The parcel arrived with the postmark of Moscow stamped
across the brown,
undisturbed wrapping,
containing digital
information, music that had caught my ear as I surfed online
for something new to enthuse my world once more.
Unlike the day I first read Das Kapital, now residing on a dusty shelf
next to my Great-grandmother’s Gold leaf Guernsey Bible,
a copy of the Koran, the best of Punch and a much loved
set of drumsticks, yours by far the best as they slowly splinter
and decay as we all must.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Stuart Crowther, Franki Burke, Adam Handford.
New York in the early 1990s felt at times as if the whole cultural edifice was on its way to being torn down, that imagination, artistic individualism and intellectual prosperity was being neglected, shamed, destroyed by the ever rampant chase of undying consumerism. That the beautiful, even if crime infested streets surrounding certain areas that were awash with artists of every creed were being driven out and in their place those that chased every dollar, every dime and cent with religious capitalist zeal were taking over. Reaganomics had won and the starving artist had better join the party.
There is a hint of madness in your eyes,
sallow, stinking of grievances mislaid;
a Kurt Cobain look but with none of the richness
or depth of consequence, a folly driven by a fool’s errand,
the unravelled strand of deserted rope decaying on the hot,
blistering jetty, no sign of a ship to save this sinking soul.
This madness, the musical abuse in which you crave
has lost its meaning
in your ears and all you hear now is the sound
of a ticking bomb, the explosion driven between the tick and the tock
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There are bands that you watch live and you just instinctively know they need, musically demand, to be on a bigger stage to get the full blown effect that their music requires. It is a sign of good things to come that if the sound can grab you by whatever means necessary, whether by brain, the soul or any other bodily function that drives the musical desire, then it requires to be heard in a setting that really gets deep down and dirty with appreciation, such is surely the fate that awaits Pontipridd’s Peasant’s King.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10
There has always been a mutual respect and understanding between the two great areas of the North that straddle famous rivers and who look out far beyond the shores of the counties they reside in. Liverpool and Gateshead, and the Scottish equivalent in Glasgow, have much in common, much to celebrate, not just in politics, in its sporting prowess and its resilient people, but in the way they both have been left to rot by successive governments since the turn of the 20th Century but who are both shining examples of sticking two fingers up to the Westminster Empire and being their own unique city.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Music is arguably never finer than when it conveys a story with strength of will and sheer abundance of spirit. When it throws a great tune into the mix, it positively roars with delight and somehow has the power to even start the day off on a brighter, less sepia induced tone. It begs the question of how much nicer the world would seem first thing in the morning, even if hailstones the size of golf balls were bouncing off the ground in rapid, quick fire succession, if the vast majority of people put on a record before going out to work rather than worrying that the bloated market is down a couple of points.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There are many names that sit like Kings of old on the throne of the nation’s favourite race horse and whatever the rights and wrongs of which there are plenty on either side of the argument, the fact that an animal is so revered is one of the great pleasures in life for many millions of people.
If not for Maaike, we would never have met that day
where the Animals flopped and cursed their lot
in the aftermath of an afternoon ripping to shreds
the carcass of an old, unloved and despicable novel,
its spine cello taped and flea encrusted as much as the search
for it exhausted us all.
If not for Maaike, the genuine affection found in my first loved
band and in yours also would never have been shared
on a broken bed, caused by several Animals
pretending they were once more young cubs and by our hostess
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9 out of 10
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is a top-down 2D action shooter game available for download from the PlayStation Store for the PS4, PS3 and PS Vita. This new game is the long awaited sequel to the sleeper hit Hotline Miami which was a success with critics and players alike, while the original earned awards and nominations for its gritty yet nostalgic gameplay which Wrong Number attempts to further improve upon.
Bought for 50p in a jumble sale,
you look so nondescript,
small and square, dark brown, glazed.
Some might say you’re ugly too
but stamped on the underside
is your life story, a maritime heritage,
sold at Stoniers the housewares store
for the White Star Line.
Who poured your milk or water out?
Which ship were you on?
What sea tales do you have to tell?
Did you sail from Liverpool or another Celtic port?
A humble little jug, utility ware,
staring at me from the bookshelf,