Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

When the bell tolls, the lightning strikes and the thunder finds a way to roll across the landscape and leave the witness in awe at the sunshine and the dripping sweat of Earth that will inevitably follow afterwards, it is always good to know that your gut instincts were right, that those who follow the artist through the rain and the youthful poise, will bask in the radiance that takes them onwards, that they will become the rainbow that heralds a music dawn.

Time is patient, the human psyche perhaps isn’t and yet when the two mix, when they combine, the stage is set, the songwriter steps forth and the surrounding musicians add the finishing touch, they become mightier than the mountain they first set out to climb, and hopefully tame, if not conquer.

Maddie Stenberg has a long way to go, however the building blocks of her dedication were laid down a long time ago, her passion has driven her forward and perhaps it was leading to the moment in which the Formby dynamo would come to the Liverpool city centre venue, run the colourful sail up the enormous pole and showcase her latest single, Take Me Home, as part of her headline appearance at Zanzibar off with full and absolute sense of completion and brilliance.

Surrounded by the generous band, including the beautiful voice of Elly Grice on backing vocals and the intricacy and delight of Nic Smith’s keyboards adding a cracking vibe to the finale of the evening, Maddie Stenberg looked to the mountain and embraced the challenge, understanding with humility that Time has yet to take her anywhere she doesn’t want to go, but one that sees the peak, once shrouded with mystery, now open up clear, the possibility for the woman that would have been but a dream when she used to perform in venues such as Brink on a Saturday afternoon.

Aside from the new single, the packed-out Zanzibar’s crowd were treated to songs such as Alone With Fear, Play Safe, Hallucinate, Change Is On Its Way and Do You Wanna Know Me, and it was a treat, a smile on the face of the way music can alter the future of anyone it touches.

This is not the end of the story of one woman’s traverse up the mountain, it isn’t even really the beginning, but on a sultry close night inside Zanzibar, Maddie Stenberg came of age and the pleasure felt at the music played, was obvious. A great night, a great artist; one perfectly enjoyed night.

Ian D. Hall