Author Archives: admin

Geoffrey Beevers, The Forgotten Fields. Book Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

We perhaps like to think we look at the periods of time that went before us with a modern, dispassionate eye. An eye that picks over the fine details of what made the people of the time the way they were, the condition in which they allowed their lives to flourish or stagnate and the system of which they featured. We are not so far removed from the days that saw the world go to war in 1914, from the rush for Empire in the 19th Century, (instead of countries to conquer, there are now conglomerates who desire to own everything that moves) or even the so-called Dark Ages and the race to collect souls in the name of religion. How will future generations evaluate us, how can they decide what we were like if all they have to go by is the mess that we leave behind? This is the fascinating question that lurks at the heart of Geoffrey Beevers’ novel The Forgotten Fields.

Geoffrey Beevers, The Forgotten Fields. Book Review. full post

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

Jamaica Inn, Television Review. B.B.C. Television.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating *

Cast: Jessica Brown Findlay, Matthew McNulty, Sean Harris, Ben Daniels, Shirley Henderson, Andrew Scarborough, Joanne Whalley, Christopher Fairbank, Matthew James Edge, Tristan Sturrock, Charles Furness, Andy Giles, Paul Bullion, Scarlett Archer, Elliot Levey, Simon Meacock, Patrick O’Kane, David Beck, Danny Miller, James Rastall, Sadie Shimmin, Rhiannon Oliver, Matthew Bearne, Carl McCrystal, Rory Mulroe, Justin Pearson, Jason Gregg.

Jamaica Inn, Television Review. B.B.C. Television. full post

(501 words, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)

Elmo And The Styx, Happy. Album Review

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Happy? Some people aren’t and some are, it’s a fact of life for every person who is truly ecstatic somebody somewhere must be feeling the damage of life lived, the pain of suffering or even the slightest niggle of annoyance. Whether it’s down to that underlying Human emotion of jealousy or greed, they will probably resent the person who is just content with their lot in the life. Happy? It’s a feeling that needs careful nurturing, it requires on occasion to be kept hidden lest black shadows try to destroy it but ultimately it can be the most fulfilling of all sensations and the rather interesting title of the new album by Elmo and The Styx

Elmo And The Styx, Happy. Album Review full post

(423 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Why do I cry?

The following poem was written by Brian Nash for the WNWA walk from Hillsborough to Anfield. The group consisted of supporters, survivors and family members and was organised by Steve Kelly and Cherie Brewster.

 

Why do I cry?

Nobody I knew died.

My old man was there

Some good friends were there

But they came home alive.

My Dad had almost given up

Couldn’t get near the gate

But a crush and then a sway and

“Ee are, get in here mate”

Did that random act of kindness decide his fate?

Why do I cry? full post

(689 words, estimated 2:45 mins reading time)

The Fast Camels, Deadrooms and Butterfly Dreams. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

In some countries, the possession of a fast camel can lead to untold riches, being lauded in certain circles and the feeling of overwhelming power at the hands of an animal who can outlive a human when lost in the desert. In Glasgow, The Fast Camels are becoming just as lauded, just as hardy and should be just as celebrated as their desert counterparts.

The Fast Camels, Deadrooms and Butterfly Dreams. Album Review. full post

(378 words, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

Emma Stevens, Enchanted. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The amount of depth that is afforded to Emma Stevens, the wisdom in the music that gives a lift to the mood, even when the lyrics betray other sentiments that may in other hands bring the frame of mind down, makes Enchanted a beautiful beast of an album in which to appreciate the delicate bouquet of relished beaming roses.

Emma Stevens, Enchanted. Album Review. full post

(370 words, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)

Fargo: The Crocodile’s Dilema. (Episode One). Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Alison Tolman, Bob Odenkirk, Keith Carradine, Kate Walsh, Joshua Clegg, Joey King, Shawn Doyle, Brian Markinson, Kelly Holden Basher, Tom Musgrave, Julie Ann Emery, Rachel Blanchard, Kevin O’ Grady, Atticus Mitchell, Liam Green, Brian Jensen, Dave Trimble, Andrew McKenzie, Karen Johnson-Diamond, Lori Ravensborg, Michelle Thrush, Spencer Drever, Sam Duke, Darrell Orydzuk, Ben Wong, Lydia Lau, Susan Park, Carolyn Bridget Kennedy, Ryan Suffesick.

Fargo: The Crocodile’s Dilema. (Episode One). Television Review. full post

(599 words, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: David Threlfall, Amanda Redman, Helen McCrory, Gregor Fisher, Jason Manford, Andy Rush, Charlotte Beaumont, John Biggins, James Carcaterra, Hayley Collett, Lucy Conley, Pamela Betsy Cooper, David Doyle, Bob Golding, Hamish Hamilton, Andrew Harrison, Kevin Hudson, Albie Marber, Jordan Metcalfe, Marene Miller, Jacinta Mulcahy, Michael Müller, Paul Ritter, Chris Ryman, David Sterne, Tilly Vosburgh, Phil Yarrow, Chris Cowlin.

For many, the night Tommy Cooper died at Her Majesty’s Theatre infront of a live television audience will always be remembered. The man who could make people laugh just by standing infront of them, had passed on at the end his act 30 years ago and for many the sound of laughter was never the same again.

Tommy Cooper: Not Like That, Like This. Television Review. full post

(565 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

When Echo Was A Boy…

Tiresias witnesses another time

Ahead of the end of the days

In which Echo was a boy,

 

And in which Narcissus was a woman.

Who am I?

Who am I?

 

One cries out loud,

Whilst the other merely repeats and cries.

Tiresias weeps at the unfairness

 

Of his vision,

The conundrum of what befell

Them both, unsolved to sightless eyes.

 

Though unsighted, Tiresias is moved

By the plight of the Echo boy

And the Narcissus woman.

 

When Echo Was A Boy… full post

(737 words, estimated 2:57 mins reading time)

Marcus Malone, Stand Or Fall. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Where would existence be without the likes of Marcus Malone popping up on a regular basis through the back drop of life’s sometimes audible eternal howl? It certainly wouldn’t be as interesting nor as musically rich or plush nor as precious in the way that Blues can be.

Marcus Malone lives the Blues, he plays with its concept and gives it an edge in which few dare to follow and is reminiscent of the luxuriant tones that was gifted the young David Coverdale, in short without Marcus Malone appearing somewhere on your playlist of the day, then the 24 hours that separates one midnight to the next may as well be a blur of undisguised bemusement.

Marcus Malone, Stand Or Fall. Album Review. full post

(434 words, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)