Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It can feel like you’re walking into the unknown, that the words created by the superb Phil Daltrey are so meaningful, so dipped in cool repose and measured by the weight of the city and its outlook towards the rest of the country, one in wishes that it would follow its lead in certain regards more than the village controlled by masked tradition on the Thames, that musicians such as Mr. Daltrey understand tradition, of community so much more than those in the House of Cards; community is all at the end of the day, it what binds us and the unknown can suddenly become a walk along a meadow, full, lush and plentiful.

Community is the point of such festivals as Party in the Park, it brings those close by out of their homes and gets them to mix with others, perhaps some they once knew but drifted away from, a chance meeting over a burger and cold drink the start of a business, a project, a friendship. For without a community spirit, those who would hang towns such as Bootle out to dry, would not only win, they would glorify in the result.

It is the sense of community which makes Phil Daltrey’s set inspired, that makes you believe that a day which called out to the streets of Bootle to come and join in the fun, the memory and the opportunity to have something beautiful in the area, to know that a musician who captures the mood of one of the worst crimes ever imposed on the city of Liverpool is one that can still generate music and anger, reflection and expressive thought.

The musician’s For The 96 does not require mere words by a writer said in its honour, it just needs to be felt and it is a song that Phil Daltrey brings great passion to as he performs it for the multitude in the grounds of The Hub in Bootle.

With the songs Walk Out (To The Unknown), Once Upon A Time and Timebomb all adding extra gravitas to the day, Phil Daltrey took the crowd that was amassing underneath the memories of the deserted monolith of the once proud Johnson’s old building and sat them down with patience and pride on the lawn in which Crown Green bowlers once whiled away the time, and gave a beautiful afternoon the sense of community it needed.

A great set by Phil Daltrey, a performer to hear so much more from.

Ian D. Hall