David Neville King, Gig Review. The Party In The Park, Bootle.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It feels at times that the artist can be confined in a bubble, that society does not expect them to be go beyond what they deem to be a fair place, an almost cell like and society driven conflict, “we wish to love you”, you can almost hear them cry, “but we don’t want to share you.” The artist is not a caged bird, to keep them in one place is to ignore their spirit, their heart and their ambition, and in David Neville King, there are few who can match his impressive heart and spirit.

The soul of the performer should perhaps always be laid bare, to see them soar like an Eagle high above the clouds and then fall asleep to the sound of validation and applause, is to be a wish that many should have in their hearts, you should never tame an Eagle, you should always hope that the spirit of the performer can be allowed to see beyond the cage.

David Neville King is an acoustic hero, the boundaries of a venue’s walls don’t hold him back and in the same way that Denis Parkinson, John Jenkins and Derek King are able to transcend the occasion, so too does the gentleman to whom songs Ray Lazy Ray, Childhood Soul and Vertigo Overload resonate far out through the concrete walls and the limits imposed at times by a well meaning audience who wish to keep them a beautiful secret.

Mr. King’s set at the Party in the Park might have only consisted of the aforementioned three songs but they took on the appearance of that majestic bird of prey and floated in the breeze seeing off any potential scavengers, the ones that pick the bright feathers and plumage of those that see outside of the walls.

It is always a heart beating faster moment to see a performer take another step, to see them comfortable, poised and generous with their music, especially at something as important as Party in the Park; it is the vibration, the resonance that breaks down barriers, that takes a man such as David Neville King into the next stage of an important discovery, the realm of the eagle is not confined to that bird alone, it is for all to experience.

Ian D. Hall