do you hope people take away from experiencing The Narrative?

I hope that they take away inspiration, fulfilment and feel as though they made valuable connections with potential collaborators. The Narrative has a focus on the creative process, and I hope that by having different songwriters talking in depth about their journey, it shows that there are a variety of different ways to achieve your goals. Everybody has hurdles on their journey, whether that’s writers block, a different job taking time away from your passion, stage fright, or anything at all - The Narrative is an open and honest event to let people know that they’re not alone. We have such an energetic creative scene here in Liverpool with a number of artists, musicians, songwriters, industry professionals and more. If somebody meets just one person that they stay in touch with after the event, or takes away even the smallest piece of inspiration, then The Narrative has had a positive impact on the life of a local creative which is our ultimate goal

How does The Narrative support networking opportunities within the music industry? Can you share any success stories or connections that have been made through your events?

The Narrative is the only event of its kind in the city that connects creatives from different sectors of the industry on a regular basis. One of the loveliest things that I’ve seen since The Narrative started, is the number of creatives that return to the event. Seeing the same people taking the time to come along to meet new people is wonderful, and we’ve seen a great expansion in the community that The Narrative is building since our very first event back in November. People often come on their own, and soon enough they’re part of a group and chatting away! It’s lovely to be a part of an environment where there is no hierarchy, no competitiveness, and everybody is free to express themselves in their own way. Every person in the room has a shared interest and plenty in common, and it’s lovely to see the bonds that are forming through it.

We’ve seen a number of people collaborating after the events have started, and have received messages from writers that met at the Narrative who are now in sessions together! It’s great to see and the whole reason that the event started! It’s still early days, so we can’t wait to see what comes from these collaborations and hopefully we’ll hear great music from them soon!

do you have any plans to expand The Narrative in the future? If so, what can attendees expect to see?

I have so many plans for The Narrative! I can’t stop thinking of new ideas and things that I’d love to do! The next thing I want to add is more focus onto creative industries other than music (e.g. artists, film, photographers, etc.) in the future. I won’t give too much away just yet, but stay in touch on our social media @thenarrativeliverpool for all updates!

Finally, Why is networking so important for you and anyone who is starting out? Any tips?

There’s often a saying in this industry (or any industry!) that it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Of course ability is important, but your network is also a huge part of working in an industry like this. The majority of creatives are self-employed, and work can come from various different areas. A lot of the time, it’s recommendations from people that you’ve met throughout your time in the industry and worked with in the past that lead to opportunities and bookings. You never know who you might meet, and where those connections might lead! The Narrative is free to attend on a ‘pay what you can’ basis, so anybody can come along and see what happens!

The key is networking and our editor’s message is always Your network is your net worth. Networking is essential for anyone starting out, and The Narrative provides a great night for creatives to make connections and seek potential opportunities. As Rheana emphasises, "You never know who you might meet, and where those connections might lead!" join us at The Narrative for a night of networking that will be quite special!

Covered by, Bob Towers