Everything you sing might be held against you and I am sure Simon Cousins had no idea I was going to write up this review when he took the stage on the 16th of Feb 2015 (sneaky) at a gig we were both playing, courtesy of Liverpool Acoustic and K’s Choice at Sound, Food and Music (and neither did I). It was obvious when we sat together chatting that this was a musician that was open to people and true to his music and I could not quite wait to hear him play. I was privileged to share the stage with him that day as we both were guest artists in what is an open and free event and therefore had the opportunity to play a longer set than everyone else ;).
The event was a lovely mix of great talents and styles including the skilful guitarist John Chatterton and the lovely “colours” of the Rag Tag Misfits (to cite only a very few). Therefore it was not surprising that Cousins had a style of its own or that his personality transpired in his music. Cousins delivered a playful and conversational music performance. He played short and sweet sounds like “She’s the one”, turning familiar-sounding songs into a new experience with his smiley, convivial spirit that take you on his journey in the time it takes to sing a song or even a whole set. It made me wonder if, in his own words, he was looking for love in each stranger’s eyes. And as he maintained eye-contact with each and everyone and the attention of the audience ,as a storyteller would in crucial moments, I wondered how one could be so relaxed and passionate at the same time, betraying both experience and care for his work. A real uncomplicated pleasure to listen to.
