It is funny how people will get offended
by the use of language, a single swear word
than by the actions of the state,
of the lies told and spread by Government,
that someone can be upset by the use
of God to drive a point
rather than a church that defends
the most indefensible;
I am no lover of certain words,
some, despite appearances, are useful,
they are the memories of truth
that we cannot bring ourselves to utter,
be proud in the use of them,
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
People tend to confuse themselves sometimes, the Universe is spectacular like that, believing that to be the best requires the finest of everything, the largest venue perhaps, the abundance of both food and drink on tap, and in this day and age either all for nothing or they are willing to brag about in the Netherspehere of social media that they paid thousands of pounds to a tout outside and that makes the evening perfect.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Thom Morecroft at Leaf. May 2017. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
If ever there is a poll for the greatest artist to come out of Shropshire, there had better be a vote included on the ballot sheet for Thom Morecroft, not that such things in the end are important but for the man who made Liverpool his home and produces the type of music in which the veins inside the body crackle and pop with shuddering excitement, to which the nerves glisten with the sweat of anticipation and the joy of the smile is never far from the lips, such an accolade is always awaiting to be said with great sincerity.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Liverpool will always throw open its arms to the adventurous, to the talented and the seekers of more enlightened thought, it is the nature of the city to do so, it is in entwined in the D.N.A. of its people to share it, to talk about it and not keep it a secret. To travel across Europe, perhaps in the most awkward of times to hit the continent in an era of peace, to play in the home of British popular music is to be saluted. It is the side effect of the vote to leave Europe that people forget that art cannot exist without an audience, to have the conversation and to learn is a prerequisite of being human, the inquisitiveness to learn something new from another culture an unalienable right to the open minded.
I was born with a pre existing condition,
passed down genetically and without selective behaviour,
I was born, hopefully like you,
with this specific snag
in my blood, in my genes,
not to want, to enjoy, to take any satisfaction
from pissing people off, to let them get on with life
and should they fall ill,
then not to be too blunt,
to not be a dick and hope that society cares enough
about all those born, to see them, to care for them,
to understand that the unseen ailment,
A chance of fresh air,
just for a while to escape the house
to soak in the residue
of life, this point of it all,
to sit and gaze up at an old god
and thank him for dancing
with the moon.
The moon, I used to fear her,
hanging there like an afterthought,
blood soaked in my dreams,
far too many nights watching
Hammer House of Horror when I was small boy,
the Saturday night ritual
I was allowed wonderfully to explore
from such a young age,
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
A certain age, a certain place in time and in your life, it can feel like the pinnacle of your achievements have been reached, the goals you set yourself or the dreams you may have once harboured with passion, suddenly fade, unexpectedly and forever, the seriousness of life sets in and the trudge towards home ownership, towards fiscal responsibility and other people’s aspirations suddenly become more daunting and demanding that your own.
I imagine there will be no family there
at Ted’s graveside today,
as a single crow falls silent in respect
in Anfield Cemetery
the last of his line,
the last remaining soul.
I first encountered Ted some years earlier,
a man of smiles and intrigue
but now his days were spent
keeping warm in the taxi café
off Lime Street Station and drinking tea,
reading the paper
and occasionally telling a story
of his life…
now consigned to fading memory,
both he and the café alike.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
For some it is the pinnacle of a career, the moment they step off stage and realise that they did make the journey to Carnegie Hall, that their talent, honed, sharpened over thousands of hours and perfected upon, this is the moment when it all comes together, in one of the most highly thought of venues on the planet. Along with Vienna Opera House, the Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House, to perform at the Carnegie Hall on the corner of 55th and Seventh Avenue is the dream that keeps many a creative mind going when the intensity of practise, practise, practise, starts to overwhelm the soul.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The sound of the soft and sensual is normally a reserved occupation, it bats its eyelashes, it acts coy, it trips over its words in an attempt to look beautiful and alluring and yet somehow it only comes off as requiring attention for all the wrong reasons. It may dress to impress but it still has the unfortunate moment of finding a piece of straw from a hay barn tucked in its shirt or blouse.