Liverpool Sound and Vision rating 9/10

Two Black Sheep at the Music Room in Liverpool. December 2018. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

In an age of disagreements and conflict, of homogenous mingling and beige uniform, to follow your own path is to be admired, to insist upon your own space and not follow the herd is to be congratulated, to reject the conventional is respected; nothing and no one is truly identical in thought and deed. When it comes to Two Black Sheep, the tune they play is one consistently pure, so against type and yet one on which can count upon, to stir the chops and get the fans talking of the combination at the heart of the matter.

It Takes Two, but sometimes six is better, a duo and a wonderful arrangement of violin strings and the Commander of the Bow keeping time on the side, it is a three ringed professional application in which Two Black Sheep’s Amy Chalmers and Ian Davies join forces for the evening of acoustic music at the Philharmonic Hall’s Music Room, a passionate display of well suited guitar and voices, puncturing the air with authority and in which on this celebrated evening of Liverpool’s much loved duo’s, is taken further in terms of enjoyment as they showcase a couple of songs from the soon to be released new album.

Joining Ms. Chalmers and Mr. Davies on stage for the evening is the presence of Gwen Burgess, Jordan Garbutt and Lara Simpson on violins and the ever-graceful figure of Vicky Reid on cello. It is a balanced affair, a gentle kiss on the cheeks of life but also a feeding of the mind with intrigue and realism.

Like all acoustic performers, there is a form of poetry circling the music as it is performed, and for Two Black Sheep that often-delicate prose is in the realm of Dylan Thomas or T.S. Elliot, honest, unashamed, firm and able to pull in different directions, a shape shifting behemoth whose only desire is to pull the reader and listener out of their pre-festive apathy.

In songs such as Ghosts, the melancholic beauty of Another Lonely Winter, Glasgow Train, the hard-hitting neighbour argument that encloses Beech Tree, Angry Boy, Home and a true sense of cultural appreciation in the cover of The Pogues/Kirsty McColl hit single Fairytale of New York, Two Black Sheep excel, already well versed and enjoyed by many, this performance was yet another reason in which to stand proud with the acoustic fraternity in Liverpool.

A great set of music delivered by six musicians with passion for the night and its meaning.

Ian D. Hall