Fiona Skelly, part of The Sundowners. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
If you only remember one thing about 2012, consider this for as long as it takes, that the music of Liverpool has once again become a powerhouse, a powder keg of new bands that have come along and reminded music lovers of the city that there is much talent out there ready to be heard. Add to this the phenomenal and unbelievable aptitude that lies at the heart of The Sundowners.
Glenn Gregory providing Temptation at the o2 Academy, Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Originally published by Liverpool Live. October 2012.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
For Heaven 17’s remaining members, to come out on tour and perform the whole of their colossal 1983 hit album, The Luxury Gap, must be a double edged sword. One of the biggest, boldest and outstandingly self-confident albums to come out the Steel city for many years, it deserves to be played in its entirety and there would be no dissenters to this fact.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
There is something very enjoyable and musically intense about a Deacon Blue concert in Liverpool. Whether it is part of the Liverpool Summer Pops Festival or as part of a national tour in support of a major anniversary, there is always a huge appreciative and very vocal audience that welcomes them to the Liverpool Echo Arena.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
To be confirmed as support for a band whose very appearance on any stage in Liverpool can send audiences into a state of apoplexy is a daunting prospect but for young singer/songwriter Azadeh it was just another step on a road that has so far been paved with exquisite and well written music.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Add a dash of the exotic and mysterious Faroe Islands to a band and already the thought of the type of music you might expect from one of the young groups in the city of Liverpool creating a huge amount of talk, the exceptionally good Clean Cut Kid, and you have a group worthy of taking a huge interest in.
Clean Cut Kid are Jake Ford, Tom Ashbrook, Oliver Hardakre, Michael Halls and Greta Svabo Bech and together they appeared on stage at Leaf ready to win over a new audience and spread the ever growing word on their excellent music.
Jez Wing at Leaf. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Jez Wing may have been out of the live music scene in Liverpool for a while now but that should never stop talent, in any shape or form making an impact on a crowd. When you have the aptitude of Jez Wing it is a shame to let it go to waste and thankfully for the music lovers in the city, he chose the perfect time to bring his superb music back to Leaf and a welcoming crowd.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
There are some musicians who can just stand on the stage and their very presence is enough to send a venue into rapture and unreserved ecstasy. The former lead man of the superb London band The Kinks is one such man and as Ray Davies came on stage to thunderous applause it really felt as though time had been wound backwards to the days when they were one of the most talked of and much loved groups.
Mark King in action at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by Liverpool Live. October 17th 2012.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
For many of their fans, Level 42 are an institution, a band whose ingenious use of funk/pop/jazz made them a household name throughout the 1980’s. They are also one of only a few bands that can tour with aplomb without having a new album in tow and also get the sort of reception from a Liverpool crowd that involves a standing ovation from the very start of the gig.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by Liverpool Live. October 15th 2012.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Karine Polwart continues to amaze and beguile audiences whenever she steps out onto a stage, whether in her native Scotland or when she ventures across the border and comes down south to places such as Bristol and London.
One area where she needs no introduction is that of Merseyside. In the past she has performed in the now sadly missed Pacific Road Art Centre and in the incredible setting of the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, now she wowed all before her in the intimate and sanguine setting of the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
There is fission of excitement that sparkles wildly when a music lover read down a list of bands names that are due to play at a gig they attend that is almost unique in the world of music. From the early 70s when great progressive rock bands of the time thrilled audiences with names that seemed positively futuristic, it seems that a name can carry hope and an awful lot of symbolism.