Ian Prowse, Gig Review. Music Rooms, Philharmonic Hall. Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Ian Prowse at the Music Rooms, Liverpool. July 2017. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

High summer and the thought of many moments turn, the dog days of August are imminent, festival season sees the passion of music burning brightly in many a foreign field and all seems warm, all is O.K. with the world; yet the clock and the shadows have already turned, the gap between Summer’s praise and Winter’s embrace is noticeable and alluring and it turns the gig goer’s mind to the pleasure of the indoor gig and the intimacy it provides.

Ian Prowse, Gig Review. Music Rooms, Philharmonic Hall. Liverpool. full post

(531 words, 1 image, estimated 2:07 mins reading time)

Alice Cooper, Paranormal. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The double edged sword of accessibility is one to always be wary of, in art it can be both a boon and a curse and the sad tales of those that have tread along the metaphorical boards in once former heavy Doc Martens only to trade them in for the softer furnishings of a pair of fluffy slippers are littered along the sides of regret and ambition.

Alice Cooper, Paranormal. Album Review. full post

(486 words, 1 image, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Kim Seviour, Recovery Is Learning. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

You never like to think that a vocalist of such immense raw and sensual power as Kim Seviour would ever fade away into the background, that the former lead singer of Touchstone would ever disappear from the scene due to external circumstances; thankfully and with a resounding musical smile, Ms. Seviour is made out of granite, sturdy steel and her new debut solo album reflects fully the grace that the woman exudes, that she has fully embraced the mantra that Recovery Is Learning.

Kim Seviour, Recovery Is Learning. Album Review. full post

(419 words, 1 image, estimated 1:41 mins reading time)

Disconnect Me.

Disconnect me

I feel        my time here

is over

or at least no longer wanted

for I see it in every strange pair of eyes

that home may have abandoned me

sent me out into the cold,

and whereas before I could

see a way to move on,

to move aside

put on my shoes, pack a bag,

overfilled

with memories and the hope that I might

recapture them once day,

now I just experience pain,

loneliness

and fear

that all has been

Disconnect Me. full post

(92 words, estimated 22 secs reading time)

Brian Wilson, Gig Review. Exhibition Centre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Brian Wilson taking the applause in Liverpool, 2017. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

History is not only made by the first appearance, but it is also in the final moment in which the observer knows in their heart they might never see such beauty, the monumental or the heart beat again. History is not a private club for the winning of a trophy, the essays of children getting too grips with world events, the worry of elections or the spin of the dice which dictates a person’s collision with the aftermath of the historic; sometimes it just boils down to the fact that a certain song, a writer’s love and passion will never be heard in the same way by a crowd in a city again.

Brian Wilson, Gig Review. Exhibition Centre, Liverpool. full post

(641 words, 1 image, estimated 2:34 mins reading time)

Set A Table For The Auctioneer.

Set a table for the auctioneer,

the gavel comes crashing down,

going once, going twice,

how long before the patient goes,

we bid for them, but only

if they live for six months or more

as the cost is too high,

we bid also

but can we inspect the merchandise first,

give it a good going over, see its history,

not a person, a thing, an item, cracked

and worn, smoked once, we don’t want you,

had a sip of gin at a nephew’s wedding,

Set A Table For The Auctioneer. full post

(177 words, estimated 42 secs reading time)

Betty Moon, Chrome. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Canada has always been quietly hip, the place to have some background in, it might not have had the appropriation of the vogue placed upon it as cities in America or Europe was lavished with by the so called fashionably elite, the Madison Square set or the Carnaby Street trendy. Instead, Canada’s appeal wasn’t in the passing fancy but in the long term benefits, its wide outdoors, the feeling of freedom perhaps untouched by centuries of interference by humanity, solid, dependable and rugged, the polish of elemental Chrome giving it a shine that has lasted in the 150 years of the name and the proud history before.

Betty Moon, Chrome. Album Review. full post

(483 words, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

Accept, The Rise Of Chaos. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The world will end in chaos, confusion and turmoil, regardless of how we see ourselves as an intelligent species, no matter that we have managed to shape the way we see our destiny, somehow what is real, what is absurdly convincing, is that all is eventually dust, all is headed towards extinction; not that we should accept this only possible outcome but whilst The Rise of Chaos is inevitable we arguably should at least that art/music/ anything that makes sense, can ease the burden, can release the tension found in a single person’s heart and hope it spreads like a vaccine, that the galloping drums of pure music and well laid out lyrics can stop the pain.

Accept, The Rise Of Chaos. Album Review. full post

(534 words, 1 image, estimated 2:08 mins reading time)

Paul Heaton + Jacqui Abbott, Crooked Calypso. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

There are people on this Earth who just by their very presence and their dexterity of wit you cannot help but be thankful for, to be alive at such a time when they are putting thoughts down on paper, their verbal sparring and showing more flair than a 1970s fashion parade, marks them out as beautiful and unbelievably talented.

Paul Heaton + Jacqui Abbott, Crooked Calypso. Album Review. full post

(443 words, 1 image, estimated 1:46 mins reading time)

Across The Firing Range.

Across the spectrum, from you to me,

we are told to be

patriotic, to shoulder the gun

and protect the country,

to fight for our right to be free,

don’t ask me if I could put a gun

to another man’s face,

eye to eye

you might not like the answer,

but I would rather not;

yet somehow being Transgender

makes you unfit to serve

under Trump’s bold vision,

so as an unfit, overweight

pacifist who you don’t want to see

pull a trigger, I would be welcome more

Across The Firing Range. full post

(128 words, estimated 31 secs reading time)