The First Purge. Film Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Cast: Y’Lan Noel, Lex Scott Davis, Joivan Wade, Mugga, Patrick Darragh, Marisa Tomei, Luna Lauren Velez, Kristen Solis, Rotimi Paul, Mo McRae, Jermel Howard, Siva, Christian Robinson, Steve Harris, Derek Basco, D.K. Bowser, Mitchell Edwards, Maria Rivera, Chyna Layne, Ian Blackman, Melonie Diaz, Naszir Nance.

If you hold a mirror up to society you can see the image, the sheer ugliness of the truth reflected back; if 2018 will be remembered in cinematic terms for two things, then the age of the superhero truly caught the public’s imagination in the excellent Black Panther, and the absolute truth played out in The First Purge.

The First Purge. Film Review. full post

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

Less Of Me.

 

She wanted to see less of me,

for my health

and state of mind,

she was willing to let part

of me go, fade I suppose

the adipose had to go away,

told to leave, less of me

to hold,

she would miss me,

but when I was less of the man I used to be,

then perhaps she would love me

again.

 

Ian D. Hall 2018

Permanent link to this post (71 words, estimated 17 secs reading time)

Mam! I’m ‘Ere!, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. (2018).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating  * * * * *

Cast: Jake Abrahams, Eithne Browne, Stephen Fletcher, Michael Fletcher, Lynn Francis, Lindzi Germain, Mia Molloy, Andrew Schofield, Hayley Sheen, Rachael Wood.

Musicians: Harry Burnett, Elliot Chapman, Amar Petur Stefansson, Danny Miller.

The hills of Wales are alive with the sound of music, not just any old tune, its heartbeat is quickened by the tunes that made the era of Disco one of infatuation for all who danced to its rhythm and overwhelming, upbeat musical personality. Like Disco though, Dave’s caravan site and Boogie Wonderland have become down at heel, the good times have come, partied, and left without even a last groove goodbye, times are hard, Disco only lives on in the memory of some; however, there is always time for one last turn on the dance floor, one last round of reminisces and disco kisses under the glitter ball.

Mam! I’m ‘Ere!, Theatre Review. Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool. (2018). full post

(501 words, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)

Philip Marino, Chasing Ghosts. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Why do we try? The pessimists, the eternal cynics who look smugly on and the ones who proclaim to the heavens at every opportunity that what you do is worthless, that you are a constant source of failure and that you should not bother; for those are the ones whose lives are empty, perhaps even dead inside as they have no sense of hope, nowhere to put their own misgivings but in the path of those who see the idea of Chasing Ghosts as a fruitful and passionate pursuit, one that might just cause a following.

Philip Marino, Chasing Ghosts. Album Review. full post

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

The Death Notes, The Black E.P. E.P. Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

It is a gift, an attitude of passion, that gets you up in the morning and makes you want to set the heavens on fire, that believes the stars are there for the taking and whether it is for the purposes of light or the nefarious shade, one cannot argue with the determination and drive exhibited by some to achieve their goal.

The Death Notes, The Black E.P. E.P. Review. full post

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

And They Thought God Spoke To Them All.

 

…and they thought God spoke to them all,

how wrong they were.

His voice, though brooding,

sometimes a whisper

that could shatter mountains

and move men’s hearts,

had been replaced in the band

by a more seductive call,

one that oozed sensuality

as a virtue.

Now God stood at the back, fixed grin,

happy to still be on tour, though now

more as symbol to the group’s

finer moments in pop history,

content, he played the triangle

like a demon

and occasionally was allowed

And They Thought God Spoke To Them All. full post

(101 words, estimated 24 secs reading time)

Liverpool Sound And Vision: An Interview With Author Bob Stone.

The story is age old, the recognition of the writer and the artist not always forthcoming, not always appreciated by the wider world, bypassed it seems by those to whom image is the powerful narcotic, the drug of youth, of representing their ideal on the world. It is a shame, a collapse of hope perhaps that we do not laud the genius in those who plug away at night, forsaking even the life or the other pursuits they wish to engage in as they dig deep into their own memories, their loves and reminisces, in which a sense of order is hunted, dedication and discipline shadowed and overcome; to those we must seek out their charm and set the record straight on their enigma and the mystery they set out for us to follow.

Liverpool Sound And Vision: An Interview With Author Bob Stone. full post

(2303 words, estimated 9:13 mins reading time)

Tom Bailey, Science Fiction. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

In a world that decries those that are said to live in the past, that openly scorn such thoughts of reminisce and pleasurable association, the open declaration being smacked around like inferior quality tennis balls at a less than prestige tennis match, is that the past means nothing, look to the future, only those that see the value in taking a blinkered stride forward rather than one eye on earlier accomplishments and true victories are worthy of creating Science Fiction for the masses to enjoy.

Tom Bailey, Science Fiction. Album Review. full post

(504 words, 1 image, estimated 2:01 mins reading time)

Liverpool’s Rare Studio Brings The Echo Arena’s Auditorium Crowd To Its Feet.

The sound of thunder, the roll of the roar from the crowd and the spark of electricity that jumps from performer to performer, from stage to crowd is part and parcel of life in Liverpool; the waters of the city feeding directly it seems into the creative passion that grips with a vice like passion on all who see the area as a hotbed of emerging talent.

Liverpool’s Rare Studio Brings The Echo Arena’s Auditorium Crowd To Its Feet. full post

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

Jamie MacDonald & Christian Gamauf, The Pipe Slang. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There are the instruments to which seem to serve up with charm the ideal of a nation’s heritage, that resonance of sound, that digging deep into the D.N.A of the individual and the culture in which the soul has long been established, the instrument is more than a memory. It is a rallying call to the heart, to embrace, to love and to feel the pride seep out pf every pore like a storm of opportunity, a tumultuous and unrestrained moment in which to live forever in The Pipe Slang of our words and entice others to your cause.

Jamie MacDonald & Christian Gamauf, The Pipe Slang. Album Review. full post

(402 words, 1 image, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)