The new bar is found in the basement of a thriving cocktail venue
20:12, 18 Jun 2025Updated 20:12, 18 Jun 2025
Suono on Bold Street
A new Tokyo-inspired venue has opened in the heart of Liverpool. Suono is a ‘listening bar’ based on a concept commonly found in Japan.
Known as hi-fi bars, the Japanese bars are a unique type of venue where the main focus is on high quality sounds and the immersive experience of listening to music, usually played from vinyl records.
These spaces are focused on the audio experience within the venue, and often feature carefully curated playlists, top-quality sound systems and a chilled atmosphere where customers can enjoy listening to the music. Now, Liverpool’s own listening bar has arrived on Bold Street thanks to owner Mike Girling.
Mike is also responsible for popular Italian-inspired L’Aperitivo on Bold Street, and he recently decided he wanted to do something with the basement space below the existing cocktail bar. Mike chose to create what he believes is a “city-first” for Liverpool in the form of Suono.
Suono on Bold Street
The new venue prides itself on putting music centre stage, allowing customers to experience it “how albums were supposed to sound”. Mike said Suono has been inspired by Tokyo’s legendary listening bars, with the aim of “blending analogue warmth with modern minimalism”.
Mike told the ECHO: “We’ve been open for just around a month now, and the reaction has been so positive. I couldn’t have been happier with how it has gone.
“I’ve always wanted to do something with the basement. It was just getting round to do it but the time was right now. It used to be a kitchen so we needed to get rid of all of that and insulate it for sound.
Suono on Bold Street
“Listening bars are really on trend now. They have been around for 100 years, but they are having a massive resurgence lately. It was originally about listening to jazz and classical music, but you can get any genre or collection really. We have tons of records behind the bar, but a lot of it is classic dance and house.”
Mike explained that feels his latest venue has a “dual identity”. During the week, the vibe inside the venue is “slower-paced and appreciative”, but when it comes to the weekend, the furniture moved around for more of a club atmosphere to take over.
Mike said guests have the choice of a range of Japanese whiskeys and yuzu-flavoured cocktails, while carefully selected records play in the background. He explained: “This isn’t just another bar. It’s a new kind of venue — for the sound.”
To help bring the idea to life, the interiors, designed by architects R2A, were created to offer an authentic listening bar experience. Acoustically considered, low-lit and effortlessly cool, it is said to be the “kind of space that makes you want to stay all night and hear every night”.