Category Archives: Live

Two Black Sheep, Gig Review. Studio 2, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

In the right hands the combination of guitar and violin is one of extreme beauty, they complement each other, they add a mournful dynamic to joy, they imagine upbeat righteousness in the midst of passion and yet they also bring a sound of hope to a place where life is in need of comfort; it matters not if the sound is one of the ethereal or inscribed with a regimental jig, what matters is that the heart and soul of a song is joined together by the players and their instruments.

Two Black Sheep, Gig Review. Studio 2, Liverpool. full post

(393 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Midge Ure, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

You always hope to catch the effervescent in a performance, the sincerity of the lively and the dynamic in the same thread of the act, whilst understanding that it is the memory of a certain time, of nostalgia, making the hairs on the back of the neck stand firmly to attention and the whisper of the music fall in love once more.

Midge Ure, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(497 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

Cal Ruddy, Gig Review. Studio 2. Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cal Ruddy at Studio 2, Liverpool. October 2019. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

There is no greater sense of satisfaction in the eye of the gig attendee or fan than to witness the musician-songwriter emerge fully into the light, the cocoon shed, the wings spread out as wide as possible and the flight they are about to urge you to join them on. A journey that has been practised and perfected upon and then with visible joy etched upon the faces of all who present, the artist earns their wings; all you can do now after  all the support, all the concerns and applause is to wish them well, for the next time you hear about them it might be with a personal postcard sent from Elliston Place.

Cal Ruddy, Gig Review. Studio 2. Liverpool. (2019). full post

(527 words, 1 image, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

Jimmy And The Revolvers, Gig Review. Studio 2, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Jimmy And The Revolvers, Studio 2, Liverpool. October 2019. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Such is the music provided in the last ten years by what was once Liverpool’s fledgling music community, it would be forgivable to admit that you might not have been able to see every band that has frequented the pubs, the back stages and for some the recognition afforded by the larger venues that the city has to offer. However, there will always be a part of Liverpool that will belong to Jimmy and the Revolvers, a voice that emulates that of one of Liverpool’s favourite sons, Gerry Marsden and a vibe that sits at the heart of modern transposed joy, and to witness it live, for a first time, for a hundredth time, or perhaps for a last time, is to understand what you loved about music in the first place.

Jimmy And The Revolvers, Gig Review. Studio 2, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(378 words, 1 image, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

Alice Cooper, Gig Review. First Direct Arena, Leeds.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Pure theatre and the exotic pleasure of the captivating soul. There are many ways you can perhaps look at the life and performances of Alice Cooper, undoubtedly, he is first and foremost a showman, the ringmaster to whom nobody can rival, except maybe P.T. Barnum himself.

Alice Cooper, Gig Review. First Direct Arena, Leeds. full post

(401 words, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

The Stranglers, Gig Review. First Direct Arena, Leeds.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

It is possible to let the music-driven mind deliver itself to a conclusion that nothing can ever truly stop The Stranglers, not even silence.

The sound of the stirring anthem, the call to arms that resides in the heart of the band’s much loved intro, Waltz In Black, came to pass with anticipation and delight; it was palpable, the arena in Leeds matching the expectant buzz to come from the main performance of Alice Cooper and arguably the same sense of passion that older fans of the city’s football team once wrapped themselves in as they pushed on their support to the eventual top flight league title at the start of the 1990s.

The Stranglers, Gig Review. First Direct Arena, Leeds. full post

(430 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

Belinda Carlisle, Gig Review. Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

It takes stamina and fortitude to tame the strength of Runaway Horses, however, on the odd occasion they can also be brought to heel by the grace and beauty of a performance which has never diminished from the first faltering steps and through to the accomplished portrayal of one who has seen and done it all with fire coursing through their veins.

Belinda Carlisle, Gig Review. Symphony Hall, Birmingham. full post

(443 words, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Eagles, Gig Review. M & S Bank Arena, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

It would have always been at the back of the mind of the Eagles fan, that if they didn’t see them perform in Liverpool on their 2014 tour, it was quite possible they might never see them again. After all the band had not called in to the city for quite some time before that, and with the passing of Glen Frey in 2016, that performance was to be likely the last time in which an audience would see them.

Eagles, Gig Review. M & S Bank Arena, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(575 words, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)

Metallica, Gig Review. Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

In its short history the Etihad Stadium, the home of the current Premier League champions Manchester City, has witness despondency and glory in almost equal measure, but perhaps its more defining moments have come in the last ten years, late goals which have described a generation. A single moment in which a crowd hero made his mark for eternity deep into stoppage time and left a commentator breathless, a television hanging on the end of an extended vowel that still raises the hairs on the back of the neck and sends a shiver down the spine of anyone fortunate to have witnessed it take place.

Metallica, Gig Review. Etihad Stadium, Manchester. full post

(576 words, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)

Manic Street Preachers, Gig Review. Anfield Stadium, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The Manic Street Preachers are no strangers to Liverpool, having the rare bestowment of love given to them by the city for the part they have played in music history but also in the way they have sided with the city in political respects, they have felt the damage to the city and its citizens’ reputations as surely had they plied their early days continually performing at the Lomax or gigging round the town on a daily basis. No strangers, just another opportunity in which to perform in a city they love, and to perform at the home of the European Champions as support to Bon Jovi must surely rank as one of the great moments of the band’s history.

Manic Street Preachers, Gig Review. Anfield Stadium, Liverpool. full post

(411 words, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)