Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Musicians seem to grow up so fast, unlike for example the poet who allows themselves to remain in touch with a child like wonder, the steely resolve in the eye never a truly fixed point of emotional glory, the musician has to hold onto life with grim fascination, a singular vision of hope and only then do they allow whimsy and beauty to nestle in their hearts.

To watch Charlie McKeon on stage is a thrill, the innocence in the eyes, the delicate nature of his stance, all holding a beguiling, bewitching memory, one in which is impossible to ignore, this is what music can do for you when you allow it to nurture your own soul, when you give in to it fully and without the thought of it ever loving you in the same direct way.

Meaningful and full of youthful spirit, Charlie McKeon holds a guitar as if cradling a young child, the feeling of protection is uppermost, yet he also plays the guitar like a mischievous imp, the sound dynamic, the creativity cascading out of him fingers as if they were on strings, quick, sensual, able to cover a song with singular harmony and it is that sensual cascade that the Baltic Social audience joined in and gave him the recognition he so fully deserved.

Being amongst local legends of the acoustic scene will have done much for the young man, but they will have also taken something from his performance also. In songs such as Bicycle Thieves, the traditional Banks of Ohio, Some Years Are Good and My Love’s A Preacher Mr. McKeon framed the Liverpool Acoustic perfectly, the mixture of new songs and old traditional favourites always a glorious feast for the ears, one that never gets old or tired as it gently rocks the soul.

There is so much more to come from Charlie McKeon, more to come from the belly of this acoustic guitar and its owner, it is with keen anticipation, with salivating prospects, to see how the next year goes; undoubtedly it will be a fantastic trip.

Ian D. Hall