Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 22nd 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
A night of two halves joined by a very talented individual thread, that is the key behind Nik Kershaw’s fantastic night at the Liverpool o2 Academy show,. It was a night where both performer and audience reminisced in the depths of music and came up with a set list that defied time and made the most of some of the excellent new songs from his latest album.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 22nd 2012.
Although Billy Joel hasn’t released a hit studio album for a while, at one point his music could be heard almost everywhere. From the embryonic beginnings of M.T.V. and radio stations all over The United States of America and Europe, you couldn’t escape the talented piano player or his catchy and infectious music.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 21st 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
No doubt Leaf on Bold Street will host many important night in the years to come, the space above the busy tea drinking den lends itself superbly to the music that has been performed there since it opened. However, the launch of Liverpool musician Alan O’ Hare and string virtuoso, Laura McKinlay’s latest project, the magnificent Only Child and their eponymous debut E.P. will take some beating.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 21st 2012.
Dave O’Grady has had a busy year already in music terms and by being one of the support acts for Only Child’s E.P. launch at Leaf on Bold Street he managed to inspire and show a new audience what exactly the fuss is about his playing ability and incredible charm.
On stage he weaves a musical composition as if he were Faustus or the Pied Piper of Hamelin playing his music for his loyal followers, it is quite an astonishing feat for example to turn The Beastie Boys hit (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party), possibly one of the most iconic songs of the 1980’s and symbolic of American youth disaffection, into something rather beautiful and laconic.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 20th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
Cast: Peter Bromilow, Sharon Clarke, Steve Dalgeish, Chris Douglas, Vera Farrell, Carl Fowler, Patricia Palombella Hart, Gaynor La Rocca, Francesco La Rocca, Mike MacKenzie, Rachael Reason, Carmel Skelly, Kirsty Taylor, Edwina Walsh, Jim Welsh.
Rob Brannen’s play The Yarn is as homely as you can ask for but it also hides the darkness, very cleverly, of what happens to a village when the heart is ripped out of it.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 19th 2012.
When someone thinks of Dire Straits with a 21st century perspective, invariably the first thought that gets conjured up is of the period of 1985 when they released the seminal and defining album of their career, Brothers in Arms. Whilst this album holds the affection of the dedicated and casual fans alike, it was the previous album, the 1982 release of Love Over Gold that firmly sets the band on course for the superstardom that was to follow.
Photograph by Tristram Kenton
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 19th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating *****
Cast: Ian Bartholomew, Simon Coates, Hasan Dixon, Kevin Harvey, Joshua Higgott, Laurence Kennedy, Ellie Kirk, John McGrellis, Kristian Phillips, Lara Rossi, Nicolas Tennant, Roger Watkin.
The whole world is out for a fast buck, a sure fire way to make money no matter who suffers or is made a fool of. Such was the world during the time of Ben Jonson…and time hasn’t moved on any! Ben Jonson’s play The Alchemist is something different from the plays of the 17th century.
Originally published in Music News.Com. September 15th 2012.
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 17th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
For 30 years Marillion have been proving their new album title wrong, they have surely made every musical note perspire, hum like an angel and make grown men quiver at the knees with ease of their performances. Now the band that some critics have spent their life rubbishing and others extolling the virtues of have released their new album; the exceptional Sounds That Can’t Be Made and like 2004’s Marbles it is an album of genius and sheer quality.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L.S. Media. September 16th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ***
Every band has to start somewhere; it is a basic fact of live music and of life and some don’t, for whatever reason, make it in the end. However, sometimes the hint of promise is there from the start and even if there is a long way to go before the inevitable success; these are moments when the band first performs that makes it all worthwhile.