Live review: Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon @ Threshold 2016
Date: Saturday 2nd April 2016
Venue: The Baltic Social
Performers: MonaLisa Twins, Charlie McKeon, Derek King, Denis Parkinson, Ook and the Elephant, Eleanor Nelly, Dylan Trenouth
Reviewer: Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
MonaLisa Twins
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
As Threshold goes from strength to strength so too does Liverpool Acoustic’s near legendary Saturday set inside the Baltic Social; the complete takeover of the sound that emanates around the building as if a good branch of witchcraft or wizardry was involved in providing sanctuary for songs and music of every conceivable acoustic fashion.
It is a partnership that works wonderfully, Threshold and Liverpool Acoustic and it is no wonder when the aims are the same and the cause is more just than a knight of old perched upon a gleaming stallion, lance in hand and sworn to protect the sound of a acoustic guitar and the lyrical response; it is a day in the calendar not to miss.
If the Saturday takeover of the socially interesting and abundantly attention grabbing Baltic Social goes from strength to strength then it is down to the absolute cream of music that the organiser’s get to choose from each year, the talent in the city and beyond just getting bigger and better each time. To headline, to kick off the Saturday is no place for the faint-hearted, so much rests on the shoulders of the act that puts an acoustic smile on the face that welcomes in Spring and in 2016 there could be no better place to start than with the very superb Mona Lisa Twins.
The ears might find themselves at times lamenting the fact that they were born into a generation where the sound of the Mersey Beat was long gone, a distant memory passed down like some secret whispered through the vapours of Time, yet as the Mona Lisa Twins played, that secret, the hazy smokescreen of a Time passed in the vapour, sprang to life, if the Beatles had returned to live out their lives in the spirit of the two women that make up the core of the band then they could not have been more pleased, for this is a group that truly does the deserve the title of Beatles-esque but with a sense of beautiful humility in their work that might have been misplaced at times in the throngs of the 60s Cavern.
With songs such as This Boy Is Mine, It’s Alright, the fantastic Hey Waiter, One More Time and Club 27 being performed, the steady flow of people into the Baltic Social was being sent a very clear message, this is how to open an afternoon of music, lots of fuss, masses of vocal excess and above all, a group that knows and relishes the city it is performing in.
The Mona Lisa Twins have been pleasing the music scene for a while and yet they never give anything less than the audience can handle or deserves, this is their truth, one steeped in a whisper from the past but given dynamic female edge and blistering smile, a superb way to kick off Liverpool Acoustic’s legendary Saturday at Threshold.
Ian D. Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
Charlie McKeon
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Musicians seem to grow up so fast, unlike for example the poet who allows themselves to remain in touch with a child like wonder, the steely resolve in the eye never a truly fixed point of emotional glory, the musician has to hold onto life with grim fascination, a singular vision of hope and only then do they allow whimsy and beauty to nestle in their hearts.
To watch Charlie McKeon on stage is a thrill, the innocence in the eyes, the delicate nature of his stance, all holding a beguiling, bewitching memory, one in which is impossible to ignore, this is what music can do for you when you allow it to nurture your own soul, when you give in to it fully and without the thought of it ever loving you in the same direct way.
Meaningful and full of youthful spirit, Charlie McKeon holds a guitar as if cradling a young child, the feeling of protection is uppermost, yet he also plays the guitar like a mischievous imp, the sound dynamic, the creativity cascading out of him fingers as if they were on strings, quick, sensual, able to cover a song with singular harmony and it is that sensual cascade that the Baltic Social audience joined in and gave him the recognition he so fully deserved.
Being amongst local legends of the acoustic scene will have done much for the young man, but they will have also taken something from his performance also. In songs such as Bicycle Thieves, the traditional Banks of Ohio, Some Years Are Good and My Love’s A Preacher Mr. McKeon framed the Liverpool Acoustic perfectly, the mixture of new songs and old traditional favourites always a glorious feast for the ears, one that never gets old or tired as it gently rocks the soul.
There is so much more to come from Charlie McKeon, more to come from the belly of this acoustic guitar and its owner, it is with keen anticipation, with salivating prospects, to see how the next year goes; undoubtedly it will be a fantastic trip.
Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
Derek King
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Derek King may not have been scheduled to perform at this year’s Liverpool Acoustic day at Threshold but nobody would ever complain if he was to get up out of one of the comfortable seats, make his way past the overflowing bar and sidestep the coats, the note takers and the musically in groove to have got up on stage and played a couple of his much admired songs before gently returning to the audience and watching the reminder of the day go past with a smile on his face.
Nobody would protest, not a single person would deprive the ears such a show of cool and pleasure; it was a pleasure that was forthcoming and wonderfully handled as the Saturday, arguably always the best day of the week regardless, took on an edge of immense satisfaction as Derek King made sure there was no gap in the running order due to a last minute cancellation and as Time shrank back slightly as the man made his way through the set, pleasure was imminent and full of absolute power. This was Mr. King at his best, a force of untameable nature bowling all before him, strong, dependable, so in tune with the day it made you believe that providence was not just a set of happy accidents but a fate worth exploring.
Stepping into the breach with dear friends cannot be easy, the moment to prepare lost in the melee of a festival appearance and yet like Henry V, once more into breach was only the signal for the greater prize ahead, this was a domain in which the realm of acoustic music in Liverpool was at its fullest and nobody could have filled the hole with more conviction.
With songs such as Sometimes, To Be A Boy, the fantastic appearance of a new song in Seasons,Sally and Across The Strings thrown into the unexpected day’s recruit, the crowd gathered at the Baltic Social were given one of those rare but distinguished reasons to admit that life sometime gives you a bonus; in Derek King the bonus was clear and proud, a tremendous asset to Liverpool’s overall music scene anyway but one that can hold the day in the palms of his hands and cradle it with warmth, glory and sensitivity.
Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
Denis Parkinson
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Denis Parkinson is a quiet, thoughtful and selfless man, it probably accounts for the feeling of serenity that can be felt in the soul as you listen to him perform, after all nobody could ever pull off that type of demeanour, that show of attentiveness to their music if they were anything but contemplative and absorbed in producing a song with some much grace in it.
Denis Parkinson, like many of his acoustic partners in crime, may have only returned to the stage later in life but the flow of expression is there, it bites down hard and refuses to let go, this is the point of his ability, it is strong, unbending, unyielding and completely sympathetic to the listener’s needs; this is the sign of person soliciting thoughts and moulding them into a worthy shape. It is a shape of music that hits home when the chance to hear him perform presents itself.
As part of this year’s Threshold at the Liverpool Acoustic stage inside the Baltic Social, Mr. Parkinson found himself once more in demand, the attention absolute, the craving to hear his music, played with the deftness of an angel but with the ear of a devil, forthright, pitch perfect and full of passion, this was an afternoon slot filled with promise and delivered with greater ease than a Federal Express employee on the promise of promotion.
Listening to Denis Parkinson is a joy, not because he makes each song sound easy, more laid back than a hammock enjoying the rest in the Caribbean Sun but because the words are pleasurable, they sink into the psyche without the listener realising and fill the hole in the lives with great care.
In songs such as My Disease, a cover of New York Times, King of Worthless Things, I’m On Fire andComet Song, Denis Parkinson took the afternoon audience on a journey through precision and deep thought and came up trumps.
There are many things to thank the people behind Liverpool Acoustic for, involving Denis Parkinson in their Saturday afternoon slots as part of Threshold is a mighty fine to praise them for, a considerate player, Denis Parkinson always finds the right presence of mood to get the audience’s heart thumping.
Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
Ook and the Elephant
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
The old mill towns of England, forgotten in part by the majority of people who have no idea of the part they played in the life of Victorian Britain, the generations of people who suffered the back breaking work that kept a certain class of person in well heeled clothing and semi stature and who were among the first to pay the price of two World Wars in the country, these old mill towns still have their part to play in the fabric of 21st Century Britain but like the past, found their role sometimes airbrushed by spite, jealousy and plain ignorance. It is an ignorance put to shame by the likes of the fantastic Ook and the Elephant.
From Bolton, a town that has known and understood deprivation, Ook and the Elephant came riding into Liverpool’s Threshold as near unknowns, only tantalisingly glimpsed at during last year’s festival, and yet as they played their set to a vocal audience, to the onlookers and already hooked, they will have etched their name in Bolton pride and it is with a dignified sense of honour that they did so.
A sense of dark brooding, of humility, of grace under pressure lit up the room like a million candles held aloft in answer to a call to arms as the band performed inside the Baltic Social, a sense of deep satisfaction and longing hanging over the air, the need to not just be in the company of the threesome on stage for half an hour, but to wake in their company, to offer them support and to listen with serious intent the order of the day.
With a set comprising of songs such as Playground, Boxes, I’m O.K. With That and the stirringHouse In Munich all making their mark, the town of Bolton, one reeling in many a cultural deficit of late with the closure of the important Moses Gate venue, would surely feel immense fulfilment and approval at the way Ook and the Elephant conducted themselves and the dramatic sense of significance the music played at the Baltic Social.
A heart-rending and poignant display of ability, deeply moving and cool, Ook and the Elephant captured many hearts; it will be difficult, almost impossible, to remove them from the northern fingers.
Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
Eleanor Nelly
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9.5/10
From supplying music at a book launch to the overwhelming argument that you were at the very best during one of Liverpool’s iconic festivals, to Eleanor Nelly, all things must be seen as just part of growing up with the very finest of supporters in her corner, her dear mother, and being immersed into the very fabric of Liverpool music at such a young tender age; yet they must also be seen as proof, as if proof were ever needed, that she is one of the most highly respected young musicians around.
Making predictions is a dangerous game, people change, circumstances sweep across Time with the type of maniacal grin that can devastate crops, lay waste to dreams and sweep across reputations like a scythe at a Grim Reaper party, for in predictions lays folly. Calculation though perhaps should be seen as different, if all factors were accounted for, if all forecasts were seen as equal, then the generation that follows Ms. Nelly will be singing her praises just as hard as the generations that have already fallen in love with her voice.
In another time, when the world wasn’t awash with the gamble of seven billion lives, Eleanor would already be known, like so many of her age group in Liverpool who make art worth breathing in deeply, for the sensitivity in her writing and the nuclear like power in her voice; for now though and thankfully so that Liverpool’s ever music hungry population could once again enjoy the ride, Ms. Nelly performed as part of Liverpool Acoustic’s day at Threshold and blew the collected socks of all involved.
It may be funny to think back to the age of 16 for some, the aspirations of youth never quite being fulfilled, never quite damaging the world’s patience, however looking at Eleanor Nelly, truly listening as so many do, you cannot help but be anything than impressed.
In a huge set, songs such as Old Soul, Me and You, German Boy, Something’s Gotta Give, Blue Eyesand the tremendous cover of It Must Be Love, Ms. Nelly sent any sign of Winter scurrying to its furthermost retreat and heralded, perhaps unknowingly, the start of a new year of acoustic music being appreciated for the joy it brings.
A set of earthquake magnitude, Eleanor Nelly is a dream to listen to and a hero to many.
Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
Dylan Trenouth
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Momentum is a fundamental part of existence, a primary source of life continuing and not being forced into a habit of stagnation and immobility; to keep momentum going past the point where others start to fade into the quiet reserves of undignified amusement, something must happen to keep that life buoyant and fresh, it must allow the new to become part of the everyday.
The Baltic Social had been rocking for hours, the sound of acoustic guitar filling the once warehouse expanse with tranquillity and vibe, the chatter, the conversation and the admiring more audible than a sonic boom over the Mersey and more intriguing than a political climb down; for all of that though, for all the heroes, legends and downright impressive that had made the Baltic Social very much part of the Threshold weekend experience, someone new and captivating would surely keep the momentum going strong.
In Dylan Trenouth the momentum was carried by the love of language, of its diversity and shape and as the songs carried themselves into the ether, the mix of words guiding the music was enough to feel stimulated and absorbed by the form offered. It was with a sense of identity that the songs made themselves known, that they captured fully the point of Threshold’s desire to bring raw and exciting talent into the lives of anyone finding the time to experience them.
With songs such as Bye For Now, Quarter Past The Hour, The Painter and Last Train To London, this musician from Bristol gave a very good account of himself and the music from the South West, a very important contribution to the whole weekend and one that will not be forgotten.
The very nature of the man, self effacing, influential and modest was one that endeared him to the crowd and gave perhaps a brief glimpse of what that area of Britain can offer musically, a city like Liverpool built upon sea trade and song, in Dylan Trenouth they have a man who espouses the spirit and determination of the area fully.
Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
All reviews © 2016 Ian D Hall – Liverpool Sound and Vision
Originally published at liverpoolsoundandvision.co.uk and republished with kind permission
<<<
Live review: Liverpool Acoustic Afternoon @ Threshold 2016