Stephen Langstaff. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally by L.S. Media. May 3rd 2012.L.S. Media Rating *****
Stephen Langstaff has come a long way in such a short space of time, it’s a wonder that he has found the time to stand still and reflect on his life so far, let alone go into the studio and come out with a stunning album that does justice to his prestigious talent but also features one of the finest Roy Orbison covers ever recorded.
Hue and Cry. Photograph by Ian D. Hall
Originally published by L.S. Media. May 3rd 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
There are times when you don’t need a full band behind you giving you the extra impetuous to thrill a capacity crowd. A voice perhaps and keyboard will do and when you are Greg and Pat Kane from Scottish Jazz/Funk stalwarts Hue and Cry.
Photograph by Ian D. Hall
L.S. Media Rating *****
Graham Gouldman is one of music’s nice guys and rather than adhering to the proverb of nice guys finishing last, it’s quite easy to see by looking at the faces of every audience member at every gig, that his, and that of 10cc, appeal and fortitude has seen his through to be one of the elder statesmen of the British music scene.
Much respected for his contribution to music across six decades, Graham Gouldman effortlessly plays the music that has thrilled generations of music fans and can have any crowd, no matter how fickle, stop and listen and ultimately love him.
L.S. Media Rating ****
Among the many things to thank the B.B.C. for, somewhere near the very top should be that unlike the amount of early pioneering television programmes that were wiped to save money and space, at least the corporation managed to have the foresight to know where they could lay their hands on the early recordings of some of the more influential pop groups of the sixties.
Originally blished by L.S. Media. May 8th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ***
Damon Albarn is one of those musicians that made his name in the 90’s and managed with some skill and incredible fortitude to remain vital and interesting in whatever project he had his eye on next.
From the heady days of Blur and the unforgettable public spats with Oasis and the Gallagher brothers and the Brit Pop culture explosion to the remarkable fusion of the ground breaking rock animation and slightly disturbing nature of Gorillaz to his debut album Dr Dee, it seems that the man who gave the nation songs such as Country House, Tracy Jacks, Dirty Harry and Clint Eastwood has now set his eyes on a higher, more lofty enterprise.
Originally published by L.S. Media. May 9th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating *****
Cast: Kristen Atherton, William Chubb, Ben Lamb, Flora Nicholson, Sadie Shimmin, Shannon Tarbet.
To take the life of one of Britain’s foremost radical and supreme female writers of the last 200 years and present it as a dramatic and inspiring piece of theatre takes incredible fortitude, guile, a cast of infinite quality and a writer whose work is undoubtedly amongst the best in the country right now.
In Helen Edmundson’s Mary Shelley at the Liverpool Playhouse, the audience was treated rather spectacularly to all of the above and then some.
Originally published by L.S. Media. May 10th 2012. 
L.S. Media Rating ****
There’s something comforting about hearing an old master return to the studio and release a brand new album of songs. Songs that strike a chord in the heartstrings and gives the listener the realisation that no matter the public may think from time to time, there is always a place for the older statesmen of British Rock to make excellent music.
Originally published by L.S. Media. May 11th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ****
When Blancmange were last in Liverpool, the Lancashire duo had just released the excellent Blanc Burn, their first new studio album in 26 years.
It was with great sorrow that keyboard player Stephen Luscombe couldn’t be there on the night then and was with greater despondency that he couldn’t be there again for the band to celebrate Blanc Burn being released as a special vinyl edition. However Neil Arthur is a consummate professional and has the air of a man who has the desire to prove that nothing will stop a show, even when one of your oldest friends is missing from an excellent show at the Liverpool O2 Academy.
L.S. Media Rating *****
Arguably, 1968 was a fantastic year for music. With artists such as Aretha Franklin and her album Lady Soul, Moody Blues and their opus of In Search of the Lost Chord, Pink Floyd’s A Saucerful of Secrets and Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World all making a deep impact onto the record buying publics purse strings that year, surely the stand out album was Britain’s premier Psychedelic Rock band, The Small Faces and their album Ogdens’ Nut Gone Flake.
Originally published by L.S. Media. May 14th 2012.
L.S. Media Rating ***
Morten Harket’s music always seems to grab you more when he is being personal and open with his lyrics than most of his musical compatriots from the 1980’s teen idol, music video-raised era.
The former Norwegian heartthrob to a million girls via the band A-Ha has come a long way since the days of Hunting High and Low and the single that kicked off the band’s good fortune, the popular and extremely catchy Take on Me. Even with A-Ha ‘s last release in 2009, Morten Harket sounds more relaxed and true to his original ethos on his new album, Out of my Hands, than he has done throughout the whole of his career.