Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There should be a new maxim used in the world of music, that if Boo Hewerdine is happy to endorse you, to take interest in your song writing capability, then who are we to argue.
All Messed Up (And Nowhere To Go) is the debut E.P. from Talk Show, the group sounding pseudonym for Maidstone singer-songwriter Lawrence O’Shea, and the sound that comes across, produced with the same drive and sense of purpose as the man behind the songs, the great Boo Hewerdine, is one that captivates and intrigues in equal measure.
It is a testament to the power of combined creativity, of the mentor and the appreciative pupil, that All Messed Up (And Nowhere To Go) is as good a listen as the music fan could expect to have, that the intricacy of the notes fused with a sense of belonging, with a sense of urgent wonder, comes across with sheer playful clarity, a sense of vision that in the three songs might have been missed in less than capable hands and in Lawrence O’Shea’s flourishing mastery of his creation, the music is a delight that cannot be postponed or denied.
The statement in the E.P.s title track is one of those great misnomers that comes through occasionally, a song of great brevity and honour and yet it is not a phrase that can be hurled at Lawrence O’Shea without irony setting in, for this is an E.P. that surely can go a long distance and wouldn’t look out of place in a tuxedo and with licence to thrill pending.
Alongside the opener All Messed Up (And Nowhere To Go), Mercy Thrill and The Idea Of You add much colour to the standing of the E.P.s charm, the combination of Boo Hewerdine’s production work and Lawrence O’Shea’s important framing of each song, the width he offers so expansive and in many ways verging on the glorious, all add up to the simple fact that this is a young man with so much to offer that the run up to the next release might be a frustrating and seemingly lengthy wait.
All Messed Up (And Nowhere To Go) is an enjoyable debut, one to savour with satisfaction.
All Messed Up (And Nowhere To Go) is released on Monday 30th November.
Ian D. Hall