Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The title of Lords of the back stage at The Cavern of this year’s International Pop Overthrow might be fought over with the same ferocity as men would have squabbled, bickered and fought over the throne of England in the days when such things mattered, arguably though one of the main contenders would surely be the inventive and insanely talented Blake Jones & The Trike Shop.
McCrei at the Cavern in Liverpool as part of the 2015 I.P.O. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
They say there is no greater bond than that between two sisters. Others might disagree and point to other just as valuable relationships on which are just as loving and can be just as destructive when the whim of necessity rears its head. However, one cannot argue with the closeness that two sisters will have, especially when working together on stage in close proximity and sharing the experiences of their lives through music.
Susan Hedges at the International Pop Overthrow 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Susan Hedges surely has one of the most distinctive voices on Merseyside. That voice, one that can soar as high as an angel with a helium addiction or as deep and powerful as if able to hold its own in a bar brawl and come out as the last one standing in a cage fight, unbloodied, unbowed and unrepentant, is one of the reasons that Ms. Hedges is always in demand and quite rightly so.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Loud, boisterous, full of vigour and passion, to watch The Theme is to enjoy a great night and have you panting for more.
The inexplicable nature of life, of how it has changed in the last 40 years, sometimes for the better in that bands have more access to the world outside their hometown, sometimes for the worse as in there is only so much finite time in which to keep searching through the relentless onslaught of social media updates and the outpourings of invites to see many a new group, can leave you feeling as if all your life you have lived by a quiet oasis and yet you yearn for the bucket and spade in which to dig a thousand moats.
The ViseMenn at the International Pop Overthrow 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
One of the main points of the International Pop Overthrow is to introduce music from far and wide to the shores of Britain. It is an ethos that has served David Bash, the organiser, the conveyor of such thought extremely well over the last 12 years and going into the week-long festival’s 13th year shows no signs of abating or slowing down.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
To be enchanted is an honour many never feel or even witness. So wrapped up in the pursuit of goals that in the end matter very little, they forget or even are unfortunate to live in places which look down upon, the feeling that comes with the sound of a voice filling the air and letting the heart break with a certain amount of joy, it is those other pursuits or government interjections that prohibit the reality of life, to be enchanted.
Alison Green at The Cavern. International Pop Overthrow 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5/10
Almost a year has passed since Canterbury’s Alison Green sat down inside The Cavern as part of the Independent Pop Overthrow and gave what turned out to be a smashing debut performance in Liverpool. A year on and that taste of what resides in the heart of a woman with poetry in her veins and with an inquisitive mind in search of a great lyric to marry off to a prospective, potential chord has become something in which the Canterbury set of old would have been enthusing over and the legend of Whiskey Ginger Johnson would already be known far and wide.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
To watch Luke Gallagher on stage is to be reminded of times past in Liverpool but with a huge sign around the rememberance proclaiming a possible future, a very bright one for both music lovers and for Luke Gallagher himself as times collide and merge, the coalescing of universes being bombarded by the heroes of music history all coming together in the style and voice of a young lad from Wrexham.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There is nothing quite like an afternoon having the time of your life and Fun of the Pier, especially when you can replace the thought of outdated entertainment associated with a Victorian and Edwardian era, of sand and candy floss falling into the sea below and cheap entertainment designed to thrill the masses as they ward off the spectre of yet another attacking seagull, with one that sits comfortably with the audiences at The Cavern at this year’s International Pop Overthrow and in which has the added appeal of The Suns’ Dave Lloyd in attendance.