Royston Cole sits back and enjoys the feel of the afternoon sun outside of The Cambridge Pub, neatly tucked away on the University of Liverpool campus, a haven for students of all subjects, especially for some reason those whose degree involves the study of English. The writer tells great stories, some of which only the very brave would print as they are wonderfully full of colour and reveals the extent of this man’s fascinating humour and back story.
If The Shoe Fits, Theatre Review. Epstein Theatre. Liverpool
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Charlie Griffiths, Jodie Nesbitt, Angela Simms, Donna Lesley Price, Richie Grice, Chris Crookall, Lesley Hughes, Trev Fleming, James William-Watts, Michael Swift.
To see how far an idea can go, to see it flourish and become part of a city’s conscious, you don’t have to go a long way from the centre of town to the Epstein Theatre to witness the power of a great play and the imagination to keep taking it one stage further. When the Unity Theatre staged Donna Lesley Price’s supremely funny play If The Shoe Fits, no one could surely have envisioned just how it would grow and take root. From the Unity to the Floral Pavilion on the other side of the Mersey and now to one of the heart-land theatres, If The Shoe Fits continues to blossom and be an outstanding piece of Liverpool theatre.
Sacred Mother Tongue, Out Of The Darkness. Album Review.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Heavy Metal has never seemed more healthy on the continent, whether in the unusual domains of France or in the realms of the lands that come together under the banner of the Nordic, metal it seems has seen off the shackles of the 20th Century, survived the many splits in the genre and now enjoys the start of a brand new era. In the natural home of Metal, the old industrial confines in which nurtured and honed the sound of iron and steel, it has been sadly lacking. The U.K. could be seen as having turned its back on the hammering sound of crashing guitar and beating heart of the drum. That is with a few exceptions…of which Sacred Mother Tongue proudly sit near the very top.
The Kill Van Kulls, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The Kill Van Kulls was amongst the extreme highlights of Liverpool Sound City during 2012. The positivity they showed, the intense joy they bought to the stage was matched stride for stride by their ability and infectious music.
The Fratellis, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The sweat had barely time to dry off in the 02 Academy from the previous night’s storming gig by Big Country than the re-emergence of one of the most popular and endearing bands of the last decade, The Fratellis, stoked up the pressure cooker inside the venue and the keen excitement felt by all spilled over and added further to the party atmosphere.
Kacey Musgraves, Same Trailer Different Park. Album Review.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
The jovial attitude that springs from the voice of Kacey Musgraves as her new album, Same Trailer Different Park, plays hides an acerbic wit and cutting disdainful melancholy which makes her a refreshing change in the world of American country music. There have been others who have this same outlook but they usually have been tarnished and jaded by a life time of regret and disappointment of the world they live in.
Big Country, Gig Review. 02 Academy, Liverpool.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Some journeys are never meant to end; there is always time for a new chapter, even in the most long and incredible of stories there is always time for one more nugget of information to be told and savoured. Within the circles of rock, Big Country’s story could have ended when much respected former vocalist Stuart Adamson sadly passed on as the new century began. No one would have blamed anybody as Stuart was a colossus, a man whose presence can still be keenly felt by many as they listen to his voice through the back catalogue.
Broadchurch, Episode Seven. Television Review. I.T.V.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: David Tennant, Olivia Coleman, Andrew Buchan, Jodie Whittaker, Arthur Darvill, Tracey Childs, Matthew Gravelle, Peter De Jersey, Will Mellor, Jonathon Bailey, Charlotte Beaumont, Joe Simms, Carolyn Pickles, Pauline Quirke, Joe Sims, Jacob Anderson.
It is no wonder that David Tennant’s character, D.I. Alec Hardy, has been showing all the signs of a man crumbling under the pressure when the viewer considers all of what has been happening in the town of Broadchurch. It runs much deeper than that though; this is a man who has been carrying the mistakes of others, including so it appears, his ex-wife’s, a long protracted investigation whilst still trying to deal with a family who he let down before and now the sound of a ticking clock, both in health terms and in his career.
Ragnhild Nordset, Sleepdancing. E.P. Review.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
When the news filtered through the North West press and bars that hosted music evenings in which Ragnhild Nordset frequented that the Norwegian musician was going to be leaving Liverpool, a place where she had become a firm favourite of the acoustic folk scene because of her tantilising voice, absolute sincere personality and incredible musicianship, there would have been no surprise that there would have been petitions made to keep this talented woman in the city and keep performing for the fans. Some people are meant to fly free though and if by returning to Nordic shores the creativity that was always there, flourishes even more then woe betides anyone who stands in her way.
Endeavour, Television Review. I.T.V.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Roger Allam, Shaun Evans, Anton Lesser, James Bradshaw, Jack Laskey, Sean Rigby, Jonathan Hyde, Mark Bazeley, Luke Allen-Gale, Sarah Crowder, John Flanagan, Billy Geraghty, Olivia Grant, Jonathan Guy Lewis, Alan Morrissey, Will Richards, Fiona Ryan, Sophie Stuckey.