Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

The Jam said That’s Entertainment, but if entertainment is all you need, then where do you go for enrichment, for the spark that kicks of a cycle of passion and the desire to understand what is being placed before you; a moment of entertainment might raise a smile. The Entertainment Suite is an endless succession of enhanced pleasure, one where a smile takes you beyond the simple occasion and is instead a complement that lasts.

For Simon And The Astronauts, their four strong song E.P., entertainment is another way of saying sincere performance, of making sure that the audience is well-versed in the thought of a story catching their ears, progressive maybe, but  a story is one that frames a relationship, the empathy and trust required on both sides as it is played out is one that cannot be replicated in the act of being entertained alone.

The four tracks, Cathy, Uncanny Valley, Comfortably Numb and Butterfly Kisses resonate deeply, they have a story to impart, of one to actively pursue, but also one to unchain and give its freedom to; the beauty of the moment surrendered, not in defeat, but in the knowledge that it will make those who listen to it grasp the infinite possibility more keenly, a song created by warmth, even in its harshest tones, will still make the audience’s minds cry out for more.

It is a testament to Simon And The Astronauts that the songs are crafted in the way that they are, there is no sense of bottom line, of having to maintain a standard just to get the music out in the open, instead it is in freedom of the expression, that hand over the heart panache, that gives them meaning; for it is in the story that we find out how we are seen as people and the way we want to see ourselves.

Four great tracks, The Entertainment Suite excels in its mission, for once you have heard them you will keep wanting to be part of the story they are writing.

Ian D. Hall