It was a small gesture of friendship
in which she decided to put into a clear shot glass
that was once filled to the brim, slightly on edge,
with the taste of Old Balvenie and which now
housed two small remnants of pavement grown
flowers, one opened and with its petals drooping
as it reflects the sunlight;
the other closed, frightened, lost and alone
as it remembers what it was to be a wall flower.
The taste of ozone hits the Waterloo and Crosby air
and the flowers take different paths,
Holly Johnson at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. June 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
As part of the resurgent Liverpool sound of the 1980s, a sound that seemed a world away from the one that had been the household name in music appreciation by the previous generation up and down the country, Holly Johnson’s name is still revered by many in the city. Despite the feeling of apprehension, the touch of anxiety that emanated from both sides of the stage, what followed was quite possibly the sensation of a huge thrill being administered to the Philharmonic audience as the former Frankie Goes to Hollywood lead vocalist delivered a polished and impressionable set.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Tom Hughes, Jonathan Aris, Brian Cox, Victoria Hamilton, Shaun Dooley, Paul Ritter, Chloe Pirrie, Rachel Stirling, Zana Marjanovic, Yevgeni Sitokhin, Judy Parfitt, Marcel Lures, Tim Bentinck, Gemma Chan, Jay Simpson, Anton Lesser, Craig Conway, Scott Handy, Richard McCabe, Alistair Petrie, Steven Mackintosh.
The sound of a gentle drum beat fills
the crossroads of Holy Corner as the onlookers,
buoyed by the return of a yellow ball of fire
and source of much anticipation of what it will mean
to the rest of the year, are amused to see one man dressed
in a sponge outfit and one looking like a badly drawn
rat square off against each other over pitch and punter
and the sound of fight, fight, fight, is overheard
under the breath of a radical student believing in secret
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Alice Colquhoun, Dora Colquhoun, Izzie Major.
Guilt is something we should all feel when it comes to realising the further we go in life, the more we perhaps get on in the world, there will always be that despairing inevitability that others, through no fault of their own, will get left behind. Yet that guilt, that sense of responsibility we should feel towards each other as members of the same species is somehow jaded, lost and confused with the idea that giving your time to help another person is somehow to be rewarded and compensated with the freedom to brag and make light of it.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
The modern world at times is so frantic that the sight of a single flower poking its head above the procession of weeds and moss encrusted pavements is sometimes treated with derision and sarcasm. A sign that the world in its infinite wisdom should carry on producing such moments and not give in the easy chance to score a point against a fellow human being, is often scorned and deflected as such and it makes for a sad tale of forgotten past and adds colour to the sensitive and profound.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 5/10
Cast: Rupert Everett, Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Emily Watson, Jack Reynor, Roger Allam, Anastasia Harrold, Ruth Sheen, Jack Laskey, Jack Gordon, Emma Connell, Maria Lee Metheringham, Laurence Spellman, Jessica Jay, Geoffrey Streatfield, Sophie Di Martino, Jack Brady.
If a story is worth telling then perhaps it doesn’t matter how much it strays from the actual version of events, however when the truth of a significant moment in time for a person, regardless of the stature or place in the history books, is distorted and warped, it can hardly be a surprise when half the world suddenly believes it to be the truth and legends grow and falsehoods spread.
Nothing had changed save for the faces
being a little older than what I was prepared for,
nothing was different except the for the skyline
having been hijacked by a view that was out of place
and nothing had altered at all,
except for my perception of a world I hadn’t seen in three decades.
I looked around me and what I had left behind
and the sweat ran down my forehead, blistering
as it mixed with tears of regret, kept hidden
and just what might have been had I the courage to say no,
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5 out of 10
Ride is a motorbike arcade racing game available from retail stores and for download from the PlayStation Store for the PS3 and PS4. Milestone has a history of exceptional sports games, although they have been especially prolific with multiple iterations throughout various forms of motorbike racing from SBK to MotoGP to Motocross, but how does Milestone’s latest effort stack up in comparison to what has went before?
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
It was a place steeped in debauchery and sin, a location of vice and intrigue and in which many deeds were committed in the name of notoriety; a society in which the powerful and mighty could “Do what thou wilt”. Yet for The Hellfire Club in which the sounds of majesty appear in their latest album Songs For The Fallen Stars, the motto of “Do what we can for you” would be more appropriate.