Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Denis Parkinson is a quiet, thoughtful and selfless man, it probably accounts for the feeling of serenity that can be felt in the soul as you listen to him perform, after all nobody could ever pull off that type of demeanour, that show of attentiveness to their music if they were anything but contemplative and absorbed in producing a song with some much grace in it.

Denis Parkinson, like many of his acoustic partners in crime, may have only returned to the stage later in life but the flow of expression is there, it bites down hard and refuses to let go, this is the point of his ability, it is strong, unbending, unyielding and completely sympathetic to the listener’s needs; this is the sign of person soliciting thoughts and moulding them into a worthy shape. It is a shape of music that hits home when the chance to hear him perform presents itself.

As part of this year’s Threshold at the Liverpool Acoustic stage inside the Baltic Social, Mr. Parkinson found himself once more in demand, the attention absolute, the craving to hear his music, played with the deftness of an angel but with the ear of a devil, forthright, pitch perfect and full of passion, this was an afternoon slot filled with promise and delivered with greater ease than a Federal Express employee on the promise of promotion.

Listening to Denis Parkinson is a joy, not because he makes each song sound easy, more laid back than a hammock enjoying the rest in the Caribbean Sun but because the words are pleasurable, they sink into the psyche without the listener realising and fill the hole in the lives with great care.

In songs such as My Disease, a cover of New York Times, King of Worthless Things, I’m On Fire and Comet Song, Denis Parkinson took the afternoon audience on a journey through precision and deep thought and came up trumps.

There are many things to thank the people behind Liverpool Acoustic for, involving Denis Parkinson in their Saturday afternoon slots as part of Threshold is a mighty fine to praise them for, a considerate player, Denis Parkinson always finds the right presence of mood to get the audience’s heart thumping.

Ian D. Hall