I feel old,
especially in the dark hours
when once I could go all night
talking to you, dreaming
of a time when my life was more
than just a scribble in a notepad.
My wife
sometimes says, with a smile
of course,
that I am a child,
in that case I cannot
wait
to have my mid life crisis
at 89.
Ian D. Hall 2017
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It is not only the scars of our life that affect us in the dark, when we think nobody is looking that the pulse that runs through our blood and past the ridges, the mountains of blemishes, the small but memory enhancing wounds that parade our body as if they were still fresh, still able to mark out Time, it is the actions of others that see us bleed a year, a decade, a century on; we are the products of grandparents hopes and the mutilations that wracked their dreams.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Shaun Evans, Roger Allam, Anton Lesser, James Bradshaw, Sean Rigby, Dakota Blue Richards, David Yelland, Glen Davies, Sarah Winter, Robert Wilfort, Morgan Jones, Celine Buckens, Ciara Charteris, Phoebe Nicholls, Edward MacLiam, Amy Marston, John Hopkins, Alex McSweeney, Caroline O’Neill, Shvorne Marks, Claire Lichie, Mark Phoenix, Sion Alun Davies, Sarah Vickers, Matthew Walker.
I miss her Nordic smile,
there was beauty
in that one defining movement,
a sweeping subtle gesture
of cool, of passion, of love
that was only betrayed by her eyes,
if they gleamed when spoke
it was as if the North Sea
had been tamed and your soul
could float between England,
Norway, Denmark and the Faroes,
adrift in that smile for eternity.
Ian D. Hall 2017
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
There is a certain majesty in the way that Elfin Bow presents her self-titled new album, not one of false regal misfortune but instead the type that is more natural, more ethereal, the type in which Tatiana would look upon her fellow fairies with pride or Juno, the wife of Jupiter would tease and rack the conscious of Tiresias whilst being the mother of all strong women in the Roman Empire; it is the majesty of innocence, of sublime spirit and protection and one that Elfin Bow, the superb Elizabeth Jones, wears well.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The gray mist of dawn is something we rarely see or feel anymore, unless we are fortunate to live in the wilds, the spectacular almost foreign fields, the wide outdoors with its forests and glens, its raging tormented rivers or its stone valleys, the dawn mist is anything but enticing, it is a languid orange white, polluted by yesterday’s disappointments and about as inspiring as a cold bath in the Arctic Circle. The gray mist in the hands of Mike Oldfield though is a wonder to behold, Time is endless, it has the draconian sense of a future set in stone and seemingly unavoidable and yet small cracks, fractures in random places which may signify nothing but when the final blow is delivered, reveals that Time is a mystery shrouded in sunshine.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
There is a hole, a missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle in Liverpool, one that stands out alongside her talented fellow Norwegian countrywomen, including the superb Kaya Herstad Carney, as they influenced and fashioned Liverpool for so long but have made their way to tickle the heart and seduce the soul of populaces of other towns and cities, and in some cases far away continents; this hole, this tear in the fabric of Liverpool has been greatly noticed and whilst the superb voice of Grethe Borsum has been missing from the day to day life of the city, at least thanks to the power of the internet, it is still possible to find that her music is still entrancing.
I know you are alive,
last night in my dreams
I kissed you
sweetly on the lips, red rose,
your breathing silent but
your chest
Accordion like and sad lament
playing; I know
that you are alive
for I rarely
dream of the dead.
Ian D. Hall 2017
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
It is a sense of achievement that flows through the veins when you finally realise that the butterfly of hope and musical aspiration lands perfectly on your outstretched hand and you can sit in amazed wonder at just how fragile life can be but how also beautiful and exquisite it can appear when you truly see the wings beat in time with your own breath.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Sometimes you sit upon the shoulders of giants and the view is awe-inspiring, occasionally you get to watch a second generation musician come along and, whilst understanding they have their own belief in giants to contend with, you see the view they offer, from ground level, and it is one that shakes mountains.