Category Archives: Live

Brit Floyd, Gig Review. M & S Arena, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision rating * * * * *

Ian Cattell of Brit Floyd, M & S Arena, Liverpool. February 2019. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

The zeitgeist can often be over rated, its meaning shrouded in a warped sense of nostalgia as we attempt to put our fingers on a pulse that stopped beating when we were no longer paying attention. We search in vain, we grasp the remnants of what made us tick to the clock buzzing inside our minds and we see Time as a complete picture, and not the fragmented illusion that it is, one in which we attempt to place the jigsaw pieces back together, seeing an all-embracing, beautiful sunset, not realising that the picture on the front of the box is actually one that bears no resemblance to what we remember.

Brit Floyd, Gig Review. M & S Arena, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(672 words, 1 image, estimated 2:41 mins reading time)

Mike And The Mechanics, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Mike and the Mechanics at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool. February 2019. Photograph taken by, and used with the kind permission of Alan Hewitt.

Perhaps a first for a Liverpool audience, a sight of the strange turned talking point, to be greeted by the physical image of representations of four hot air balloons above the Philharmonic Hall stage, a symbol maybe of the heights that Mike and the Mechanics have strode for, to see beyond the horizon, a depiction feasibly of Phileas Fogg and his earnest wish to prove to the world that the impossible can be achieved with the right attitude and cast iron will.

Mike And The Mechanics, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(460 words, 1 image, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

Only Child, Gig Review. Music Room, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The Music Room at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall has played host to the great and the good, it has become a place where a spiritual journey is undertaken, where reactions and passions run high, a meeting place perhaps where the Emotional Geography of the land finds a way to be paid out and given the detailed scrutiny once only available to those with a keen interest in ordnance survey, the peaks, the troughs and the places of interest that are always within walking distance but so few make the effort to explore.

Only Child, Gig Review. Music Room, Liverpool. full post

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

Marc Vormawah, Gig Review. Music Room, Liverpool.

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, Gig Review. Music Room, Liverpool. full post

(405 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

Liverpool Acoustic Celebrates Its Tenth Birthday In Style At Leaf.

In the modern world which embraces the instant and regular change as if it is a commodity in which to brokered and haggled over, it is refreshing to find the reflection of art and music that Liverpool Acoustic offers still going strong as it reached the tremendous milestone of being part of the city’s culture for 10 outstanding years.

Liverpool Acoustic Celebrates Its Tenth Birthday In Style At Leaf. full post

(529 words, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

A Foreigners Journey, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

A Foreigners Journey, Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. February 2019. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

To tackle and cover the songs and emotional response of one of the greatest and intensely loved bands of all time is one thing, to do justice to two, that takes more than just the idea of a tribute, it is a carnival of appreciation brought to life as if it was theatre, a series of beautifully balanced songs, highs, expectations and genuine love for a genre’s creativity.

A Foreigners Journey, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(376 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

Tears For Fears, Gig Review. M & S Bank Arena, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Longevity can be a double-edged sword to which some find themselves at the wrong end of, instead of wielding it as if the fight has always been enjoyable, they fall awkwardly upon it and cause scratches that never heal, the object too heavy to counter, the weapon of love not sown, and yet it can be so beguiling, that fight can be sensational, it can bring about a new type of respect from those that might not have seen you perform in the heat of battle for the time it takes to change their colours and your armour.

Tears For Fears, Gig Review. M & S Bank Arena, Liverpool. full post

(500 words, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)

Alison Moyet, Gig Review. M & S Bank Arena, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

It is a little under two years since Alison Moyet wowed the audience inside the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the November evening being one of the most hauntingly beautiful to have taken place inside the grandness of the city’s prestigious venue. Time never diminishes such a talent like Alison Moyet, the setting may change, the atmosphere may vary, but for legends of music, to which Ms. Moyet undoubtedly belongs, what remains is the sheer exuberance and the depth of their passion for the chance to perform in front of an audience.

Alison Moyet, Gig Review. M & S Bank Arena, Liverpool. full post

(372 words, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)

Lauren Ray, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

In the end all that we have to do must be worth it, our best is what defines us, our search to extend the reach of our soul must be fruitful, and as a consequence it has to commit to seeing life as more than a performance, it has to be passion personified, the light must resonate as deeply from within as it shows on stage.

A person of substance is all that we are required to be, but sometimes when the light falls and the music starts, we are dominated by the blackness that envelops us, we forget to shine, we misplace the element that makes us unique.

Lauren Ray, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

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

The Simon And Garfunkel Story. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and vision Rating 9/10

“…and what a time it was, it was…” there will never be another time like it, nor will there be another American Folk/Rock duo like Simon and Garfunkel, the combination of both the artistes and the time they captured the raw sensibility, the hope and eventual damage caused by a system that was determined to not let the world enjoy the freedom it had sought and fought so hard to win.

The Simon And Garfunkel Story. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

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