The Little Drummer Girl. Television Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Florence Pugh, Alexander Skarsgard, Michael Shannon, Michael Moshonov, Simona Brown, Clare Holman, Kate Sumpter, Gennady Fleyscher, Amir Khoury, Katharina Schuttler, Charles Dance, Lubna Azabal, Daniel Litman, Charif Ghattas, Max Irons, Sam Troughton.

In the war to protect what you believe is yours, sometimes you have to employ methods in which are dubious at best, downright ugly at worst, it is the thinking and planning ahead in which wins the minds of the people you are charged with protecting, but one in which the enemy you have created will fight you every step of the way to kill you first.

The Little Drummer Girl. Television Review. full post

(440 words, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Ed Harcourt, Gig Review. Capstone Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

A whirlwind of emotions arrives and diverge, divide and multiply at this time of year, we become engaged in the scope of the sentiments passed to us by total strangers and react in kind to the misplaced smile or the sorrowful tear we see on the street. We hope for peace, we yearn for the sound of harmony and reconciliation, of goodwill and the knowledge that come the spring, once we are out Beyond The End of winter the sun will shine on us favourably and with honour.

Ed Harcourt, Gig Review. Capstone Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(520 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Broken Biscuits, Theatre Review. Royal Court Studio, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Gillian Hardie, Leanne Martin, Louise Garcia.

We must always remember that we don’t truly understand, not completely, how another person feels, that despite the smiles and triumphant words shown and yelled to the world, we have no way of knowing the pain they suffer behind closed doors. The world of social media has perhaps exacerbated that sense of false bonhomie, putting on a face for the world in digital form when all you want to do is lock yourself away and deal with the grief that has been placed at your door.

Broken Biscuits, Theatre Review. Royal Court Studio, Liverpool. full post

(456 words, estimated 1:49 mins reading time)

Cinderalla Scouse, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Paul Duckworth, Michael Fletcher, Stephen Fletcher, Lindzi Germain, Eva McKenna, Andrew Schofield, Hayley Sheen, Keddy Sutton.

Musicians: Howard Gray, Ben Gladwin, Greg Joy, Emily Linden.

Liverpool faces every threat thrown at it by Government with one of the deadliest weapons known to humanity, the ability to laugh and fight back with savage, beautiful humour. In an age when the way we live is under constant threat, it is the greatest of attributes that we possess theatres, artists and writers who are unafraid to deliver the joke that entertains the many, whilst the undercurrent gladly riles the backs of those who see the world only in terms of doctrine and political dogma.

Cinderalla Scouse, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. full post

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

Ignorant And Mocking Sorrow.

Within the death of innocent hues

we see others take up residence

in bum polished pews,

finding eternal salvation

for the price of a few pence.

Lead us not in to damnation,

wringing hands and buggered beasts

cries the nation,

as they sit in starved contemplation

and face the days alone.

Lied to from every side,

eating the poor, gorging the rich,

pride

comes before a fall, delivered with wit,

who’s to say Humanity isn’t a bitch.

Ignorant And Mocking Sorrow. full post

(122 words, estimated 29 secs reading time)

The Damned, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Darkness falls early as Winter’s grip takes hold, a kind of bleakness can be felt crawling through the souls of those who seek a musical thrill, who require the artistic fix and the bite of passion in which to ward off the tendrils of despair; darkness falls, we Wait for the Blackout, and then in a bright burst of light, a flash of coronal mass ejection, darkness is abated for a while, we look to the heavens for answers and find only one possible solution, that The Damned have found a way to light the sky and the way forward.

The Damned, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(548 words, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

Peter Bellamy, The Maritime Suite. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

For some the thought of not being recognised in their lifetime for their talent can constitute a drama, a performance of ideals that they might see going begging. This approach can be soul destroying, it can leave a mark on those coming up behind, perhaps influenced by the artist, a cycle of regret can be seen to take place, not realising that occasionally in the sadness of passing, comes a greater moment of beauty, of knowing that what you created will live on beyond your years and take hold of the future, and those that live with in its sphere, with pleasure.

Peter Bellamy, The Maritime Suite. Album Review. full post

(521 words, estimated 2:05 mins reading time)

Molly Green, Boogie To The Beat. Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

None of us dance to the same beat, the minor variations in what makes us take a tumble on the party floor of life is in the end what makes us unique, our flavours, our choices, whether to try our hand at Disco, or to continue living it up to salsa theme or grooving to melody of a Jazz combo, it is our own dance, it is the Boogie to the Beat we must endure.

Molly Green, Boogie To The Beat. Single Review. full post

(346 words, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

The Snow Queen, Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Danny Burns, Lloyd Gorman, Barbara Hockaday, Nikita Johal, Adam Keast, Greg Last, Nicola Martinus-Smith, Jamie Noar, Lucy Thatcher, Francis Tucker.

Children of all ages always eagerly await the first drifts of Christmas snow, a winter picture postcard from our past never seems to fit right without the unique flakes falling against the backdrop of a street light and the crisp sound, that first exquisite crunch of Wellington Boot on the overnight gift that the turning of the year brings us, it may be a time of memory, of quiet solitude in thanks but as The Snow Queen knocks at the door, what cannot be avoided is the chance to laugh, smile till the face takes on a permanent position of glee, and to relax in the company of actors and extenuated by superbly played music and genuine affection to entertain.

The Snow Queen, Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(477 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

Collateral, 4 Shots!. E.P. Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Believe the haters and nay-sayers and they will have you doubting your faith, that the confidence of your own heart and understanding is deemed to be faulted, to be viewed with suspicion, that scepticism is a god and that pure enjoyment on your scale is nothing short of an empty vessel, a tin can shouting to the wind and receiving nothing but scorn for its valour in the face of those who see fashion as their domain. Believe your own gut intuition, take what others say with reservation, see their point of view but don’t take their dogma as your own guideline.

Collateral, 4 Shots!. E.P. Review. full post

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