Dusky Grey in Bootle, August 2016. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.  

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Up the road, just past the city centre of Liverpool and beyond the gates of expectation, the Liverpool International Music Festival, a noble cause, a social event in the ever increasing diary was gearing up for another year; established and full of flavour, it is a highlight for the music fan.

Yet to the north of the great city, a town much older than its near neighbour, one that has had the steep decline mirroring Liverpool in the 80s and 90s but to whom still is deep under the tide at times, something new was stirring, something wonderful and creative, and it kicked off in wonderful style as Dusky Grey proceeded to make the Battle of the Bands, in truth a festival for the people of Bootle, a ringing success.

With the day being split neatly between bands and acoustic musicians, easing the sun over the midday arc Dusky Grey took command of the stage, infront of a former bowling green and with the iconic but now half destroyed Johnson’s Factory and St. Andrews Church staring out with a half gaze on former boom times for the town, the music that swept over the field was one of glory, the immediate herald of what is good about community when it comes together and the soul in which music is infused with.

Dusky Grey opened up the Battle of the Bands with calm assurance, the whisper of a smile for the day ahead and as he performed his set with care, there was a tingle in the air, a brush of excitement that Bootle never really gets to feel. If music is about bringing people together then it could be felt, the initial stirring of camaraderie in a place where at times the people may have felt left behind.

For Dusky Grey, it was a perfect introduction to the gathering masses, and as the day started with a smile, as the strangeness of the situation in the area took on gravitas, the young musician played the songs, Lose My Mind, Let Go and Someone Else with the strength of a seasoned professional and the day, because of it, was well and truly set to be one to remember forever.

An enjoyable start to the July day and one set in the knowledge it was started by the right artist, a terrific vote of confidence by Round Sound Radio who had put the event together.

Ian D. Hall