Tag Archives: Derek King

Derek King, Gig Review. 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool. Threshold 2017.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Sometimes you have to just take stock, regroup and reflect on life, it can happen at any time, to anyone but in the words of Derek King, To Be A Boy is not to forget what it means to be an adult, it just means that some emotions have to be looked at from the mind of the uncluttered, of the innocent and the open minded; taking stock is not defeatism, it is the greatest strength we possess and Derek King captures that feeling superbly, not only in the studio but also he performs it with aplomb live.

Derek King, Gig Review. The Brink, Liverpool. (2017).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The much admired Jodie Schofield, the founder of the mantra Be Lovely Day, may have found herself in a different climate this last few months, but even having relocated to Cornwall, another pasture with its own sense of identity and which mirrors Liverpool perfectly, the artist’s excellent work carries on in a city that will never forget the music of SheBeat.

Derek King, Gig Review. Sound Food And Drink, Liverpool. We Shall Overcome 2016.

Liverpool’s acoustic scene would not be the same without the people who donate so much of their time and energy to make sure the musicians are heard and given a major platform to show their talent and their inspirations off to. It is point that should be mentioned often, that so many superb musicians play in the city and get their audience in the effort of Liverpool Acoustic; a realm of enlightened attitude which does all the greatest of service.

Liverpool Acoustic Collective, Someday We’ll See Better Days. Single Review.

There are moments when the world, or at least certain people with decency in their hearts and the courage in their minds, is able to make a huge difference. There are many problems to be discussed, to be addressed and be solved, no matter how far we come as a civilisation, no matter the dizzy heights of industrial might, of reaching out beyond our mortal capability into the stars and the progress of technical know-how, people fall through the gaps. They become unseen, almost invisible, past the point of sight until they blur into their surroundings and whether it is through the actions of someone else or their own misfortune, brought on perhaps by a Government and others that just don’t care, the cracks open up regardless and the streets, the parks and the obscured shadows become the home of the dispossessed and the homeless.

Derek King, Seasons. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

If Sometimes is an occasion, an instance in Time to celebrate, then to find yourself nestling amongst the Seasons is to consider yourself privileged. It is a privilege that has been waiting and yearning to break free and for Derek King, it is a chance to raise the flag of his work even higher than many would ever dare to dream possible.

Derek King, Bah Humbug!. Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It is the season to be jolly, to eat, drink and be merry, to frown upon those that find the Christmas spirit more than a little agitating and for the absurdity of walking through a shopping centre anywhere in the country and being bombarded by the dream of capitalism in red and white hats. It is the season in which all good girls and boys get presents that they truly know deep down inside that their parents cannot afford. It is the season in which we have arguably forgotten the truth of it all, that peace is a not a commodity that is stacked upon a shelf with a price tag emblazoned with the legend “Christmas bargain, two for one special”…it is no wonder that more people are turning their backs upon it all.

Derek King, Gig Review. Liverpool Acoustic Garden, Kazimier, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Rain must fall into the everyday; it is what after all makes the grass on the right side of the fence lush and green. The heavens may have opened with the feeling of the torrential storm homing in like an angry pigeon toting a bad attitude and blistering for an argument but in small corner of Liverpool, out of the rain but very much enjoying the sound of water hitting the small rounded gravel stones and the bouncing off the wooden tables, the Kazimier Garden’s audience wallowed in the beautiful sentiments offered by Derek King and the sly shake of the imagined fist as he dared the weather to do its worst.

Derek King, Sometimes. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

When Sometimes becomes an occasion, then it takes on a completely different meaning. As Sometimes is oft to do, the spirit of it can quickly transform in to a full blown opportunity, from the odd visit from a loved one to your door, to the day in which the occasion is celebrated with a mutual pact of understanding and genuine affection, Sometimes can manifest and transform into an occasion.

K’s Choice, The City Of Music Two. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

The humble compilation album can take many forms. In now what seems at times the dim and distant past, as distant to the younger generation coming through now as Sir Edmund Hilary’s and Tenzing Norgay’s ascent of Everest to those growing up in the 1970s, the past when to have your say in music meant taking the pick of the songs you may have proudly bought or even embarrassingly hidden away due to the absurdity of the song and placed onto a C90 tape and perhaps even then handed over with much ceremony to the person you perhaps fancied, the compilation stood for something pure.