Amsterdam, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

photograph by Ian D. Hall

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 16th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating *****

Two acts with the same intensity, drive and showmanship sharing the night as a double header is rare but with Damien Dempsey kicking off the Liverpool Irish Music Festival in fine form, there was only one way Amsterdam could go in a very atmospheric o2 Academy and that was to match the whirlwind that is the popular Irishman and give the local and travelling fans a night to really let go and be proud of.

Amsterdam, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(509 words, 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Damien Dempsey, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool.

Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 17th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating *****

There is no two ways about it; a Damien Dempsey show is always going to be special, when it’s part of a double header involving Liverpool’s own Amsterdam then it’s going to considered the type of brilliant evening that anything else going on in Liverpool that night may as well resign itself to being relegated to small talk the following morning.

Damien Dempsey, Gig Review. o2 Academy, Liverpool. full post

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

The Straits, Gig Review. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 19th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating ****

In the 80’s Dire Straits were by far one of the biggest bands on the planet. They were loved by people who just bought one album, adored by millions who had followed the band’s career and adulated and remembered for one particular song that had a cutting edge video, insanely brilliant riff attached to it and lyrics that resonated with an audience ready to throw off the shackles of the 1970’s.

The Straits, Gig Review. Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. full post

(405 words, 1 image, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

Thomas Dolby, Map Of The Floating City. Album Review.

L.S Media Rating **** Stars

Thomas Dolby has never really been a man who let convention get in the way of anything he wanted to achieve or put out for his fans to take part in.  From the start of the new wave of keyboard and synthesised music explosion Thomas Dolby was there messing around with the rules and defying expectation with ground breaking music such as She Blinded Me With Science and the 1984 hit Hyperactive, both these songs still sounding deliciously odd but with a certain wonderment to them.

Thomas Dolby, Map Of The Floating City. Album Review. full post

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

Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot III. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 25th 2011.

L.S. Media rating *****

If you are going to have the tag “Super group” hanging round your neck for all too see then its best to live up to the hype, the moniker and the musical ideal by delivering music that’s accessible and above reproach from critics and fans. Black Country Communion have done just that in the last couple of years, and now Chickenfoot follow superbly in that fashion and have delivered another impressive album that holds dear to the ideals of excellent riffs and well placed lyrics.

Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot III. Album Review. full post

(427 words, 1 image, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Doctor Who, The Silver Turk. Big Finish Audio Play 153, A Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 26th 2011.

Cast: Paul McGann, Julie Cox, Gareth Armstrong, Christian Brassington, David Schneider, Gwilym Lee, Claire Wyatt, Nicholas Briggs.

L.S. Media rating **** Stars

From the opening moments of The Silver Turk, Big Finish’s October release of Doctor Who audio plays, you can’t help but notice the changes. For a start the music, though obviously the Doctors unmistakable theme, is different from anything that has accompanied Paul McGann’s incarnation of the time travelling detective. It has a more sinister feel to it and fits in well with the premise of the story arc and where listeners of Big Finish left the Doctor at the end of Paul McGann’s stand-alone series four, the ominous and brooding To the Death.

Doctor Who, The Silver Turk. Big Finish Audio Play 153, A Review. full post

(613 words, estimated 2:27 mins reading time)

Julian Cope, Stanley Theatre, University Of Liverpool. Gig Review

Julian Cope in concert at the University of Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 29th 2011.

L.S. Media Rating *****

There’s only one to describe Julian Cope when he is on form and that’s just stunning. Knowledgeable, eloquent and charming are more platitudes you could bandy around in his company but he might just give that wonderful shrug of the shoulders, pretend to glare at you from behind the dark glasses, but ultimately beam graciously at you before having enough and going back to playing music.

Julian Cope, Stanley Theatre, University Of Liverpool. Gig Review full post

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

U2, Achtung Baby. Album Review. 20th Anniversary Edition.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 31st 2011.

L.S. Media Rating *****

In a typical grandiose style that you would expect from one of the premier Irish Rock bands of the last thirty years, U2 celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1991 album Achtung Baby with the re-release of one of the band’s finest albums.

U2, Achtung Baby. Album Review. 20th Anniversary Edition. full post

(710 words, 1 image, estimated 2:50 mins reading time)

Manic Street Preachers, National Treasures-The Singles Collection. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. October 31st 2011.

L.S.Media Rating ****

Perhaps the best way to look at the career of the Manic Street Preachers is not by the albums the band have released, all in their own way a testament to triumph over adversity, but perhaps in the singles the Welsh group have notched up in the time that they have been going.

Manic Street Preachers, National Treasures-The Singles Collection. Album Review. full post

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

Megadeth, Th1rt3en. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S. Media. November 1st 2011.

L.S. Media Review *****

The number itself may unlucky for some but for Megadeth its proof, if any were needed, that they remain the best and most consistent Thrash Metal act of all time. Th1rt3en continues the excellent work by the band that in recent years has seen them deliver notable and in some cases exceptional pieces of work that to compare them to the so called appointed other Big three of Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer is to belittle the achievements of Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, Shawn Drover and Chris Broderick.

Megadeth, Th1rt3en. Album Review. full post

(404 words, 1 image, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)