Cal Ruddy in Bootle, July 2016. Photograph By Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Amongst the bright young things of Liverpool’s all encompassing music box is the spirited and genuinely skilful Cal Ruddy, a man to whom a song holds only mystery, the suspense of glory and to whom obscurity is just a word destined for those who will not try, who give in before they have even started. The song is in the D.N.A. of Cal Ruddy, he presents it to the audience as if holding aloft a laurel made of silk and gold, the pleasure of the sensuous mixed with the desire for beauty and it is one to relish being amongst.
The ethos of the moment in which Cal Ruddy found himself performing outside on the stage in the Johnson’s Pavilion was such that even before he opened his mouth and took the guitar like beast on a walk through the pleasant and welcoming arms of the Bootle crowd, he was already a welcome, and indeed, honoured guest in the town.
That would come as no surprise because his fan base is growing, it is spreading beyond what could be expected for a young man in his musical infancy and yet looking across the packed bowling green lawn, the memories of many a wood placed with precision and the encouragement of a different, perhaps more gentler time, the smiles on the faces, the nods of collective harmonious spirit, were such that belief, that determination to make the music of the area stand out, was overpowering and consuming.
With a new E.P. due out in August, keeping such gems under wraps was always going to be a tough call but with songs such as Buying Time, Breaking Your Little Heart, Love and Cigarettes and Marie all being enjoyed by the crowd, what was played perhaps played second fiddle to the person who was performing; just this once it was easy to see why, for the large audience certainly knew a star in the making when they heard him.
A terrific set by Cal Ruddy, one that bodes well for the new music to come.
Cal Ruddy launches his new E.P. at Studio 2 on Parr Street, Liverpool on August 18th.
Ian D. Hall