Tag Archives: Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall

Clannad, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Award-winning band Clannad said farewell to Liverpool, and Liverpool said a reluctant sad farewell to Clannad.  

It’s been 50 years since this exceptional Irish band from Donegal bounced onto the music scene with their eclectic mix of traditional Celtic music and new age ethereal vibes. 

Legendary, influential and culturally important, the band was formed in 1970 by siblings Moya, Ciaran and Pol Brennan and their uncles Noel and Padraig Duggan. Unfortunately, Padraig passed away in 2016 and the band gave him a “shout out” at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall last night to the delight of a packed audience. For a short time, sister Enya had been part of the line-up but now ploughs her own path.  

Clannad, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

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

Midge Ure, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

You always hope to catch the effervescent in a performance, the sincerity of the lively and the dynamic in the same thread of the act, whilst understanding that it is the memory of a certain time, of nostalgia, making the hairs on the back of the neck stand firmly to attention and the whisper of the music fall in love once more.

Midge Ure, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(497 words, estimated 1:59 mins reading time)

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

The sound is enigmatic, sincere, almost poetry within itself, add into the equation the lyrical robustness that flows elegantly as if navigating, taming a winter storm at sea, then it becomes clear why Mike Scott and The Waterboys continue to impress the audiences that eagerly await the announcement of a gig in their area, almost choir like in their appreciation, they sing to a glory that gathers rhythm and insightful prose together in a sweeping gesture that makes the heart beat faster and the mind moved in unison.

The Waterboys, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(429 words, estimated 1:43 mins reading time)

Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Rumours of Fleetwood Mac’s Emily Gervers at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall. April 2019. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Time has not yet been called on the story of Fleetwood Mac, there is always one more chapter being written, one more footnote being slotted in, one extra paragraph to be prepared, for a group that is rightly hailed as one of the all-time greats of Rock, they also know how to keep the fans guessing on what drama will come to light next; it is in that which keeps the whole performance as electrifying and as dynamic as watching a meteor shower blaze across the night sky.

Rumours Of Fleetwood Mac, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(563 words, 1 image, estimated 2:15 mins reading time)

Art Garfunkel, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision rating 9/10

Legends only increase in value and heartfelt beauty with time, the song remains the same as the scene before the audience changes, youthful memory gives way to mature understanding, a sense of the distinguished statesman, the adored wisdom of a artist whose sensitivity has never been questioned, suddenly becomes in the eyes of the audience searching for that wonder, a monument made of human emotion and response to the loss of innocence we know for certain will never be found.

Art Garfunkel, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(477 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

10CC, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

There is a gracefulness to be thanked for, saluted even, when it comes to enjoying an evening in the presence of one of the finest songwriters of British Pop/Rock history; for when you are in the company of Graham Gouldman and 10cc you instinctively feel the elegance and accomplished hand of musical professionalism resound throughout the venue and reflect the light like diamonds of the faces of the sell-out crowds that give any evening its permanent vibe.

10CC, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(452 words, estimated 1:48 mins reading time)

Mike And The Mechanics, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019).

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Mike and the Mechanics at the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool. February 2019. Photograph taken by, and used with the kind permission of Alan Hewitt.

Perhaps a first for a Liverpool audience, a sight of the strange turned talking point, to be greeted by the physical image of representations of four hot air balloons above the Philharmonic Hall stage, a symbol maybe of the heights that Mike and the Mechanics have strode for, to see beyond the horizon, a depiction feasibly of Phileas Fogg and his earnest wish to prove to the world that the impossible can be achieved with the right attitude and cast iron will.

Mike And The Mechanics, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. (2019). full post

(460 words, 1 image, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

Lauren Ray, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

In the end all that we have to do must be worth it, our best is what defines us, our search to extend the reach of our soul must be fruitful, and as a consequence it has to commit to seeing life as more than a performance, it has to be passion personified, the light must resonate as deeply from within as it shows on stage.

A person of substance is all that we are required to be, but sometimes when the light falls and the music starts, we are dominated by the blackness that envelops us, we forget to shine, we misplace the element that makes us unique.

Lauren Ray, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(476 words, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

Live On Mars: A Tribute To David Bowie, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

You can attempt to capture the conscious of a king, you may have the ear of a president but for some the insistence that you cannot capture the soul of a Duke is the most sacred of idioms, the utmost of respects delivered, after all, the soul and image, the words and thoughts of a Duke are surely only ever realised when it comes from the mind of David Bowie.

Live On Mars: A Tribute To David Bowie, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(472 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

Queen Extravaganza, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Extravaganza is a large word to live up to, it holds an allusion in its embracing hands that few can seriously make peace with, that many fold under the pressure of pursuing, the sense of the spectacular image being torn down by the performer as the sentence and expectations of the public become downed by the realisation that nothing truly can ever top the bill to the point where baited-breath and eyes on stalks witnesses such majesty.

Queen Extravaganza, Gig Review. Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(544 words, estimated 2:11 mins reading time)