Tag Archives: Liverpool

Liz Owen, Gig Review. Studio 2, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Liz Owen at Studio 2, Liverpool. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.

The mix of Liverpool’s Studio 2 and the summer heat is always akin to the feeling of intoxication, overwhelmed by the sound of music that comes out of the artists’ souls who frequent the stage. It can seem that all is missing from life at that moment is the smell of a barbeque lingering in the cloudless air, a beach ball being tapped around and small children running around and making the most of spending time in the company of adults by asking awkward questions or being enthralled by the lady with the guitar belting out the tunes as she sits on the patio.

Liz Owen, Gig Review. Studio 2, Liverpool. full post

(444 words, 1 image, estimated 1:47 mins reading time)

Omnibus, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Alice Bunker-Whitney in Omnibus. Photograph by Brian Roberts.

 

Cast: Gemma Banks, Alice Bunker-Whitney, Eva McKenna, Joel Parry, Danny Burns, Eithne Browne.

It is always a cause for celebration when a production comes to the stage and truly brings an audience together in its humour and the way it showcases new writing, the positive ways it uses all the actors with equal clarity and the wonderful way in which it shows the genuine appreciation due its Director. When that celebration coincides with the soft re-opening of a much loved theatre after months of renovation and updating, then it is not just a case of bring out the decorations and congratulations, then it is the keen observance and salute that only an Omnibus can provide.

Omnibus, Theatre Review. Unity Theatre, Liverpool. full post

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

Phil Collins, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Perhaps it was the sense of occasion, the bugle and drum pattern of history that could be felt amongst the Echo Arena crowd that signified a return, the memories of all who attended the first Phil Collins gig in many years, the first time that even without the other members of Genesis by his side that the drummer, the front man of many a music hit of his generation had stepped out in front of a crowd and sang a note of implication and beautiful awareness; perhaps it was the occasion, more likely it was the city and its people, for this was a welcome never to be forgotten, never to be anything but fantastic.

Phil Collins, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool. full post

(555 words, estimated 2:13 mins reading time)

Wonder Woman, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Gal Gadot, Robin Wright, Chris Pine, David Thewlis, Connie Nelson, Elana Anaya, Lucy Davis, Ewan Bremner, Doutzen Kroes, Danny Huston, Mayling Ng, Eleanor Matsuura, Samantha Jo, Eugene Brave Rock, Saïd Taghmaoui, Emily Carey, Florence Kasumba.

Forget the Testosterone, the heroes of old who have dominated the screen since Michael Keaton first donned the Batman suit, with unbelievable results obviously, for there is a true dominant force on offer, a heroine for the age and one that strikes back at the tired old clichés of femininity and valour, of fearlessness and boldness. For in Wonder Woman, there really is a hero that everybody, boy and girl, man and woman alike, can truly admire and one which takes a huge swipe at the misogyny that has been rampant in cinematic heroes for far too long.

Wonder Woman, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T., Liverpool. full post

(515 words, estimated 2:04 mins reading time)

Romeo And Julius, Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Richard Bremmer, Patrick Brennan, George Caple, Pauline Daniels, Laura Dos Santos, Emily Hughes, Tom Kanji, Asha Kingsley, Melanie La Barrie, Dean Nolan, Zelina Robeiro, Keddy Sutton, Liam Tobin, Isobel Balchin, Alice Corrigan, Poppy Hughes, Geirgie Lomax-Ford, Hannah McGowan, Chloe Nall-Smith, Catriona Chandler, Erin Clarke, Jordan Connerty, Stuie Dagnall, Will Flush, Jazmine Hayes, Amber Higgins, Jake Holmes, Chloe Hughes, Luke Logan, Jiacheng Lu, Niamh McCarthy, Lucy McCormack, Lacy McGurk, Nadia Mohamed Noor, Rachel Newnham, Jamie Pye, Keeley Ray, Nathan Russell, Samuel Serrano Roberts, Kalia Shaples, Darci Shaw, Esme Skinner, John Stephenson, Ellie Turner.

Romeo And Julius, Theatre Review. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. full post

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

Dying On My Feet, Theatre Review. Liverpool Art College, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Joanne Tremarco.

Death, arguably, is not the end; it is a state of being that continues in the hearts of those left behind, long after the last breathe has been drawn. The poets and artists have always been one to draw the subject as a next adventure, perhaps in keeping with Buddhism, the soul moving on from one umbilical cord to the next, the next chapter in a long reading list. It could also be a one shot, possible prize winning article, done and dusted regardless of how many words and the finest of by-lines are used.

Dying On My Feet, Theatre Review. Liverpool Art College, Liverpool. full post

(391 words, estimated 1:34 mins reading time)

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T.,Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

Cast: Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scoderlario, Kevin McNally, Golsifteh Farahani, David Wenham, Stephen Graham, Martin Klebba, Angus Barnett, Adam Browne, Giles New, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Paul McCartney, Bruce Spence.

 

Every tale has an ending, the circle completed and the finale one that can be passed down as being just as riveting or exciting as the original, the one that started the quest in the first place; if not then dead men and bored but faithful audiences tell no tales, for nobody likes a sequel to be a failure.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, Film Review. Picturehouse@F.A.C.T.,Liverpool. full post

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

Fairport Convention, Gig Review. Music Room, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The bus rolls on, it does so because Time has need for the company it keeps and in such bands as Fairport Convention, Time understands that the message, the song, is far too important to not allow it to be heard or to be shared live. Music is not only exists to ease the suffering, to use in times of rememberance or to make those who seek to dominate society uncomfortable, it is there to be gathered around and used to make people smile, to make them enjoy life  and Time, whilst sometimes being a peculiar beast, revels in the joy that can be heard.

Fairport Convention, Gig Review. Music Room, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool. full post

(500 words, estimated 2:00 mins reading time)

Iron Maiden, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Time is never to be wasted, it can be played with, it can amuse for a while and cause mischief, holding hands with it can either leave you feeling secure and protected or experiencing the pain of being ravaged, the sharp toothed tiger of Time plunging its teeth its teeth like a vampire cat, bleeding you dry. Time should not be wasted and therefore by logic we should not go looking for those wasted years…we should and must just feel the frenzy of excitement, the emotion, the fury, the whirl of cool when a long lost band comes back and delivers pound for pound one of the finest sets on stage in thirty years.

Iron Maiden, Gig Review. Echo Arena, Liverpool. full post

(568 words, estimated 2:16 mins reading time)

Findlay Napier, Gig Review. The Music Room, Liverpool.

Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

The music Rooms of the Philharmonic Hall are exactly the type of venue that were made for the writings and compositions of an artist such as Findlay Napier, the sense of beauty that is carried within the lyrics, the harmony that exists between musician and their chosen weapon of virtue and the deeply held implication of the offering that can be felt without being blinded by lights and dazzled by distance; for Findlay Napier and his visit to Liverpool this was as close to heavenly, funny, anarchic but brilliant, as an audience could ask for.

Findlay Napier, Gig Review. The Music Room, Liverpool. full post

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