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Endeavour, Neverland. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Shaun Evans, Roger Allam, James Bradshaw, Anton Lesser, James Wilby, Gordon Kennedy, Abigail Thaw, Oliver Lansley, Jack Laskey, Sean Rigby, Vince Leigh, Shvorne Marks, Caroline O’ Neill, Lasco Atkins, Jack Bannon, Sarah Beck Mather, Oliver Coleman, Mark Flitton, Abby Ford, Max Gold, Andrew Gower, Martin Hancock, Emma Hiddleston, Simon Kunz, Paul Ridley, Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Connor Sitton, George Turvey, Sarah Vickers, Nick Waring, Sarah Woodward.

Aquaman, The Trench. Volume One. Graphic Novel Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

There used to be a saying that you were either a Beatles fan or a Rolling Stones devotee, the same could be said of the big two comic book publishers in America, D.C. Comics and Marvel. Like the argument between The Stones and the four Liverpool musicians, there will also be a crossover who say for example find the compelling stories of Batman or Wonder Woman just as exciting as the moral guideline set out by Captain America or the incredible life of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man, just as there are those who love The Beatles but also see the appeal of Paint It Black or Sympathy for the Devil.  However sympathy for D.C. Comics marine hero Aquaman has never really captured comic book fans in any kind of dramatic way.

Emma Stevens, Gig Review. Zanzibar Club, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 91/2/10

It took a smile, the easiest of human reflexes and the most disarming to understand that this was going to be a set in which love would not just be felt but would in turn become admiration and fully encompassed respect. For Emma Stevens, the smile she wore for almost the entire set inside Zanzibar was not one of falseness, not just placed there in which to entrance an audience, but one of the most honest beams you ever likely to see on stage by a musician as they perform a set of music that just stole the heart.

Alexandra Jayne, Gig Review. Zanzibar Club, Liverpool. (April 2014)

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

It may be the Easter break for many students up and down the country but that doesn’t mean that they either unwind over the spoils of Cadbury wars and gargantuan eggs, nor for the benefit of their own sanity or health hitting every single book for 24 hours a day ready for the impending exams that naturally hove into view once the last wrapper has been dispatched to its fiery hell.

TJ And Murphy, Gig Review. Zanzibar Club, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

TJ and Murphy provided the harmonic dichotomy on a stage that had been and would be dominated in the early part of the evening by two female musicians, one on her own but with a voice that could break down barriers and playfully tease affection out of the sulkiest stone and the other whose refreshingly bright and breezy attitude reminded the world that a smile can be the most effective weapon in anyone’s arsenal.

Hafdis Huld, Home. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There are many reasons in which to find yourself as a listener immensely satisfied with exploring the music of Nordic tradition. Whether it is the music from Norway, Sweden, Finland, the exceptional talent of the island race of the Faroe Islands or even Iceland, there is so much beauty contained within the music that it can make a music lover hanker for less intrusive times, times when the narrative was the big sell and the music a picturesque addition, the soundscapes of the sea crashing into the rugged hardy rocks along the shores with a guitar being gently teased in the background.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Film Review. Picturehouse @ F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHann, Sally Field, Campbell Scott, Paul Giamatti, Embeth Daviditz, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Marton Csokas, Louis Cancelmi, Max Charles, B.j. Novak, Sarah Gadon, Michael Massee, Helen Stern, Stan Lee, Jorge Vega.

For all the good Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst bought to the Spiderman films of the previous decade, there is huge appeal in watching Andrew Garfield play the Marvel Comic book hero and the excellent Emma Stone as the immensely enjoyable Gwen Stacy in the latest Amazing Spider-Man film.

The Tricks of The Mind

The sound of the Nordic God’s anger thunders in my ears

as Freya plays with seduction a song in which to entrap

My O.K. Internal Haze and give rise to the tricks of the mind.

The Nordic Gods play havoc with the landscape, the boundary

between my vision and the vast sea that was crossed by Freya in search

of someone to take notice of the gentle notes of joy, despair and anguish,

the dominant emotion of love for the guitar she wields with a shy smile.

Her weapon, simpler than the Ax favoured by more aggressive

Play It Loud.

Time softened the edges
Wore down the dangerous demeanour
Blunted the horns on top of my head
Little trace of that famous defiance
On the outside of this monster
That walks amongst you
But inside?
Still blazing
Still nothing that you are
Ear-aching i-pod buds
Thunder his howling
His raging luminescence
Fires up the beast inside
Has me swaying
Snake-hips twitching
Contorting my face
Silent-shrieking every line
On this morning tram
Surrounded by shoppers
And assorted poor meek souls
Trying to get to work
I am that thing
That crazy in the corner
Wild eyed and mouthing
‘No, I don’t have a gun’
‘No, I don’t have a gun.’

Liverpool Theatre Company, What We Did Next, Celebrates Its Fifth Birthday.

City centre based theatre company, What We Did Next CIC, turns five in May. Established in 2008, the company celebrates five years since its inaugural production of Stephen Sondheim’s Company, at the Kazimier in May 2009.

The company is marking this milestone with a concert featuring songs from their previous productions, as well as other musical theatre numbers and several adaptations of pop classics. The concert will be performed by the WWDN Singers, a choir set up as part of the company, giving members an alternative to being involved in full-scale productions. This free, non-auditioned choir gives the company a focus between shows and extends the company’s appeal.