Issue 82 / October 2017

Alex Cameron (Stuart Moulding / @oohshootstu)
Alex Cameron
+ Jack Ladder
Harvest Sun @ The Shipping Forecast – 27/08
Is ALEX CAMERON a character? A narrator indulged to tell the
story of a failed musician, and other lost souls residing on earth? If
so, this character has assumed full control of the young Australian’s
mind it spawned from, such is the difficulty to spot any gaps in the
persona. It is clear Cameron is committed to his cause; one headily
illustrated through stirring 80s synths, showerhead vocals and
convulsing hips that allure the eye.
It was only three years ago, at Austin’s SXSW, that Cameron
and saxophonist / business partner Roy Molloy were documenting
their failed musician status. Whereas the short film tells the story
of ‘a nobody’, a dedication to the same tragic persona has issued
a transition from proverbial headscratcher to king crooner. The
character remains. Now, it’s only those who feature in his tales
of dimly lit bars and slurred love stories that are the true tragic
failures. Cameron is the neon light that shines brightest in the
city’s seedy underbelly. A stellar debut album, 2016’s Jumping The
Shark, confirmed his status as a fallen piece of the stratosphere.
As his reputation has increased, so have the crowd sizes.
Cameron’s stop at The Shipping Forecast leans closer to a sell-out,
rather than the four bodies that would watch him perform only a
few years ago. The summer’s eve was far from vintage. However,
the temperature was soon to hit mercurial heights within the
tightly knit basement.
JACK LADDER, Cameron’s emotional confidante and compass
in times of grief, is on hand to open proceedings. His presence
is a sombre one. Swapping between lugubrious drum machine
sequences and a guitar that sprays streaming tears of reverb, the
soloist cuts through the generous number of early attendees with
grief stricken ballads. Each strummed chord bites harder than the
impassioned jaw sounding out his heartfelt lyrics. Ladder wouldn’t
be out of place indulging the karaoke in the loneliest watering
holes on Route 66. His intensity is striking. A far-out demeanour
allows him to become completely lost in the music; too much,
almost, as he appears to forget his whereabouts at times, or
whether there is another song in the set-list.
Alex Cameron is far from lost. He’s right at home on a stage,
whether it be playing to 5 or 500. Lining up with a full band,
including Roy Molloy, the room quickly hits fever pitch. The only
respite comes when a fan wielding a refrigerated Red Stripe
douses Cameron as he closes the opening song, Candy May. From
there, stage energy and room temperature accelerate in tandem.
The set borrows heavily from Cameron’s debut record,
however, a number of new tracks from his forthcoming effort
are weaved into the set. Tracks from the former, including Happy
Ending, Taking Care Of Business and Real Bad Looking, are
accompanied by the vigorous body shapes synonymous with
his starry-eyed character. Having graduated from holding a
hairbrush and aiming his hips at the mirror, Cameron now grips
a microphone and catches his reflection in fans attempting to
recreate his distinctive moves.
Roy Molloy adds much to the live spectacle. On record, his
presence offers a discreet texture; on stage, his bluesy fills are
slicker than Cameron’s backcombed hair. And while Cameron is
the centrepiece, cavorting about his patch with a showman’s ease,
his band offer the necessary finishes that lift the performance to
professional level. There’s no tragedy to be found before the eye –
regardless of the hopeless stories careering from Cameron’s lungs.
It’s a show shrouded in silliness, and yet a protruding
seriousness shines through. With each deft swivel, it becomes
clear Cameron isn’t assuming the role of a self-devised character.
There is an introspective sincerity encapsulated within his tales,
and they spill out of the bottle when he’s given an audience.
As demonstrated in Liverpool: give Alex Cameron a stage and
he’ll give it his all.
Elliott Ryder
Coming Out: Sexuality,
Gender and Identity
Walker Art Gallery – 28/07-05/11
COMING OUT has been heralded as a landmark exhibition
for the Walker Art Gallery, it comprises the most comprehensive
and largest exhibition of contemporary LGBT+ art in the UK.
According to its curator, Charlotte Keenan, it constitutes one of
the most important showcases in the Walker’s history. Curators
will inevitably sing the praises of their own exhibition, but,
however grandiose this statement may seem, in this case, it is
merited.
The exhibition marks the 50th anniversary of the Sexual
Offences Act 1967, which saw the partial decriminalisation of
homosexuality (“in private between two men above the age
of 21”). The necessity to fully explain the particulars of the
Act serves to indicate the slow progress of change, equality
in the eyes of the law has been incremental, the right to same
sex marriage did not arrive until decades later. And still today
prejudice and discrimination remain pervasive throughout
society.
The array and diversity of artists on display, who utilise their
work to explore themes of sexuality and gender identity, reflects
the fact that there is not a singular, overarching narrative that
all too often is presented by traditional art historical accounts.
This is one of the ways in which the exhibition is progressive and
refreshing.
In addition, it is not merely a showcase exhibition made
with the sole purpose of taking advantage of the publicity that
will inevitably come from aligning an exhibition with a landmark
anniversary. In fact, the exhibition is the culmination of two
years of in-depth research, drawing on both the Arts Council’s
and the Walker’s collections, as well as purchasing several
new acquisitions. These acquisitions seek to transmute the
incomplete narrative that has previously been presented; Keenan
has suggested that the exhibition strives to correct the omissions
of history and highlight institutional blind spots.
The Walker’s process for highlighting and examining queer
history has not relied purely on new acquisitions, it has also
undertaken a process of re-examination and re-presentation
of the collection that already hangs in the gallery. The clearest
example of this can be seen with one of the most recognisable,
iconic works of the Walker’s collection; David Hockney’s Peter
Getting Out Of Nick’s Pool. The piece is on permanent display at
the Walker and once again takes centre stage, though this time,
Liverpool Acoustic
BAR VENUE RECORD STORE
NOW OPEN FROM 12 NOON TUE - SUN
Featured Nights This OCTOBER
Thurs 4th Liverpool Acoustic Extra
Ben Paveley + Midnight Daisies
+ Oliver Gosling Hughes
7:30pm - £6 adv
Sat 7th
We Shall Overcome All Day Fundraiser
Cat Ruddy + Campbell L Sangster + Only Child + Karen
Turley + Three Minute Hero + Limerance + Dave Jackson &
Paul Cavanagh + Two Black Sheep + John Jenkins + The
Venue - 3pm Start £4
Fri 8th Mellowtone records Presents:
Tymon Dogg / Mike Badger / Hogie
Venue - 7:30pm - £7.50 adv
Wed 11th Prom Queen
+ Jez Wing + Lydiah
The Queen of Doom Wop direct from Seattle
Venue - 7:30pm - £5 adv
Every Tuesday - Front Bar - FREE Addmission
For Open Mic Slots contact Derek King at Liverpool Acoustic
81 RENSHAW STREET L1 2SJ
+ +
+
You can Preorder all New Vinyl Releases in Advance at 81 Renshaw
We have 1000s of New and Secondhand Vinyl in our Basement Record Store
Collectable first pressings and rare Vinyl avaliable
+
0151 707 1805
Wed 18th Molly (EP Launch)
+Ste Neildsy + Sean Kelly + Southbound Attic
Venue - 7:30pm - £5
New Releases every week
Thurs 12th Quiet Loner - Matt Hill
Front Bar - 8pm - FREE
Fri 13th
Heaven’s Gate Presents:
Case Hardin + Hannah Rose Platt
+ Mudcat Landing
Venue - 8pm - £7 adv
Fri 20th Capeesh Presents:
SPLIT + Gardenback + Samuai Kip
Venue - 7:30pm - £4 adv
Tickets avaliable form 81 Renshaw
+
Want lists sourced
www.81renshaw.co.uk info@81renshaw.co.uk /81renshaw @81renshaw
New VINYL
ReleaseD
22nd Sept IN STORE @ 81
The Killers
Wonderful
Wonderful
Indie Store Only Pink Vinyl
The Horrors
V
(New Studio Album)
Van Morrison
Roll with the
Punches
(New Studio Album)
David Bowie
40th Anniversary
Heros Picture
Disc
Brian Wilson - Anthology 2LP
Twin Peaks - Indie Store Exclusive 2LP
Black Country Communion - BCCIV 2LP
Mark Almond - Shadows & Reflections LP
Brix & Extrcated - Part 2 (Ltd Clear Vinyl LP)
Cavalier Song - A Deep Well LP
The Wedding Present- George Best LP
(30th Anniversary Release with Ltd edition
Screenprint)
John Foxx and the Maths - The Machine LP
40