Maddie, Zanzibar, Liverpool. February 2017. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The Romans used to be so dismissive of winter, so trivial was the meaning of the darkness, of what we might think of as the blues without the thought of sunshine and spring to warm our bones, their attitude was to lump January and February together, one big long dull month, one exceedingly long and bitter month with nothing to do but sit and grow listless.
Mountain Face, Zanzibar, Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It seems implausible to the ear and yet sometimes a band that has a strength, a sublime sound and oodles of personality, is not able to get to Liverpool and perform for an audience; not for the want of trying, just that they have not been able to find the right place or perhaps the right thought in a venue’s bosses in which hosting them would be the right and the most excellent of moves.
They would not give me credit
for the funds I need
to create the books
I wish to see breathe.
It seems
I have no
collateral
to write poetry,
wandering
and homeless words;
they tell me
they cannot give me financial
assistance,
as I am quite obviously suffering
from
no fixed ode.
Ian D. Hall 2017
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It has been a journey of wonder, one of absolute hope and solid inspiration, not only for the musician but his ever rapidly growing army of appreciators, fans and those who for years have seen the evidence of his personality and incredible wisdom laid down in music form. For Robert Vincent making the most of his talent and his virtues is a base, a high marker in which he will not fall, yet beyond that it is the music that is king and one in which you can almost hear him argue passionately, “I’ll Make The Most Of My Sins.”
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
There is mystery far beyond our vision, our minds forever searching for something tangible to believe in, something that cannot be ridiculed by detractors, that cannot be explained away as the fleeting glimpse of fancy or hidden away from plain sight; the unexpected is beautiful and must be observed and cherished as much as the delight in a Daylight Moon.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
It is the genre for which most arguably feel the stirrings of blood heading towards the heart as if it was on fire, the hose full of water and the draining of the reservoir not enough to quench the undying inferno which rages with passion and excitement. Classic Rock is a genre that might have its detractors but for those the drum kick hunts and the guitar follows like a wolf in the night, insatiable hunger wanting to be sated, it is more than just a type of music, it is the point of existence.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * *
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Claudia Gerini, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne, Tobias Segal, John Leguizamo, Bridget Moynahan, David Patrick Kelly, Peter Serafinowicz, Elli.
An assassin is only good as the silence he leaves behind, the job based on the ability to disappear into the shadows like a whisper of a ghost, an unseen hand able to take another’s life without even breaking sweat; an assassin must live in the stillness, be a spectre at a victim’s wake.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Matthew McConaughy, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, John C. Reilly, Taron Egerton, Tori Kelly, Jennifer Saunders, Jennifer Hudson, Garth Jennings, Peter Serafinowicz, Nick Kroll, Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah, Nick Offerman, Leslie Jones, Rhea Perlman, Laraine Newman.
In a world obsessed with celebrity, with instant fame and the self gratification of not having to climb to the top of your profession without hard work and tears, the animated film Sing is a refreshing pastiche wrapped up in the soft fabric of feel good cinema.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating *
Cast: Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Willem Defoe, Andy Lau, Pedro Pascal, Hanyu Zhang, Lu Han, Kenny Lion, Eddie Peng, Xuan Huang, Ryan Zheng, Karry Wang, Cheney Chen, Numan Acar, Johnny Cicco, Vicky Yu, Bing Liu.
There are times when you do have to wonder what studio heads are up to when they allow certain ideas to get past the initial rejection stage of films not being worthy enough to go on the big screen.
Another birthday has come and gone,
try to stretch out the party beyond the
sixteen hours awake, four of which are filled
with everyday insanity,
how can cleaning your teeth,
washing your face,
drinking a cup of
breakfast tea to wake you up, to be rid
slumber and sneaking drowsy
be special , when you do it every day.
The birthday has come and gone, abiding memories
which have to last until the following year
and by pass Christmas and the dry roast
and the gluttony on offer