Author Archives: admin

Anna Corcoran, Anything Better. E.P. Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There is a moment, a second of time about a minute into the first track of Anna Corcoran’s E.P., Anything Better, where you realise you are not just listening to a woman so adept at her piano but that she also writes incredibly evocative lyrics. She sings them with such a big smile upon her face that she is instantly transformed from another talented woman from Merseyside to somebody who is musically attainable but also unbelievably excellent at providing a narrative that crushes any resistance you might be able to put in her way.

Anna Corcoran, Anything Better. E.P. Review. full post

(350 words, estimated 1:24 mins reading time)

Jeff Healey: As the Years Go By, Live in Germany 1989-1995-2000. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

When Canadian musician Jeff Healey passed on, the world of blues/rock seemed to take a turn towards the bleak and dull. There was something about the man and his music that could make anyone smile and relish the notes that he played on his guitar, not only was an inspiration to many, overcoming his disability in such a way that was both admirable and succinctly praise worthy but also in the way that he carried himself in front of those that came to watch him perform.

Jeff Healey: As the Years Go By, Live in Germany 1989-1995-2000. Album Review. full post

(453 words, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Oedipus Rex, Theatre Review. Liverpool University Drama Society. Stanley Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Georgina Panteli, Lucy Swain, Madeline Smart, Polly Couslon, Mark Raynor, Benedict Spence, Mary Jayne Cooper, Charlie Wilson, Alex Webber-Date, George Dorran, Graham Cain, Jacob Lowman, Pallav Ratra.

There is something about Sophocles’ play Oedipus Rex that speaks down through the ages in such a way that its brutality, jealousy, pride and ignorance are more akin to 21st century human nature than people probably care to admit. It is a play that can divide opinion and cause many a troubled thought to enter the audiences’ minds due to the graphic nature that can be readily employed by the company performing it.

Oedipus Rex, Theatre Review. Liverpool University Drama Society. Stanley Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(405 words, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

Stereophonics, Graffiti On the Train. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Where Keep Calm and Carry On was blistering and full of oomph, the Stereophonics latest release, Graffiti On the Train is much more measured, more thoughtful and overall more in keeping with the band’s social commentary style. Both albums have worked well, both styles that the band are capable of give off positivity but it is this measured style that is more approachable in the end and the group are much better for it.

Stereophonics, Graffiti On the Train. Album Review. full post

(356 words, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)

Dido, Girl Who Got Away. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * *

After a gap of nearly five years, Dido, the young Londoner who inspired American Rap artist Eminem enough to sample the track Thank You for his international smash-hit Stan, has returned with her brand new album Girl Who Got Away.

The casual nature of the album is on the whole a let-down for somebody who prides themselves on what they make and whilst there may be a couple of decent enough tracks on the album, it is disappointing and not up to the standard of the first two albums she recorded.

Dido, Girl Who Got Away. Album Review. full post

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

Broadchurch, Television Review. I.T.V.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: David Tennant, Olivia Coleman, Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker, Tracy Childs, Will Mellor, Arthur Darvill, David Bradley, Jonathon Bailey, Vicky McClure, Charlotte Beaumont, Joe Simms, Carolyn Pickles, Pauline Quirke.

I.T.V. may have lost D.I. Lewis but in the great tradition that the station has in unearthing the next generation of police who have the unenviable task of solving murders, all they have to do is move the drama to the next port of call and instantly those television that enjoy playing amateur detective get a brand new man or woman to cheer on and fall for. Following on from Morse, Frost and Lewis, viewers now have the recognisable face and familiar Scottish drawl of David Tennant as Detective Inspector Alec Hardy in the programme Broadchurch.

Broadchurch, Television Review. I.T.V. full post

(472 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

Evanescence, Fallen. 10th Anniversary Retrospective.

For Evanescence it was perhaps the biggest moment in their recording career so far and ten years on from the debut release of the incredible album Fallen, it remains a defining piece of music that doesn’t let go of the listener’s emotions and sensibilities untill long after the music has faded into the cold light of morning.

Evanescence, Fallen. 10th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(904 words, estimated 3:37 mins reading time)

Denys Baptiste Triumvirate, Gig Review. The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

For only their third concert together, the trio that make up the Denys Baptiste Triumvirate came across as nearly stealing the show at the First International Jazz Festival to be held in Liverpool and that is one statement to make when the quality and intensity of the performances were as high as they possibly could be.

Denys Baptiste Triumvirate, Gig Review. The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(390 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

A Sharp Trio Featuring Eric Aninan. Gig Review. The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Put four men into a corner and give them free range to be as exuberant as they like and the result is something akin to watching a favourite flower bloom over and over again before your eyes. As part of the first International Jazz Festival to ever to be held in Liverpool, Victor Nordberg, Andreas Haberln, Eric Animan and Colin Morton dazzled the crowd as A Sharp Trio featuring Eric Aninan in the main foyer of the Capstone Theatre and the smiles from all assembled were visible and appreciative.

A Sharp Trio Featuring Eric Aninan. Gig Review. The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(333 words, estimated 1:20 mins reading time)

Robert Mitchell, Concert Review. The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

The life of a left handed pianist can’t be easy but for an intrigued audience gathered at the Capstone Theatre in Liverpool and watching eagerly but with quiet reverence Robert Mitchell perform on stage, the opinion was almost too easy, he is a very talented man and a legend in the Jazz world in the making.

Robert Mitchell, Concert Review. The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(395 words, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)