Category Archives: Live

Paul Heaton And Jacqui Abbott, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

There has always been so much to like about Paul Heaton, a man who wears his lyrical beauty on his sleeve and who can make a grown man weep with the elegance and sly nod of his words; when you add the delightful voice of Jacqui Abbott, a woman whose own command of the slippery wink worthy English Language is as cunning as her friends and a Liverpool Philharmonic Hall rammed to the point where dancing in the aisles was not only expected but actively encouraged by the words floating with sincerity, then Paul Heaton truly found he had come home.

Paul Heaton And Jacqui Abbott, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(457 words, 1 image, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

Toyah, Gig Review. St. George’s Hall Concert Room. Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Kings Heath may not be a name that immediately conjures up the image of villages in the Birmingham area to have been the start of a flourishing and beautiful career, indeed perhaps outside of the second city itself, the name may only barely touch the conscious of those who remember Gardener’s World which was filmed on one of its adjacent greens and to those whose musical appreciation is filled with the idea that the local bars and clubs have been a stepping stone to great things for some.

Toyah, Gig Review. St. George’s Hall Concert Room. Liverpool. full post

(481 words, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

Mark Pountney, Gig Review. Liverpool Acoustic Festival 2016, Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There should never be any doubt of the appeal of Mark Poutney for as long as he is able to perform, stand on a stage with head held high and the ever flowing grace that goes with such a smile of enjoyment, for in that performance comes across a musician who is spirited, giving and full of humble character; if the world ever finds itself without compassion in performance then Mark Pountney would surely endeavour to keep it breathing and ticking along until a new heart could be found for the tired old planet.

Mark Pountney, Gig Review. Liverpool Acoustic Festival 2016, Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(400 words, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

The Buffalo Riot, Gig Review. Liverpool Acoustic Festival 2016, Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Riots can come in all shapes and sizes, they can be easily silenced and quelled, they can become so meaningful that revolutions are given birth from their humble beginnings and like all popular uprisings, nearly always stem from one particular cause or pursuit. In the case of the superb The Buffalo Riot, the root cause is simple, the sound is wholesome and harmonious even when for the purposes of an acoustic gig they slim down from their normal five piece to a slender and melody driven twosome.

The Buffalo Riot, Gig Review. Liverpool Acoustic Festival 2016, Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(408 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

The Stranglers, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Newcastle.

Baz Warne of The Stranglers at the Newcastle o2 Academy, March 2016. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Not everything in life is Black and White but it must be safe to say that for many who have grown up, grown alongside and grown older disgracefully with The Stranglers, you either love them or you haven’t had your electricity switched on for the past forty years; for how else can you explain not having a soul in which to celebrate one of Britain’s finest bands, the longevity and the love that comes out of the Punk Rock wash whenever the Stranglers come to town.

The Stranglers, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Newcastle. full post

(558 words, 1 image, estimated 2:14 mins reading time)

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Newcastle.

The Alarm’s Mike Peters at the 02 Academy, Newcastle, 2016. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

In troubled times, when the glow of the knife edge seems to radiating heat and venom beyond that which is tolerable in the world, Mike Peters words to The Alarm song Where Were You Hiding When The Storms Broke? seems to take on a meaning that makes the nerve endings in the spine shudder but with steely resolve not to be found wanting when the hard decision is put your way. It is in the courage of conviction to make the choice which will either see you popular or see you determined by history to be right.

The Alarm, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Newcastle. full post

(483 words, 1 image, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

The Simon And Garfunkel Revival Band, Gig Review. Concert Room, St. George’s Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

It is within the sound of silence that the deafening roar of appreciation can be felt, that the music of arguably the greatest Folk duo to ever come out of America can, even in the splendour of the grand and majestic, gain the type of standing ovation which would normally only be reserved for the gods and the honest bounty hunter bringing home the distinguished and the well known.

The Simon And Garfunkel Revival Band, Gig Review. Concert Room, St. George’s Hall, Liverpool. full post

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

Midge Ure, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Midge Ure, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, March 2016. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

It is to be seen as a rare honour to be able to watch Midge Ure perform not only in Liverpool, but also an electric set which sends shivers up the spine as much as his brilliant acoustic solo shows for which the audience can be seen almost salivating with excitement over. Those moments of rare beauty are to be savoured and given room in the memory banks for they don’t come round that often.

Midge Ure, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(501 words, 1 image, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)

Nick Heyward, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Nick Hayward at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, March 2016. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Nick Heyward at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, March 2016. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Nick Heyward and the band Haircut 100 was arguably the epitome, alongside the likes of Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran, of the clean cut image presented to music lovers as the 1980s decade honed into view and took root in the decade; fun loving, a band that would capture many teenage girl’s hearts and have young lads ditching the idea of punk rebellion and the afterglow of Progressive Rock for almost a decade or so.

Nick Heyward, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(437 words, 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

Curiosity Killed The Cat, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

The 80s were a decade of contrasting emotions and feelings, in one corner the excess of the decade, its reliance on greed and almost feelings of dishonest pursuit were enough to make any sane person feel ill under the weight of decadence and obtuseness, it was the going against the grind in which to be different was sneered up from upon high, to want social justice had you tarnished as not being with the so called programme and woe-betide if you fell into any category in which to be against the Government had you marked down as a misfit…times don’t seem to have changed much in that regard.

Curiosity Killed The Cat, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

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