Ian McCulloch Epstein Theatre Liverpool review

Formerly known as the Neptune Theatre, the Epstein theatre has re-opened under the management of SoundCity and they launched it with the announcement of 2 nights with the legendary Ian McCulloch.

Ian, best known for fame with the Echo and the Bunnymen, was joined on stage with Lightning Seeds' Ian Broudie and a 2 piece string section and keyboard player. The set up reminding me of MTV unplugged with the curtain back drop and subdued blue lightning.

The sell out crowd waited patiently for Ian to arrive on stage and greeted him with rapturous applause when he eventually did and he wasted no time getting them eating out of his hand. Playing through a set list of classic bunnymen hits and solo stuff, Ian's voice was raspy which added to the intimacy of the night with the acoustics of the theatre amplifying it clearly and crisply.

Running through hits such as Bring on the Dancing horses before showcasing his new stuff starting with Pro Patria Mori which he self proclaimed as being a "classic" already and to be fair it was typical McCulloch material with angst ridden protest lyrics which play well to his vocals and the string section adding an extra melancholy to the song. 

Ending the set on a rapturous note with the always brilliant Nothing lasts forever which prompted the whole theatre to sing along culminating in McCulloch visibly choking up and on the edge of tears before leaving the stage to thunderous applause and the demand for more, which they got in the form of 2 encores covering songs such as Wild Side, and Lips like Sugar the audience had enough of sitting about and rose to their feet to dance in the aisles and out sing the man himself finally leaving to a standing ovation. This was a masterclass performance from a class act.

The Epstein theatre returned with a bang and a most welcome return it is. If they continue to have gigs of this calibre, then I can see a bright future for the venue. The 300 odd seating capacity being ideal for those close-up gigs and with the option of balcony seating/standing ideal for more. Long may the Epstien theatre flourish.

Article posted by Musicmafia

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Lightning seeds hometown gig Liverpool 02 Academy Sat 12 Feb

Door time: 7.00pm


£22.50 advance Ticketweb/ www.o2academyliverpool.co.uk


The Lightning Seeds were formed by Ian Broudie in 1989. After being involved with numerous bands in post-punk Liverpool, including Big in Japan with, amongst others, Budgie and Holly Johnson, and a collaboration with Paul Simpson called Care which resulted in an album and several singles, he decided to go it alone.


The Lightning Seeds have been entertaining audiences for over 20 years, and it’s easy to see why when witnessing their unmissable live performance. Ian Broudie conceived the band and penned the majority of the critically acclaimed debut album  Cloudcuckooland, featuring the hit single Pure. The band’s 1994 album, Jollification, saw the Lightning Seeds garner the attention they rightly deserved, spawning the hit singles Lucky You, Change, Perfect and Marvellous. In 2006 they released of The Very Best of the Lightning Seeds and in 2010 the band returned to the live arena with a full UK tour  and studio album ‘Four Winds’, the first crop of Lightning Seeds songs in 10 years.


“Growing up in Liverpool in the Sixties was like being in the centre of the earth. I was going to the football and the Kop would be singing ‘She Loves You’.” Says Ian “ Both my brothers had a lot of records: Dylan, Cream, bluesy guitar players. Plus I had a little transistor radio and got Radio Caroline, from when pop music was very free. Then it was the Seventies and Bowie played The Liverpool Empire and it was as if everybody who was going to go on and make music in Liverpool was at this gig. For me it was about Roxy Music, Frank Zappa, and, like everyone in Liverpool then and now, Captain Beefheart, Pink Floyd, Love and the Velvet Underground.”


Ian Broudie is part of the fabric of British pop culture. Born in the Fifties, child of the Sixties, crucial player in Liverpool punk in the Seventies, alternative rock production genius in the Eighties, pop star in the Nineties and Godfather figure to some of Liverpool’s new leading lights of the Noughties. He was the studio magician behind the legendary Echo And The Bunnymen and has lately sprinkled stardust over The Coral and Zutons. And mingling in the midst of all of this music and creativity came The Lightning Seeds, with a string of classic hit singles, and a little football song (‘Three Lions’) still bellowed out from the terraces at England matches.

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Lightning Seeds announce UK Dates for 2012

 

*Academy Events presents

Wednesday 14th September 2011:Following a summer of festival sets across the UK, the Lightning Seeds announce a UK tour for February 2012, featuring a hometown show at O2 Academy Liverpool, and a Londondate at O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

 

Formed by Ian Broudie in 1989, the band has been entertaining audiences for over 20 years, and it’s easy to see why when witnessing their unmissable live performance.

 

Following his involvement with numerous bands in post-punk Liverpool, Broudie conceived the band and penned the majority of the critically acclaimed, debut album, ‘Cloudcuckooland’, which featured the hugely popular single, ‘Pure’. It was the band’s 1994 album, ‘Jolification’, which saw the Lightening Seeds garner the attention they so rightly deserved. Widely regarded as one of the best albums of the 1990s, this seminal release spawned hit singles ‘Lucky You’, ‘Change’, ‘Perfect’ and ‘Marvellous’ and paved the way for the Britpop period.

 

In 2006 they released of ‘The Very Best of the Lightning Seeds’ and in 2009 Ian went on to release his solo album “Tales Told” whilst discovering and producing debut albums for The Coral and The Zutons.

 

The band returned to the live arena playing a full UK tour in 2010. and then rounded off the year as support act for Squeeze, accompanying the band as special guests on their 22 date UK tour.

 

Ian Broudie says; “I had a great time on the Squeeze tour and really looking forward to playing my own shows with an elaborate and eclectic mix of Lightning Seeds songs.”

 

www.lightningseeds.net

February 2012

 

Thursday 9th– Civic Hall, Whitehaven                                £22.50 adv

Friday 10th– City Varieties, Leeds                                                £22.50 adv

Saturday 11th– O2 Academy Liverpool*                                       £22.50 adv

Sunday 12th– The Stables, Milton Keynes                         £25.00 adv

Tuesday 14th– The Sage, Gateshead                                  £22.50 adv

Wednesday 15th– The Assembly, Leamington Spa                   £22.50 adv

Friday 17th– Cheese & Grain, Frome                                  £22.50 adv

Saturday 18th– O2 Shepherds Bush Empire, London*      £25.00 adv

Monday 20th– Opera House Festival, Buxton                 £18.00 - £20.00 adv

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