Mick Birchall Reviews

  It’s been a long time since we’ve heard the name Balance of Power . 2024 sees their return to the spotlight with their new album Fresh From The Abyss . A collection of songs well worthy of your attention. They couldn’t do it alone. They come armed with a new band and a whole new energy. I got to sit down with the core members Tony Ritchie and Lionel Hicks to talk about the new record and their years spent in the music industry. We discuss working with the legend that is Toby Jepson on the new record, finding their new members and their process of working on music. I also talk to them about their influences and surprisingly the name Dio appears more than a few times.  Mick: Fresh From The Abyss will be the first album with the Balance of Power name on it in nearly 20 years. How does it feel to have new music with that band's name on it again? Anthony: We started work on it, quite a long way back anyway. We had written some songs that were originally supposed to be on the nex

It’s fair to say I’m walking into this review with the slightest amount of bias. I discovered Liverpool rockers, Attic Theory on one of the best nights of my fandom. They opened for my all-time favourite band, Tantric in Manchester so, in all honesty, they could have been the worst band in history and I still would’ve had a great night. Luckily, they’re pretty damn good and put on an absolute belter of a live show. So, naturally, I kept tabs on them and stayed in touch with them as they seemed to be an interesting group of people with a voice. I liked their 2020 EP The Sign of an Active Mind and I was eagerly awaiting their upcoming album. So, when I got an early copy of the record I knew it was one to go on my playlist and was going to be one to look out for! The new album What We Fear the Most has been an album is an absolute joy to listen to. As a lifelong fan of the genre, this was a real treat. If you’re into early 2000s post-grunge alt-rock, then I have the album for you, dear

I always get super proud when I see musicians from my hometown become well-known. More so when they’re passionate about repping the flag of the town. Local blues guitar hero Laurence Jones has been one of those shining stars in the music world for the last 10 years. Racking up critical acclaim and audience approval. His stylistic guitar skills and affable attitude have won him the hearts of many blues fans. 2023 saw Laurence drop a new record Bad Luck and The Blues . A record that I feel put him out there. It was a much more rough and raw record that sounds simply amazing. As Jones takes more of a jam-band feel to the album. Big meaty solos and catchy hooks that keep you invested in the record. This tour in support of that record has taken the young blues man far and wide, but on this night, he comes home to a stage that he’s graced in his younger days. The Citadel Theatre has been in the heart of the St Helens town centre longer than I’ve been alive. It’s a venue that I’ve always kno