Mick Birchall Reviews

It’s pretty fair to say that, at one point in time, I was a colossal fan of the modern blues-rock legend, Joe Bonamassa . I fell in love with his seventh studio record The Ballad of John Henry and became enthralled with his music. I’ll never forget going to the Sheperd’s Bush Empire in London for my 21st birthday to see him live. That show was recorded for a concert DVD, so I have that day forever immortalised on film. Not a bad memory to have I must say! However, over the years I became distant from Joe’s music. For no real reason, I just seemed to lose touch with my passion for his records and stopped waiting for the releases. It’s just one of those weird things in life. Well, circumstance has returned me to the joy of listening to Mr Bonamassa. I have had a chance to catch up on his recent discography, particularly his 2021 record, Time Clocks . This record is an absolute marvel my jaw was on the floor. Everything just fits together; each riff, each solo, the tight rhythm and the b...

Sometimes you hear a band and they immediately grab your attention. It’s a feeling of ecstasy like no other. Music that interacts with your soul on a level incomparable to anything else on this plane of existence. I recently had that feeling hit me. The Greek band Villagers of Ioannina City have captured my imagination. There’s just something magical about their music. It’s bold, it blends subgenres and the overall tone just encompassed my mind on the first listen. I’ve been introduced to them thanks to Napalm Records releasing their live album Through Space and Time (Alive in Athens 2020) this year. As soon as I watched the first video, I was immediately filled with joy. I instantly wanted to share it with my friends and I started writing this blog.  Firstly, who are they? The band consists of Alex Karametis on guitar and lead vocals, Akis Zois on bass guitar, Aris Giannopoulos on the drums, Konstantis Pistiolis playing the clarinet and other wind instruments and Konstantinos La...

There’s something so magical about behind-the-scenes documentaries about your favourite artists. Sometimes it can give you a new perspective on their music, sometimes it can make you see the world in a different way. The best ones can do both. For the record, this documentary is the latter. I have loved the music of LiSA for over eight years, I discovered her through her song “Crossing Field” which was the theme song to the first season arch of the anime, Sword Art Online. However, after hearing that song I just started listening to her music purely for the joy of it. I’m sure her other songs have been theme songs to other anime films and shows, but I couldn’t tell you, I just love her music. In fact, her music was the impetus for me to start learning Japanese. Just so I could understand the lyrics. Her music just fills me with so much joy and anytime I have her music on I just start smiling. When it was announced that, to coincide with her new live show featurette, there would be a f...

You know what? I really wasn't expecting to like this. Yeah, I used to like Adam Sandler when I was younger, he consistently made good films. Yet in the early 2010's his style of humour just became less appealing to me. I don't know, he just seemed to be getting lazier. I have no evidence for that it was just a feeling. Yet, it's a slow Thursday and this new musical comedy show just appeared on Netflix. This show 100% Fresh  is Sandler showing his passion comedy in a way that I have never seen and mixed that with his musical talent and you have a recipe for some good laughs. The special consists of a few of Sandler's performances edited together. From a small basement clubs to theatres, to massive arenas.  It was nice to see him so at home on stage, he looked so natural and calm. A man who has rediscovered his passion for performing comedy. The show itself was broken up into two parts. The musical portions and the stand-up portions. Since I review music on thi...

I don't know about you, but for me, Muse was one of those bands that have always felt like they've been there. I remember listening to them a lot when I was younger. Yet, I haven't given them as much attention in the last few years. Ever since their 2009 album, The Resistance, I kind of switched off and didn't really listen to them any further. Needless to say though, Muse is one of the biggest rock bands in the world right now and a lot of their singles are considered some of the best rock songs ever. Even if you have never even heard of them, you have probably heard at least a couple of their songs. Which brings me to this "concert film".  Through 2015-16, they embarked on a 130 date world tour in support of their 2015 album, Drones , which was set to be a massive arena show like no other. After watching this film I am now very jealous of the people who attended those shows. However, for those of us who didn't manage to get a ticket, this film is t...