A Grand Night Out DVD

2015 By Peter Cowley on the FATEA website

If you have never had the pleasure of seeing Merry Hell play live, do not despair as you can now enjoy seeing this most exciting and entertaining band in the comfort of your own home [or anywhere else, for that matter] thanks to a great new DVD titled "A Grand Night Out". The "Grand" refers to the venue for the concert ,this being The Grand Arts Centre in Clitheroe , Lancashire , in the shadow of Pendle Hill ,which is, of course, famous for its association with witchcraft.

The DVD captures ,in all its glory, the complete 90-minute concert given by the full, 8-piece Merry Hell electric band on 28th February 2015.

Whilst Merry Hell have made three well-received, and highly recommended, studio albums, there is nothing like seeing them live and this DVD captures the essence and atmosphere of that experience.

This is a very well-produced [ by Steve Edwards of FocalMedia] film of the concert using five cameras and the sound production and lighting are both excellent ,as is the editing.

Merry Hell fans will recognise all of their favourites from a 23-song set list ,including such well-loved and uplifting anthems as "Drunken Serenade", "Let's Not Have A Morning After" ,"Loving The Skin You're In" and "Let The Music Speak", not to mention the electrifying ,almost punkish "War Between Ourselves".

The gentler side of Merry Hell is also evident in the poignant ballads "Emerald Green" and "The Old Soldier" ,as well as the tender "Lean On Me Love".

The infectious, waltz-time black humour of "Bury Me Naked" even features a hammer, two shovels and a bucket of gravel!

Watching this DVD made me want to see Merry Hell play live again ,and soon. But wait, I will be seeing them play live again soon, as they are appearing at Grateful Fred's Christmas Bash at The Atkinson ,Southport , having been a huge hit at last year's event. I ,for one, can't wait.

If you are not lucky enough to be going to see Merry Hell live, this excellent DVD is the next best thing ,especially played loud . You will not be disappointed.

Extras- The DVD features pre-concert interviews with members of the band.

Peter Cowley