Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It may have been a strictly confidential moment but one fitting the determination and selfless fortitude into which Marc Vormawah finds himself occupying with a smile and a host of the resilient survivor inflamed into his very being; invited to open up the evening ahead of Only Child’s new album release gig inside the Music Room of the Philharmonic Hall, it became the unveiling of a secret shouted with glory, a tale within the annals of Liverpool music that would live on in the open.
Marc Vormawah will be the first one to admit that he has been around and paid more than his fair share of dues, like many in the city by the Mersey he has battled against the swell of indifference that comes with the envy of those that look upon Liverpool with greed and distance and the times in which they have grown within, it is after all difficult to get started when no one will give you a chance except those that quite rightly love you.
It is not so much a revelation to hear Marc Vormawah perform, if you have had the pleasure of being in company before, then you will intrinsically have feelings of warmth and gratitude towards him, however there is something of the elemental about his touch, a lightness caught by the spark of flame that rampages through his spirit, not so much a revelation but an exposure of the mystique, one unwrapped with care by the crowd and the band on stage beside him.
A musician not afraid to speak his mind is perhaps not unusual, but as songs such as This Is How It Ends, Song For Paul, Tough Guy, How Many Hours, the superb That Mercury Sound, Strictly Confidential and California Suite play out across the crammed Music Room, the smiles and laughter unveiled a series of cognitive thoughts, anger bubbling away just underneath the surface, a joyous coupling of anticipation of change and the knowledge that even if we are not held up by the nation, we can be held aloft by those who see our sincerity and passion.
A gentleman of the stage, the Music Room is a fitting place in which to stand in the presence of songs created by Marc Vormawah, strictly confidential no more, this is the place where a local icon steps out of the shadows.
Ian D. Hall