Tag Archive | live music
Steve Earle: redemption songs
At Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall last week, Steve Earle opened with the Woody Guthrie-styled title song from his excellent new album The Low Highway. Later in the concert, Steve talked about the song’s genesis: travelling across his country and seeing everywhere the signs of economic failure, just as Woody did in the Great Depression: ‘I’m writing […]
The Rite of Spring at Liverpool Phil: an electrifying ‘riot of delight’
On Friday evening we heard an electrifying centennial performance of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at the Philharmonic Hall with Vasily Petrenko conducting. At the close, the reception for Petrenko and the Philharmonic Orchestra was rapturous. There was no riot. The programme had been billed as identical to the one in which the Rite had its infamous first […]
Thea Gilmore with strings: mainstream or lightning?
On my way to see Thea Gilmore play the Liverpool Phil last Friday I was having my doubts. The concert was billed as ‘Thea with strings’ and strings were all over her new album Regardless when I gave it a listen on Spotify. As a Thea fan since the early days I have to say […]
Richard Thompson: Electric!
I last saw Richard Thompson playing solo acoustic on a rainswept night in New Brighton (nights don’t get much better than that!). But Friday night at the Liverpool Phil was different: Thompson was back with a powerhouse trio to promote his new album Electric. And that’s what we got – an evening of high voltage […]
The Heritage Blues Orchestra: an outstanding show
It was a privilege to be at the Liverpool Phil last night to see The Heritage Blues Orchestra at one of only two dates that this astonishing new band played in the UK. I haven’t been so totally knocked out and blown away by a new band in a long time. The group released their […]
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning: Monday night at Pizza Express
Last Monday we went along to Pizza Express in Soho’s Dean Street to hear the John Aram Quintet play his suite inspired by Alan Sillitoe’s landmark novel, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Like Sillitoe, trombonist John Aram was born in Nottingham. He wrote the Saturday Night and Sunday Morning suite over a four year period […]
Elbow live in Liverpool: Everyone’s here
To someone who grew up when the hit parade and radio playlists were experienced in common by everyone, the fragmentation of the music scene in recent decades can seem depressing. Music is no longer something enjoyed in common: instead, jostled next to each other on bus or tube but sealed inside our headphones we listen […]
Thea Gilmore: on tour in New Brighton
In the Blue Room of New Brighton’s Floral Pavilion Thea Gilmore was explaining how she and partner Nigel Stonier had, for the last five years, organised a literature and music festival in their home town of Nantwich in Cheshire. ‘Anyone know the material for a fifth anniversary?’ she asked. One guy suggested bacon. ‘Er, no…but […]
