The city by The Mersey, a place known for its art, for its culture and perhaps most importantly of all, its individuality in the face of adversity, a personality trait it holds onto dearly as it finds itself increasingly having more in common with the likes of Glasgow, Dublin and New York than it does with Southampton, Dover and London. Liverpool is a place like no other in England and once more the art it chooses to see, the music it offers the country to listen to and the acts it welcomes into venues such as Zanzibar, Leaf, The Philharmonic Hall and The Echo Arena stands apart in its appreciation for many a wandering act.

With some truly fantastic theatre shown in the city over the last 12 months, including the wonderful Lewis Bray, a representative of the excellent work done at the Young Everyman Playhouse group, bringing incredible joy at the Playhouse Studio in a work of his own creation – Cartoonopolis and Stephen Fletcher’s knock out musical comedy ‘Mam I’m ‘Ere having Royal Court audiences making their way to the city in droves, the bar has been set very high for the coming year to beat. Yet with all that is planned at The Royal Court in terms of its multi million pound renovation, the Everyman Theatre going from strength to strength, the Unity Theatre moving ever onwards and all the other theatre spaces in Liverpool having the type of crowds that could only have been dreamed of pre 2008, it is not beyond the realms of scope to see that creative endeavour continue, flourish and go beyond expectations.

Music, like football, has always been part of the genetic make-up of the city and 2015, whilst suffering from the closure of some iconic venues over the last couple of years, especially for a short while The Lomax due to outside forces, has been no exception with some big names making their way to the city and locally some truly fascinating artists, bands and solo acts enhancing the already established guard. The likes of Amsterdam, Ian McNabb producing some very excellent stuff for their fans and being joined by albums and songs by new acoustic heroes and electrifying bands such as John Jenkins, Derek King, Katy McGrath, Rosenblume and Hayley Hampson.

Further afield, Glasgow and Edinburgh, two cities in which so much good comes out, has become a regular haunt once more for great gigs and theatre. Glasgow’s Hydro has really come into its own and could teach the Birmingham N.I.A. a thing or two when it comes to hosting a big name band and the sound quality expected and for lots of students in Liverpool, the Edinburgh Fringe has once more opened up their hearts in terms of building confidence and producing plays and pieces of work.

2015 may have had its pitfalls, it share of sadness, Liverpool’s own Cilla Black passing on during the year a typical example of how Time in the end will always take a much loved daughter or son from the city. In the end all we can ever do is honour their past by building upon the future and for many of the young and the young at heart in the city, the future, if nurtured properly, will be as rewarding as the past.

Film of the year 2015

1. Selma
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
3. The Lady In The Van
4. Amy
5. 5. Roger Waters: The Wall
6. Straight Outta Compton
7. The Avengers
8. Far From The Madding Crowd
9. Wild Tales
10. Brooklyn

Best Male Actor:     Eddie Redmayne The Theory of Everything

Best Female Actor:   Maggie Smith       The Lady In The Van

Best foreign language Film: Wild Tales

 

Theatre production of the Year 2015

1   The Missing Hancocks   Edinburgh Fringe

2   Educating Rita             Liverpool Playhouse

3   Krapps Last Tape           Unity Theatre

4. Hudsucker Proxy Liverpool Playhouse
5. Orpheus   Everyman Theatre
6. The Producers Empire Theatre
7. The Art of Falling Apart Unity Theatre
8. ‘Mam’ I’m ‘Ere’ Royal Court
9. Bouncers Royal Court

10 Rapunzal                    Everyman Theatre

 

Best Male Actor:     Lewis Bray   Cartoonopolis

Best Female Actor: Leanne Best Educating Rita 

 

Best Television of 2015

1 An Inspector Calls

2 Doctor Who

3 Jonathan Strange

4 River

5 Wolf Hall

6 The Eichmann Show

7 Ripper Street

8 The Dresser

9 The Musketeers

10 Broadchurch

Best Male Actor        David Thewlis   An Inspector Calls

Best Female Actor    Jenna Coleman Doctor Who

 

Best gig of 2015

1 Fleetwood Mac                   The Hydro, Glasgow

2. Joanne Shaw Taylor       The Citadel, St. Helens

3 The Jackobins                 St. Lukes, Liverpool (Liverpool Calling)

4. Kaiser Chiefs                 Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
5. Southbound Attic Band     Write Blend, Waterloo
6. Alexandra Jayne               Unity Theatre
7. Jimmy and the Revolvers     District
8. Eddi Reader                    Epstein Theatre
9. Rosenblume                     Leaf
10. Caro Emerald                 Philharmonic Hall

 

4. Album of the year

1 Iron Maiden                     Book of Souls

2 Spock’s Beard                   The Oblivion Particle

3 Steve Rothery                   The Ghosts of Pripyat

4 Laurence Jones                 What’s It Gonna Be

5 Findlay Napier                   VIP Very Interesting Persons

6 David Patrick                     The Jazz Rites of Spring

7 Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody       Prometheus Symphonia Ignis Divinis

8 Love Love                        (self titled)

9 Dan Patlansky                   Dear Silence Thieves

10 Ma Poline’s Great Decline Get Me Out of Hell

11 John Jenkins and That Sure Thing   Honeymoon Hangover

12 Joe Satriani               Shockwave Supernova

13 Mo Evans                 Spilled My Love

14 Simi Stone                 (Self Titled)

15 John Cee Standard     Stone Cold Sober

 

Wishing you a very superb and packed 2016,

Liverpool Sound and Vision.