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.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Darkness falls early as Winter’s grip takes hold, a kind of bleakness can be felt crawling through the souls of those who seek a musical thrill, who require the artistic fix and the bite of passion in which to ward off the tendrils of despair; darkness falls, we Wait for the Blackout, and then in a bright burst of light, a flash of coronal mass ejection, darkness is abated for a while, we look to the heavens for answers and find only one possible solution, that The Damned have found a way to light the sky and the way forward.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
There will always be bands, institutions that come calling to the music venues of Liverpool of whom you just instinctively understand that the city will always turn out for in their droves for, that there will never be a moment when the loving feeling they have nurtured and held on to, will ever fade away.
A night when Heaven 17 drives its trusted and adored bandwagon across from South Yorkshire to the home of British Pop Music has always been one to savour, however in recent years it has taken on more a sense of mystical symbolism, the anniversaries have come thick and fast, important dates that are always worth celebrating have come round with what is sure to be seen as enticing to the fans as all celebrations do.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Gary Numan at the 02 Academy, Liverpool. March 2018. Photograph used with kind permission by Dave Edwards.
The dust has barely settled upon the knowledge that the world is broken, not just torn at the seams, stretching thin like black tights that cannot contain the expanding skin or a ceiling under the pressure of water that has started to buckle and strain, the thin plaster becoming slack before coming cascading down upon the floor below; the world is broken and it is arguably in many ways, impossible to put right again.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
The Stranglers at the Liverpool Academy, March 2018. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
The next time the Beast from the East decides to make an appearance on Britain’s shores, the best form of defence against this cyclonic severe cold and snow would be to tap the resources of a room full of Stranglers fans and then allow the heat to pour out onto the streets in the surrounding areas; the cold of the last few weeks would not have stood a chance as they took in the sounds of a band still rightly considered, the definitive article.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Therapy at the o2 Academy in Liverpool, March 2018. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
You can over analyse and seek treatment for almost anything, the small ailment through to the overriding sense of disassociation of the age, healing comes with talking and yet there is only one suitable cure for the way the world has turned, and a night of Therapy? is always the best of the Doctor’s orders.
Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory at the Liverpool 02 Academy, October 2016.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Any genre of music requires its founding fathers, its elder statesmen and women, the ones who made the dream of a generation and the bane of a previous one, to stand up, take control and be magnificent in the face of possible adversity and obliging redemption.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Hayseed Dixie are an example to how tribute bands should be. What’s the point in seeing or hearing a covers group if they sound the same as the original? The gentlemen from Hayseed Dixie give a fantastic yet unusual twist to rock n roll, as distorted guitar solos are replaced by a banjo and acoustic guitars.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The Jokers, bringing back classic rock to the masses, as sure and cool as they can and aided by the fact that vocalist Wayne Parry has a unique voice suited to old style rock n roll which is often missed in this generation of music; coupled with a classic guitar solos, rhythm bass and brilliant drum beats makes the band stand out from others of their kind.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
For over 30 years American Thrash Metal band Exodus have primed their audiences with enough energy to fill more long life batteries than Duracell could ever muster, the violence they play up to only for show and for the crowd to draw off strength too and the influence of this has been keenly felt across many venues and cities throughout America, Europe and Britain.