Category Archives: Live

Magnum, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.

Tony Clarkin of Magnum. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

No matter how times Magnum come to Liverpool, the five members that make up the premier Midlands rock band give a show worthy of their incredible pedigree and vivid and descriptive music.

The o2 Academy in Liverpool has played host to Bob Catley, Tony Clarkin, Mark Stanway, Al Barrow and Harry James on several occasions and each time the five men step out on stage the reception they receive is akin to any of the local bands that make Liverpool the burgeoning powerhouse of 21st century music. On the back of the band’s latest release, the critically acclaimed On The Thirteenth Day, Magnum were once again lauded by their fans of the North-West.

Magnum, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(389 words, 1 image, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)

Citizen Fish, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It can be completely absurd sometimes to see a band so geometrically at odds with the ethos of the main act that a casual observer may question the ethics of putting two such disparate groups together on the same bill. With the fantastic Citizen Fish supporting The Levellers at the o2 Academy, Liverpool on an impassioned night, there were no such worries at all.

Citizen Fish are sublime, a welcome antidote to pop greed that stutters and skulks its way through mainstream television and subverts the national conscious. In this there couldn’t have been a finer band to perform their anti-corporation music than the Bath group.

Citizen Fish, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(359 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

Levellers, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.

Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

A darkened o2 Academy is a place of wonder, the expectation can come filtering through the shadows and the tension is almost palatable and worth bottling for sale. A band can, in the time that it takes to walk from the downstairs dressing rooms to the exposed stage in front of a capacity crowd, become kings for the night or drown in their sorrows after the evening has ended. One such group that always plays at the very highest of their ability and performs incredibly well live is the men that make up The Levellers.

Levellers, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(409 words, 1 image, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

Mike Peters, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

Mike Peters at the o2 Academy, Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

It has to be said that Mike Peters really is the epitome of musicians who never know how to sit still and take in their place in society, nor can he ever be accused of giving anything less than 100 percent when he is on stage. Whether as part of one of the finest bands to come out of Wales, The Alarm, his occasional forays into the world of Big Country of which he has done a splendid job fronting or when it is just him, a guitar and a harmonica; he never ever gives less than the crowd deserves.

Mike Peters, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(511 words, 1 image, estimated 2:03 mins reading time)

Natalie McCool, Mello Mello. Gig Review.

Natalie McCool performing at Mello Mello. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Mello Mello may have been threatened with senseless closure earlier in the summer, thankfully this den of good music in the heart of the city centre, tucked neatly in amongst the bawdy and forlorn is still operating and still putting on nights of interesting and well crafted music. It is a good job really as those who watched Widnes musician Natalie McCool play her set with oodles of style may have wondered where else they could have caught this essential music maker if not for Mello Mello.

Natalie McCool, Mello Mello. Gig Review. full post

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

Sandi Thom, Gig Review. Eric’s Liverpool.

Sandi Thom, Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Sandi Thom started the summer going for great British blues musicianship with her extraordinary album Flesh and Blood and where she led, others have followed and produced stunning works of art. So much so that to keep ahead of the likes of Beverley McClennan and Joanne Shaw Taylor, her live set has had to be something exceptional and at Eric’s in Liverpool she delivered.

Sandi Thom, Gig Review. Eric’s Liverpool. full post

(410 words, 1 image, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

The Mono LPs, Gig Review. Eric’s, Liverpool.

Ste Reid of The Mono LPs at Eric’s. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

To hear the Mono LPs on stage at Eric’s on Mathew Street creating the type of penetrating and powerful sound as they supported Sandi Thom for the night, it might have blown you away and a lot of pre-conceived ideas about how an acoustic set works. Not only was it bouncy, brash and passionate but at one point it did look as though Ste Reid and Vicky Mutch, along with her cello were going like the clappers on stage.

The Mono LPs, Gig Review. Eric’s, Liverpool. full post

(443 words, 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Ragz, Gig Review. Leaf, Liverpool.

Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Ragnhild Nordset or Ragz to her fans and friends alike has been sadly absent from the loving scrutiny of those that come along to watch her perform for 18 months.

All that was soon forgotten as the young Nordic woman with the voice of a siren and the heart of an angel stepped on stage at Leaf on Bold Street and performed as if she had never been away. It might have been a short set but to Ragz and no doubt the assembled crowd, who must have been overjoyed to witness the ‘surprise guest’ make her appearance, every moment that she was once more in the spotlight was to savour and enjoy.

Ragz, Gig Review. Leaf, Liverpool. full post

(391 words, 1 image, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Adam Barnes, Gig Review. Leaf, Liverpool.

Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There is something about the dreaming spires of Oxford that can sometimes bring out the very best and noble intentions in a musician.

For the musician that hails from Liverpool, The Mersey can be a constant source of inspiration and intrigue. The way it feeds into the local psyche is nothing short of admirable, the same can be said for the city of Oxford, its river, the Isis as it is known locally may not be as world renowned but it also carries the dreams of all those that enter the city’s safety.

Adam Barnes, Gig Review. Leaf, Liverpool. full post

(346 words, 1 image, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

The Wicked Whispers, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

photograph by Ian D. Hall

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

When the Wicked Whispers play their music on stage, the most advisable thing to do is stand back, close your eyes and wallow in the excellent atmosphere and dream of more halcyon days.

One of the most unique bands to have come from the Liverpool area, the Wicked Whispers, have just finished a tour that has taken in London and Newcastle and now the group have come back home to show just exactly why the word is spreading beyond the confines of the home of popular music.

The Wicked Whispers, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(384 words, 1 image, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)