Category Archives: Live

Oranj Son, Gig Review. Liverpool Loves Festival. Pier Head, Liverpool.

Oranj Son at the Pier Head in Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Anybody who has been pushed up on to a stage first, to have the glare of the spotlight thrust with voyeuristic intent and the simmering of gentle persuasion guide them into opening a show, a talk or even just the pressure of buying the first round and knowing full well that people will drop out behind them, that others will order fancier drinks to make them look like the bigger cheese and the more generous, might get how nerve racking it is to open up as first act on arguably one of the biggest and certainly the most new weekends in the Liverpool year.

Oranj Son, Gig Review. Liverpool Loves Festival. Pier Head, Liverpool. full post

(476 words, 1 image, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

Mersey Wylie, Gig Review. Strings And Things, Studio 2, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5/10

Some people are just destined to be on the stage and become the natural performer that fortune and Kismet nod their approvals for, for the future belongs to them.

In Mersey Wylie, a woman whose very name holds fascination and the sense of History that the city of Liverpool enjoys to the very maximum, kismet has more than met its match. For the sheer presence of the woman as she sings has undergone so much revolution and wonderful development from the first moments she stood on the stage at Zanzibar just a mere 16 months ago. Already brimming with the cool and the collected, she now radiates gravitas and so much fun that Quality Street would do well to take notes on what fun actually is; fun it seems is to watch Mersey Wylie enjoy herself as she sings songs that captivate and take your heart prisoner.

Mersey Wylie, Gig Review. Strings And Things, Studio 2, Liverpool. full post

(546 words, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)

The D-Tales, Gig Review. Strings And Things, Studio2, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There is almost a sense of pity that should be extended outwards to anyone that doesn’t find the prospect of Rock, in whichever shape or form, an exciting prospect in which to delve head first into and wallow in its electric vibe and luminous structured beast like glow for however long the offer is on for.

The D-Tales, Gig Review. Strings And Things, Studio2, Liverpool. full post

(394 words, estimated 1:35 mins reading time)

Jo Mary, Gig Review. Strings And Things, Studio 2, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

They might be a new name on the Liverpool band board but don’t let that fool you, for in their own dramatic fashion, Jo Mary already have a groove and perseverance that many who have been going for years would find hard to equal.

It is in the measure of both Stillhet’s prowess to find such emerging talent and place them head first into the depths of creativity via their enormously enjoyable Strings and Things evenings and in Jo Mary themselves that the unexpected ease in which they ploughed through a selection of covers but done with impossible sounding inventiveness, and a taste of what is hopefully to come in the future with a track of their own making, the dynamic and vibrant Glass Eyed and Shameless.

Jo Mary, Gig Review. Strings And Things, Studio 2, Liverpool. full post

(385 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

Charlie McKeon, Gig Review. Strings And Things. Studio 2, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There is a certain gentleness, a confident kind of whimsical appreciation to be found in watching Charlie McKeon as he settles into what could have been a solemn affair slot at Strings and Things’ August session. It is a gentleness though that carries great weight, a simmering tension that underlines the depth of feeling that can be witnessed between one person and their chosen musical instrument and the songs that somehow beat and throb with the heart filled with unusual courage. It is a sign of wonder and aural beauty that has to be heard to be understood and loved.

Charlie McKeon, Gig Review. Strings And Things. Studio 2, Liverpool. full post

(439 words, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

Against The Sky, Gig Review. Zanzibar, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The year seems to be slowly ebbing away, the nights are getting darker and the absurdity of such inclement weather for the time of year is enough to install a sense of deprivation and foreboding for the winter ahead.

What Liverpool has though is the means to generate heat, warmth and an overpowering urge to shake off the blues as easily as making sure that Westminster undesirables are never able to find their way past the Mersey. That heat, that serious endeavour to keep new music coming through the ranks and the venues of the home of culture is what keeps the smiles on the faces across all sections and genres of music lovers in the city.

Against The Sky, Gig Review. Zanzibar, Liverpool. full post

(341 words, estimated 1:22 mins reading time)

Skylights, Gig Review. Zanzibar, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There are moments you feel for a band, when the Gods distract the flow and even the tiniest interruption could make or break the moment of absolute clarity. Bands of immense stature have suffered it and some have even folded under the pressure on the day, the music never really capturing the intensity that came before it. Yet in amongst the darkness of perhaps seen negativity an illumination can appear and what follows is just as hard core, just as enjoyable to watch as before the mishap on stage occurs.

Skylights, Gig Review. Zanzibar, Liverpool. full post

(353 words, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)

The Also Known As, Gig Review. Zanzibar, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10

Everyone has a story to tell, to impart perhaps for the betterment or understanding of humanity’s place in the world and the ways that even the softest voice can change someone’s idea of what it means to achieve something extraordinary.

July may have ended on a bigger whimper than a child being offered a milkshake, fries and a juicy burger if it kept quiet all day, only to find that the parents had actually meant boiled cabbage and carrot water but in terms of young local bands finding their first steps into the creative, sometimes harsh but always nurturing, aspect of Liverpool music, July had been a God-send and as the month breathed its last The Zanzibar Club gave one more surprise in the collaboration series as The Also Known As played with minimum fuss and cool stance upon their stage.

The Also Known As, Gig Review. Zanzibar, Liverpool. full post

(386 words, estimated 1:33 mins reading time)

Dexters, Gig Review. Liverpool Calling, St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool. 2015.

Dexters at Liverpool Calling 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

If the day needed just that little more encouragement to get in tune with the occasion and the season’s demands, then the appearance of the highly rated Dexters at this year’s Liverpool Calling was enough to make the sun finally smash away at the clouds that had threatened at times to spoil the sanguine nature of the day. This allowed it to pop its loving caress over the iconic turrets of St. Luke’s and give the audience the resolution to keep enjoying the flavour and texture of sound that Dexters supply.

Dexters, Gig Review. Liverpool Calling, St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool. 2015. full post

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

Silent Sleep, Gig Review. Liverpool Calling, St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool. 2015.

Silent Sleep at Liverpool Calling 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There are some bands that just seem to have a natural affinity with both the venue they are playing in and the day in which is being represented. For Silent Sleep the venue never seems to make a difference, for the sound of the remarkable and the giving always jostle for the attention and capturing of elegance no matter where they perform, whether at Leaf on Bold Street, the austere and imposing nature of the ancient court of Liverpool or indeed the iconic St Luke’s Church, steeped in history and arguably one of the most important buildings in the city; the sound is one in which the ceaseless chattering in the head takes a back seat and the gentle approach of collective beauty reigns supreme.

Silent Sleep, Gig Review. Liverpool Calling, St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool. 2015. full post

(464 words, 1 image, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)