Liverpool City Guide: Petals In Sound

Off the back of her Days EP on Fortunea Records, Petals In Sound invites nightclubber.ro into her adopted home city of Liverpool. Having swapped over a decade in South East London for life by the Mersey, Louise Baldwin has rediscovered the city through fresh eyes — balancing family life, coastal calm and a deep-rooted love of club culture. Much like her productions, Liverpool is a place of contrasts: raw and warm, intimate yet expansive, steeped in history but constantly evolving. From warehouse districts turned creative hubs to late-night dancefloors, restorative swims and no-frills local institutions, these are the spots that shape her everyday rhythms and continue to feed her sound. Take it away Louise…

‘’After many years of living in South East London, my family and I relocated back to the North West of England, to Crosby near Liverpool almost 4 years ago. It’s a coastal town which sits nicely between my hometown of Southport and Liverpool city centre. I’ve always loved Liverpool and spent a lot of my teens and early adult years clubbing, shopping and eating out here.                         

It’s evolved as a city hugely in the last 20 years, and a lot of that progression kicked off after Liverpool was awarded the European Capital of Culture in 2008, which saw lots of heavy investment. It’s a diverse and vibrant city despite being a lot smaller than neighboring cities and scousers are some of the nicest and funniest people on the planet! There are plenty of great pubs, clubs, restaurants, record shops and museums to check out in Liverpool and here are a few of my recommendations should you choose to visit:’’          

 THE BALTIC TRIANGLE

This little bit of the city has transformed as an area over the past 15-20 years from an industrial warehouse district, into a place that prides itself on being the city’s creative and digital hub. I started working in the Baltic when I first moved back here, in music publishing, and I love how vibrant it is. There are live music venues, independent businesses, and local creative enterprises. It’s just super cool. I really love going for a browse in Dead Air Records on a weekend, going to see some live music/ DJ sets at 24 Kitchen Street or getting some lunch at one of the cafes nestled away in the side streets. It’s good for shopping (Seven store for clothes, Dorothy for art) and the Baltic Market hosts all sorts throughout the year, including the Liverpool Disco Festival and The Baltic Weekender which sees some of the Worlds best DJs and producers descend on the area for one big summer weekend.      

SANS CAFE

This place is a bit of an institution in Liverpool. The cafe has been around since the late 1960s and is a family- run, back to basics eatery. It still feels proudly unchanged- like It’s not polished or trying to be trendy — just honest, welcoming, and full of character. 

What I love most is the mix on the menu. You can sit down for a proper full English breakfast, but you’ll also find homemade Chinese dishes like spring rolls and chow mein. I highly recommend the wontons, chow mein and chicken with green pepper. It’s so amazing, I’ve never been anywhere like it. 

CROSBY BEACH

My favourite place to go, full stop. After living in London for years, it’s a literal breath of fresh air to be back living by the sea again. Crosby Beach is famously known for its Anthony Gormley exhibition - Another Place, which features 100 cast iron sculptures modeled on Gormley’s body dotted around the coastline. It’s quite something if you’ve never seen it. Whilst the beach itself is fairly non-descript, it’s got such a feeling of calm. I go for a walk or run along the beach most weeks. It’s a great mood lifter and I feel super blessed to have it 20 minutes' walk away. Couldn’t not give it a mention.      

 MERAKI

Probably my most local venue for dancing.  Meraki is based in the Ten Streets area, north of the city centre, between heavy ex-industry warehouses by the docks. It used to be a taxi garage and now hosts some of Liverpool’s best underground club nights. I’ve not been for a while- having small kids means less partying but the feeling when you go there is super relaxed, no judgmental, and inclusive. Everyone’s there for the same reason- to have a good night and dance with their mates. There’s no dress code and it’s really small, so has an intimate, house party feel to it. I saw Cody Currie and Sam Ruffillo play a Toy Tonics night there a while back and just love the setting so much. Plus it’s only a 10 min drive to my house so win-win! 

CROSBY COFFEE   

So this technically isn’t in the city centre- it’s in Crosby, as the name gives away, which is about a 20 min drive north of Liverpool. 

Most cities around the World will have great coffee shops, but getting incredible coffee in the suburbs is definitely not the norm, and I honestly don’t think anything comes close to this place. They’ve nailed it. It’s just the best coffee around and I'm yet to find better coffee anywhere else! Crosby Coffee has a few shops in Liverpool, but my local one in Waterloo is great. I go most weeks after dropping the kids off and it’s just the best. An absolute must!   

WYLD SAUNA

This place is fairly new and can be found on Princes Dock. It’s the UK’s first public floating sauna and includes ice baths, cold waterfall showers, and heated outdoor showers with salt scrubs. It’s such a lovely way to end the day and if you're brave enough you can have a swim in the docks too! I’ve been really into open water swimming for a few years and am trying to ease myself back into the habit of going. Wyld popping up has given me a bit more motivation to get back into the water, particularly as you know you can end that cold swim in the sauna!

Stream/Buy Petals In Sound - Days HERE

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