Tag Archives: Liverpool

Laura James, Gig Review. Palm Sugar, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 7 ^½/ 10

There can be no doubting the utter class in Laura James’ voice when she sings as she simply radiates warmth and musical sincerity when she performs.

In Palm Sugar on a Sunday afternoon in which the wind had finally blown away the dark clouds that had got in the way to an extent of a tremendous Liverpool Pride the day before, the sound of Laura James’ voice carried out past the expensive decorative windows and out onto Chavasse Park. Looking out of one of the windows it was possible to see an elderly lady reminisce at the sound of Ms. James’ second set of the afternoon and see her fix on a point in time in which music carried all before it, in the days when numerous and in some cases insidious so called talent shows spat young gifted performers out or swallowed them in the hope of producing pound signs.

Laura James, Gig Review. Palm Sugar, Liverpool. full post

(344 words, estimated 1:23 mins reading time)

Mood Indigo, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Romain Duris, Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh, Aïssa Maïga, Omar Sy, Charlotte Le Bon, Sacha Bourdo, Natacha Régnier, Philippe Torreton, Alain Chabat, Zinedine Soualem, Marina Rozenman, Mathieu Paulus, Frédéric Saurel, Wilfred Benaïche, Alex Raul Barrios, Kid Creole, Paul Gondry, Bobby Few, Tilly Scott Pedersen, Jérôme Coué, David Bolling.

Only somebody perhaps as good as Michael Gondry could produce a film so tender, so utterly charming, so clever and ever so slightly and brilliantly bizarre and pretentious as Mood Indigo and get away with it. A film that is so charming and clever and yet at its very heart is a piece of cinema that deals with death and the loss of idealism, nobody else surely would have the cinematic balls to do it without being locked away first.

Mood Indigo, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

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

Guardians Of The Galaxy, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, David Bautista, Karen Gillan, Lee Pace, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Djimon Hounsou, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Haddock, Sean Gunn, Peter Serafinowicz, Christopher Fairbank, Wyatt Oleff, Gregg Henry, Stan Lee, Melia Kreiling, Alexis Denisof.

When an American summer blockbuster film uses music by the outstanding British band 10cc in its opening sequences, then surely there can be no argument that it already grabs the attention of the viewer. Graham Gouldman’s and Eric Stewart’s timeless masterpiece only enhances the power to come as the latest tale of heroism from Marvel, The Guardians of The Galaxy, comes out to capture the summer cinema audience.

Guardians Of The Galaxy, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

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

Fables: Legends in Exile. Graphic Novel Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

There is trouble in the land of make believe, the images of fables have made their way into the world of humanity and are living amongst us, living their lives, their dreams and facing their nightmares in a world that is every bit as fantastical as their own but with none of the happy endings…legends after all still need to breathe.

Fables: Legends in Exile. Graphic Novel Review. full post

(541 words, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

The Flash: Volume 2, Rogues Revolution. Graphic Novel Review.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Of all the heroes that you encounter when travelling through the world of D.C. Comics, it could be argued that Barry Allen, The Flash, is by the most accessible to both the relative new comer to the land where fiction meets graphic art and the long standing devotee of comic book/graphic novel publications to grace the pages in which the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman have gained the most adoration over the years.

The Flash: Volume 2, Rogues Revolution. Graphic Novel Review. full post

(588 words, estimated 2:21 mins reading time)

Bouncers, Theatre Review. The Royal Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Paul Broughton, Danny O’ Brien, Louis Emerick, Michael Starke.

The 1980s nightclub, the big night out, big hair, cheaper beer, even cheaper aftershave and perfume sprayed on as liberally as showering underneath Victoria Falls for five days and then taking a dip in a swimming pool to get that real deep down scent. This was the time, depending on where you were living and your circumstances dictated in which Saturday night was the highlight of the week, the chance to meet the girl of your dreams, the man of your nightmares and all washed down with enough alcohol to drown an angel on a week-long bender on a Spanish holiday, all you had to do was get past the Bouncers on the door.

Bouncers, Theatre Review. The Royal Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(543 words, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

The Art Of Falling Apart, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Tim Lynskey, Matt Rutter.

Monty Python may have sold its last dead parrot, served its last piece of Spam and finally insisted that he is not the Messiah, he is just a naughty boy but that’s not to say what has been bequeathed down the years has been forgotten, especially by the three men that make up Big Wow and arguably one of the finest pieces of comedy theatre that you ever likely to lay your eyes upon in The Art of Falling Apart.

The Art Of Falling Apart, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

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

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote Of La Mancha, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Stephen Harper, Merce Ribot, Patricia Rodriguez, Maria Camahort.

To anyone who has ever taken the time to read arguably one of the great novels, The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha or have even spent time in the beautiful medieval part of the city of Alcalá de Henares and looked upon Cervantes’ birthplace, then it is to know history. You can only ever wonder just what would make anybody want to even attempt to take it on a theatre piece; you would have to be as mad surely as Don Quixote himself to even try it.

The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote Of La Mancha, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

(417 words, estimated 1:40 mins reading time)

The Mono LPs, Gig Review. St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool Calling, Liverpool.

Ste Reid of The Mono Lps at St. Lukes Chuch, Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Liverpool called out, giants strode the roads and alleys as if they had appeared out of a C.S. Lewis manuscript and inside St. Luke’s Church another set of giants, ones not controlled by puppetry, man nor machine took to stage and showed once more just why they are such an exciting, tremendously warm and energetic band to watch live.

The Mono LPs, Gig Review. St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool Calling, Liverpool. full post

(486 words, 1 image, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Gold Jacks, Gig Review. St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool Calling. Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Gold Jacks at the St Luk’e Church as part of Liverpool Calling 2014. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

Effortless, a joy to listen to, as naturally showman like as you want and uncomplicated, this pretty much sums up what it is like to hear Manchester based band Gold Jacks for the first time.

Gold Jacks, Gig Review. St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool Calling. Liverpool. full post

(403 words, 1 image, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)