Category Archives: Live

Ghost, Gig Review. Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

You could travel to the end of recorded time and rarely come across a moment in which you see a support act on stage which leaves you with the impression that you wish they had more time, not to establish themselves in the eyes of the audience, but to dominate, to dictate terms of your surrender, absolute and unequivocally.

The feeling does happen occasionally, but it is one that arguably doesn’t sit in the gut unless they are a band to which has already had the presence of mind to rule a section of the crowd that has come to pay homage to the main act.

Ghost, Gig Review. Etihad Stadium, Manchester. full post

(396 words, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

The Divine Comedy, Gig Review. HMV, Arndale Centre, Manchester.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The temptation of an early afternoon gig is normally the preserve of the festival attendee, the chance to partake in a set of music surrounded by like-minded people as they savour the freedom of the setting and all the attraction of living life in pursuit of happiness rather than the drudgery of a day concerned with the nine to five and the complicated demands of the office and its politics.

The Divine Comedy, Gig Review. HMV, Arndale Centre, Manchester. full post

(517 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

Andrew Hesford, Gig Review. The Casa, Liverpool.

You can know someone for years and never truly gain insight into what they are capable of proving to the world until the one moment where the stage lights hits the spot where they stand, and all of a sudden the shadows melt away, they retreat to furthest corners of the mind and all that remains is an artist’s soul, a bright light in which you cannot but send messages to your nearest and fondly remembered that you wish they were there to enjoy the reveal.

Andrew Hesford, Gig Review. The Casa, Liverpool. full post

(418 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

John Chatterton, Gig Review. The Casa, Liverpool.

We play the hand we are dealt but for some there is always a way to seek a journey beyond the deck of possibilities, a chance not yet observed by many to keep performing at the table long after everyone else has cashed in their chips and hailed a taxi to their homes. For some the stimulation they continue to garner, to chase and embrace the fortune and the pot of creative bounty is enough to see the pair of deuces as a winning hand and the straight flush as a moment of beauty, of ignoring the glare and opening the mind to all the permutations possible.

John Chatterton, Gig Review. The Casa, Liverpool. full post

(419 words, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

Eleanor Nelly, Gig Review. The Casa, Liverpool.

The relationship between a musician and the demands of society have always ebbed and flowed, a mass of appreciation that is given freely, but then one which is tempered, almost costing the artist the substantial amount of their soul; it is when the outside interference comes along that the musician may feel that they owe more than is necessary and that is the sadness which waylays, perhaps even destroys many a marvellous mind.

Eleanor Nelly, Gig Review. The Casa, Liverpool. full post

(430 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

The sound is enigmatic, sincere, almost poetry within itself, add into the equation the lyrical robustness that flows elegantly as if navigating, taming a winter storm at sea, then it becomes clear why Mike Scott and The Waterboys continue to impress the audiences that eagerly await the announcement of a gig in their area, almost choir like in their appreciation, they sing to a glory that gathers rhythm and insightful prose together in a sweeping gesture that makes the heart beat faster and the mind moved in unison.

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(429 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

There are times in life when you find yourself kneeling on the steps that lead to another human being’s alter and understanding why you are praying for the type of intervention that only a symbol of creation can bring to your troubled soul; in that moment of revelation you become a follower of the bright light that has been exposed, your breath quickens and your mind is laid bare of all that you thought you recognised and appreciated.

Little Steven And The Disciples Of Soul, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(424 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Dean Friedman, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The question always hangs in the air on how Lydia understands, perhaps she is tune with the moment in which Dean Friedman plays to the receptive and knowing audiences in which ever city he finds himself performing, playing to crowds who do more than understand the appeal of geniality and genius in equal measure, they recognise and identify with the common touch held in the hands of the musician, and the soul of the poet.

Dean Friedman, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(427 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac’s Emily Gervers at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. April 2019. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Time has not yet been called on the story of Fleetwood Mac, there is always one more chapter being written, one more footnote being slotted in, one extra paragraph to be prepared, for a group that is rightly hailed as one of the all-time greats of Rock, they also know how to keep the fans guessing on what drama will come to light next; it is in that which keeps the whole performance as electrifying and as dynamic as watching a meteor shower blaze across the night sky.

Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(563 words, 1 image, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

Art Garfunkel, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision rating 9/10

Legends only increase in value and heartfelt beauty with time, the song remains the same as the scene before the audience changes, youthful memory gives way to mature understanding, a sense of the distinguished statesman, the adored wisdom of a artist whose sensitivity has never been questioned, suddenly becomes in the eyes of the audience searching for that wonder, a monument made of human emotion and response to the loss of innocence we know for certain will never be found.

Art Garfunkel, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(477 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)