Troilus & Cressida, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Gavin Fowler, Amber James, Oliver Ford Davis, Adjoa Andoh, Andy Apollo, James Cooney, Suzanne Bertish, Jim Hooper, Theo Ogundipe, Daniel Burke, Sheila Reid, Andrew Langtree, Amanda Harris, Daniel Hawksford, Geoffrey Lumb, Daisy Badger, Charlotte Arrowsmith, Ewart James Walters, Leigh Quinn, Mikhail Sen, Gabby Wong, Helen Grady, Esther McAuley, Nicole Agada.

Advertised as Shakespeare meets Mad Max, this production of Troilus & Cressida by the Royal Shakespeare Company brings together more traditionally garbed Trojans with motorcycle riding, metallic Greeks, accentuating what is described in the programme notes as a play that embraces contradictions, rather than flattening them.

Troilus & Cressida, Theatre Review. R.S.C., Stratford-Upon-Avon. full post

(382 words, estimated 1:32 mins reading time)

Winter’s End (No Sign Of Spring).

 

It is the long day before,

the cruel winter of bare tree thought

has plagued me since

the start of September’s fallen

and I find my reasoning

has deserted me, the fear

of your constant rejection

moulding me into the man I am.

The soulless winter

in my life, you

couldn’t touch the spring in which

you rallied against,

you ignored me,

I found it was easier

to live without you

and I told you such

when my old Queen died.

Winter’s End (No Sign Of Spring). full post

(121 words, estimated 29 secs 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)

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)

Karine Polwart, Laws Of Motion. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

A body at rest cannot exert force upon the Universe, the mind of the unready cannot hope to push the boundaries of life anymore that a single drop of rain can bring down the structure of a mountain; and yet push enough, cause over time to bring millions of gallons down upon the lofty peak, and at some point a groove will appear, a waterfall of expression will form and become a dominant feature in which to stand and marvel at.

Karine Polwart, Laws Of Motion. Album Review. full post

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

Joanne Louise Griffiths, The Here & Now. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

We are constantly urged to enjoy the present moment, that what is past can never be repeated and the future of our endeavours and passions is not guaranteed, the current state of mind, shaped by the conspicuous actions of others and the news that inflicts its will upon us, is there to be revelled in, for who truly understands what Time has in store for us.

Joanne Louise Griffiths, The Here & Now. Album Review. full post

(436 words, estimated 1:45 mins reading time)

Wille & The Bandits, Find My Way. Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The spirit of independence is one that is proclaimed with vigorous intent and demand in the modern world we find ourselves in, the call for objective liberation, of being allowed to circumnavigate life in our own fashion, by our own common thoughts without interference from those who believe they know better, but rarely are in tune with the gut feeling and truth of another person’s heart; it is a call we must heed in ourselves and urge others to follow their own vibrant destiny.

Wille & The Bandits, Find My Way. Single Review. full post

(414 words, 1 image, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)