Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Darkness comes quickly this time of year, it has the appearance of being shrouded in mystery and the decidedly ambiguous, shadows form and egged on by the early onset of street lamps that hang over the heads of the wandering seeker of music and art as if taking on the form of lonely satellites shining a path between pillar and post; for true illumination though, you have to wander beyond the streets, set the eyes firmly in search of a beacon of hope and know that no matter how dark December is, it is only a few short weeks till the world starts to turn and the light comes flooding back.

Mondays in Liverpool are made for such outings, never mind the weekend with the battle to keep walking in straight line as revellers dance to a groove which perhaps to some is like rusty nails upon a blackboard, Mondays have the true enlightenment and introspective illumination and as the day draws to its true end, to find the delightful sound of Rob Jones & Rob White hovering like an angel’s skirt is the best present Monday can offer and it is one to savour.

Performing at the Baltic Social for the team behind Liverpool Acoustic should be seen as an honour and one that is rightly enjoyed all year round, Rob Jones & Rob White always know how to make an audience pay attention but in the cryptic light, the history of the Baltic Social, they take their music on a stage further and it is one that is both haunting and stunningly beautiful.

The ambience of the venue is such that it is a beautiful oasis, a place where the duo’s voices can emulate such luminaries as Simon and Garfunkel with ease and as they played songs such as Some Other Where, I’m Reconsidering, In the Meantime Of My Days, I have Learned To Love The Sunshine and a absolute belting version of Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence, those neon lights blazing away down the road in Liverpool One, the beam of old world charm that abides at the Docks and the sheer radiance of Liverpool’s music heartland, for a short while dimmed, almost in reverence to a set of songs played with distinction and grace.

Rob Jones & Rob White deserve the plaudits, their album Thirty was a genuine pleasure and to see them live is to know that somewhere an angel is carrying a lantern through the darkness just for you.

Ian D. Hall