The hugely popular Merseyside music and culture magazine, The Bido Lito!, has decided to take a break from publishing following post Covid struggles.
Bido Lito! has been publishing for 12 years, after it was established by Craig Pennington and Christopher Torpey in 2010.
The founding pair grew up together in Wallasey, where Craig Pennington started the Bido Lito! after returning to Merseyside from university.
Bido Lito! is a free print magazine that was available across many of Liverpool’s coffee shops, restaurants and cultural hotspots.
The magazine focuses around Liverpool’s emerging local artists and the city’s music and cultural scene.
In a statement regarding the break Sam Turner, the Bido Lito!’s publisher, writing about their experience during the height of Covid, said: “It turned out to be a fairly productive period but not without stress and uncertainty looming at every corner.”
The Bido Lito! had received help from the Arts Council England’s Cultural Recovery Fund and Bido Lito! members since the first lockdown.
Due to this funding it has managed to stay a float up until now, however Sam Turner said: “While printing a magazine is not currently feasible and other outputs increasingly difficult, it (taking a break) is really the only option.”
The magazine is taking this break to reflect on how the Bido Lito! can make a difference in this vital period for music, art, culture and communities in Liverpool.
Sam Turner said: “I believe there is still a need for Bido Lito!. The task now is to go away and identify the strengths which can signal a path forward”.
Lots of love to Bido Lito, discovered so many amazing acts in here through the years and have been lucky enough to have been written about/wrote in this magazine. Lpool is lucky to have yous.
Hopefully back soon and stronger than ever 💕💪🏻 https://t.co/1GmnsGdPrK
— SPINN (@spinn_band) January 27, 2022
Although it is unknown how long their break will be, the Bido Lito! plans to come back stronger.
An archive of 118+ issues are available on their website for readers to enjoy during their break.
