Live Event: Grimmfest, Odeon Great Northern, October 4th – 7th, 2018
Before you get any further into this review, please take a few minutes to read my reviews of Grimmfest 2016 and Grimmfest 2017. “Why do that?” you may well be asking yourselves. The reason is that Grimmfest always delivers a superb selection of films, and I’m sure that once you read about some of the […]
Live Event: Eurogamer Expo – NEC Birmingham, 20th – 23rd September 2018
It’s that time of the year again where thousands of people travel to Birmingham NEC to get their gaming geek on! Over the course of 3 days I managed to play some of the most highly anticipated games due to come out later this year and beyond. Before I get to the games it occurred […]
Live Event: Janet Gardner – The Factory, Manchester, May 26th, 2018
Falling in the middle of a Bank Holiday weekend, there were certainly a lot of events going on to capture peoples attention; Ed Sheeran playing just up the road at the Etihad Stadium, Manchesters great football rivals Liverpool playing in a Champions League final where the local populace were packing out sports bar to cheer […]
Live Event: Wales Comic Con, April 21st – 22nd, 2018
Started in 2008 by Jaime Milner and Ash Blackwell, Wales Comic Con is a definite one off. Over the years I’ve been to a lot of Comic Cons in the UK and USA (yes even The San Diego CC at Golden Hall in 1990, and then in the San Diego convention centre in 1991), so […]
Live Event: Jaws in Concert – Liverpool Philharmonic, April 7th, 2018
Iconic film scores (not including musicals). There are so many. The Godfather (Nino Rota), the ‘Dollars triliogy‘ (Ennio Morricone), Star Wars (John Williams). My own favourites; Blade Runner (Vangelis) and Paris, Texas (Ry Cooder), they are the soul of the film, indelible anthems that must have a perfect fit to the narrative. They swoop, soar and […]
Live Event: Jonathan Pie – Liverpool Philharmonic, February 25th, 2018
It’s not surprising how a couple of my American friends thought Jonathan Pie was a ‘real’ newsperson. Slightly ruffled suit, windswept hair, squinting into camera, he does appear to be Mr BBC. One exclaimed her shock at him not being sacked for his ‘Potty mouth’. (Oh such sweet lips that utter platitudes of angry exasperation […]
Live Event: Alien Ant Farm – Norwich Waterfront, February 10th, 2018
Over the past two decades, Californian punk-rockers Alien Ant Farm have had a career which parallels surprisingly closely with the trajectory of another band I like: Eastbourne alt-rock outfit Toploader. I realise that geographically and musically they are hard to compare, but hear me out: both formed in the mid-to-late 90s, both enjoyed their greatest […]
Live Event: Jane Weaver – The Hare &Hounds, November 29th, 2017.
News of Jane Weaver’s tour caused a rush of excitement and a raise of the eyebrow in the Woolley commune, I have been a massive fan of her work since hearing her 2007 Cherlokalate album, but the Hare and Hounds? I expected a jasmine scented outdoor amphitheatre with Jane entering the stage as the Summer […]
Live Event: W.A.S.P. – The Tivoli, October 22nd, 2017.
“BUCKLEY…ARE YOU READY’ The above words are ones that I never thought I’d hear Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P. shout at the Tivoli. Thankfully I was there when he did. And so were many others at a sold out Tiv. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Crimson Idol (a conceptual album which tells the story of Jonathan […]
Live Event: Grimmfest, Odeon Printworks, October 5th – 8th, 2017
Grimmfest is now in its 9th year and this was my 2nd year in attendance (you can read all about my 2016 experience here) at this excellent showcase of fantastic films in Manchester, UK. Despite my best intentions, I was once again only able to attend for the one day. This is something I strongly […]