This music-mad city is getting ready to do what it does best again

There is a sign on the approach to Liverpool on the M62, it simply states: 'Welcome to Liverpool: Music City.'

It is a simple message to those heading into the city, but one that captures this place perfectly.

Music runs through Liverpool's veins. It always will do.

From the megastars that visit our stadiums and arenas, to the local singer songwriters in the pubs and bars and the buskers in the street - Liverpool is known for many things - but music is right up there.

Of course for many of the millions of tourists that flood to this special place throughout the year, there is one particular draw - tracing the roots of four young lads who grew up in these parts and went on to conquer the world in the 1960s.

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But while The Beatles are essential to the musical history and heritage of Liverpool - and its booming tourism sector - we have a lot more to offer than simply the Fab Four.

It is now widely accepted that last year's Eurovision in this city was the best ever. Liverpool took the idea of hosting the song contest to stratospheric new levels, creating magical memories to last a lifetime and leaving a powerful legacy.

Anyone who spent any time in and around the sun-bathed waterfront as thousands of people partied to eclectic tunes from across the continent will tell you what a special time that really was.

And just last week we saw more evidence of Liverpool's ability to bring people together through music and culture.

The arrival and naming of the impressive Cunard Queen Anne ship may ostensibly have been about a boat - but it was the emotive voice of Andrea Bocelli that had people weeping and the funk and soul offerings of local lad Craig Charles that got thousands of people dancing through the night at a massive Pier Head party.

So what next for this city of music? Well its the biggest star on the planet of course.

Taylor Swift's three sell-out shows at Anfield this week will be the only ones she plays in the north of England. Not Manchester, not Newcastle, not Leeds - it is Liverpool she has chosen.

While Ms Swift herself has not given a definitive reason for why she chose Liverpool over other cities, it feels safe to say that our musical heritage and fine tradition of putting on a big party will have been crucial factors.

Make no mistake, whether you are a Swiftie or not, this is a huge coup for the city and the benefits could be enormous. It has been predicted that the superstar's four-city tour of the UK could boost the nation's economy by one billion pounds.

If you rather crudely divide that figure in four, Liverpool could have a shot at a quarter of a billion pounds. It is for this reason that the city council and local businesses are doing everything they can to capitalise on the arrival of the global icon.

This week that involves everything from a unique Taylor Town trail, featuring local artist's homages to the star's different eras, an academic symposium where research of her impact will be delivered to the sound of her songs - and the pubs of Anfield swapping their pints of lager for Swiftie cocktails. Everyone is getting into the Swiftie spirit.

So whether you are a Taylor Swift megafan or know nothing of her various Eras, this is a big moment for Liverpool - and it is another one based all around a love and appreciation of what music is capable of.

It is a seismic moment I would expect this music-mad city to fully embrace once again.

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