Carrianne Hayden. Photograph by Ian D. Hall

Originally published by L.S. Media. April 29th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

It has to be said that to have Carrianne Hayden back in Liverpool and opening an expansive and incredible night of music at St. Brides Church is nothing short of heart-warming and a huge extra boost in the arm of music in Liverpool.

The Hey Carrianne vocalist strode onto the church stage and reminded the crowd why Liverpool is not just important as the music capital of England but as a place where the diversity of sound, which was highlighted brilliantly by the main act All We Are and second support act Stealing Sheep, is important to a city that thrives on culture but also to the future of music in the wider world.

Carrianne Hayden had been away for a while but does anybody ever leave the city on a permanent basis?  They seemingly always come back in the end and they bring their experience of life outside the area of Merseyside with them. Sometimes, as in the demure and incredible Carrianne Hayden, the welcome is so generous and so good that you have to wonder if the musician has every really been away.

It may have been only a few songs, just Carrianne and her guitar, so often a muse to her beautiful voice, but it meant the world to her fans that turned up to hear her sing.

It wouldn’t upset the main band at all to hear that all the support acts were greeted enthusiastically, and with much affection, especially for Ms. Hayden, whose songs gave the crowd who arrived early for the nights proceedings a lift and a buzz that grew steadily the longer her set went on and carried on into the night.

There were some extremely cracking songs in her set, including the wonderful Run Rabbit Run, the image ridden Pervy Gym man, the beautiful Be My Friend and a truly awesome version of the Liverpool group Black’s 1987 top rated song It’s a Wonderful Life. Carrianne Hayden’s voice soared on this track and in a place of worship seemed to carry more echo, more passion than the original managed a quarter of a century ago.

On a night when Carrianne Hayden opened a night of great music, it was with hand on heart a distinct an utter pleasure to see this great singer back in action.

Ian D. Hall