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Doctor Who: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Peter Capaldi, Matt Lucas, Justin Chatwin, Tomiwa Edun, Logan Hoffman, Aleksander Jovanovic, Lee Kemp, Charity Wakefield, Daniel Lorente, Sandra Teles, Tanroh Ishida.

The problem with having a year off is that it takes time for the mojo to get going again, the momentum of life is such that if you sit still long enough either you fade into obscurity or you show creaking signs of the love you have no longer being a fluid and marvellous thing. Momentum and timing is everything to a lot of people, especially in the world of fandoms; take time away and the spark can drift, even for the biggest and most dedicated of fans and when you finally do appear again, the result can be down at heel, not at your sparkling best.

Doctor Who: The Return Of Doctor Mysterio. Television Review. full post

(512 words, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)

A Single Track.

Nobody told me I couldn’t

so I walked along the single track,

a phantom sound

from somewhere close by

and the barb wire scratches the lens

of the camera as I try to take

a poignant picture; no guards,

the solemn vow of the past

being picked apart

rivet by rivet

as I get to about one hundred yards

down the track

and the fear still seeps through my shoes

as I imagine the terror that this final stop

in gas and smoke and bullet

A Single Track. full post

(101 words, estimated 24 secs reading time)

From Me To You (This Christmas).

There is no snow falling

through the air, softly and with delicate

dancing care,

there is no drifting smoke from a well stoked

fire keeping children warm

and the heavy glow of safety,

hale and hearty memories

of days before they were gone

in a flash; this is the Christmas in which to be thankful

that we have

all that we have

before the days turn to spring

and daffodils turn their heads

skywards to praise the Universe, so much bigger

on the outside.

Be thankful

From Me To You (This Christmas). full post

(181 words, estimated 43 secs reading time)

Status Quo, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool. (2016).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The devout and the inspired will always go to the final preaching of the long lived and the elegantly able; like a fine wine served at room temperature in a Guernsey hotel, the taste is enough to feel inebriated just to be in the company of the exulted and prime music stalwarts. For the fans of Status Quo they were not about to allow their main hero of Francis Rossi or the memory of the band that started out all those decades ago to simply fade into the realm of acoustic sessions, this final night of the last ever electric tour in the U.K. was to be a celebration of all things Quo.

Status Quo, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool. (2016). full post

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

REO Speedwagon, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool.

 

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There are many things that are remiss in this world, the fact that valiant AOR specialists REO Speedwagon have never made the journey to the heart of British music, the city that gave modern music to the masses, is surely one of them. Yet if the band were going to visit Liverpool for the first ever time then to be in the Echo Arena as the Christmas cheer bit down hard as the headliners played their last ever electric gig on British soil, then that was a present for many in the audience worth waiting for.

REO Speedwagon, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool. full post

(383 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

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

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Julie Cerda.

The biblical tale of Adam and Eve, it may as well come from the future as the past, it might as well have the allusion to science fiction as to the workings of the Church and the Council of Trent, for in every realm of new civilisations that stride across the planet and hopefully one day in too the dark reaches of space, there is always a story of beginnings, of absolute starts.

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

(485 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

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

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Auli’I Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jermaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk, Oscar Kightley, Troy Polamalu, Puanani Cravalho, Louise Bush.

 

Disney was always famed for its groundbreaking artistry and embracement of great tales in which other cultures or long forgotten fairy tales were explored in the realms of high class animation, yet somehow it has lost out and meandered in the last couple of decades to its subsidiary Pixar and in many ways to the people behind games development. Disney, as a brand name, has got so much time to make upon that it could be in danger of falling behind so far that it will only be remembered in the realms of nostalgia and for bringing Mickey Mouse into the world.

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

(409 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

Winter Calls.

Winter calls, or at least

the two week crush of bon accord

where the crush of last minute purchase

to secure favours in the coming

year are packed in so tight that there is no

escape from it all, the relentless must get this,

sprout after sprout after washed down, forced down

holding nose down sprout, cooked to death, force fed death

as the gargle and false puke noises outrank the endless

television adverts for the hot summer climes…

winter calls,

I don’t answer, not for the first two weeks anyway,

Winter Calls. full post

(172 words, estimated 41 secs reading time)

Deloris Francis, Gospel And Love Songs. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10

There are some genres of music that are so rich in their heritage that maybe they sometimes seem closed off to people who cannot find a way past the door to appreciate the artistry and absolute effort that has gone into the process of making an album or putting on a show for a respective audience. It is not the genre’s fault, nor the artist, it is the history or what the music may entail that might well deter the average music lover. It is not a label that can be placed at the door of Deloris Francis as she delves through the roots of Gospels And Love Songs.

Deloris Francis, Gospel And Love Songs. Album Review. full post

(384 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd, The Right Path. Album

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Choosing The Right Path can be one of the most harrowing experiences of all, it can lead to the one of least resistance or it can be the most exhilarating experience to date; it can harness the energy of those you take along for the ride, it can be soul enriching and fascinating to relive in your mind; choosing the right path is one that comes down to what lies in your heart and for the National Centre of Excellence in Traditional Music, Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd, the path is very clear and very beautiful.

Sgoil Chiùil na Gàidhealtachd, The Right Path. Album full post

(386 words, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)