Category Archives: Music

Brit Floyd. Gig Review. Salisbury City Hall.

. June 23rd 2012. Damian Darlington at the Salisbury City Hall. Photograph by Ian D. Hall

Originally published by L.S. Media. June 23rd 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

There is nothing quite like nostalgia; especially when it’s done to with an inch of perfection, a decent sized crowd have enjoyed it immensely and the songs have been as near perfect as you can imagine.

Brit Floyd arrived in Salisbury for their debut show in the city full of hope and aspirations to make some of the small Wiltshire city relive some of the best music to have come out of these islands by one of the most popular bands to ever grace a stage. It is more than fair to say that they easily beat those aims.

Brit Floyd. Gig Review. Salisbury City Hall. full post

(573 words, 1 image, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)

The Offspring, Days Go By. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. June 28th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Days Go By is the new album by American Punk Rock band The Offspring and never has an album title felt more apt in terms of how long fans of a group may have felt for its delivery.

This ninth studio album by the band has been creeping and crawling along and was in danger of becoming out of date by the time it finally hit the general public. Patience is sometimes its own reward, especially in music and the pay offs in what the audience hears can be worth every moment, every single agonising second between one album and the next.

The Offspring, Days Go By. Album Review. full post

(360 words, 1 image, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

Levellers, Static On The Airwaves. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. June 29th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

After nearly 25 years making some rather excellent music, the latest album by the Levellers, Static On The Airwaves, still manages to raise the expectations that somewhere there are groups that still connect with their core audience and create music that not only coaxes the listener to enjoy but also actively want to spread around their friends and say see, “This is what I’m talking about, this is what’s wrong”.

Levellers, Static On The Airwaves. Album Review. full post

(520 words, 1 image, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Linkin Park, Living Things. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media June 29th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

Linkin Park have a lot to be proud of as a band, for a start they broke the existing mould that was almost fused and set in stone between understated yet loud rap and good accessible rock and continued to make records that developed the idea of personal anguish without going down some doom laden ego-trip.

Linkin Park, Living Things. Album Review. full post

(376 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)

Dominic Crane, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Birmingham.

Dominic Crane, Picture from Allgigs.co.uk.

Originally published by L.S. Media. July 1st 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

There is something to be said for the moment where you realise that a performer of glorious musical intelligence is playing his heart out in front of you. That moment is magnified when as a music lover, no matter the genre, you are sure that what you are seeing before you is one of the most unlikely best support acts you are likely to hear in any year.

Dominic Crane, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Birmingham. full post

(428 words, 1 image, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

Mike And The Mechanics, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Birmingham.

Mike Rutherford at the o2 Academy, Birmingham. Picture by Ian D. Hall

Originally published by L.S. Media. July 1st 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Mike Rutherford really needs no introduction, certainly not to the extremely fascinated and focused crowd at the o2 Academy in Birmingham who roared in vocal appreciation at the man responsible for many of Genesis’s hits over the years, and who managed to juggle his side project Mike and the Mechanics with such musical aplomb.

Mike And The Mechanics, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Birmingham. full post

(434 words, 1 image, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

Patti Smith, Banga. Album Review.

  • Originally published by L.S. Media. July 9th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ****

There is no doubting the sincerity in Patti Smith, a woman of true artistic worth who performs music as if she were a female version of Allan Ginsberg or Jim Morrison. A true poet who happens to produce great music as if it was considered to be a mortal sin to be someone who can produce art in many fields, if it was, do you think someone like Patti Smith would care? She would shrug her shoulders and go out produce something of absolute genius such as her latest album, Banga.

Patti Smith, Banga. Album Review. full post

(413 words, 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)

Dexys, One Day I’m Going To Soar. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. July 9th 2012.

L.S. Media ****

Kevin Rowland and Dexys have been out of the public eye for a long time now, the last studio album by the band that formally went by the name Dexys Midnight Runners was way back in 1985. However the band that stormed the charts with hits such as Come On Eileen and Geno are now back and with a truly artistic and well written album titled One Day I’m Going To Soar.

Dexys, One Day I’m Going To Soar. Album Review. full post

(399 words, 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

30 Years Of Bananarama. Album Review.

First published by L.S. Media. July 10th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating ***

For modern audiences Bananarama might be a bit of anachronism, a trio of female singers who sound good…well there has been plenty of them over the last thirty years and you would be entitled to say so what?

Bananarama though were different, they had something that the other female singers, they can’t be called girl bands as when do any of them ever pick up an instrument in anger, today have forgotten, for they had bundles of attitude which endeared them to their early fans and they maintained that popularity when they were taken up the Stock, Aitkin and Waterman processing plant.

30 Years Of Bananarama. Album Review. full post

(494 words, 1 image, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

Rush, Clockwork Angels. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media.  July 11th 2012.

L.S. Media Rating *****

When Rush are on top form, which is pretty much most of the time, they are simply unstoppable. The three Canadian musicians are so well respected that for almost other Progressive Rock band to take five years between recording and publishing studio albums would be sacrilege and could spell long term disaster for the group.

Rush, Clockwork Angels. Album Review. full post

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