As part of the Regional Mersey Head & Neck Cancer Centre charity evening event at the award winning Everyman Theatre, the audience, who had danced and partied to Crowded Scouse as if was the end of the year and were just awaiting the signal to start counting down the seconds to bring in 2015, were given the irresistible sound of one of Liverpool’s finest musicians to further send them into orbit. Who really needs the chimes of Big Ben hammering through the speakers and the often false gaiety that comes with cheering a large alarm clock when the audience inside the Everyman Theatre can have the delicious voice of Robert Vincent soothing their passage towards daybreak?
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Nightcrawler, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T. Liverpool.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Marco Rodriguez, Riz Ahmed, James Huang, Michael Papajohn, Kent Shocknek, Pat Harvey, Sharon Tay, Rick Garcia, Leah Fredkin, Bill Seward, Rick Chambers, Jonny Coyne, Kiff VandenHeuve, Price Carson, Michael Hyatt, Ann Cusack.
“On television, it all looks so real” – the damning words of a high functioning sociopath in charge of a camera or the unhinged thoughts of those who peddle the images in which gore, distress and the unfamiliar suffering directly into the world’s living rooms under the designation of news but in many cases is the cold white furnace that fuels a disturbing and unavoidable thriller.
Mr. Turner, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10
Cast: Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson, Marion Bailey, Karl Johnson, Ruth Sheen, Sandy Foster, Amy Dawson, Lesley Manville, Martin Savage, Richard Bremmer, Niall Buggy, Fred Pearson, Tom Edden, Jamie Thomas King, Mark Stanley, Nicholas Jones, Clive Francis, Robert Portal, Simon Chandler, Edward de Souza, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, James Fleet, Patrick Godfrey, Karina Fernandez, Alice Bailey Johnson, Alice Orr-Ewing, Veronica Roberts, Michael Keane, James Norton, Nicola Sloane, Joshua McGuire, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Stuart McQuarrie, David Horovitch, Fenella Woolgar, Sinead Matthews, Tom Wlaschiha, Lee Ingleby, Mark Wingett, Sam Kelly, Nicholas Woodeson, Elizabeth Berrington.
The Barr Brothers, Gig Review. Hare and Hounds, Birmingham.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
When The Barr Brothers were last in Birmingham at the 2013 Moseley Folk Festival, the merchandise tent had to send for extra copies of their self-titled debut album, such was the demand. Since then, the band have written and recorded their second album Sleeping Operator and quite rightly they were welcomed back to south Birmingham area for a sell-out gig, on the last date of their current U.K. tour.
Half Baked, Theatre Review. Playhouse Theatre Studio, Liverpool.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Josie Sedgwick-Davies, Emily Woosey, Lucy Harris, Tom Harrington, Nick Crosbie, Jamie Brownson.
Change happens, it might be overnight, it could be over a decade; however, eventually all things must change. The trouble is at times adjustment happens because of outside influences, the world forces transformation at a quickening pace and people get left behind as they struggle to come to terms with the new situation that has come along. For those that are fortunate, transformation happens on their own terms and they are able to carry on kicking against the world with a smile on their face. For the staff of a small family run bakery in Warrington, change is inevitable in Alex Joynes’ new play Half Baked.
Lone Survivor: The Director’s Cut. (PS4) Game Review.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9 out of 10
Lone Survivor: The Director’s Cut is a psychological survival horror adventure game available for download from the PlayStation Store for the PS4. The sub-title of the game is rather appropriate as this is an extended version of the cult indie game by Jasper Byrne, which was originally released in Europe on March 27th 2012 and America on April 23rd 2012 for the P.C., Mac and Linux with PS3 and Vita releases following on September 24th 2013.
Cottonwoolf, E.P. Review
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
It may seem a strange affair to consider, perhaps even rum in some music lover’s eyes, but not every rock/R&B fan likes Led Zeppelin. It seems to be a permanent question that hangs on the mouths of the pop fan like a drip feed tube giving nutrients to a coma patient, you like rock, then you must like Led Zeppelin. Whilst the Midland’s band might not be everybody’s personal liking, there is a young band who has climbed the slippery slope out of Leeds and who tickles the taste buds of musical sincerity with their debut E.P. Cottonwoolf.
Dana Fuchs, Songs From The Road. Album Review.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Roads are there to be travelled, no matter how long and straight it looks, it will lead somewhere. The road to Hell paved with good intentions, the sunny side of the street or the enclosed, tempting and quiet cul-de-sac in which you may never depart; all have their points of interest and all should contain a reason to be there. For the superbly talented Dana Fuchs the road is one in which Ruf Records have placed her vibrant live set down for all to hear and in Songs From The Road everything sounds sweet, vivacious and only enhances the Florida musician’s reputation.
Eddi Reader, Back The Dogs. E.P. Review.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
When Eddi Reader sings, the only logical thing to do is listen. To take that organ of beauty that sometmes rattles round the head and open up to the sense of music ceremony that is on offer.
There are many female musicians and vocalists that sit with some justification on the realm afforded them by the British public, their voices carry nectar that others, including many men, cannot hope to attain. However as Ms. Reader has proved time and time again and latterly with this year’s album release Vagabond, her voice is just divine. The cool sensual velvet touch that resides in the Scottish singer’s throat, that if captured in a painting would have Constable or Turner blushing with pride with the comparisons handed round, sparkles and plays with memory with seduction.
Under A Banner, Close To The Clouds. Album Review.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The rumblings of disaffection, of disillusion at the deluded so called Democratic process that runs deeper and with more insidious bite to it than any time in modern history may not come to bite a particular class of the so called ruling elite in time to save the rest of us from allowed tyranny but at least it is being heard outside of the Westminster Empire, even if those inside are seemingly immune to the rising tide anger that is crawling up the Thames in what can only be considered as the next big stink.