It is funny to think
of your back catalogue
always being rehashed and repackaged
as it is something new,
glimmering away
fiscally
like a must have bauble
on an already over tilting Christmas tree,
a decoration too many, nothing
but avarice sentiment
to keep the tills ringing.
It is funny, amusing for a while
but then the resentment kicks in
because they always
ignore your folk club days,
the sound of your true self
and not the polished ego
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
There is something tremendously satisfying about sitting in a place of worship all day, feeling the sense of a different presence wash over you, especially when it from a song book you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing before.
The writer of the solemn text standing in the arena, the musical pulpit and with guitar in hand, keyboards and backing vocalists ready to praise the written word and laid down tune, worship is something you feel compelled to do. Though Constellations is far from a church as you can imagine, if your belief is in the power of the art that lays within us all, then the final act of Beerdfest 2016 would have anyone clutching their hearts and straining their ears to hear the words of Joe Kelly.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The day is filled with the unseen and the unexpected, it is the time in which the shadows find glee at the darkness and shelter we simple spectres of humanity crave for; the comfort of the music we know and never daring to step beyond it out of fear or the thought of betrayal to the memory of the band that you have nurtured in your soul for as long as you have taken breath.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Jodie Schofield is a much missed woman around Liverpool, the voice of a thousand dreams has found another part of the world in which to rest the souls of the anxious and play for those who need saving; it is a loss that quite rightly many in the acoustic scene of Liverpool have felt but it was also one that was quickly rectified, albeit too briefly as the performer behind SheBeat, not only hosted her day of praising all things beard but also found time to perform songs and put her new SheBeat E.P. into the public gaze.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
In amongst the hirsute and the abundant floral facial decorations stood on stage a man to whom looked equally as impressive but also indomitable in his pursuit to be the very best man on display inside Constellations on a day when the wind and rain were conspiring to make every male in the city look blustery and windswept. Whilst others were going over their looks, quite rightly in appreciation of Beerdfest and everything facially follicle, the every impressive Ste Neildsy was marking out a path of his own and it was that excellent to witness, especially with one whose own reputation is taking great strides.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
One of the most valuable lessons that can ever be learned is almost something that comes out of instinct and character; it is the intuition to keep going regardless is being thrown at you, to not give in to those obscene forces of the surface noise and the crackle of the amped and buffeted. It can be taught but it is an art that seems more natural if your impulse is to play through it all and still perform a great set.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
When you read any book on music or the arts you want it written with authority, painstakingly so, it needs to have at some point the feeling of the last word expertly laid down on the pages and no matter whose book you read on the subject, be it even the artist’s, you want that feeling of completion to there in your hands at that precise moment.
I
know you sometimes
need to cry,
to let out the emotion
as all of us do.
Just remember though
that whilst I can offer tea
and sympathy,
I sometimes don’t
bring out
the handkerchief
that is tucked
away in my
pocket just so you
can blow
your nose.
Ian D. Hall 2016
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Such is the work ethic of Joe Bonamassa that it barely seems five minutes since he was up on stage in another country, standing undaunted and musically fearsome, proud but very humble, alert and giving, from venue to venue the arc of the story remains one of Blues heaven but the chapters change; the music stays fresh and always convincing, this is the magic of Joe Bonamassa and the fan can only thank the times that we live in that his performances are captured around the world and in such eye popping clarity.
There can be only one word for you,
the type of driver
who takes great pleasure
to be sat behind the wheel of a car,
dry, safe, singing along
to their favourite Nazi beat, all
tight on the rhythm
and with the smug sense
of critical recognition
in their eyes,
for what else
goes on in that brain,
the instrument of cruelty,
that makes you speed up
where the pool of water collects
in ocean like puddle,
tramp steamers finding the waves to rough,