Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
To watch Luke Gallagher on stage is to be reminded of times past in Liverpool but with a huge sign around the rememberance proclaiming a possible future, a very bright one for both music lovers and for Luke Gallagher himself as times collide and merge, the coalescing of universes being bombarded by the heroes of music history all coming together in the style and voice of a young lad from Wrexham.
The independent Pop Overthrow has a gracious habit of throwing up nuggets into the air for The Cavern audiences, it’s almost as if David Bash, organiser of the week-long festival sits in his office at home and plots it out like a major Hollywood film, the small drip feed of musical information and then a large slice of the reveal in which artists such as Luke Gallagher thrive upon with sincerity and, importantly, humility.
Having earlier in the week wowed the I.P.O. crowd, all eyes were seemingly upon the latest sensation to come out of Wales and as he produced a set that brimmed with deference, positive style and the humility of one whose music is allowed to speak for itself, those early whispers, those joyous overtones of goodwill, proved to be nothing but correct.
There are many bands and solo acts to whom The Beatles is a constant dedication and you know as you watch them on stage which ones really mean it, and those that are happily playing to the crowd, especially when they perform in Liverpool. Nothing wrong with either plaudit, it marks out the past as being something that perhaps will never be attained again, but it can do harm, especially when it interferes with the greatness of the tremendous young bands in the city trying to make their way in a cold isolating world. For Luke Gallagher it is spoken with sincerity, a truth and a bond that is unshakeable and heartening.
Songs such as It’s An Affair, Concertina Eyes, the Progressive allusion in Mr. Magoo, Tamara Dee, the new song off the forthcoming album Playing Around and Takes All Sorts all showed just what lives in the soul of the man from Wrexham, a good natured balladeer, one who can storm a stage but also cradle the affection of a sentimental audience.
Luke Gallagher is a tremendous find and one that you can only hope will come back to Liverpool again and again. A spirit of joy wrapped in the soul of both past and present.
Ian D. Hall