A fantastic new exhibition has opened in Liverpool called ‘The Beat goes on’, an unbelievably comprehensive overview of Liverpool music through the decades.

Amsterdam (and Pele) are well represented throughout and we would highly recomend anyone with even a passing interest in Liverpool music to pay it a visit at the Liverpool world museum. It really is a brilliantly done exhibition.

More information is at www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.

Anyone attending Ian’s first solo show on Friday at the Rodewald suite in the Liverpool Philharmonic will be hearing two sets, the first of which will begin at around 8.45. There is no support.

Unfortunately the Blow Monkeys have decided to put their come back tour until January 2009. Amsterdam will still be playing all of the festival dates that have been announced as well as dates of their own before the end of the year.

Amsterdam announce yet another festival date for this Summer at the Eclectica festival in St.Helens.

The boys are third on the bill with Shed Seven and the Levellers and the festival is FREE. The festival takes place in St.Helens town centre.

The show is on the August 9 and the gang will be on stage at 5:30pm.

Also if you’re in Nerja, Spain on Tuesday 15 July, Ian will be performing a solo show at the Blanco Y Negro bar.

Amsterdam will play a short burst of dates with the reformed soul-pop rockers the Blow Monkeys in early September. The Blow Monkeys were a very successful pop band in the late eighties and are back together for the first time in years.

1 September Newcastle Academy
2 September Sheffield Academy
3 September Cambridge Junction
4 September Bristol Academy
6 September Frodsham Festival (with the Automatic)
12 September Holmfirth Picturedome
13 September Leicester Princess Charlotte

Amsterdam will be playing some dates in other towns and cities of their own later on in the year including the biggest Liverpool show yet to celebrate what has been a brilliant year already!

Also this Thursday night Ian will take part in the Beatle Day Charity concert singing Back in the USSR at the huge new Echo Arena. Other performers include John Power, Ian Mcnabb, Ricky Tomlinson, Andy McCluskey and many more.

A 7-piece Amsterdam played what Ian described as ‘probably the best show of my entire career’ on Sunday afternoon to a crowded Acoustica tent. The boys stormed through a 10-song set and finished with an impromptu Irsh dance from flute player Eimear.

The final song Name and number lasted for about 10 minutes as the band took the roof off the place.

Band blogs concerning the event will be online in the next few days. Photos can be seen at myspace.com/amsterdamhq (MySpace login required).