Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Down the quieter road of Parr Street, Brink had opened its doors as a more sedate setting in which to have live music on during Sound City. The relaxed attitude, the status as a charity run venue all combining to make an evening’s entertainment, especially that utilising the keyboard and the person’s vocal talent, well worth catching. Even with the backdrop of various machines going off every so often, blenders for the smoothies for example, couldn’t detract from those who had waited patiently to see Anna Corcoran perform a selection of songs from her various E.P.s, including the superb The Show which has been getting rave reviews from all quarters of the music world.
Not only was Brink more sedate than some of the arenas in town but also it offered a chance to wind down after some pretty intense displays and performances around the city. The music had built to a brilliant crescendo during the late hours of Thursday and would no doubt do so again on the second day of the festival but for now this little island of tranquillity was the near perfect host to a woman whose music is beguiling and who owns a voice that could make angels weep in jealousy, her piano playing would make them walk out on strike till she was removed with no possible chance of re-entry.
In a little more than half an hour Anna Corcoran proved the instincts right of those who had listened to her latest E.P., the gracious sound she makes whilst at the keyboard is like a robin skipping through a puddle and yet the power at her command is akin to sticking a jet pack on the bird and propelling it skywards, it is not for the faint hearted when she wants to let really loose. With a couple of covers thrown into the set for good measure, including a cracking version of Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock, the music Anna provided for all at Brink was justifiably and superbly well received.
Tracks such as Fallen Easy, Anything Better, And Winter Came, the stirring The Show and Tied Up reinforced this woman’s reputation and will see her surely get the adulation she deserves for her music in a much wider context. A fantastic and unashamedly superb set by a woman who plays the keyboards with such gentle ease and yet with the power of a creative demon.
Ian D. Hall