Monthly Archives: August 2012

Dodgy, Stand Up In A Cool Place. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 9th 2012.

L.S. Media Review. ****

You only need one word to describe the Dodgy album, Stand Upright In A Cool Place, you could search through every edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, every thesaurus possible and spend hours looking for that one perfect platitude and it will all boil down to the same thing…stunning!

It’s not just the songs themselves that make up this exquisite album it’s the sound that seems to traverse musical boundaries whilst retaining the beauty of the band. Like last year’s awesome release by The Waterboys An Appointment With Mr. Yeats, by doing something against the grain has propelled the band into an area that their music will thrive and no doubt be remembered just as fondly as their Brit Pop era.

Dodgy, Stand Up In A Cool Place. Album Review. full post

(422 words, 1 image, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 13th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Matthew Rhys, Alun Armstrong, Ron Cook, Julia Mckenzie, Janet Dale, Rory Kinnear, Freddie Fox, Tamzin Merchant, Sacha Dhawan

How exactly do you finish of someone else’s work after they have died so that’s its deemed worthy enough for an audience’s appreciation? Beethoven, Schubert,  and Charles Dickens have one thing in common and that is they died before they could finish a major piece of work.

The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Television Review. full post

(485 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

The Art of Falling Apart, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 15th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

There was a certain degree of crossing over from the old year into the new at The Unity theatre. Not only was the wonderful The Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor being performed in the Unity One but upstairs in a bare space that encompasses Unity Two, the audience were treated to the kind of visual fast paced, anarchic display of comedy that is so underused, so brilliantly written and so quick that it leaves you breathless and desiring more and more.

The Art of Falling Apart, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(373 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

Sherlock, Reichenbach Fall. Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 16th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Andrew Scott, Rupert Graves, Una Stubbs, Mark Gatiss, Jonathon Aris, Loo Brealey, Amber Elizabeth, Pano Masti, Katherine Parkinson, Vinette Robinson.

Save the best till last, always keep the audience wanting more and keep them guessing…even if it means the clamour and noise from the enormous fan base that’s been the envy of many other prime time television programmes gets louder and louder until the B.B.C. and the Moffat/Gatiss writing team confirm that there will be a, hopefully, third series.

Sherlock, Reichenbach Fall. Television Review. full post

(600 words, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

Spamalot. Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 19th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

Cast: Marcus Brigstocke, Jodie Prenger, Todd Carty, Robin Armstrong, Rob Delaney, Adam Ellis, Kit Orton, Eric Idle, Jon Robyns, Eric Idle.

You either love, some would say adore, Monty Python or you just don’t get it. For those that don’t understand the concept, there is help available. For those that love it, high tail it down to the Empire Theatre and take in the majesty of absurdity of Monty Python’s Spamalot.

Spamalot. Theatre Review. Empire Theatre, Liverpool full post

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

Birdsong, Television Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 23rd 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Matthew Goode, Clemence Poesy, Richard Madden, Thomas Turgoose, Joseph Mawle, George Mackay, Rory Keenan, Laurent Lafitte.

Birdsong is a late 20th Century classic and arguably, to some critics, Sebastian Faulks’ finest novel to date. To fans of the book though who have been desperate to see this First World War drama brought to a larger audience, they have waited, patiently or not, since 1993 and it has to be said it was almost worth the wait.

Birdsong, Television Review. full post

(526 words, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, Destination: Nerva. Big Finish audio play. 1.01

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 24th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Cast: Tom Baker, Louise Jameson, Raquel Cassidy, Tim Bentinck, Sam Graham, Tilly Gaunt, Kim Wall, Tim Treloar.

Destination: Nerva is the brand new Doctor Who audio from Big Finish that requires a fanfare so loud and devastatingly proud as it finally brings the much loved and much missed Tom Baker back into the realm of original adventures. However, it also requires a discretion, the will to give this new series a chance to grow and for Mr. Baker to find his feet at Big Finish whilst immersing himself back as one of the premier Doctor incarnations.

Doctor Who, Destination: Nerva. Big Finish audio play. 1.01 full post

(685 words, 1 image, estimated 2:44 mins reading time)

The Classic Rock Show, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 25th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

What would be on your ultimate juke box? If you are a rock fan, a lover of great guitars, crashing drums and lyrics that melt the heart whilst simultaneously making you join in the drum beat with your heart pounding out a rhythm that no other person can fathom, then more than likely you have the top ten albums of all time tattooed on your arm and index-linked and time stamped in your brain.

The Classic Rock Show, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(626 words, 1 image, estimated 2:30 mins reading time)

The Doors, L.A. Woman. The Doors, L.A. Woman.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 25th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

I admit my musical relationship with The Doors is not what it could have been. I didn’t appreciate the American band at all. The reason for this rather glib demonstration of lack of musical compatibility is down to a girl I used to date who had the most overpowering and dedicated crush on Jim Morrison. No not a crush, she lived, breathed and dreamt of him, not a problem, that didn’t bother me. It was being called Jim that got me down about the band…for the record my name is not Jim!

The Doors, L.A. Woman. The Doors, L.A. Woman. full post

(1032 words, 1 image, estimated 4:08 mins reading time)

Lacuna Coil, Dark Adrenaline. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. January 26th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Lacuna Coil stands out as Italy’s finest export since lasagna, well…certainly since music from that country stopped being all about opera. The group’s sixth album, Dark Adrenaline is everything you could want from the band as it brings a lighter, even more enjoyable edge to their usual dark gothic style whilst retaining the ethereal beauty that encompasses their music.

Lacuna Coil, Dark Adrenaline. Album Review. full post

(392 words, 1 image, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)