Anne Marie Hurst – O2 Academy 2, Liverpool – 13th November 2010
Anne-Marie Hurst's musical career began way back when she was part of The Elements. From 1982 she moved on to become lead singer with gothic rock outfit Skeletal Family. In 1985 she left to form Ghost Dance with Gary Marx (ex Sisters Of Mercy) and after various highlights, they decided to part company in 1990. Anne-Marie seemed to drift in and out of the spotlight for a while during this time. Eventually, in 2009 she got to collaborate with original Skeletal Family guitarist Stan Greenwood on an acoustic project but this soon developed into recruiting further musicians to enhance the sound. One of these was another original band member, bassist Roger "Trotwood" Nowell. In 2010, they decided to take it on the road.
The gig was in the smaller Academy 2 which was nowhere near capacity; the sparse audience being a wide cross section of ages. Not knowing quite what to expect after such a long time away from the stage, the band launched into 'River Of No Return'. Immediately, the place came to life, Anne-Marie strutting about the stage and giving it her all. The band was tight and the sound mixed to a perfect level. The pop/rock songs with the hint of gothic influences continued. The set held the audience throughout, good songs, tight backing, good musicianship, great vocals and all brought together by Anne-Marie's unmistakeable stage presence. Rejuvenated, Anne-Marie led the band well, occasionally climbing on either the PA speakers or jumping into the photographer's pit to be closer to the appreciative crowd. The solid backbone of Trotwood on bass and Owen Richards on drums, supplemented by the twin guitars of Stan Greenwood and Rob Caswell enabled Anne-Marie freedom to really express.
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All too soon it was time for them to leave the stage. I must mention the last song, 'Walk In My Shadow'; it just summed up what had gone before and it even had an added rock feel to it. I'm sure that they would have played all night, but this evening there were time restrictions enforced by the venue. Not even time for an encore, the audience filed out happy and wanting more. This gig was part of a short tour and I hope that they try and organise a more extensive set of dates for 2011 so that they can spread their talents much further. This wasn't just a gig, it was a show!
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Set list -
River Of No Return
Down To The Wire
She Cries Alone
Don't Let Go
Last Train
Move
The Angels
So Sure
I Have Changed
I Will Wait
Promised Land
Hands On The Clock
Walk In My Shadow
To view all photos taken during this set click here. There are 9 available.