Tag Archives: Gig Review. Empire Theatre

King Crimson, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There is no greater recognition of the art than that which reflects on its greatness, whilst looking at it from a different angle, of gaining a new perspective.

In an age where music is being redefined by the artist to include remixes, and in some cases what can only be described as adulterations, to the original cause, it is perhaps an idea in which can be seen as beautifully engaging, or arguably bemoaned by others as art for arts’ sake, and one that brought a new dynamic, an innovative flavour to the Liverpool Empire stage, as King Crimson brought their talent to an audience, which for many would have been their first live undertaking.

King Crimson, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(464 words, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

The Illegal Eagles, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There is no shame in taking it to the limit, for by admitting your love for the song, the moment in which art fuels one’s very being, it becomes the beauty in the obsession; and even if you only see that fascination come out the shadows on the very odd occasion, the only decent response is to play for all your money is worth, to take that limit and see it go beyond the stars.

The Illegal Eagles, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(493 words, estimated 1:58 mins reading time)

Regina Spektor, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

A night of music, the sweaty gig in the enthusiastic pit, the concert in the grandest of halls, the lofty ideal and the well worked grunge, they are always more memorable for the occasional slip or cause of ripple in the audience and on stage with the band than for the polished, almost diluted down of humanity’s lack of humour, affair in which far too many serious types offer; just that small moment that makes it different, gives it personality and makes the conversation flow , of that moment when…

Regina Spektor, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(468 words, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

The Illegal Eagles, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. (2017).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The Illegal Eagles, Liverpool Empire Theatre, June 2017. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

There are times in life when you cry over a fallen hero, a family member who did something pretty amazing with their life or was just selfless in making sure that yours was not shrouded in pity and the bleak, a conqueror of the stage who you saw perform without mercy and who never knew you were there in shadows being moved by the simple raised eyebrow or the manner of their walk, the musician to whom The Long Road out of Eden was not just lived but taken to heart; it is O.K. to cry over a fallen hero, for it shows the effect they had on shaping your life.

The Illegal Eagles, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. (2017). full post

(517 words, 1 image, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

Hozier, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It feels as though it is only a short time that Hozier burst onto the scene and took a new army of fans under his wing. In that short time, fuelled by a rampant merciful and laid back attitude, of songs so strong that they find themselves competing in competitions on beaches with their musical muscles rippling in the off shore breeze and the bronzed tan glistening in the summer sweat, has not been wasted. It has been fully developed and brought to the point of flourishing abundance and as the crowd at the Empire Theatre gave thanks in their hundreds for each and every song that appeared Genie like before them.

Hozier, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(368 words, estimated 1:28 mins reading time)

Wyvern Lingo, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The warmth of the night inside The Empire Theatre was due mostly by the voices of excited chatter, of local fans hugging themselves in delight at the thought of getting tickets for the first big Rock act of the year to come to Liverpool. It was in that warmth, that glow of spirit to go beyond the enclosures of work and home for probably the first time this year for many, that the heat rose as the flush of thousand hearts made the theatre feel as homely, and as noisy as it did.

Wyvern Lingo, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(415 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

The Simon And Garfunkel Story, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Whilst Liverpool audiences have had the honour of watching the legendary Art Garfunkel perform within the last year, a night of beautiful appreciation for one of the defining voices of the 20^th Century at the Philharmonic Hall, the chances of both the harmony and the man with the guitar playing alongside him in the city of music are more than astronomical, they are virtually impossible. It is in to that melancholic fact that solace of any type must be sought and in The Simon and Garfunkel Story, solace, the comfort of New York folk and inspired lyrics, is offered and enjoyed by the entire Empire Theatre audience.

The Simon And Garfunkel Story, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(474 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Mike Scott offers so much of himself on stage that the decency of the man shines through with the glow of warm African sunset and the truth of a great Scottish artist.

Returning to Liverpool as part of their latest tour and to what should be considered a natural home for The Waterboys, the band played a set that was both outrageously enjoyable but also deeply conscious of the audiences wishes to be entertained and informed, to not just be the type of gig in which the flickering neon lights glaze the eyes but instead offer a type of natural absolution to the day, the warmth of that deep African sunset illuminating the thoughts with effortless wisdom.

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(416 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

The Illegal Eagles, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. (2015).

Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

For Liverpool fans of the Eagles, 2014 was a momentous year, a moment in which the band came back to the U.K. and gave arguably one of the greatest performances by the band in perhaps the whole of the career. It was possibly made all the more special for the fact that they had not played as a cohesive unit, least not on the rain battered shores that the River Mersey takes solace in, for some time and yet the music was as beautiful and hard hitting as it ever had been. The only disappointment that would have been felt was the feeling of numbness as the dying embers of the classic songs slowly drifted off into the ether and the realisation that these songs of nights out in the desert and where the symbol of American freedom might never be heard live again.

The Illegal Eagles, Gig Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. (2015). full post

(530 words, 1 image, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)