Gary Numan, Dead Son Rising. Album Review.

Originally published by L.S.Media, September 21st 2011.

They say that form is temporary and that class is permanent, in Gary Numan’s case, it’s nailed down with a thousand six foot poles, a few million staples and an industrial size pack of Gaffer tape!

Ever since he arrived on the scene as part of the Tubeway Army in the late 70’s and thereafter on his own, he has continued to release album after album of scintillating music that defies ignorance of the industrial music and searing pop synths, in fact he welcomes it with open arms and embraces it with passion. Dead Son Rising is no exception, filled to the rafters with sounds that other bands would not even consider placing down for eternity.

Gary Numan, Dead Son Rising. Album Review. full post

(408 words, estimated 1:38 mins reading time)

Montreal…

It is not Hamilton, a place in which my granddad enthused over

In his semi-waking dreams and in which, even as a small boy, I knew

He would rather have stayed, grown old in and perhaps

Even rather have passed

Away peacefully in the comfort of a town

That he once had played baseball and swam across its neighbouring lake.

Montreal he had only mentioned as a place that he had seen once,

From the deck of one ship and then from the deck of another

When the family left Canada to come to England via

Montreal… full post

(713 words, estimated 2:51 mins reading time)

All We Are, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

It may not have been the sort of homecoming All We Are may had expected as they took to the stage at the 02 Academy in Liverpool but on a night when Everything Everything unfortunately postponed their gig at the last minute, there was no doubting just how fantastic the threesome of Guro Gikling, Richard O’ Flynn and Luis Santos have become

Opening up for Everything Everything on tour had been enjoyable; it was visible in the eyes of all three musicians as they played their music with an added exuberance, an extra zip in which they took full advantage of and above all shone as their self-belief showed for the audience to revel in.

All We Are, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool. full post

(362 words, estimated 1:27 mins reading time)

The Terminator Omnibus: Volume 1. Graphic Novel Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Of the three science fiction films of the 1980s in which were successfully captured in graphic novel form, perhaps the one that struck a chord and a sent a distinct chill up the spine the most was The Terminator.

The Terminator Omnibus: Volume 1. Graphic Novel Review. full post

(574 words, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Sunday Postscript, An Interview With Alan Hewitt, (Part Two)

Alan Hewitt leans back on the chair in FACT and smiles, a man wistful with memories of gigs and stories which culminated in his book on Steve Hackett, the Genesis guitarist who has carved out perhaps the most productive solo career of all those that made Genesis one of the finest Progressive Rock bands to hail from the U.K. being enjoyed rightly by the multitude. Sketches of Hackett is a book of immense value and warmth and just chatting to him, time seems to lose its meaning as the 20 minute time limit we set ourselves becomes muddled and extended until we have broached the subject of almost every Steve Hackett solo album and his contribution to the richness of the second and third period of the Genesis era.

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Sunday Postscript, An Interview With Alan Hewitt, (Part Two) full post

(1914 words, estimated 7:39 mins reading time)

Dean Friedman, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The applause could have rung out all night inside the Epstein Theatre; Dean Friedman can have also performed well into the small hours of the following day if time deemed it possible. However, even the sight of the American music maker on stage for two sets was more than enough in the end to placate the crowd who had sat thrilled and elated by the sound of the man, his melody and his music.

Dean Friedman, Gig Review. Epstein Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(487 words, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Genesis, Selling England By The Pound. 40th Anniversary Retrospective.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

When Selling England By The Pound was released in 1973, it confirmed what many already knew, that Genesis was to be heralded as one of the great Progressive Rock bands of all time. Following on from Foxtrot and especially side two which showed the intricate, fantastical and multi-layered nature of the group’s writing and musical talent. Selling England By The Pound was a trip into the English pastoral, the off-beat look at life in the country, swathed in lyrical expansion and would in time become the second of five classic albums on the trot, to be followed by the seminal Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Foxtrot and Wind and Wuthering.

Genesis, Selling England By The Pound. 40th Anniversary Retrospective. full post

(1399 words, estimated 5:36 mins reading time)

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Saturday Supplement. An Interview With Steve Hackett’s Biographer Alan Hewitt (Part One)

Alan Hewitt leans back on the chair in FACT and smiles, a man wistful with memories of gigs and stories which culminated in his book on Steve Hackett, the Genesis guitarist who has carved out perhaps the most productive solo career of all those that made Genesis one of the finest Progressive Rock bands to hail from the U.K. being enjoyed rightly by the multitude. Sketches of Hackett is a book of immense value and warmth and just chatting to him, time seems to lose its meaning as the 20 minute time limit we set ourselves becomes muddled and extended until we have broached the subject of almost every Steve Hackett solo album and his contribution to the richness of the second and third period of the Genesis era.

Liverpool Sound And Vision: The Saturday Supplement. An Interview With Steve Hackett’s Biographer Alan Hewitt (Part One) full post

(1486 words, estimated 5:57 mins reading time)

Le Week-End, Film Review. FACT Cinema, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum, Olly Alexander, Brice Beaugier, Xavier De Guillebon, Marie-France Alvarez, Denis Sebbah, Charlotte Léo, Lee Breton Michelsen, Sébastien Siroux

Le Week-End, Film Review. FACT Cinema, Liverpool. full post

(537 words, estimated 2:09 mins reading time)

Noterminus, Haselupker’s Ink. Album Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

All you need is something different, something slightly dissimilar than what anybody is else is doing and the world becomes your oyster. For Scott and Maria Owen Midlane of Noterminus, their debut album, the intriguingly titled Haselupker’s Ink, the oyster is a delicious and rampant morsel which uniquely captures the idea of visionary imagination alongside the pulsating power that dominates the album.

Noterminus, Haselupker’s Ink. Album Review. full post

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