Yearly Archives: 2014

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (PS4), Game Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5 out of 10

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments is a third-person and first-person detective adventure game available from retail stores and for download from the PlayStation Store for the PS4. The game is based upon the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes who was created by the Scottish author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle with the character evolving in his status ever since the original novel A Study in Scarlet was published in 1887 and The Sign of the Four in 1890 with serialisations and short stories following until the second set of stories came to a climax in 1927. Since the original incarnation of Sherlock Holmes there have been numerous theatre productions, television and film adaptations from across the world with videogames being another popular form of adaptation.

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments (PS4), Game Review. full post

(3077 words, estimated 12:18 mins reading time)

Heaven 17, Gig Review. East Village Arts Centre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Lead us not into temptation… unless of course it is by the firm hand and knowing smiles of Glenn Gregory and Martyn Ware of the sensational Heaven 17.

These words must have passed the vast majority of lips of those attending the second night of the Heaven 17 tour many times in the preceding weeks leading up to the gig at the East Village Arts Centre in Liverpool. By the end of the night, by the time that Martin Ware had conjured up enticing music from out of the ether and Glenn Gregory had sang with the power of a male siren luring all to the ship of musical entanglement and provocative craving, those words would have been uttered in each audience member’s sleep but with spoken with no conviction, for all it seemed were entranced by the stage presence and desire raging three feet above them.

Heaven 17, Gig Review. East Village Arts Centre, Liverpool. full post

(443 words, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Blancmange, Gig Review. East Village Arts Centre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Neil Arthur stood almost transfixed on the stage of the East Village Arts Centre. Seemingly beautifully hypnotised by the sight and sound that was taking place before him as fans, young and old, of Blancmange didn’t just sing back to him, they liberated and gave freedom to the symbol of musical expression.

Blancmange, Gig Review. East Village Arts Centre, Liverpool. full post

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

Fury, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, Jim Parrack, Brad William Henke, Kevin Vance, Xavier Samuel, Jason Isaacs, Anamarie Marinca, Alicia Von Rittberg, Scottv Eastwood, Laurence Spellman, Daniel Betts, Adam Ganne, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Osi Okerafor, John Macmillan, Saul Barrett, Marek Oravec, Kyle Soller, Jake Curran, Jack Bannon, Branko Tomovic, Orion Lee, Vivien Bridson, Christian Contreras, Stella Stocker, Jacob Vonhendial, Lukas Rolfe, Leon Rolfe, Harry Hancock, Daniel Dorr, Bernhard Forcher.

Fury, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

(705 words, estimated 2:49 mins reading time)

Serena, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating *

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Rhys Ifans, Sean Harris, Toby Jones, Sam Reid, David Dencik, Blake Ritson, Ned Dennehy, Charity Wakefield, Michael Ryan, Kim Bodnia, Ana Ularu.

There are those that say that the great American epic is dead. That the days of the great American cinematic nature/love/natural landscape story is as over, torn apart by the digitisation and CGI effects on offer to the 21^st Century audiences. It is hard to disagree with that assertion, no matter how much grief and pain it may cause when viewed from the darkness of a cinema screening of Serena.

Serena, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

(508 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

The Boomtown Rats, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

Bob Geldof at the o2 Academy, Liverpool, October 2014. Photgraph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

On a night like this…where the decades are rolled back, when the silent regret of Time sheds a tear for the lack of decency and improvement in the lives of those that inhabit the fragile Earth. In which the bullet and the bomb, the political scorn kicking downwards and the rise of a party in which right minded people should be doing all they can to make sure they never get a grasp on even a seat in the next election, let alone have a say in running the country. The Boomtown Rats returned to Liverpool and for those in the crowd at the o2 Academy old enough to remember, gave the type of performance for which audiences at Eric’s would have raved about for weeks on end.

The Boomtown Rats, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(729 words, 2 images, estimated 2:55 mins reading time)

Republica, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. October 2014.

Saffron of Republica at the 02 Academy in Liverpool. October 2014. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

As an outside band to Liverpool, to perform in the city once a year is to be considered fortunate, to come twice, to blast the cobwebs that build up into nothing more than finely layered dust and its occupiers scuttling into the small cracks and fissures, should be arguably considered as a sign of mutual appreciation.

Republica, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. October 2014. full post

(438 words, 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

The legendary Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto Returns To The Everyman Theatre With Little Red Riding Hood: Howl Lotta Love.

This Christmas the legendary Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto is back at its spiritual home – the Everyman – with more music, mayhem and water than ever before. Little Red Riding Hood: Howl Lotta Love is sure to be the most raucous party in town with something for all ages. Gasp at the incredible costumes, be dazzled by the all singing, all dancing cast and rock out with the live band and the best axe man this side of the Deep Dark Woods. Little Red Riding Hood is at the Hope Street venue from Saturday 29th November 2014 to Saturday 17th January 2015.

The legendary Rock ‘n’ Roll Panto Returns To The Everyman Theatre With Little Red Riding Hood: Howl Lotta Love. full post

(589 words, estimated 2:21 mins reading time)

English National Ballet To Bring Swan Lake To The Empire Theatre.

English National Ballet takes its full production of Derek Deane’s critically acclaimed Swan Lake on tour to Manchester (8th-11th October), Milton Keynes (11th-15th November), Liverpool (18th- 22nd November) and the London Coliseum (7th-18 January).

Arguably one of the most popular ballets created, Swan Lake tells the story of Prince Siegfried’s love for the Swan Queen, Odette, and their battle against the evil magician, Rothbart. This traditional production brings the romance and high drama of the Russian ballet tradition alive.

Originally produced for English National Ballet by Deane, this version premiered at the London Coliseum in 2000 and has since been seen by over 550,000 people around the U.K.

English National Ballet To Bring Swan Lake To The Empire Theatre. full post

(288 words, estimated 1:09 mins reading time)

Jimmy Barnes, Hindsight. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision * * * * *

The moment you receive your first electric shock, the stimulating feel of the mixed emotions of pain, the thrill that tingles down your arm and onwards to the riveted digits at the end and bouncing back up through the nervous system to the brain is on a par from the opening note and beating heart of Jimmy Barnes latest studio album Hindsight.

Jimmy Barnes, Hindsight. Album Review. full post

(522 words, 1 image, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)