British Music Experience — Liverpool

The British Music Experience is a museum dedicated to British popular music from 1945 to the present, housed in the Cunard Building on Liverpool's Pier Head waterfront. Originally opened at the O2 Arena in London in 2009, it relocated to Liverpool in 2015 — a move that placed it in the city most closely associated with the British pop music revolution. The museum's collection spans over 600 artefacts, including Noel Gallagher's Union Jack Epiphone guitar, costumes worn by David Bowie and Amy Winehouse, and original instruments from across seven decades of British music.

The exhibition traces the story of British pop music chronologically — from skiffle and the trad jazz boom through the British Invasion, glam rock, punk, new wave, Britpop, and grime. Interactive stations allow visitors to learn guitar, drums, or DJ skills, and the museum's archive includes rare concert footage and recordings. The breadth of coverage — from Lonnie Donegan and Cliff Richard through The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Sex Pistols, The Smiths, Radiohead, and Adele — makes it the most comprehensive overview of British pop music heritage available.

The Cunard Building is one of Liverpool's Three Graces on the waterfront, and the museum's presence in the building connects it to the broader story of Liverpool as a port city whose maritime connections — particularly with the United States — helped shape the city's musical culture. The museum is open to the public and offers educational programmes for schools.