Shannen Bamford at Studio 2, Liverpool. November 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Shannen Bamford is nobody’s fool and the sweet reflections of life she offers wherever there is a microphone with the right properties to care for her haunting and sensual voice should be heeded with big smiles of enjoyment and truth of life thrust into any day.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The solution that eludes some people is normally the one that sits patiently infront of them and stirs their passions without them realising. For many of a certain generation, those coming up behind them, those that should be entrusted with the flag, they see nothing new, nothing to get excited about, for in their minds they will only ever believe that their generation has the right to argue for a specific golden era to be heard, that anything that comes from the mouths of the young is either filled with X Factor wannabe celebratory or teenage angst that cannot be fathomed.
The Proclaimers, Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. October 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5/10
There was an expectant hush that gathered momentum as the wave of the Philharmonic Hall’s house lights were slowly turned down to a point where sunshine could not have penetrated even the deepest unforgiving shadow. Yet through the gathered together dark, the heart beats of eager musical premonition lit up and took notice, the strength of such force welling up and the tangible, almost pregnant explosion of what was to come almost feeling as if this was not a concert given by maestros of the popular music scene but of Gods walking on stage; such was the clamour to be audibly heard in the whispered voices of the venue’s audience.
Pete Williams at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. October 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Nerves are something you wouldn’t associate with Pete Williams, however genuine affection for a crowd’s enjoyment is something that comes across in waves, not just as a solo performer, or part as a band. Whether it is his own fused cocktail or the ever impressive Dexys but afterwards, where to many it matters just as much, away from the stage, in the even harsher glare of the spotlight when people can corner you and shake your hand and get a thousand questions in; the smile remains open, it flourishes with greeting and makes what has been on stage even more impressive.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The laughter inside the Philharmonic Hall would have been bordering on the intense as Bill Bailey regaled his fans for the second night running, yet tucked away but as bold as anything inside the newly opened Music Room of the hallowed Philharmonic Hall, a different type of evening was taking place, one that flowed with a touch of the regal, the harmonious fusing of haunting vocals and instruments and all times the serenity of the Folk machine. With Bella Hardy in Liverpool for one night only there really was no comparison to be made; the sweet lingering voice of Ms. Hardy was always going to be the most captivating event to be fortunate to witness.
Steve Hackett at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. October 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5/10
The sound of the call to Prayers, the resonance afforded by the subtle backdrop of the mysticism of a far off land and strangely enticing colourful culture fills the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool to the point where is such things were possible, you would swear that the smells and sounds of the welcoming East were about to land in the middle of the stage where graduates have smiled and guitars have been played and would dominate the night.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The rigours of the day, the small, petty and the otherwise inconsequential can mount up to the point where the meaning of life is clouded, it becomes fogged up with bruising and baffling irritation that it can offend the very sensibility of music and it can something very unexpected to soothe the day over; something that might have been missed.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The last night of the tour is always a reason to celebrate. For the fans it can be a vindication that their band, in some cases their whole reason for being, has proved yet again just how important their music is and that the country shares their love for certain songs. For the band, for the artists, it’s a chance to breathe for a while before the circus starts again, to perhaps sample a semblance of normal life once more with family and friends, and a glass of champagne supplied by the support never goes a miss.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5/10
The Liverpool Philharmonic Hall resonates to the sound of ghosts, the aural phantoms of pleasure who have been retained and thankfully allowed to stay filtering and flitting through the expanse of work that has been undertaken in the prestigious venue, all of them forever it seems to harness the energy of every new act that comes along and plays to the gallery and the crowd.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
There is an easy going charm that cannot be ignored when it comes to watching Robert Cray on stage, the deferential that meets the cool and the understated charismatic. The smile in the beautifully creative that greets each song with a polite hello and then plays with each string as if it’s attached to an angel’s heart, sometimes being as rough as the angel likes and causing a blush on the cheeks of the cherubs. At other points smooth, joyous and almost velvet like in its sincerity; it is the charm and ability of a man who knows which angel likes it which way and which has the touch of the Devil in them.