Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

There are names in Liverpool that just draw you in, that leave you with remorse when you cannot find a way to blow off life’s expectancies and attend a show, a performance, a sense of the masterclass they, and those alongside them, offer with grace and sincerity, whilst rocking the plaster dust of static existence to the four winds.

There are names, and amongst them, proudly, humbly, and with a cool sense of the human divine being seen from every pore, is Paul Dunbar and as he took to the stage at the Music Room at The Philharmonic Hall for the launch of his brand new album, The End, what came across was the certainty of expression, of a writer, a musician, at the very top of his game and one that has never once been seen to be anything other than superb.

Joined by George Hitchmough on drums, Chris Pearce on bass, Brad Edmondson on guitar, Damien Maher on keys, Ben Pakes on sax, Matt Phillips on cello, and the delightful backing vocals of Naomi Campbell and Muireann McDermott, Paul Dunbar took the assembled crowd, already raised with the assured feeling of a night of high emotional congress, through a set of pleasurable intensity and the exposing of the truthful heart.

From the opening bravado of Effervescent and the new album’s title track of The End, Paul Dunbar’s relatable appeal was in evidence, a sense of the seismic endearing presence that fills the stage, but always with modesty and respectful vision, and in just a couple of moments, in a heartbeat of conviction and smiles, the evening was revealed for all its dramatic pace and beauty.

Through songs such as Agitator, Ballad Of Four Eyes, the fiercely cool Contort Yourself, Made My Peace With You, the wonderful solo performed Mercy, and the finale of the main set in Earth Sky Or The Raging Sea, the band on stage were harmonious, full of vigour, life, and a dream of music being the ultimate expression of existence being realised.

A final flourish in the encores of Try Again and Mountain filled the audience with a rapid heartbeat of faith encompassing the evening, and the months to come. This is not the end, as with all good tales, it is just the beginning for all.

Ian D. Hall