I am always amazed by the depth of musical talent we have in Cumbria.
We have produced some amazing talent in out county over the years, one such musical genius is Andrew Lillico – perhaps best known for being thrown off stage and occasionally blown up as lead guitarist in the legendary Zonked Out On Acdo Halloween shows in Workington.
Now Lil is back, building on the success of his first release with The Balance of Nothing, created in memory to friend and drumming legend Allan Hall, who died in 2021.
Allan was perhaps best known for his drumming in Sour Mash and most recently 5 and Dangerous but was often seen at festivals and gigs supporting and appreciating talent.
This album features some of Allan’s work as well as Lewis Ryecroft and Tony Steel on drums, Paula Lillico with some amazing vocals and Steve Ward on bass (Steve co-wrote some tracks and mixed/recorded the album at SWSounds.)
The album opens with Very, a short upbeat instrumental, very reminiscent of Joe Satriani to me.
In its entirety the album maintains its high quality and musicianship all the way, it also manages to marry a lot of influences seamlessly.
Rock, heavy rock, soul, reggae, blues and more are all here and work wonderfully together.
I don’t want to write about each track as I believe that you deserve to listen to this unprepared to be as amazed and enthralled as I was on first, and second and third listen (it’s gone beyond that and I’m still hearing new things).
I will mention Allan’s Victory Dance which is a wonderfully triumphant track full of pomp and celebration, which I thought was a wonderful tribute.
I also have to mention Sprained Pinkie’s Redemption, named after Lil sprained his pinkie learning to play it in his 20s.
This is a great version of Flight of the Bumblebee, it’s brilliant and proves the talent behind this album.
If you want both of his amazing albums you can purchase both of his releases from him on Facebook or download The Balance of Nothing from Bandcamp below. They really are a showcase with something for all musical tastes.
Proceeds from The Balance of Nothing are being donated to Eden Valley Hospice in Allan’s memory.
The album is available to download from https://andrewlillico.bandcamp.com/album/the-balance-of-nothing
