Caro Emerald, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Caro Emerald at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, October 2018. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

The Queen of European Jazz waves her hand in time to the motion of the scintillating sound that clutches at the air of inspiration and unrequited love, it is a flourish that gives the audience the memory of Time, of understanding that the genre in which Caro Emerald has become the iconic figure and sound, requires at all times, to flow, to be constantly in flux, that the beat that has carried her towards the figure of 100 live performances in the U.K. alone, is a constant wild animal that needs handling with almost regal, and maternal care.

Caro Emerald, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(452 words, 1 image, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Loren Nine, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

A Dutch invasion and surrounded by the scent of intrigue and the possible hint of tulips that hangs in the air, a purveyance, a regal like flourish to the autumn serenade in which Caro Emerald, the undisputed Queen of European Jazz, returns to Liverpool, and alongside her in the carriage of musical expression, something, a passion for expression, a dominating thought of what we might miss as a society if we continue to turn our collective backs on Europe, the artistry of the young, of the timeless, and of the Netherland’s own Loren Nine.

Loren Nine, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(426 words, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

The Cherry Bluestorms, Whirligig!. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There are bands who leave you spinning with control, they are like the white willows that float in the breeze, tumbling, falling and rising with the promise of granting a wish should they be caught but ultimately and despairingly, letting down the patient hunter and collector of such timid dreams. The willow is not the parachute that should be chased in the eternal hope of finding a safety net of excitement and endowing insights in to the nature of the universe, it is the long-standing Whirligig!, the power of the wind machine that harness the elements, the weather-vane, the barometer of life that should in respect be enjoyed and taken pleasure in.

The Cherry Bluestorms, Whirligig!. Album Review. full post

(479 words, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

Maggie May: The Musical, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Christina Tedders, Michael Fletcher, Cheryl Ferguson, Tom Connor, Paislie Reid, Katia Sartini, Sam Haywood, Oliver Hamilton, David Heywood, Barbara Hockaday, Matt Ganley.

Liverpool is more than just a city, a coming together of small villages under the umbrella of a larger conurbation, it is the collection of stories that have weaved its way through the psyche of anyone who’s feet have touched the ground in which by the running waters of the Mersey lay, that have been touched by the legends, the myths and the incredible personalities that have made the city of Liverpool the place in which Westminster fears and which secretly it wishes it could be.

Maggie May: The Musical, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(499 words, estimated 2:0 mins reading time)

Bad Times At The El Royale. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Jeff Bridges, Manny Jacinto, Nick Offerman, Katherine Isabelle, Cailee Spaeny, Cynthia Erivo, Lewis Pullman, Xavier Dolan, Alvina August, Jonathan Whitesell, Sarah Smyth, Jim O’ Heir, Charles Halford, Mark O’ Brien, Bethany Brown, Hannah Zirke, Tally Rodin, Sophia Lauchlin Hirt, Austin James, Billy Wickman, James Quach, Vincent Washington, Caroline Koziol, Austin Abell.

Bad Times At The El Royale. Film Review. full post

(530 words, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

Young Everyman Playhouse To Present A Bold Re-Telling From Greek Mythology With A Production Of Jason And The Argonauts

Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse’s award-winning Young Everyman Playhouse (YEP) will present a contemporary production of Jason and the Argonauts in the Playhouse Studio from 31st October to 3rd November.

Based on the legendary story from Greek mythology, actors from Young Everyman Playhouse take on this epic comedy in their own style.

YEP will perform in the Playhouse Studio for the first time since 2017, following their production of How to Disappear Completely (and Never be Found) last October.

Young Everyman Playhouse To Present A Bold Re-Telling From Greek Mythology With A Production Of Jason And The Argonauts full post

(299 words, estimated 1:12 mins reading time)

Celebrate 40 Years Of All Mod Cons As From The Jam Announce Night At The Warrington Parr Hall.

From The Jam will be gracing the Parr Hall stage in April to celebrate 40 years since their All Mod Cons album.

Over the past 11 years From The Jam have toured relentlessly, having played almost 1,000 headline shows in the U.K. since their inception in 2007.

With a number of memorable appearances in Warrington already under their belts, the band are returning to this iconic venue on Friday 26th April to mark four decades since the release of their third album by playing the L.P. in its entirety.

Celebrate 40 Years Of All Mod Cons As From The Jam Announce Night At The Warrington Parr Hall. full post

(315 words, estimated 1:16 mins reading time)

Dan Wilson, Leave My Baby Alone. Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

It is all about the delivery of the phrase, the way a request, a command, a warning comes across, that makes a person stop and listen, or get ready for the fight that so obviously is wanting to take place in the eyes of the one issuing the demand, it is the verbal order which is only one step away from the tap on the shoulder and the growl in the face. To capture that anger in art takes a different kind of emotion, one not steeped in the patriarchal feel of ownership, one that is convincing, a little bit more frightening, and one that if done right, is filled with the friction, the fire of seeing into the eyes of simulated toxic behaviour.

Dan Wilson, Leave My Baby Alone. Single Review. full post

(408 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

Erja Lyytinen, Another World. Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It is no surprise these days when the mainstream finds the understanding of the power of the belief in parallel universes, the worlds in which we inhabit, the different turns that we could have made as a species, as individuals, the decisions that would have made our lives infinitely nobler, more virtuous, perhaps more deranged, more exciting, less convincing, the enormity of a single fated moment in time dictating the rest of your life, judging you for a single snapshot of left or right at life’s impossible junction.

Erja Lyytinen, Another World. Single Review. full post

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

Mike Zito, Blue Room. Album Review. (2018 Re-Issue).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10


Revisiting an old lover is either a pleasure renewed, or the moment in which you might wonder what was the initial attraction which drove you into their arms and shower them with the virtue and kisses they demanded, which you were happy to supply with open heart and mind. The casual call from out of the Blue Room, the tingle of excitement, the fizz of the electricity that once melted your heart and brought a new feeling of passion to the soul,

Mike Zito, Blue Room. Album Review. (2018 Re-Issue). full post

(628 words, 1 image, estimated 2:31 mins reading time)