Cal Ruddy - With Visions of Albion and Evie Moran, Thornton Hough Social Club, Thornton Hough

  by Steve Kinrade

published: 16 / 11 / 2021

The Thornton Hough Social Club has for a long time had a considerable reputation for putting on great gigs that embolden the cultural life of that land across the River Mersey, officially known as the Wirral. And so it was that we made the pilgrimage across the great divide looking forward to what was a great line up, promising a great night of music. And we weren’t disappointed. First on the boards was the young Evie Moran, who captured the capacity audience with her ethereal vocals and innate confidence in her performance capability. Her voice soars, especially with the song 'Dreams', where there was a comparison to the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser, which is high praise indeed. Visions of Albion, the due of Samantha Shields and Daniel Ryan, effortlessly added to the audience connection that Evie had established. They were both super assured, which probably comes from the innate quality of their songwriting ability and superb harmonies. Their brief six song set including a cover of Neil Young’s 'I Believe In You', This duo look like they were born to perform, whether it be in an intimate venue like tonight, or in an arena, they would still totally deliver.````` Cal Ruddy headlines, and it is his night tonight. This is home ground, being from New Brighton, and he is going to make the most of it. He performs with an atypical intensity that betrays an endearing emotional vulnerability. Again, like the other artistes tonight, he has stage presence and oozes charisma, and thankfully has the quality of songs to match - demonstrated by such songs as 'Falling For You', 'Mine Is', and the beautiful 'Buying Time'. There is one moment when he steps away from the microphone and sings acapella, bathed in stage light, alone - and it’s such a powerful, unforgettable moment. Long term observers of the Merseyside music scene acknowledge that at the moment we grass-roots music lovers are absolutely blessed with a huge array of talent. The music tradition established in the past, has, on this evidence, got one hell of a future. Photos by Danny Jones

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