Liverpool’s Alisson is well-known for pumping soulful music through the dressing room speakers, and this summer, the city of Liverpool will be hosting a festival to amplify that sound. Music has the power to connect people all around the world, and former Red Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luis Diaz got a taste of that when they made a surprise visit to Liverpool Lighthouse, a creative sanctuary, thanks to Vista – a partner of Liverpool FC. There, they met with the Lighthouse Choir and Love & Joy Gospel Choir, who showcased a genre of music that deserves more attention and acclaim. Oxlade-Chamberlain commented on the performance, saying, “It was really, really good! Alisson plays it (Hallelujah) non-stop in the changing room, so Hallelujah is what I hear most days. It’s where a lot of soulful music comes from.” Oxlade-Chamberlain even showed off his drumming skills, though he may not be able to rival Alisson’s musicality just yet!
The duo were then informed of plans to host an annual gospel festival at Stanley Park, and were pleasantly surprised when Vista offered to support the festival with design and marketing needs, as well as £10,000 to make it all happen. This is a great show of support for a musical genre that is inclusive, joyful, uplifting and acknowledges the roots of gospel back to black communities. The first Liverpool Gospel Music Festival will be held on September 9 at Stanley Park and will bring together internationally acclaimed artists with those closer to home. It is always inspiring to see Liverpool FC, its partner Vista and the local community come together for an event like this, and there is no doubt that Liverpool knows how to celebrate music.