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.
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.
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.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The Bodacious Balalaika Band, Threshold 2019. photograph by Ian D. Hall.
You have to go a fair distance to find yourself in Runcorn, it is not just a case of crossing a bridge out of the country of Merseyside, it is the will to hear something new and unusual and then think back to that the moment in just a few short years and see how influential it was. The first airing of the Russian instrument the balalaika, that debut moment when the astonishing aspect of power that three strings can bring to your soul, to fish in the waters of a memory that delighted you and now makes you completely hooked and wanting more.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Camilla Sky at the Baltic Triangle’s 92 Degrees. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Above us there is only sky, if the songwriter is to be believed, and yet down to Earth Sky exists in harmony with her surroundings, the gentleness of a voice that is not afraid to conquer, to soar and float as if possessed by a butterfly caught on the breath of the wind but who can control the path of a hurricane, a Sky that can illuminate their surroundings must be praised for the beauty it reveals.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The winter is behind us, from across the southern moor that acts a warning for what is likely to befall the unseasoned and weary traveller as they venture into England’s two remote counties of Devon and Cornwall, comes a sound of majesty, of the calling card of the Folk tradition and beauty that regales in tales lost and wars won; all with the testimony of the odd murder here and there which really lights up the room as the clocks steady themselves to bring nature and the wisdom of standing still together in a fashion of tranquillity.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
There is a gracefulness to be thanked for, saluted even, when it comes to enjoying an evening in the presence of one of the finest songwriters of British Pop/Rock history; for when you are in the company of Graham Gouldman and 10cc you instinctively feel the elegance and accomplished hand of musical professionalism resound throughout the venue and reflect the light like diamonds of the faces of the sell-out crowds that give any evening its permanent vibe.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
There is nothing reckless about Joanne Shaw Taylor, wild and as full of tempestuous cosmic storms that erupt from the Sun as it gives into its cycle of moods but never reckless, never irresponsible with the hearts of those who seek to spend their time in her company. She is attentive to the soul with a smile beguilingly appearing as the notes hang in the air and the manner of expression is savoured, it is the dedication to her craft that has created such an explosive sound and one that is cared for on both sides of the stage.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Steve Harley at the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. March 2019. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
There are moments when you recognise just what the simple act of singing as an audience to the performer who has had you gripped in their words and music for a couple of hours can do to them, the acknowledgement that love is mutual, that this simple act can reduce them to a stunned state of happiness and perhaps sees them leave the stage with their emotional state of self-criticism reduced to the point of non-existence, lost for words but thanking all who can see their face as they move to the wings with the symbolic gesture of the nod of the head, the motion of reciprocated appreciation.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Give someone the chance to surprise you and they will undoubtedly take the opportunity provided and then credit it you when it matters, in their performance, in the way they stand up on any stage the world will provide, and then act with absolute decorum and pleasure.