Chart topping, recording artist and pop-icon, Dean Friedman, the voice behind classic hits, Lucky Stars, Lydia, McDonald’s Girl, Ariel and Woman of Mine, is returning to Liverpool as part of a U.K./Ireland concert tour. On Saturday 12TH October Dean will make an appearance at the newly refurbished Epstein Theatre, a venue he has sold-out on numerous occasions under its previous incarnation as the Neptune Theatre. Dean will perform solo, on guitar and keyboards and his set will include songs from his compilation album, Dean Friedman – Words & Music as well as classic hits and much requested fan favourites.
An influential figure on the international music scene, with his tunes being covered by The Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five, Ariel Pink, The Tone Rangers, and The Blenders, Friedman is perhaps best known for his single, McDonald’s Girl, which was officially banned by the B.B.C. for mentioning the name of the well-known fast food restaurant in its chorus, leading to its cult status and has subsequently been covered by a number of contemporary bands. Thirty years after the song was banned by the B.B.C., the McDonald’s corporation officially licensed the song for a national T.V./Radio campaign, confirming the song as a pure pop phenomenon.
Friedman also composes and produces music soundtracks for T.V. and film, including the music to the hit Central T.V. series Boon the underground cult horror film classic I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle (Hobo Films/U.K.) in which he performs the unforgettable track, She Runs on Blood, Not Gasoline. Friedman also served as presenter/producer of the acclaimed radio series, Real American Folk, featured on B.B.C. Radio Scotland, and has also been featured as a guest star in a cameo appearance on David Baddiel’s T.V. sitcom, The Baddiel Syndrome (SKY).
No stranger to Liverpool and Merseyside, Dean’s impact on the regions vibrant music scene is undeniable; the Merseyside band, Half Man Half Biscuit released a best-selling E.P. containing a track entitled, The B*****d Son of Dean Friedman, which went to #1 on the U.K. Indie chart; a claim which Dean vehemently denies, “I’ve never even met Nigel Blackwell’s mum!” Friedman extracts his revenge on his latest C.D., Submarine Races, in the song, A Baker’s Tale, the hitherto untold story of Nigel Blackwell’s dubious origins.
On this return to the city, New York based, Friedman says, “This is one of my favourite gigs in the U.K.; Liverpool audiences always make me feel right at home because they’re just as rowdily enthusiastic and vocal as crazy New Yorkers.”
Having once been sued by his first record label for allegedly bootlegging his own albums Dean has forged his career as a truly independent artist (his albums are financed, not by a major label, but directly by his fans via his website) and has set the standard used by many contemporary indie musicians. The Epstein Theatre is the ideal stage for Friedman’s hotly anticipated return to Liverpool.
Tickets for this show are priced at £20. Tickets are available from the Box office on 0844 8884411* or online at www.epsteinliverpool.co.uk* (subject to booking fee).