Drifting ft Kevin Sampson - Rialto [05/01/2026]

Written by
Kevin Sampson - Words/Vocal [Oxton]
Joe Mckechnie - Music/Production [Bootle]

Reading the Kevin Sampson novel Stars Are Stars I knew straight away that I was going to have to bring him in for questioning re a contribution to my 'Drifting ft' tracks.

In part my plan for the 'Drifting ft' tracks is to tell the story of Liverpool's cultural and social history, not quite Studs Terkel, but you'll get the idea.

In Kevin's book the story of Danny & Nicole takes place in a Liverpool where Eric's [a basement club on Mathew Street], is at the heart of all that's new in music post Punk, along with the Liverpool 8 Uprising that begins in July 1981 and is all over the news.

I didn't know Kevin back then, but clearly paths were crossed.

If parallel lines belong"

Subway Sect - Parallel Lines

An Amnesty International benefit gig, as featured in the book, took place at Eric's on 3rd May 1979, and I was there.
The groups playing that night were Joy Division, Fireplace and Passage.
A Manchester collection..

3rd of May was the day of the UK General Election that first brought Thatcher into power.
A boom time for Heroin dealers was just around the corner.

Having gotten to know members of Passage from my 1979 setting up of the Merseyside Musicians Collective I was at the gig to see them, but Joy Division were the group that blew me away.
In Kevin's book Danny & Nicole debate why Passage are headlining the gig, and come to the conclusion that it's because one of them's on the telly, I'd go along with that.
In the dressing room after the gig I felt obliged to hang out with Passage [I joined the group shortly after, rebadged as The Passage], but Joy Division that night? Wow, that's somethin' else.

Look at me, I'm Drifting again, get to the track Joe.

Drifting ft Kevin Sampson - Rialto

For the track I asked Kevin to record a spoken word reading from the book when, during the Uprising, Danny witnesses [and photographs] the Rialto Ballroom [at the time a used furniture showroom] burning down.
The Rialto was a landmark building, situated at the junction of Upper Parliament Street and Princes Avenue.
The ballroom had a history, not all of it good, racism recurring.

When Kevin arrived to record his vocal he walked in, walked straight to the microphone, a quick "testing one two" and we were away, I recorded his vocal in one take.
First time he'd ever done anything like this he said, turns out the boy's a natural.
A quick listen back to the track, and he was out the door like he was never here.
Drifting ft Kevin Sampson - Rialto tells the tale.

Riots are the voices of the unheard – Martin Luther King Jr
gerryco23.wordpress.com/2011/0...-of-the-unheard



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