Charlie Harrigan, Wasted And Wounded. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The voice of Charlie Harrigan is one of rough silk enhanced by a gracious sentimental charm, it is just a shame that for quite some time he has been missing from the world of Folk music and the big hole he left was never ever going to be filled by anyone until he was ready to come back and plug himself back into it.

Time may have moved on but the snug fit of expectation has not been weathered or tempered and the joy in hearing Charlie Harrigan’s voice once more in a new collection of songs is not Wasted And Wounded, rather it is a feeling of gracious mercy.

Charlie Harrigan, Wasted And Wounded. Album Review. full post

(381 words, estimated 1:31 mins reading time)

Saltwater Injection, Regurgitated For The People. E.P. Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

When the soul feels an Earthquake of sound, when it experiences the rolling thunder and the spark of flammable electricity surge through the body to the point where the fingers don’t just tingle, they fry with instant longing and the crackle of voltage set to stun, then the soul knows that the dust will fall, the lethargy will be shaken off and the sincere gratitude for feeling alive will be marked down in the diary as a moment of re-birth. Listening to Saltwater Injection that crackle is intensified and as their new E.P., Regurgitated For The People, shows with raw honesty, electricity and power go hand in hand.

Saltwater Injection, Regurgitated For The People. E.P. Review. full post

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

Doctor Who: Planet Of The Rani. Audio Drama Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Colin Baker, Miranda Raison, Siobhan Redmond, James Joyce, Olivia Poulet, Dominic Thorburn, Tim Bentinck, Chris Porter.

There are characters so underused within the whole of the Doctor Who world that when they come along in a story that is just right for them, the heart feels the pressure of sadness that they have been ignored for so long. The Rani, one of the great members of The Doctor’s own celestial race, is one such character and whilst she has appeared on television, portrayed by the wonderful and much missed Kate O’ Mara, the link between the screen and Big Finish audio has perhaps been short, even if it has been sweet.

Doctor Who: Planet Of The Rani. Audio Drama Review. full post

(466 words, estimated 1:52 mins reading time)

The Sound Of Two Cocks Crowing.

The fireplace of broken dreams

caught alight when you stepped

into the circle, that night of deep

hot wind that blew in from the

Channel and through

our make shift village by St. Malo Green.

Your German boyfriend, Sebastian

by birth but Rudolph now by design,

plucked gently on the guitar strings,

some fanciful song

which you just knew was meant

to enrage the soul,

and the women’s heart’s in the camp

fluttered, whilst we just rolled our eyes

towards the evening sun and wished

The Sound Of Two Cocks Crowing. full post

(187 words, estimated 45 secs reading time)

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Sunday Postscript, An Interview With Nicola Hardman And Dan Barker.

The relationship between musician and producer can be one of fraught power struggles or one of harmonious honesty and collaborative heaven, either way some of the finest music to ever come out of the studio hangs on the ability to get the best out of both sets of people. Whether it is from the side of the demanding and musical square bashing, the lyrical drip feed of art based torture or the gentle persuasion and coaxing available, the sweet smile of getting the maximum job done with the full throttle approach, it only matters in the end if it goes badly, when it goes well, when the music sounds like the finest well oiled machine, that’s when it’s so smooth it practically sings with the range of an angel handing out chocolate.

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Sunday Postscript, An Interview With Nicola Hardman And Dan Barker. full post

(1664 words, estimated 6:39 mins reading time)

Tasha Taylor, Honey For The Biscuit. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Family reputation is a hard thing to live up to, it either sucks the energy out of you, leaves you breathless upon the floor and screaming at the unjust nature of random gene pools or it can build you up, inspire the performer or the lay person to even greater heights, enthusing them to be even better than what could have ever been expected. Such is the Universe when you choose to follow in the same profession with pride as your parents, the pressure may be intense but the song is always worth every moment.

Tasha Taylor, Honey For The Biscuit. Album Review. full post

(398 words, estimated 1:36 mins reading time)

The Falling, Cream (Get On Top). Single Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Manchester’s The Falling have had seemingly the time of their life recently, certainly in the outpouring of great and catchy lyrical masterpieces, and in that regard the immediate future seems to be heading very much on the same trajectory as the band’s latest single, Cream (Get On Top) leaves its indelible and grin worthy mark on the listener.

The Falling, Cream (Get On Top). Single Review. full post

(359 words, estimated 1:26 mins reading time)

I Have Loved You For Forty Years (And You Still Give Me The Blues).

I have carried the love for you seemingly forever.

For forty years I have lived with you

in my heart, my very soul

and there has not been a single day

in all that time in which I have not thought of you.

I have stood by you, watched you fall from grace,

I have seen you tumble down and graze your pride,

I have seen you become the main villain

in your own deluded play and the performance

of a lifetime snatched from the jaws of defeat;

I Have Loved You For Forty Years (And You Still Give Me The Blues). full post

(297 words, estimated 1:11 mins reading time)

Howard Jones, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

As the music of a generation plays, as the notes of the keyboard play out the tunes and songs that captured the soul of any who were enthused with its drive and upbeat melody, the pumped dry ice that crawls on stage, that litters the air and shrouds each track with its steely presence, is almost spectral, wraith-like and pronounced and it offers the Epstein Theatre audience a type of nostalgic yearning to head back to the days when Howard Jones, one of music’s true gentlemen, was never off the radio.

Howard Jones, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(464 words, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)

Elise Yuill, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The natural charm of Britain’s Southwesterly dominions, Somerset, Devon and of course the free spirited Cornwall, is never in question, what it takes though is observant eyes and a striking soul in which to capture it and put into art; a tough ask in a world where fragile beauty, even in its most rugged form, is not universally enjoyed and appreciated.

Elise Yuill, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(377 words, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)