Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L.S. Media. November 27th 2011.
L.S. Media Rating ****
The Christians music may be soulful, laid back and with a message delivered in the song that few can come close to matching, however just because a band may sound serene on C.D. doesn’t mean that their gigs are nothing short of exciting and jaw dropping.
Mix that in with the heady and close atmosphere of Eric’s and the result is one of a powder keg of brilliant music, stunning vocals and just that little fission that makes nights like this worth going out and getting a taste of the Liverpool nightlife and those that inhabit it.
The Christians arrived on stage looking relaxed and savouring a different type of atmosphere to the one that greeted them when they played at the Philharmonic Hall in 2010. This was a crowd that was in the mood to party and take in music from one of the finest bands to have come out of Liverpool, not just from their genre or era but of all time. The lyrics and issues that Gary Christian sings of have not gone away, there is still injustice, there is still suffering, and whilst these monsters are still within life then songs such as Ideal World, Hooverville and the wonderful anti anthem Forgotten Town will always resonate with whatever audience turns up.
However there will always be those within an audience, no matter the venue, no matter the band who have no idea how to behave at a gig or concert, the etiquette of listening and singing along with the group of musicians going out the window and it is too wonder whether those that don’t listen to the vocalist when he asks for a moment’s quiet are those that ignore what is happening around them.
The band found time within a wonderfully long and sweaty set to play a couple of covers that thrilled and stunned even the most talkative of crowd members, a wonderful reading of the Cat Stevens track Where Do the Children Play and a beautiful tribute to the talent of George Harrison who passed on ten years ago this coming week in their soulful version of Here Comes the Sun.
Eric’s in its new 21st Century guise may be a new boy on the block of music venues in Liverpool but it is by far one of the finest at putting on great gigs, the low ceilings, the work that the management have done in providing a great place for live music to be played in is tangible and a credit to Liverpool’s night life.
Ian D. Hall