The Favourite. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Mark Gatiss, Emma Delves, Faye Daveney, Paul Swaine, Jennifer White, LillyRose Stevens, Denise Mark, Willem Dalby, Edward Aczel, James Smith, Carolyn Saint-Pe, John Locke, Nicholas Hoult.

Favouritism is not just about what makes you stand out in the public gaze, it is the result of who fancies you, who wants you intimately, regardless of whether they declare it openly or keep it buried deep in their subconscious, a concept that is frowned upon but none the less wrapped in truth. You get asked who The Favourite is, who you want to see come out on top, and for the most part that sentiment is born out of lust, not out of cold logic.

The Favourite. Film Review. full post

(507 words, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Mary Poppins Returns. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh, Joel Dawson, Julie Walters, Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Jeremy Swift, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Dick Van Dyke, Angela Lansbury, David Warner, Jim Norton, Steve Nicholson, Noma Dumezwemi, Tarik Frimong, Sudha Bhuchar, Karen Dotrice, Christian Dixon.

A feel-good musical that the whole family can enjoy is a scarcity, perhaps not completely rare, but certainly a genre lacking in want in amongst the incessant variety that is pitched, some banal, more often than not, unappealing, the message that comes across being one steeped in a false upbeat premise in which is like being fed on a sugar rich diet, the instant hit soon losing its lustre as you realise all you have digested is a propaganda lifestyle that unfortunately means nothing.

Mary Poppins Returns. Film Review. full post

(540 words, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

Red Rum Club, Matador. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Somewhere in the film set deserts the ghosts of characters, once clutching a fistful of dollars and harbouring resentment and animosity, believe they have been entranced by the score of Ennio Morricone, a sound filtering across the desert scenes lifts their spirits, the man with no name smiles charismatically and understands that the call heard is not that of the flourish of the Matador as they take to the Spanish ring, but that of the most splendid debut album by Liverpool’s Red Rum Club, one of magic conceived, one of overwhelming cool.

Red Rum Club, Matador. Album Review. full post

(372 words, estimated 1:29 mins reading time)

Rantanplan, Stay Rudel-Stay Rebel. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Live is where the magic happens, where the sound is rude and beautifully insolent, almost anarchic, not wanting to settle for the polished obedience; like a rebellious teenager showing well-earned righteous contempt to an authority that has lost its credibility and meaning, being rude and raw in a live situation is to be admired and applauded.

It is an approach that sees Hamburg-based Ska-Punk band Rantanplan lift the mood of rebellion with vigour, of organised construction and purpose in detailing their new album as one of creative disorder and style.

Rantanplan, Stay Rudel-Stay Rebel. Album Review. full post

(354 words, estimated 1:25 mins reading time)

The Simon And Garfunkel Story. Empire Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and vision Rating 9/10

“…and what a time it was, it was…” there will never be another time like it, nor will there be another American Folk/Rock duo like Simon and Garfunkel, the combination of both the artistes and the time they captured the raw sensibility, the hope and eventual damage caused by a system that was determined to not let the world enjoy the freedom it had sought and fought so hard to win.

The Simon And Garfunkel Story. Empire Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(421 words, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

Brothers Of Mine, Was This Love Or Just A Trick Of The Light? E.P. Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

You can expect the unexpected all you like, you can train your spotlight on any area, focus it into the depths of the echoing cavern, direct it into the sky and pinpoint where the stars are dancing to the Universe’s rules. Yet the unexpected shifts direction, it takes on a different hue and shape, and all of a sudden the exposed light finds that all it was aiming at was a black hole out of which comes nothing but intrigue and attraction.

Brothers Of Mine, Was This Love Or Just A Trick Of The Light? E.P. Review. full post

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

Tiffany, Pieces Of Me. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Time can often be a cruel and harsh master, however when it is feeling benevolent, perhaps even verging in the circumspect glow of long-distance memories. It can lead to the sense of wonder, a sense of finery in art which had been neglected, not through the fault of the artist as they don’t control the honest fickle nature of the public, nor the bare-faced cheek of executives and moguls who only see an artist’s worth by what they can gain in hard currency, but through the aspect of understanding that despite Time playing hardball and even hard to get, an artist can still demand the listener’s own perspective as they urge them to take Pieces Of Me.

Tiffany, Pieces Of Me. Album Review. full post

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

Eleanor Tomlinson, Tales From Home. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7.5/10

It should never be a surprise that the artistic have more than one arrow nestling in their quiver, that they have the sense of delivery that will take them down the avenues in which perhaps would all wish to explore, that the sensitive side of their nature will allow them to take on any creative aspect and showcase their talent.

Eleanor Tomlinson, Tales From Home. Album Review. full post

(438 words, 1 image, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

Wille & The Bandits, Paths. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *


When something special comes along, it isn’t always plainly obvious, after all not all in life is heralded by the sound of trumpets capable of bringing down walls, not all is signalled in the heavens as a momentous occasion, it is up to the witness to find the meaning and to spread the word of what has occurred, the heavenly sound or the creative set of Paths opened up before them. The witness is the barer of tidings sent, the first to perhaps hear what the prophets cry, and one that is precious to the touch when performed in front of you.

Wille & The Bandits, Paths. Album Review. full post

(480 words, 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

Geoghegan Jackson, Flatlands Rising. E.P. Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

A new year should always bring with it the twin senses of optimism and hope, whether hand in hand and with angelic smiling faces, cool enough to disarm the concerns of all who approach it initially with caution or in hessian sacks to stop them fighting over who gets to pull the wool over the eyes of the population first; the latter seems to come round all too frequently, flattering to deceive and lulling you into the false sense of security before robbing you blind of faith and wonder. Then there is the former, the place where the view from Flatlands Rising is charming and honest, sincere and welcome; it is a position in which optimism and hope thrive and live carefree.

Geoghegan Jackson, Flatlands Rising. E.P. Review. full post

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