The Lantern Company Presents ‘The Secret Winter Garden’ At Croxteth Hall.

Step through a magic doorway and discover The Secret Winter Garden all aglow at Croxteth Hall – a brand new winter lights event, brought to you by the Lantern Company.

Fun lovers and families are invited to step into the beautiful Victorian surroundings of Croxteth Hall and Gardens this December, where a magical, illuminated adventure awaits.

Lantern Company, renowned for their extraordinary illuminated events and parades the world over, are back in town with a brand-new illuminations extravaganza called The Secret Winter Garden – created especially for Croxteth Hall. The event has been made possible by support from Liverpool City Council.

The Lantern Company Presents ‘The Secret Winter Garden’ At Croxteth Hall. full post

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

Level 42, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2018).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

It would be easy to give the phrase “There is something about them“ a gentle autumn-clean and present it as if it was the most novel expression coined about Level 42, however despite the wording being over used, it remains a factor of the subtly, the complexity and delivery of the band’s music that makes it a truth always worth pursuing and being entrusted with spreading the word about.

Level 42, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2018). full post

(401 words, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

The Blow Monkeys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

All good memories fade eventually, perhaps not disappearing forever, never completely out of grasp, but they do fade, they might lose their lustre, the moment when you declared a love forever lost to age, responsibility and the unknowing regret of not designed neglect, that is life, a passion for the always in your sight, replaced by the allure of other more tangible and currently immediate passions.

The Blow Monkeys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(538 words, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)

Sherlock Holmes: The Sign Of Four, Theatre Review. Atkinson Theatre, Southport.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Luke Barton, Joseph Derrington, Stephanie Rutherford, Christopher Glover, Ru Hamilton, Zach Lee.

The parallels between our modern world and that of the dying days of the Victorian Era are not really so different for all the talk of enlightened sensibilities, of understanding the way we treat others and the hope of better interaction. Yet still the undercurrent of violence, of greed, and murder dominates our society with a stunning regularity, a world shrouded in fog, of questions, of a fractured system that sees half the country fearful of ‘the other’, of quick judgement and hanging on to a belief that we somehow have a right to deny another man or woman to believe they can be welcome in our country.

Sherlock Holmes: The Sign Of Four, Theatre Review. Atkinson Theatre, Southport. full post

(599 words, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

The Life And Art Of Dan Dare Creator, Frank Hampson, Comes Alive At The Atkinson In Southport.

Frank Hampson is arguably a name that for many will not truly come to mind when people talk of great British artists. It is to his most enduring creations that many though will respond with nostalgia, the passion of a memory, and the dream of inspiration that beset their youth; the artist will often fade as time moves on, but the creation, the myth, the monster will endure and take on life long after the artist leaves the pencils and the papers to others to draw upon.

The Life And Art Of Dan Dare Creator, Frank Hampson, Comes Alive At The Atkinson In Southport. full post

(600 words, estimated 2:24 mins reading time)

First Man. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7/10

Cast: Claire Foy, Ryan Gosling, Pablo Schreiber, Christopher Abbott, Ethan Embry, Ciaran Hinds, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Shea Whigham, Patrick Fugit, Lukas Haas, Corey Michael Smith, Brady Smith, Olivia Hamilton, John David Whalen, Leon Bridges.

If a film’s aim is to educate and inform, to make an audience appreciate the life and actions of the subject at hand, then Damien Chazelle’s in depth, almost microscopic, look at the life of Neil Armstrong, of the lead up to moment when he became the first human to take a tentative step on the surface of the Moon, the trials, the agony, the heartache that spurred him on, then First Man would be rightly considered to one of the most endearing and enduring of epics.

First Man. Film Review. full post

(497 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

Hunter Killer. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound And Vision Rating *

Cast: Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Linda Cardellini, Toby Stephens, Common, Adam James,  Cory Johnson, Henry Goodman, Carter MacIntyre, Shane Taylor, Kola Bokinni, Mikey Collins, Will Attenborough, Kieron Bimpson, David Gyasi, Michael Nyqvist, Caroline Goodall, David Yelland, Stuart Milligan.

The land of cliche is under constant threat of never being allowed to die in peace, to be remembered for the small annoyances, for the large discomfort felt, a hero must be seen to stand tall and have the attention of the audience, but they must be seen as being more than a two dimensional caricature which sends a signal to the audience, that the land of cliche is being primed and prepped once more for boarding.

Hunter Killer. Film Review. full post

(524 words, estimated 2:06 mins reading time)

Battersea Arts Centre Brings Two Exciting Productions To The Everyman This November.

Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) will present two exciting and ground-breaking theatre productions this November at the Everyman.

The London-based theatre – renowned for its development of new artists – brings two very different shows, as The Paper Cinema’s Macbeth visits from 6th-8th November and BAC’s Beatbox Academy present Frankenstein: How to Make a Monster on 8th and 9th November.

The Paper Cinema conjures a vividly original version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, as intricate ink and pen illustrations, cut out of cereal packets and pizza boxes, become over 400 individual puppets of characters and stunning landscapes. These are masterfully manipulated by three puppeteers in front of video cameras and projected in real-time to create a silent film, before the audience’s eyes.

Battersea Arts Centre Brings Two Exciting Productions To The Everyman This November. full post

(312 words, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

The Sweet Bring Blockbuster Christmas Show To The Warrington Parr Hall.

The Sweet Blockbuster Glam Christmas Party – Celebrating 50 years.

The Sweet, photograph used with kind permission by MP Promotions.

The Sweet are a National Treasure, British at the core and a Rock Music Phenomena that has taken every continent by storm for more than four decades.  With the hits Blockbuster, Ball Room Blitz, Fox On The Run and Love Is Like Oxygen, The Sweet became one of the biggest bands of the ’70s, and were the quintessential glam rockers who brought androgynous looks and crunching guitar pop to the masses.

The Sweet Bring Blockbuster Christmas Show To The Warrington Parr Hall. full post

(173 words, 1 image, estimated 42 secs reading time)

Award-Winning Play, Broken Biscuits, Returns To The Liverpool Stage.

Award-winning play Broken Biscuits is set to return to the stage at the Royal Court Studio Liverpool.

Following on from the plays sold out successes when it premiered at the Baltic Triangles Lantern Theatre in September 2014, performed at The Unity Theatre along with six Sell Out performances at The Edinburgh Fringe in 2015, audiences will have another chance to catch this award-winning play at The Royal Court Theatre Studio Friday 30th November and Saturday 1st December.

Award-Winning Play, Broken Biscuits, Returns To The Liverpool Stage. full post

(254 words, estimated 1:01 mins reading time)