An Evening with Ian Prowse — Saturday 20th March 2027 — Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre
From the glorious indie-pop explosion of Pele to the passionate Celtic rock of Amsterdam, Ian Prowse has spent more than three decades writing songs that capture the heart, soul, humour, politics and indomitable spirit of Liverpool. Now one of Merseyside's most treasured musical sons brings his remarkable songbook to the intimate surroundings of Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre.
There is something about Liverpool. Something in the Mersey air, the docks, the terraces, the pubs and the backstreets. It's a city that doesn't simply produce musicians; it produces storytellers, poets, romantics, rebels and working-class dreamers. From The Beatles and The La's to Echo & The Bunnymen, The Coral and The Real People, Liverpool has always marched to its own extraordinary musical beat. And somewhere in that glorious, occasionally chaotic lineage stands Ian Prowse, a songwriter whose heart beats unmistakably to the rhythm of Merseyside.
They call him the Scouse Springsteen, and it's not difficult to understand why. Like Bruce Springsteen, Prowse writes about ordinary lives with extraordinary passion. Like Elvis Costello, he possesses a sharp lyrical intelligence. Like Paul Weller, he understands the power of a three-minute song. And like Mike Scott of The Waterboys, he has that rare ability to fuse the fire of rock 'n' roll with the wild, romantic spirit of Celtic folk music. Yet after more than thirty years in the business, Ian Prowse remains gloriously, unmistakably himself.
His story first exploded onto the British independent music scene in the early 1990s as the charismatic frontman of Pele, a band whose exhilarating collision of jangling guitars, racing rhythms, fiddle-driven melodies and infectious choruses made them one of the great cult discoveries of the era. While the British music press was busy preparing for the coming Britpop revolution, Pele were already forging a sound that owed as much to Irish traditional music and the streets of Liverpool as it did to the indie guitar explosion. Songs such as Megalomania and Fair Blows the Wind for France helped establish a fiercely loyal following, while their first three singles earned Radio 1 A-list attention. Megalomania even reached number one in South Africa.
When Pele eventually gave way to Amsterdam, Prowse's songwriting took on an even richer emotional depth. Amsterdam were a band with their feet planted firmly in rock 'n' roll and their hearts somewhere between Liverpool and Dublin. Their single The Journey broke into the UK Top 40, but it was another song that would secure Prowse's place in the great Merseyside songwriting tradition.
Does This Train Stop on Merseyside? is not simply a song. It is a love letter to a city, a meditation on memory, identity, injustice and belonging, and one of the most affecting musical portraits of Liverpool written in modern times. Famously, the late, great BBC broadcaster John Peel was moved to tears while playing it on Radio 1. For a man who had heard just about everything popular music could offer, that was quite an extraordinary reaction. The song subsequently found another life through Irish folk legend Christy Moore, who recorded it for his number-one album Listen, carrying Prowse's words to audiences far beyond Merseyside.
But Ian Prowse is no artist content to live on past glories. His solo work has continued to demonstrate a songwriter at the height of his powers, tackling love, loss, friendship, politics, hope and the complicated business of being human. His album Battle brought further acclaim and praise from fellow musicians, including Elvis Costello, who described the title song as "another Prowsey cracker." That endorsement carries particular weight when it comes from one of Britain's greatest and most uncompromising songwriters.
And the admiration doesn't stop there. Irish singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey has praised Prowse's music for its uplifting emotional power, while his reputation as a live performer has seen him share stages with Elvis Costello, The Wonder Stuff, The Levellers and The Blow Monkeys. Whether fronting a full-throttle rock band, performing alongside his celebrated fiddle accompaniment or standing alone with an acoustic guitar, Prowse brings the same burning conviction to every performance.
What makes him special is that wonderful contradiction at the heart of so much great Liverpool music. He can be fiercely political yet deeply romantic, gloriously loud yet heartbreakingly tender, and capable of making an audience laugh one minute before leaving them emotionally floored the next. His concerts aren't merely a procession of songs. They're conversations, celebrations and sometimes wonderfully unpredictable communal singalongs, delivered with the wit, warmth and irrepressible spirit of a true Scouser.
On Saturday 20th March 2027, Ian Prowse arrives at Barnoldswick Music & Arts Centre for an evening drawing on the extraordinary songbooks of Pele, Amsterdam and his solo career, with a few surprises along the way. In a room as intimate as ours, where the audience is close enough to catch every lyric, every story and every emotional twist, this is exactly the kind of performer who can create something genuinely memorable.
Liverpool has given the world more than its fair share of musical heroes. Some became international superstars, others became cult legends, and a precious few simply kept writing magnificent songs because they couldn't imagine doing anything else.
Ian Prowse belongs firmly in that last category. A Merseyside original, a songwriter's songwriter, and a man who still performs as though every single note matters.
One city. Three decades of songs. A thousand stories. One unforgettable evening in Barnoldswick.
And there is another reason why this Barnoldswick appearance promises to be particularly special. In July 2026, Prowse released his latest album, No Names, a powerful collection featuring contributions from Elvis Costello, Waterboys fiddle legend Steve Wickham and Irish songwriter Damien Dempsey. Describing its musical heartbeat, Ian offered four wonderfully simple words: "Rock, roll, Celtic, soul." The album explores protest, personal experience and hope, proving that the fire which first propelled Pele onto the scene in 1991 burns just as brightly today.
Recent live reviews have been equally enthusiastic. A 2026 Liverpool Philharmonic review praised the combination of fiddle, tin whistle, soul influences and the sheer energy of Prowse's performance, while his continuing friendship and musical collaborations with Elvis Costello demonstrate the respect he commands among his peers.
"A magnificent songwriter." — Christy Moore
"One of England's most-underappreciated songwriters." — FATEA Magazine
"What a genuinely great record that is, too." — John Peel on Does This Train Stop on Merseyside?
An evening for lovers of great British songwriting, Liverpool's musical heritage, Celtic soul, intelligent rock 'n' roll and performers who wear their hearts proudly on their sleeves.
Because great songs don't need stadiums. Sometimes all they need is a little room, an attentive audience and a man from Merseyside with something worth singing about.
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