British Music Experience
British Music Experience
British Music Experience
4.5
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
DISCOVER THE ULTIMATE HISTORY OF BRITISH ROCK & POP MUSIC From the Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Bowie to The Spice Girls, Oasis, Adele and X-Factor, the BME boasts an unrivalled collection of memorabilia, stage outfits, instruments, images and footage. It charts the beginnings, rise and influence of British pop from 1945 to the present day. We’ve got outfits worn by artists from Freddie Mercury and Dusty Springfield, to the Spice Girls, Adam Ant and Little Mix and musical instruments played by some of the world’s most renowned artists from Noel Gallagher to the Sex Pistols. We even have hand written song lyrics from Adele, the original statues from the Brits and the Apple Corp front door from Saville Row. The Museum includes galleries, interactive zones, audio visual experiences and hologram performances. You can get hands-on in the Gibson Interactive Studio by learning to play guitar, drums or keyboards
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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from $21.52
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Neighborhood: Central Liverpool
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See what travelers are saying
- Ben S8 contributionsUnfulfilled potentialThe staff here were really friendly and made our visit very enjoyable. The museum itself has a few interesting things but overall it's disappointing. There is just so much that could/should be there that's missing. It felt a bit like a bargain basement Hard Rock Café. It was also relatively expensive to get in.Thanks for your visit, and for leaving your review. We're glad that you enjoyed your visit, but sorry that you felt some things were missing. As a charity, we rely heavily on artists to donate their artefacts, and many artists whose artefacts we do not have on display feature prominently in our 90+ hours of digital content. We are so happy that our staff added to your visit. They are also very happy to talk music, and may be able to fill in any areas that you may have missed. Remember that your ticket is an annual pass, so on your next visit feel free to ask chat music with them, and make sure you also check out our regular stage shows, Dance the Decades and Gibson interactive studios, where you can try you hand at many different instruments, regardless of experience. We look forward to seeing you again.Written December 20, 2022This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited December 2022Traveled as a coupleWritten December 17, 2022
- Chris B4 contributionsDon’t botherFirst and last visit , thought it was overpriced and the guy looking after the guitars was terrible. This was supposed to be an interactive experience but he was rude to our children about handling the guitars! First thing they weren’t breaking them and if you’d shown any interest in helping how to use the booths etc and secondly why have as you put it “ expensive “ guitars out if they are not supposed to be used We were told it was a fun interactive experience for the whole family- it wasn’tVisited February 2023Traveled with familyWritten February 24, 2023
- Andy UWigan, United Kingdom52 contributionsUnique and interesting but expensiveFirstly, it's one floor, no more no less, so when you walk in, your first view is pretty accurate for size Secondly the exhibits are better than they first appear with plenty of unique and historically important pieces on display from one of Noel's guitars, a dress worn by Dusty Spri gfield to Lemmy's boots. There's not an abundance, but what they have is a level above your average Hard Rock Cafe. Oh and the hologram of Boy George singing us a song...inexpected bonus! Entertaining yes, different yes, overpriced yes.Visited March 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten March 25, 2023
- Number9ersCoventry, United Kingdom25 contributionsNot entirely British ExperienceFor quite a hefty admission price we were slightly underwhelmed by what was on offer. The central exhibits we faced when entering where ABBA on one side and the Ukraine Eurovision winners outfits on the other side. The central big screen was showing the history of the Eurovision song contest.. this entrance really lowered expections of what would be a British music experience.Things picked up when we we found the interactive Gibson corner where you could try your hand with numerous guitars and an electronic drum kit, listening through headphones as you did so.there is very little or nothing or lots of our music icons that i was expecting to see(Rolling Stones, Freddy Mercury,Tom Jones, Elton John, Cliff Richard and the Beatles) that has been popular for decades. Overall the experience to our group seemed to be an in-coherent collection of random costumes/memorabilia in nice display cabinets and fancy building.Thanks for visiting, and for leaving your review. You were lucky enough to visit us when our Eurovision temporary exhibition was on display, as it will be throughout the Summer, after Liverpool hosted one of the biggest events in its history recently, in the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest Finals. This exhibition is one of our regularly updated temporary displays, which with your annual pass ticket, you will be able to see our upcoming displays later in the year. This is yet to be announced, so watch this space. We're sorry if you missed our extensive Queen display, and stage-worn artefacts from both The Beatles and Elton John, as well as our Cliff Richard and Rolling Stones content, which feature in both our 600+ artefacts and 90+ hours of digital content. Make sure to ask our excellent Crew about them on your next visit, along with checking out our regular stage shows, which celebrate live music from British artists. We also have our ever-popular Dance the Decades booth and Gibson Interactive Studio, where you can try your hand at Gibson guitars, or Roland drums and keyboards, all with full tutorials. We look forward to your next visit.Written June 1, 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2023Written May 28, 2023
- Hobbit6831 contributionsExpensive for what they offer.We had read several reviews about how this place hadn't lived up to expectations so we tried to go with an open mind. The entrance fee was £19 pp. There were several displays covering various decades and genres - punk, glam rock etc (why nothing on Disco?) and had items donated from celebrities etc. Of course some of the items were interesting but overall we too, left a little disappointed. £19 felt too much, £15 maybe. At least the cafe seemed fairly good VFM.Thanks for visiting, and for leaving your review. We're glad that you enjoyed seeing the artefacts we have on display, and as your ticket is an annual pass, on your next visit make sure to check out some of the other elements of the exhibition. We have regular stage shows on our main stage, our temporary Eurovision exhibition, 90+ hours of digital content, and our Gibson Interactive Studio, where you can try your hand at Gibson guitars, drums and keyboards, all with tutorials. Next to the Gibson area, we also have our Dance the Decades zone, and on hand are our amazing Crew, who are full of knowledge, and love to chat music. They're a huge part of the reason we have won awards for best museum and visitor attraction in Liverpool for the last 3 years. Your ticket price also contributes to the upkeep of our collection, as we are a registered charity. It also helps to subsidise our fantastic education programme, and to support free events supporting local artists. We look forward to your next visit with your annual pass.Written July 7, 2023This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten July 6, 2023
- DonnaKeyingham, United Kingdom4 contributionsLeft feeling disappointed!Due to poor weather we decided to give one of the museums a go, as we aren’t particularly museum people we thought the BME would be best suited to us. It cost us £38 (£19 each) for our visit and to be fair we were slightly disappointed with the whole experience. It’s set in one room and we were advised to work our way round chronologically. Quite a few of the interactive exhibits weren’t working and the others were a bit hit and miss when we tried them. There were some interesting bits and pieces but we also found that there were a few replicas rather than original items which was disappointing. We were told you could take photos as long as a flash wasn’t used but you couldn’t really get a decent picture due to reflections and the lay out. Whilst there, a school party were also visiting and many were just running round chasing each other and had no regard for those who were trying to read the exhibits and kept bumping in to us, there didn’t seem to be any staff supervising. This also meant that all the instruments you could try in the jamming section were all in use by the kids so we literally walked straight through this section as they were all queuing up to play. We completed the whole place in about 1/2 an hour and left really disappointed. The Museum of Liverpool is not much further along the waterfront where we spent a couple of hours for free.Visited July 2023Traveled as a coupleWritten July 13, 2023
- Space OSan Francisco, California3 contributionsNot bad but a bit too pricySo let's get the price thing done first. This costs too much. Should be more like £14 and £12 for concessions. I realize that they have a top locations and that won't come cheap. But £19 per person for one room of music history is a bit much. Now on to the good stuff. It is a huge room of music merobilla. If your are not that interested you can wiz round it in half an hour. If you want to spend more time you can get into it at a deeper level. They don't actully have that much desplay stuff really but they do make up for it with lots interactive multi media which work well. It also has nice decor and good lighting. At the end of your tour you can go and play actual instruments for as long as you like. There is also a small gift shop and a very nice cafe.Visited September 2023Traveled with friendsWritten September 3, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
1,025 reviews
Excellent
699
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209
Average
81
Poor
22
Terrible
14
Happypandauk
Watford, UK1,327 contributions
Apr 2019
If you have any desire to know more about the history of British Music then this the place to come. My husband and I spent 3 hours here and thoroughly enjoyed it.
When you enter the room it looks quite small and I was initially quite disappointed but it really is packed full!
We enjoyed the holographic performance by Boy George but wish there were lots more artists shown in this way as we ended up watching the same one twice.
When you enter the room it looks quite small and I was initially quite disappointed but it really is packed full!
We enjoyed the holographic performance by Boy George but wish there were lots more artists shown in this way as we ended up watching the same one twice.
Written January 13, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your visit, and for your kind words. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time, and appreciate you taking the time to leave your review. We look forward to seeing you again!
Written January 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kevin Bishop
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • Couples
What a great experience for any lover of music. A few hours well spent learning and listening about the history of British music. You can also play guitar and drums which is a great touch. The gift shop is well priced for any momento’s and the coffee shop is another added touch where you can have a chill and try to guess the 31 famous faces on the wall, the staff are mega friendly.
All in all well worth a visit.
All in all well worth a visit.
Written August 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your visit, and for your kind words. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time, and appreciate you taking the time to leave your review. We look forward to seeing you again!
Written January 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Anita
Scunthorpe, UK1,294 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
We really enjoyed the British Music Experience.
Whilst there was a certain emphasis on the music from Liverpool, the exhibition gave an excellent overview of popular music from the 1940s to the present day.
Loved the fact that there was always music playing and the holographic performance was different and well done.
Staff were friendly and helpful and the cafe was excellent.
There was a bit too much information on the info screens that were (poorly) navigated by balks and the instruments/headsets were past their best.
You can easily spend 2 or 3 hours here, more if you read/watch absolutely everything.
Whilst there was a certain emphasis on the music from Liverpool, the exhibition gave an excellent overview of popular music from the 1940s to the present day.
Loved the fact that there was always music playing and the holographic performance was different and well done.
Staff were friendly and helpful and the cafe was excellent.
There was a bit too much information on the info screens that were (poorly) navigated by balks and the instruments/headsets were past their best.
You can easily spend 2 or 3 hours here, more if you read/watch absolutely everything.
Written February 23, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your visit, and for your kind words. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time, and appreciate you taking the time to leave your review. We look forward to seeing you again!
Written January 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JA W
Greater Manchester, UK30 contributions
Jun 2022
It's a fantastic look at the last 70 years of British music with everything from jazz and skiffle to the Beatles, glam rock, reggae, the Spice Girls and Live Aid. There's a fantastic collection of memorabilia - clothes, guitars, original song lyrics, photos - brought to life by an audio commentary and lots of music. There's also a dance studio where you can copy dance moves from a video and a music room with guitars, keyboards and drums you can play with. The staff are really friendly and so enthusiastic and they change the exhibitions regularly plus you pay once and can go again as many times as you like for a year. A fantastic afternoon out!
Written June 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi there, thanks for taking the time to leave a review and we're glad to hear you enjoyed your visit!
Its glad to hear you enjoyed your visit and thought we were a fantastic afternoon out. We wanted to make an experience where the guest could enjoy themselves and relive their youth at the same time! The collection is something we feel very lucky to have; from the costumes that artists have worn to actual handwritten lyrics (a personal favourite of mine). It always amazes me how small and thin all these artists actually were!!
The Gibson Music Area and the Dance Booth we feel is another fun and educational way to learn about instruments or about how dance had evolved over the decades and gives people the chance to have a go at doing the Twist or Macarena or have a go at real Gibson guitars. Thank you for saying the staff are friendly and engaging, they are something we pride ourselves on as the ypurely want to make sure your visit is as enjoyable as it can be!
With your annual yearly ticket and with the event schedule always busy, hopefully we will be able to see you again!
Written September 13, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Donna
Keyingham, UK4 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
Due to poor weather we decided to give one of the museums a go, as we aren’t particularly museum people we thought the BME would be best suited to us. It cost us £38 (£19 each) for our visit and to be fair we were slightly disappointed with the whole experience. It’s set in one room and we were advised to work our way round chronologically. Quite a few of the interactive exhibits weren’t working and the others were a bit hit and miss when we tried them. There were some interesting bits and pieces but we also found that there were a few replicas rather than original items which was disappointing. We were told you could take photos as long as a flash wasn’t used but you couldn’t really get a decent picture due to reflections and the lay out. Whilst there, a school party were also visiting and many were just running round chasing each other and had no regard for those who were trying to read the exhibits and kept bumping in to us, there didn’t seem to be any staff supervising. This also meant that all the instruments you could try in the jamming section were all in use by the kids so we literally walked straight through this section as they were all queuing up to play. We completed the whole place in about 1/2 an hour and left really disappointed. The Museum of Liverpool is not much further along the waterfront where we spent a couple of hours for free.
Written July 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vicky A
Leeds, UK41 contributions
Aug 2020 • Friends
Visited Sunday 2nd August and looking forward to going back.
The guys working there were so friendly and knowledgeable.
We went 1st thing and it was quiet so walking round was relaxed and enjoyable.
A good genre of musical memorabilia from every generation.
Our tickets are valid for 12 months too so we will be back a few times and will recommend to everyone.
The guys working there were so friendly and knowledgeable.
We went 1st thing and it was quiet so walking round was relaxed and enjoyable.
A good genre of musical memorabilia from every generation.
Our tickets are valid for 12 months too so we will be back a few times and will recommend to everyone.
Written August 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your visit, and for your kind words. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time, and appreciate you taking the time to leave your review. We look forward to seeing you again!
Written January 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mumstheword789
Leeds, UK38 contributions
Feb 2020
My family and I really enjoyed this "museum" housed in the splendid Cunard building on the waterfront. The interior layout of it is quite unconventional, with the various music eras all set around a central space/show area. This works really well and is especially useful if members of your group want to look at different areas, or find something that really interests them and then lag behind. Everyone can still meet up and keep in touch due to the good visibility and shared central area. The whole exhibition is engaging and really captures the essence of each period in the fantastic history of British popular music. Another noteworthy feature were all the interactive sections, both throughout the exhibition space and in the musical instrument / vocal / dance section at the end. Everything worked! It is so common to see exhibits in museums that would probably be really interesting if only they worked! This place is a joy!
Written February 18, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your visit, and for your kind words. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time, and appreciate you taking the time to leave your review. We look forward to seeing you again!
Written January 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tina M
2 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
The British Music Experience in Liverpool was in my opinion an absolute rip off. £21 for two of us and they didn’t even have guitar plectrums so you could actually have a proper go at playing the guitars. When speaking to staff they just said they didn’t have any because people had taken them! Then the guy shrugged his shoulders at me in a defeated uninterested manner. There was a hologram of Boy George, but behind it all you could was decorating materials and junk. I Love Liverpool but this really was an absolute waste of my time and money and can’t believe they have the cheek to charge the public for entry.
Written July 21, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Merrowmum
Guildford, UK1,279 contributions
Feb 2022
This is an interesting exhibition on the history of pop music in the UK from post-war to the present day. The displays are good, if slightly on the low side in terms of numbers of actual related artefacts etc. The audio guides are excellent and give a much more comprehensive experience overall than the displays alone.
The “concert” displays, which I think must happen once per half hour for a few minutes, were very good but it’s a shame there only seem to be two as I would imagine most people would be present for three different ones in terms of timing.
The DJ interactive exhibit was great except that it cut off songs after a short period, just as I was enjoying the nostalgia of reliving key DJ type tracks from my teens!
It was nice to see the dance room (which we didn’t partake in!) and the chance to play instruments yourself at the end of the exhibition. I was slightly disappointed as a bassist that one of the basses was missing and that the other was quite tiny for a bass - great for kids though not for my fingers’ muscle memory!
Overall, a pleasant trip through musical memory lane!
The “concert” displays, which I think must happen once per half hour for a few minutes, were very good but it’s a shame there only seem to be two as I would imagine most people would be present for three different ones in terms of timing.
The DJ interactive exhibit was great except that it cut off songs after a short period, just as I was enjoying the nostalgia of reliving key DJ type tracks from my teens!
It was nice to see the dance room (which we didn’t partake in!) and the chance to play instruments yourself at the end of the exhibition. I was slightly disappointed as a bassist that one of the basses was missing and that the other was quite tiny for a bass - great for kids though not for my fingers’ muscle memory!
Overall, a pleasant trip through musical memory lane!
Written February 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your visit, and for your kind words. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time, and appreciate you taking the time to leave your review.
The stage does have 2 shows at the moment but as you have an annual ticket you will be able to see more shows when we have temporary exhibits, such as our celebration of Scottish Music which starts this Friday (4th March) and has it's own Scottish show for the duration of the exhibit. We're always to looking too add to the shows and temporary exhibits will allow us to expand on our normal two.
We're glad you enjoyed the dance booth, the Hey DJ section and the Gibson Interactive Suite, we house certain guitars away so that people can get the most out of the ones there and due to space but if you ever want to have a go at any other bass that we have, when you come back on your annual ticket, please feel free to ask the steward in Gibson to play another bass and you will be able too!
We're glad you enjoyed it though and we hope to see you again!
Written March 1, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jacqui43
Spalding, UK698 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
This is our second visit and it was excellent. The staff on the front desk are excellent and make you feel so welcome. The Charlatans hologram was brilliant and made me sing much to my husbands embarrassment! The exhibition is so interesting, we love the cabinet with the Smiths singles covers and the Stone Roses guitar. The tribute to Viola Beach was particularly touching in the foyer.
Written February 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Many thanks for your visit, and for your kind words. We’re thrilled that you had such a great time, and appreciate you taking the time to leave your review. We look forward to seeing you again!
Written January 24, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
haushinka_66_
Falkirk, UK75 contributions
Have they added any Northern Soul artefacts yet? This was one genre I wished they'd had in my last two visits. I'm due to return to Liverpool soon and this would draw me back, if Northern Soul now features.
Thanks
carol c
29 contributions
No l didn't see any northern sole they did say they are hoping to get more holograms artists but they have to be donated.
Sara_Dai_Angus
Newport, UK197 contributions
Is it cheaper to book online
jan c
Shrewsbury, UK242 contributions
Sorry I don’t know as I went as a group and we paid on entry but ticket can be reused for 12 months so can revisit museum if you wish which Is a decent offer:
Stacey G
Sarasota, FL35 contributions
We are short on time, will we be able to see/do everything in 2 hours? Looking to enter at 4:00 pm.
AndrewCatley
Essex, UK130 contributions
Easy to cover in two hours.
Can you take backpacks inside the building?
hildalg0
Derbyshire, UK6 contributions
yes - you can leave them safely in lockers (returnable pound deposit for key) or behind the admissions desk.
LisaHereAndThere
Ewing, NJ18 contributions
Do we need to get tickets in advance to visit on a weekday next week?
Hi Lisa,
You don't need to book for your visit next week, however if you do book in advance you will be entitled to free audio guides when you visit.
Feel free to book online, or call our booking office, where one of our team will be happy to help.
Looking forward to welcoming you next week!
irene b
Lucca, Italy19 contributions
sapevo che era nei dintorni di greenwich...qualcuno mi sa dire qualcosa?
Hi,
So sorry I didn't see your message!
The BME moved to Liverpool last year, it is no longer in Greenwich.
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Claim your listingBritish Music Experience - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about British Music Experience
- British Music Experience admission prices can vary. Entrance tickets currently cost $21.66, while a popular guided tour starts around $11.08 per person.
- Hotels near British Music Experience:
- (0.09 mi) Travelodge Liverpool Central The Strand
- (0.16 mi) Staycity Aparthotels, Liverpool, Waterfront
- (0.08 mi) L3 Living The Tower Building
- (0.12 mi) Liverpool City Centre Very Spacious Apartment with PARKING , GYM and AIR CON
- (0.17 mi) Crowne Plaza Liverpool City Centre, an IHG Hotel
- Restaurants near British Music Experience:
- (0.10 mi) OH ME OH MY
- (0.11 mi) MEET Argentinian Restaurant
- (0.08 mi) Mrs Danvers Bakery
- (0.12 mi) Etsu Japanese Restaurant
- (0.12 mi) Silk Rd Liverpool
British Music Experience Information
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