Tag Archives: Liverpool

Lost Soul 2: Smigger’s Wrecked Head, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Jake Abraham, Gemma Brodrick, Lindzi Germain, Catherine Rice, Andrew Schofield, Bobby Schofield, Lenny Wood.

There is a clock that starts ticking in all of us at some point or another, it is inevitable, and it is folly to resist; of course, though it is fun to try. They say that women grow up quicker than men, the responsibility of the world hitting home with such force that the fun that once seemed wicked and alluring, is now but a distant memory, one still remembering the fondness of the late night fondle and chip supper, but now concerned with making sure the family that once played together, stays together.

Lost Soul 2: Smigger’s Wrecked Head, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(561 words, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

Cooped, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Aitor Basauri, Stephen Kreiss, Petra Massey, Toby Park.

Twenty glorious years in the making, and still the riotous laughter keeps coming, for Brighton-based theatre company Spymonkey; there is no sitting delicately on laurels, resting in the plumped up leather chair beside the roaring fire and passion of the audience, even returning to one of the foursome’s early successes means being match fit, confining themselves to the bird house until the pen sparks life once more.

Cooped, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(411 words, estimated 1:39 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)

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)

Heart Of Darkness, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Keicha Greenidge, Matt Prendergast, Morgan Bailey, Laura Atherton, Morven Macbeth.

Heart Of Darkness holds a distinction in literature, arguably one that was perhaps unintended by Joseph Conrad as he delved into his own life and created, what would eventually become, one of the most iconic characters to dominate early 20th Century literature and further on, a representation of symbolism in cinema. There are few books that have been as dissected and scrutinised as Heart Of Darkness and there are few that are seen in the right climate that we exist in today that are now considered un-filmable.

Heart Of Darkness, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(432 words, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

My Fairfield Lady, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Helen Carter, Jessica Dyas, Julie Glover, Danny O’Brien, Michael Starke, Matthew Walker.

Whether we like it or not, we are not eternally assessed by our efforts or our accomplishments, our standing or our points of view, but we are judged by our accents and manners, the way we talk is immediately weighed and measured and for most of us this unfair conclusion keeps us in a place to which their no escape, we are immersed into a world which prizes the idea of class, even though we fight against it at every possible moment.

My Fairfield Lady, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. full post

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

Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show, Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Duncan James, Joanne Clifton, Ben Adams, Laura Harrison, Beverly Callard, Kristian Lavercombe, Miracle Chance, Callum Evans, Ross Chisari, Rees Budin, Shelby Farmer, Katie Monks, Jake Small.

It is the high point of excess and frivolity, the moment when counter culture rubbed shoulders with the inexhaustible and the merriment of cartoonish sing a long, producing without a doubt one of the finest pieces of musical theatre to see the light of day.

Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show, Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(461 words, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

Dragged Across Concrete, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, Tory Kittles, Michael Jai White, Thomas Kretschmann, Jennifer Carpenter, Laurie Holden, Don Johnson, Udo Kier, Fred Malamed, Justine Warrington.

Robbery against the large faceless institutions, unlike murder, is one when presented in either fact or fiction produces a dichotomy of feelings for the average person, on one hand is rejoiced as a blow against the system which will happily see all bend under the strain of financial constraint whilst those that impose economic sanctions continue to thrive and prosper, on the other hand, the moral indignation takes hold and inside asks what makes such actions necessary, why should a thief get away with their actions when all the rest of society behaves and hopes for better days.

Dragged Across Concrete, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

(503 words, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)