Wirral Life Issue 83 | Page 70

DIANE TREMARCO IN AWE OF …
DIANE TREMARCO IN AWE OF …
THE PEOPLE ' S POET- IAN PROWSE CELEBRATES 20 YEARS OF A LIVERPOOL ANTHEM
I have always greatly admired fellow musicians and creatives and I am thrilled to be able to tell you about those I know well and those I have recently discovered. Please take a look at my Instagram profile for more of the artists I am in awe of.
In the pantheon of British songwriters who capture the soul of a place, Ian Prowse stands as one of our most criminally underrated treasures. As he prepares to celebrate the 20th anniversary of " Does This Train Stop on Merseyside?" – a song that famously reduced John Peel to tears – it ' s worth reflecting on the remarkable journey of this " Scouse Springsteen " whose musical story began in the vibrant Liverpool scene of the early ' 90s.
I first encountered Prowse during Pele ' s heyday, when they were riding high on the success of their debut album " Fireworks." Even then, it was clear that Prowse possessed something special – a rare ability to combine anthemic hooks with genuine emotional depth and social consciousness. Pele ' s brand of Celtic-tinged rock drew favourable comparisons to The Waterboys and earned them support slots with The Pogues and Del Amitri, building a devoted following through relentless touring.
When Pele disbanded and Prowse formed Amsterdam in 1999, it initially seemed the momentum might be lost. " After Pele ended, I couldn ' t get arrested," Prowse admits with characteristic candour. Then came " Does This Train Stop on Merseyside?" in 2005 – a sweeping, cinematic journey through Liverpool ' s complex history that doesn ' t shy away from its tragedies, including poignant references to Hillsborough.
Prowse ' s live performances remain legendary – raw, passionate affairs where the boundary between performer and audience often dissolves completely. There ' s something of Springsteen in his approach, hence the nickname, but Prowse ' s voice is distinctly his own – unabashedly working-class, politically engaged, and deeply humane. As he prepares to mark the anniversary with a re-release on March 7th and an extensive UK tour, Prowse reflects that the song " is not mine anymore, it ' s yours." This sentiment captures something essential about his approach to music – these aren ' t just songs but shared experiences, communal expressions of joy, pain, and solidarity.
In an era where authenticity is often manufactured, Ian Prowse remains the real deal – a people ' s poet whose music continues to matter deeply to those who ' ve discovered it. The 20th anniversary of " Does This Train Stop on Merseyside?" isn ' t just a celebration of a great song, but of a singular artist whose voice deserves to be heard by a much wider audience.
The song ' s impact was immediate and profound. John Peel, not a man easily moved to public displays of emotion, famously wept on air whenever he played it. The track made it into Peel ' s final Festive Fifty before his passing – a fitting testament to its power.
What makes Prowse special is his ability to write songs that transcend mere entertainment. As Elvis Costello noted, " Ian doesn ' t just sing of the here and now but also reaches back into the past for a passionate tale to tell, to sing of an injustice that might tell us something about today." This quality has earned him admirers including The Clash ' s Mick Jones and Irish folk legend Christy Moore, who covered " Does This Train Stop on Merseyside?" and took it to number one in the Irish LP charts.
70 wirrallife. com