Review – Brendan Perkins – Favourite Places – by John Wenlock-Smith

Occasionally, as in very rarely, you come across a real gem of an album such as this one. ‘Favourite Places’ is the latest in a steady stream of albums from Lincolnshire based musician, composer and studio engineer Brendan Perkins, who has over twenty-two releases on bandcamp, most being digital only releases. Although I believe Brendan is open to the possibility of  a physical CD release for this latest album that seems to be garnering very positive reviews by folks who appreciate the quality and crafting that these songs utilise so convincingly.

I’d not heard of Brendan before but I have to say is a really splendid and uplifting album of very strong and interesting tracks, each being of a place that Brendan has visited and been touched by his time or experience there. They range from Polzeath in Cornwall, Caistor in Norfolk, Chinley Churn (a hill near High Peak in the Peak District) to Saltburn On Sea near Whitby. There are also two non place related songs, Skylarks and the emotionally laden A Song For Friends which, whilst a bit downbeat is neither mournful or dour, rather it is a celebration of friends who are no longer with us but whose memory remains alive in our hearts and mind. This song celebrates such warm fond memories as these. In fact, the whole album is a very positive listen, the songs are good, the instrumentation is excellent, the production is clear and all taken together form a very solid and convincing piece of work.

I actually feel this very pastoral and very English album would find a highly receptive audience with fans of Big Big Train as they share a similar musical viewpoint, history, culture and stories. I also think folks who like ex Genesis man Anthony Phillips and his excellent ‘Private Parts & Pieces’ series would find much common ground and, indeed, much to enjoy here. All the music is composed and performed by Brendan himself, although he is aided by Helen Lunder on backing vocals on Skylarks and Lucy’s Lane.

Opener Skylarks sets the scene well with its fluid guitar and punchy bass lines helping to propel the song along. The track laments the decrease in the number of skylarks that are around, thirty years ago we had more hedgerows for these birds to nest but times have changed and the numbers have decreased substantially over the years as hedgerows have been removed. The song has a very fluid and ascending guitar motif which is wonderfully supported by a very solid bass line which grabs the attention. The motif is repeated at various points, it really lifts the song with grace and style elevating things significantly. It’s a really strong opener and when the guitar solo comes in this really impresses as does the interplay with the bass which really shines and shows off the talent that is on offer here, a great opening track. The aforementioned A Song For Friends is a testament to the value of friendships and how, even though they may no longer be with us, their memory and warmth of their friendship lives on in our lives. It is not a morbid song, rather it is highly celebratory in tone. Petrichor Dance is about a trip to Polzeath in Cornwall and, especially, the rich earthy smell of rain on dry soil. The song is very evocative in tone and has a very fluid guitar line that runs throughout the track, another excellent piece of music.

Lucy’s Lane is about Caistor in Norfolk,  picturing the feel of the market place and how when it winds down the townsfolk gather to celebrate the day. The next track is Chinley Churn, which is about a hill near Chinley, near High Peak in the Peak District. This piece is an instrumental with some great simple piano fills and some very Floydian guitar tones. I really like this one a lot, there is a lot of great guitar in this track, the bass is strong and muscular and versatile too, dancing around the chugging guitar rhythms. It’s probably my favourite song of the entire album and is very lyrical without words, a truly impressive track. The album closes with the more reflective The Funicular, which is about the cliff railway at Saltburn-On-Sea that takes visitors from the clifftop to the pier. It really captures the area and the beauty of this water balanced cliff railway from the Victorian era and is a beautifully warm song.

What’s remarkable here is just how much I have come to appreciate this album. I like everything about it and I especially love Brendan’s beautiful guitar playing and bass playing. The songs are emotively strong and Brendan’s voice suits them. ‘Favourite Places’ will be near the top of my best albums of the year list, it really is an outstanding work and one that, as you become more familiar with, will definitely enrich your life. Buy it, listen often and appreciate this wonderful release for yourself then you can thank me later!

Released 18th May, 2024.

Order from bandcamp here:

Favourite Places | Brendan Perkins (bandcamp.com)

STORM CORROSION – THE HIGHLY REVERED 2012 COLLOBORATION BETWEEN STEVEN WILSON AND MIKAEL ÅKERFELDT – DUE FOR RE-RELEASE ON KSCOPE ON 27TH SEPTEMBER 2024

NEWLY REMIXED INTO DOLBY ATMOS BY STEVEN WILSON

A DEEP-DIVE INTO THE AVANT-GARDE FROM TWO OF PROGRESSIVE ROCK’S MOST INNOVATIVE MINDS  

As two of the leading figures in contemporary progressive music, Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt have treated their fans to all sorts of thrillingly unconventional and atmospheric sounds over the years. But even by their own talismanic standards, the duo’s 2012 collaboration as Storm Corrosion exists in its own psychedelic lane of peculiarity, throwing listeners into a world of haunting and unsettling ambience like no other. 

WATCH THE STORM CORROSION TRAILER:

Some 12 years on from its original release, the album will be reissued on 27th September via Kscope on LP, CD and Blu Ray forms with a new Dolby Atmos remix by Steven Wilson. It will include a bonus cut of Drag Ropes – the only song they’ve performed live to date – recorded when Mikael guested with Steven and his band at London’s Royal Albert Hall in September 2015, plus extra documentary insights and footage. Given how the album clearly holds a special place in the hearts of both of its creators, and naturally their collective army of fans around the world, the new release will be a timely celebration of the ethereal magick encased within its six ground-breaking tracks.

“In many ways it’s become the cult classic we always intended it to be”

Steven Wilson

A love letter to the esoteric and abstruse sounds of the past, crossing the mystifying noises of late 60s/early 70s German groups like Tangerine Dream and Popol Vuh with the sound of British folk heroes like Nick Drake and Bert Jansch, while also embracing the eclectic oddities of cult figures like Scott Walker, it’s the kind of album that takes you on a transcendental journey that you never really come back from. For the two friends, this kind of fierce originality is precisely what they set out to achieve…

“Storm Corrosion was the 2012 album made by myself and Mikael Åkerfeldt of the band Opeth, and one which both of us considered a deeply satisfying artistic success,” says Steven. “It remains one of my favourite releases in my whole catalogue. Part of what made it so much fun was that pretty much anything that either of us suggested, the other would agree it should definitely be pursued, no matter how crazy and off the wall it sounded.”

That sense of pride is shared by his accomplice Mikael Åkerfeldt, who feels it’s easily one of the most experimental, if not bizarre, things either of them have ever recorded, and all the better for it. For him, and countless others, these enigmatic recordings seem to exist in a genre of their own – at times sounding more acoustic and minimalistic, and others infinitely more cerebral and foreboding, but in any case, always intoxicating.

“Everything about this record is strange in the best way possible”

Mikael Åkerfeldt

“Throughout all of my years as a musician, it’s very rare for me to return to a record I have participated in myself for the sheer listening pleasure alone,” notes Mikael. “Storm Corrosion is the exception. It’s such a lovely record to me. I can distance myself from my own work on it and just experience it as a fan of its music. Everything about this record is strange in the best way possible.”

“We’d talked many times over the years about doing a project with just the two of us,” continues Steven. “In 2011 we quietly got together for a week at my studio, and started to make music, not knowing where it would take us, but knowing that the last thing we wanted to do was the obvious. Instead, we found ourselves making an album of weird psychedelic chamber folk music, almost child-like in places, with lots of dissonance, orchestral arrangements and weird bits.”

STORM CORROSION WILL BE AVAILABLE ON THE FOLLOWING FORMATS:

Orange & Purple vinyl 2LP, gatefold packaging, 8-page booklet

(includes bonus track live recording of Drag Ropes from Royal Albert Hall in 2015)

Yellow vinyl 2LP, gatefold packaging, 8-page booklet

(includes bonus track live recording of Drag Ropes from Royal Albert Hall in 2015)

Black vinyl 2LP, gatefold packaging, 8-page booklet

(includes bonus track live recording of Drag Ropes from Royal Albert Hall in 2015)

Blu-ray edition

(includes high-resolution stereo, 2024 Dolby Atmos and 5.1 DTS-HD surround audio mixes & instrumental mixes of each track. Also includes a mini album documentary, the promo video for the track ‘Drag Ropes’, alongside two demo versions and an 8-page printed booklet. Additionally, a 2015 live recording of ‘Drag Ropes’ from The Royal Albert Hall when Mikael guested at one of Steven’s solo concerts has been newly mixed for this edition)

CD edition

(digipak CD edition includes 8-page printed booklet, plus a bonus track the live recording of ‘Drag Ropes’ from The Royal Albert Hall in 2015)

PRE-ORDER HERE:

Storm Corrosion (lnk.to)

Its impact was keenly felt the world over – so much so, that there have been on-going calls for a follow-up. It’s something both musicians are open to but given how busy they are in their main projects, Steven as a solo artist and Mikael in charge of all things Opeth, whether it happens anytime soon remains to be seen. And if the members of Storm Corrosion do end up working on new material, chances are it will be done behind closed doors, in a similar spirit to their brilliantly leftfield debut.

“I get the notion that some listeners are completely and utterly in love with it,” continues Mikael. “I really understand that, since that’s how I feel myself. It’s strange and crazy in many ways. This record has got something. It’s quite unique. I’m so happy to see it available again.”

For Steven, who first started working with Opeth as the producer for seminal albums like Blackwater Park, Deliverance and Damnation, the sheer delight he takes from working with someone as utterly devoted to the surreal and obscure is something he has been continually vocal about. They are kindred spirits, and in more ways than one – this particular masterpiece demonstrating that in the most poignant of ways.

“That security in our collaboration could only have come from a place of mutual respect and admiration, even a sense of awe at what the other was capable of,” continues Steven. “We loved the finished result. It had seemed so effortless to make it.”

Once it was unveiled to the world, Storm Corrosion created just as much excitement as it did confusion. And as anyone familiar with either of these musicians will know, that’s precisely what they were aiming for.

“I don’t know what the people expecting a full-on heavy rock album made of it,” laughs Steven. “In many ways it has become the cult classic we always intended it to be…”

Review – Nick Magnus – A Strange Inheritance – by John Wenlock-Smith

September sees the release of ‘A Strange Inheritance’, Nick Magnus’ highly unusual, nautically themed, concept album, concerning itself with the tale behind an unusual inheritance. This being a chest full of artefacts received anonymously from an unknown relative, the artefacts taken together telling a story of bureaucratic incompetence, harsh decisions taken without much, if any, compassion or sense of fairness and certainly not in the best interests of the victims.

The opening track, An Almost Silent Witness, sets the scene for what follows and is enlivened by the fine harmonica playing of one Steve Hackett, who began his musical life voyage playing this very instrument having been greatly impressed and inspired by the playing of Lou Adler and Paul Butterfield, along with Britain’s very own John Mayall, all players who brought the humble mouth organ to a whole new slew of musicians on their early recordings. This opening track has a lot of interesting things going on during its ten plus minute running time. What makes it unusual is that the teller of the story appears to be the brightly coloured bird who appears to have seen the entire story as it unfolded. He is a most reliable narrator as he tells his sad tale. The great orchestrations and the splendid harmonica solo adding to this nautically themed song admirably and with a certain panache. It really does an excellent job of scene setting as the tale unfolds with observations on the nature of man and his insatiable greed.

Blood Money features the wonderful vocal skills of Tony Patterson of Re-Genesis. It is a tale of greed and how the local people in the Caribbean are ripped off by the marauding interlopers, who take their silver and gold and leave them wooden crosses, not a very fair exchange at all! The song is greatly enlivened by the dextrous acoustic guitar of the talented John Greenwood of Unitopia. In Philadelphia we learn of how young couples are forcibly torn apart and ostracised with devastating consequences. It’s a very moving song with excellent orchestrations and sounds that convey the deep sadness contained in the lyrics.

This album is one that will touch your heart and cause you to wonder and rail against the injustice of our world and how our history is littered with tales of man’s inhumanity to his fellow man, something that lies adjacent to greed and the lust for gold. The next track, At Sea At Night, concerns itself with our heroine’s travels to the colonies and how she feels lost lonely and adrift. It’s a rather mournful track with suitably downbeat music and performances but still manages to convey its emotions exceedingly well. Four Winds is a lengthy instrumental that portrays the four winds and their character and how they interact with the world today. It is in four parts each signifying a wind and its behaviour. This superb track is heavily orchestral in tone with massed choirs and orchestrations featured heavily. It is an excellent listen as you can sense the malevolence that is characterised in the various winds and it also acts as a good break before we take our tale further into cannibalism and piracy before we reach a kind of conclusion.

Welcome To The Island introduces us to the very different way of life the island offers, not all of which is healthy or even sane! Black And Scarlet concerns itself with piracy and how our two heroes find themselves on the wrong side of the law, becoming pirates and outcasts as a result. To Whom It May Concern brings this brilliantly involving tale to its conclusion, drawing together the disparate threads of our story. We see our heroine reveals that the life she has lived has not bought happiness but rather has caused hurt and pain for those around her and she ends it with a plea that we live by reason and not by fear. A cautionary tale if ever there was one!

‘A Strange Inheritance’ is a highly enjoyable and compelling album from Nick Magnus and one that is a bit different from the norm. Like a lot of the best albums, it repays repeated listens as herein lies a real treasure trove of delights for the brave hearted to discover as they take a journey through uncharted waters. I highly recommended it and thoroughly enjoyed it, the artwork is also really strong and the production is clear and well defined.

Released 16th September, 2024.

Pre-order direct from the artist’s website here:

Nick Magnus, Keyboards, Composer, Producer (magnus-music.com)

Watch the video for Blood Money, featuring John Greenwood and Tony Patterson:

Dim Gray – ‘Ashes’ (live), new single out 24.07.24

In August and September 2023, Norwegian rock quintet Dim Gray undertook their first extensive tour of the UK and Europe, playing 15 dates across nine countries with Big Big Train. The band recorded each show and have picked out a selection of songs and performances that will form a live digital EP to be released in the autumn.

The EP will contain live versions of songs from both Dim Gray albums to date, as well as their recent single, ‘Murals’. Each performance was recorded by front of house engineer Rob Aubrey at shows in England, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Norway and mixed by him to create a document that captures the band’s live sound in authentic fashion.

The second track to be issued from it is ‘Ashes’, the original version of which can be found on the band’s second album, ‘Firmament’ (2022). Drummer Tom Ian Klungland states that “with ‘Ashes’, I feel we really showed that we could evolve and expand our sound yet still sound like Dim Gray.”

This live version of the song was recorded at a hometown show in Oslo on 29th August 2023. Vocalist/keyboardist Oskar Holldorff explains: “‘Ashes’ is a dramatic piece that relies more on electronic sounds than many of our other songs, so we had to approach playing it live a little differently.” Guitarist Milad Amouzegar adds: “I think we managed to do the song justice live. We played it a few more times on this tour, but the energy on stage in Oslo was amazing. I don’t think it sounded any better than on that night.”

Stream the single here:

Ashes (Live in Oslo, 2023) by Dim Gray – DistroKid

Dim Gray was formed in Oslo by the original core trio of Oskar Holldorff (keyboards, vocals), Håkon Høiberg (guitar, vocals) and Tom Ian Klungland (drums), issuing debut album ‘Flown’ in 2020 to rave reviews. Subsequently signing to English Electric Recordings, they released ‘Firmament’ in 2022 to similar acclaim. The group have promoted both records in both the UK and mainland Europe via guest slots with Marillion as well as Big Big Train. Milad Amouzegar (guitar, keyboards) and Kristian Kvaksrud (bass) joined as permanent group members in 2023.

‘Ashes’ follows the late June release of ‘The Wave We Thought We’d Ride Forever’

Stream here:

The Wave We Thought We’d Ride Forever (Live in London, 2023) by Dim Gray – DistroKid

DIM GRAY
Oskar Holldorff – keyboards, vocals
Håkon Høiberg – guitar, vocals
Milad Amouzegar – guitar, keyboards
Kristian Kvaksrud – bass
Tom Ian Klungland – drums, vocals

All band pictures by Anne-Marie Forker.

Review – Orion – The Lightbringers

“Music is an outburst of the soul…” – Frederick Delius

So much truth in such a simple statement; whether sad or joyous, music comes from within the soul of its composer. It can be a long and laboured task that is ultimately triumphal and that is the case with ‘The Lightbringers’, the second full album from Orion, the musical project of the prodigiously talented Ben Jones.

In the album liner notes Ben states that this was an album he fully expected not to make, he goes on to say, “My first album, ‘The End of Suffering’, was intended to be the realisation of an ambition that was born over 20 years ago. The hope was that it would put such notions to bed, once and for all! Within a few months of releasing that first album, it had sold all around Europe, as well as going as far as Japan, North America, and even New Zealand. Needless to say, this unexpected success sparked a few ideas…”

Ben had barely played a note in the 5-6 years leading up to that first album and had largely stopped listening to anything other than background noice, he knew he could do better, meaning that he knew he should do better. He wrote the first three tracks that appeared as the ‘Passing Through’ EP in December of last year and that ultimately became the genesis for this new, full-length release.

“So who/what are The Lightbringers? The basic idea is that maybe they’re a force that’s bringing everything to the ultimate good. Whatever horrors we might be experiencing in life, perhaps they serve the purpose of this ultimate good. Maybe The Lightbringers have no concept of bad, because everything they do is in the name of the best there can ultimately be. Is all of this unlikely? Probably, but you’ve got to have something to hold on to.“

I’m just looking for the light, a beacon on the shore.

A resting place to find what’s right, and a home forever more.

The opening track The Tumult of My Heart was inspired by a book of the same name by Jason Spencer from The Prog Mind. The book is about trying to deal with religious trauma from the author’s past. An imposing wall of sound is created by the layered widescreen guitar sound and the powerful rhythm section but the vocals add some real heart and soul so it’s not just a metal track. There’s a searching passion and questioning mind at the heart of this powerfully emotive piece of music and a feeling of fragility and a soul laid bare. It’s very compelling and influential and a great start to the album. The Ghosts Among Us is a profound piece of music written about the gut wrenching experience of caring for someone with a profound disability. Whilst it’s not something Ben has had to do, it is something he’s witnessed first hand. And I myself have a real affinity with this track as I have some experience of this myself and which came all flooding back as I listened to this brilliantly written song.

This Sickness is a diatribe about the negativity of social media and, man, is this track angry! Crunching guitars in the style of ‘Train Of Thought’ era Dream Theater and drums that are hewn out of granite open this thunderously compelling track. The vocals are distinct and authoritarian and the whole song just bleeds a potent intent. This is ‘proper’ prog-metal that puts a smile on my face, and not just because of the subject matter. The musicianship is sublime and Ben just seems to be having a whale of a time, venting his frustration in the best way he knows how. It’s a riot from beginning to end and I seriously enjoyed it. As Best We Can was intended to be a stripped back acoustic track that tackles the sadness of a failed relationship. Just to be clear, this is a failed relationship, not a concluded relationship. The people in this relationship have drifted apart, but they’re still together. The song opens with a gorgeous acoustic guitar and sweeping string-like synths before Ben’s hushed vocal creates a haunting atmosphere over and above the music. This elegant musical tapestry continues, imbuing the listener with a wonderful feeling of tranquility. This is the calm before the musical storm of the powerful ending to the track where everything begins to build up to a quite inspirational conclusion.

To everything, there’s a season.

A time, and a place, and a race, under the stars.

Spark opens The Cycle of Light suite, the epic that concludes the album, Ben had hoped to write an album that was in the 45-minute region as he believes that albums today are just too damned long was already around the 25-minute mark, so an epic seemed like the perfect fit! This track is a very impressive instrumental that takes you on a quite marvellous symphonic journey through the world of The Lightbringers and one where Ben really started getting into his orchestral sample libraries, hence the ramped up presence of strings, French horns, trumpets, and god knows what else during the second half of the album. Crunching guitars, thunderous, primeval drums, sweeping strings and a serious amount of grandeur add up to a truly wondrous way to begin an epic. As previously stated, The Lightbringers was a force, or a collection of entities, that have no concept of bad. They just do what they do to bring about a final state of good. The idea of The Scattering Stars is that these forces are seemingly chaotically moving. In reality, they’re just getting into position so they might exert their influence. I love this piece of music, it opens so peacefully with a delicate piano motif and the hushed vocals along with the heavenly horns and wistful strings before breaking out into an uplifting crescendo of symphonic prog metal with as much dynamism and drama as you can handle and the repeated lyric of, “They just bring gravity…” and that’s what this song fundamentally does, it pulls you into its willing embrace. We’ve all heard of people talking about the sky falling down around them. It’s catastrophic, it’s apocalyptic…. But maybe it’s necessary. Maybe these things are here to burn down our temples so that we might build better ones. The Falling Heavens is prog metal done just right, a truly incendiary cacophony of sound where every note, every drum beat and every word has a precise edge and dynamism. It’s primeval in feel and delivery, music that is hewn out of granite with djent style guitars and a passionate vocal. It all makes for a track that you aren’t going to forget in a hurry!

But is fate what they break, for those that survive the fall?

Left to rebuild the world, in the image of us all.

Although it’s tragic, maybe a person will pass away before they get to even see what light they brought to the world. I can’t imagine that in Anne Frank’s final moments, she had any concept of what her diary would bring to the world. Perhaps The Lightbringers had bigger plans.

And so we come to the conclusion of this epic album with the final track and the final part of The Cycle of Life. The Lightbringers is the best track that Ben has ever written, ten minutes of pure majesty and theatre laid out before you and what this sublime album has all been leading up to. Partly written from the perspective of the enigmatic Lightbringers, it is an utterly immersive and involving piece of music with so many brilliant hooks, riffs and motifs to keep you happy for a lifetime. The catchy chorus and addictive music are on another planet and I find myself singing the classic lines, “Let The Lightbringers burn us alive, let The Lightbringers bring us to life.” in all sorts of odd places but it has just stuck with me and isn’t that the sign of excellent music and songwriting? Just go with the flow and let the music take you along on this fantastical musical journey that is ultimately uplifting and life affirming.

The best music can take you on a wondrous, fantastical journey where, for a short while, you can forget about the trials and tribulations of this planet that we inhabit and with his latest superb Orion album, ‘The Lightbringers’, Ben Jones does just that. It is a highlight of another fantastic musical year and one that I feel will be on many people’s end of year lists and it deserves to be.

Released 16th august, 2024.

Order from bandcamp here:

The Lightbringers | Orion (bandcamp.com)

Steve Hackett – Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo Tour – UK Shows – October 2024

Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett brings his: Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo Tour to the UK for 16 dates in October.   The UK tour culminates with a visit to London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 23rd October. To mark the 50th anniversary of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Hackett is including a selection of highlights from this iconic Genesis album.  Tickets are onsale now:

Steve Hackett Genesis Greats – Lamb Highlights, and Solo Tour 2024, Official Concert Tickets from MyTicket.co.uk

Steve Hackett’s timeless guitar-work was woven throughout Genesis’ classic 70’s catalogue of albums. In recent years he and his outstanding touring line-up of Roger King (keyboards), Nad Sylvan (vocals), Jonas Reingold (bass, backing vocals), Rob Townsend (saxophone, flutes, additional keyboards) and Craig Blundell (drums) have brought many of these albums back to the concert hall to great acclaim. Special guest, Amanda Lehmann will be joining the whole of the UK tour on guitar and vocals.  Many fans have also been asking for more tracks from The Lamb to be included. What better way to celebrate half-a-century of this remarkable album than to include a selection of Lamb Highlights alongside some of Hackett’s finest solo work and unmissable Genesis Greats.

“I’m thrilled with the response to my latest tour, “Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo” which has already received fantastic reactions in Europe! I’m hugely looking forward to bringing this tour to the UK, culminating with the special Royal Albert Hall show…” Steve Hackett

Steve Hackett – Genesis Greats, Lamb Highlights & Solo tour dates 2024:

Wed 2nd October                  Aylesbury      Friars Waterside      SOLD OUT        

Thurs 3rd October                 Portsmouth   Guildhall 

Sat 5th October                     Bristol             Beacon 

Sun 6th October                    Cambridge    Corn Exchange 

Mon 7th October                   Birmingham   Symphony Hall

Wed 9th October                   Liverpool        Philharmonic

Friday 11th October            Cardiff             Utilita Arena

Sat 12th October                   Guildford        G Live                       SOLD OUT

Sun 13th October                  Stoke              Victoria Hall

Tue 15th October                  York                Barbican 

Wed 16th October               Nottingham   Royal Concert Hall 

Fri 18th October                    Glasgow        Royal Concert Hall 

Sat 19th October                  Gateshead    Glasshouse

Sun 20th October                  Manchester   Bridgewater Hall

Tue 22nd October                 Reading         Hexagon

Wed 23rd October               London          Royal Albert Hall 

Tickets available:

Steve Hackett Genesis Greats – Lamb Highlights, and Solo Tour 2024, Official Concert Tickets from MyTicket.co.uk

About Steve Hackett

Steve Hackett joined Genesis at the beginning of 1971 and gained an international reputation as the guitarist in the band’s classic line-up alongside Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. Hackett’s intricate guitar work was a key element of Genesis’ albums from Nursery Cryme (1971) to Wind And Wuthering (1977) including the iconic Selling England By The Pound.

After leaving Genesis at the end of 1977, Hackett’s solo career, which now spans more than 30 albums, has demonstrated his extraordinary versatility with both electric and acoustic guitar. Hackett is renowned as both an immensely talented and innovative rock musician and a virtuoso classical guitarist and composer and this was recognised in 2010 when he was inducted into the Rock And Rock Hall Of Fame. He has also worked alongside Steve Howe of YES in the supergroup GTR.

Hackett’s compositions take influences from many genres, including jazz, classical and blues. For his studio works The Night Siren (2017) and At The Edge Of Light (2019) Hackett has also explored the influences of world music. Recent tours have seen Hackett celebrate his time with Genesis including a spectacular 2018 tour in which he realised a long-held ambition to perform the works of Genesis live with his band and an orchestra.

The lockdown enforced by the 2020 global pandemic has proven to be a particularly creative period for Hackett. He began by releasing Selling England by the Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live at Hammersmith, a live recording of 2019’s hugely successful tour celebrating that Genesis classic together with the 40th anniversary of one of his most-loved solo albums. Lockdown also gave Hackett the opportunity to write and record two new studio albums in 2021: the UK Classical Chart hit Under A Mediterranean Sky and the hit rock album Surrender of Silence.

Hackett and his band enjoyed a return to touring with Genesis Revisited – Seconds Out + More! (2021) and Genesis Revisited – Foxtrot At Fifty (2022). Subsequently, the live album Genesis Revisited – Seconds Out + More!, released in 2022, became Hackett’s most successful-ever live album reaching number 28 in the UK Album Chart and achieving highest-ever chart positions in several European countries.  He recently released the live album from the 2022 tour – Foxtrot at Fifty + Hackett Highlights – Live in Brighton.    In January 2024 Steve released his current studio album, the first since 2021 – The Circus and The Nightwhale, which received critical acclaim and great reviews.   The fans in Europe are loving the new material some of which Hackett performs in the first half of the show.

Live image by David Clay

Review – PALLAS: EYES IN THE NIGHT – THE RECORDINGS 1981 – 1986 – by John Wenlock-Smith

I am definitely of an age where technology is not especially my friend. I recently bought a new phone that, a month on, I am still barely scratching surface of what it can do and with music, whilst I appreciate the ease and speed of downloading, I can’t help but miss actually getting a physical copy of the music on CD and reading the credits, booklet lyrics et al. For me, at least, the CD is definitely still very much alive.

Which brings me to this set of the early EMI recordings by Scottish proggers Pallas who, at one stage, held the prog flame alive, along with Marillion, Twelfth Night, IQ and Pendgragon, all of whom initially had major label input and support. Pallas were probably the unluckiest of the bunch though as they underwent major changes and trauma’s during their tenure with EMI.

Their journey starts in this collection with ‘Arrive Alive’, a recording that was originally released independently on cassette and which, for a low key cassette release, was actually very good. It did later get a vinyl release but here it gets both an updated sound and is also accompanied with the original 7 inch single version of Arrive Alive and it’s B-side Stranger on the Edge of Time. This is vintage Pallas where you can hear their intent and their promise. Stage favourites like Arrive Alive, Heart Attack and Crown Of Thorns (my favourite Pallas track) are all here in good solid live versions and, as an opening disc, this is very strong and satisfying indeed, neo-prog seldom sounding so good. Disc 2 is a collection of tracks recorded at various BBC shows, including the Friday Rock Show recordings, it also includes Paris Is Burning and the infamous The Hammer Falls. Make you own mind up about this track but my verdict is underwhelming at best, good live tracks from the Reading Festival and the live BBC session do both impress though.

Disc 3 is their EMI debut ‘The Sentinel’, which was issued in 1984 and contained merely six tracks, bolstered here by both Eyes In The Night and Shock Treatment and other tracks which make up the bulk of the later issued InsideOut version of the album, which has all ten tracks as we get here. The album was decidedly different from what was originally envisaged which was a suite about Atlantis. The final album only had a few of those intended tracks on it, the others were lost as a result of EMI’s reluctance to issue a whole Atlantis concept piece, although segments have appeared on various other releases. Disc 4 gives us the US remix version of the original album. Again, you can make your own mind up about this, personally I think it’s okay but adds very little to what we already know.

Disc 5 gives up ‘The Wedge’ and ‘The Knightmoves’ EP, from 1986 and 1985 respectively, both of which are very good and, even though Pallas were trying for a new more commercial sound, the material is still very progressive and strong. These recordings featured their new vocalist Alan Reed who replaced Euon Lawson after the disappointing experience of ‘The Sentinel’ album and all the issues the band faced as a result. The quality of their material is seldom in question here nor are the performances. What we have with Pallas is another case of record company interference and misunderstanding of exactly what they have signed to their label. It’s happened many times over the years along with the hit single dilemma that has faced many bands over the years, with Pallas being no exception. What was worse for the band though was that EMI pulled tour support midway through ‘The Wedge’ tour, leaving the band stranded and on the verge of imploding. The fact that they survived the ordeal and decided to walk away from a major label in order to embrace being independence once more again is testament to their spirit and integrity and these valuable recordings offer ample proof of that.

Whilst this set is not cheap, it does offers a fair package to all listeners along with a Blu-Ray of a London show from ‘The Wedge’ tour, there is also a live show from Aberdeen in October 1985. In all, it’s a big yes from me and a very interesting and informative booklet completes this set to the usual Esoteric high standards.

Released 28th June, 2024.

Order from Cherry Red here:

Pallas: Eyes in the Night – The Recordings 1981 – 1986, 6CD/Blu-ray Remastered Box Set (cherryred.co.uk)

STEVE HOWE Announces the Release of Guitarscape on 27th September 2024

Guitarist Steve Howe releases his new solo album Guitarscape on 27th September on his own HoweSound label. The album will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally as Dolby Atmos.  Pre-order the album here: https://lnk.to/hkKdov

Guitarscape marks a new chapter for the YES and ASIA legend as he presents, what amounts to, a guitar masterclass. “What I’m doing,” said Steve, “is focusing on what I do well and what I love to do.” Guitarscape features 14 new instrumental tracks in a host of musical styles, from rock through to acoustic and classical, each bearing that unmistakable Steve Howe sound. Steve plays acoustic, electric, steel and bass guitars along with keyboards and is joined by his son Dylan on drums. Steve has written all of the tracks and produced the album.

“This album has given me the opportunity to do something different,” says Steve. “I bought a Novatron Summit keyboard and found that it had a wealth of inspiring sounds. It gave me a golden opportunity to create my own keyboard structures – chordal movements and structures that I thought were a bit different.  I think differently on a keyboard, I don’t see the chords looking the same but then I had fun playing around with the guitar to see where that goes.

“I’ve utilised most of the colours, as I like to I think of my styles, and I’m always pleased when I hear them running through and it moves from a steel, maybe, to a Spanish guitar. Because it’s a different sort of album, I’m not using terribly conventional chord sequences but things that give me a fresh feeling and opportunities to improvise and stretch out as well as be melodic and make this a nice tuneful experience.

“I began feeding the tracks to Dylan. We get on great and he seems to know what to play around my guitar, it’s almost instinctive. Dylan and I fit together really beautifully. We’ve had the chance to do this together, so it’s wonderful.

“The bass parts and the keyboards are pretty interesting, everything had to be interesting but also work together. I like doing things that are super fresh and this album says what I am today.”

Steve Howe – Guitarscape is released by HoweSound on 27th September 2024.

Guitarscape – Track Listing

1. Hail Storm (2.22)

2. Spring Board (2.45)

3. Distillations (1.48)

4. Up Stream (3.17)

5. Secret Mission (3.26)

6. Passing Thoughts (2.36)

7. Touch The Surface (3.21)

8. Spring Rhyme (2.02)

9. Equinox (3.04)

10. Seesaw (2.12)

11. Gone West (3.03)

12. Suma (1.34)

13. Spring Tide (2.41)

14. Steel Breeze (2.57)

All tracks written by Steve Howe

Produced by Steve Howe

Assembled and mixed by Curtis Schwartz

Big Big Train announce ‘A Flare On The Lens’ live release

In August and September 2023, multi-national progressive rockers Big Big Train undertook their longest ever tour to date, performing 17 shows over 21 days across nine countries in the UK and Europe, and concluding with two triumphant concerts at London’s prestigious Cadogan Hall. Those two concerts are now immortalised as ‘A Flare On The Lens’, released on 13th September 2024 via InsideOutMusic. 

This new concert film package includes every song performed by the band over those two evenings and is available as a Limited 3CD+Blu-ray media book, with the concert film audio mixed in 5.1 surround sound and stereo. A gatefold 180g 2LP vinyl version is also available, which features a carefully selected range of material from the Cadogan Hall shows.

To mark the announcement, you can now watch a video of the band performing ‘A Boy In Darkness’ here:

Lead vocalist Alberto Bravin comments: ’’A Boy In Darkness is one of the most emotional and difficult Big Big Train songs to sing and interpret. It’s amazing how the mood of the song changes completely from a very dark place to a crowd-pleasing clapping section that leads to a tragic and powerful finale.”

Bassist Gregory Spawton says: “A Boy In Darkness takes the listener – and the band – on a historical and musical journey. We had never played it live until last year and it was a bit overlooked within our back catalogue. I always thought that it was one of David Longdon’s most accomplished songs and deserved greater prominence. The audience reaction every time we performed it reinforced that view.”

Violinist Clare Lindley comments: “There is a weight to A Boy in Darkness, a held tension, which is there right from the start and builds throughout the song to the magnificent final chorus. It’s a tremendous song to play live, full of interesting lines and melodies and, for me, an exciting instrumental section where I play all the violin and flute solos. I think the music carries the subject matter perfectly.”

Pre-order ‘A Flare On The Lens’ and stream ‘A Boy in Darkness’ here:

Big Big Train – A Boy in Darkness (Live in London 2023) (lnk.to)

‘A Flare On The Lens’ features the band’s full show at Cadogan Hall from the second of their two nights there last year and also includes seven songs which were played only on the first night. 

As such, the Blu-ray film runs to around 3 hours and contains no fewer than 17 songs, including both back catalogue favourites such as ‘East Coast Racer’, ‘Hedgerow’, ‘Folklore’, ‘Judas Unrepentant’, ‘Curator Of Butterflies’ and ‘Victorian Brickwork’, live instrumental tour de force ‘Apollo’ and future classics ‘Love Is The Light’ and ‘Oblivion’, plus a 3 song acoustic medley. ‘Love Is The Light’ and ‘Oblivion’ have subsequently been available on the band’s acclaimed studio album, ‘The Likes Of Us’, released in March this year. 

The full tracklisting is:

1.    Folklore*

2.     The Connection Plan*

3.     Curator of Butterflies*

4.     Summoned by Bells*

5.     Drums & Brass 2023*

6.     Love Is The Light*

7.    A Boy In Darkness*

8.     Apollo*

9.     Acoustic Medley

10.  East Coast Racer*

11. Victorian Brickwork*

12.  Oblivion

13. Swan Hunter

14.  Keeper of Abbeys

15.  Brooklands

16.  Hedgerow

17.  Telling the Bees

18.  Judas Unrepentant

*included on 2LP vinyl release

‘A Flare On The Lens’ is the sight and sound of Big Big Train back on an upwards curve and re-establishing itself as one of the rock music scene’s most compelling live bands. 

Big Big Train headline the final Night Of The Prog festival in Germany on 21st July before making their debut at the renowned Cropredy Festival in the UK on 9th August. The band then undertake their own headline tour in September and October, before returning to co-headline Cruise To The Edge in April next year.

21st July – Night of the Prog, Loreley, Germany

9th August – Cropredy Festival, Oxfordshire, UK

17th September – Wyvern Theatre, Swindon, UK

18th September – The Riverfront, Newport, UK

19th September – Playhouse Theatre, Whitley Bay, UK

21st September – Queens Hall, Edinburgh, UK

22nd September – Palace Theatre, Newark, UK

24th September – Stables Theatre, Milton Keynes, UK – SOLD OUT

25th September – The Stoller Hall, Manchester, UK – SOLD OUT

27th September – Stadthalle, Weinheim, Germany

28th September – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands

29th September – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands

1st October – Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway

2nd October – Viften, Copenhagen, Denmark

5th October – Cadogan Hall, London, UK

Ticket links for all shows are at www.bigbigtrain.com/live

Sometime In February launch new single”The Bad Fight” feat. Paul Waggoner of Between The Buried & Me

InsideOutMusic recently announced the signing of US-based rising instrumental progressive metallers Sometime In February to a worldwide deal. Yesterday the band announced their new single, ‘The Bad Fight’, is out to stream everywhere now, and for this one they received the help of a few friends. As the band explains:

“The song came together quickly, and as soon as it was written we knew we had to pull out all the stops for it. We asked our friend Paul Waggoner of Between the Buried and Me to feature on it with a guest solo that is pitch perfect. Eric Guenther of The Contortionist contributed keys, synths, and sound design to take it to the next level. Dan Briggs, also of BTBAM, sprinkled additional sound design on top. And of course, we love to feature saxophone when we can, so our friend Rich Castillo of The Callous Daoboys added his touch to create a tasteful layer.”

Stream the single here:

Sometime In February – The Bad Fight (feat. Paul Waggoner) – Single (lnk.to)

The video for the track was shot by Luke Gura inside a courthouse near the bands hometown. Watch it here:

The band have also announced US live dates for July 2024, and you can catch them at the shows below:
 
July 13th – DRKMTTR, Nashville, TN
July 14th – Mag Bar, Louisville, KY
July 16th – Amityville Music Hall, Long Island, NY
July 17th – Imperial Lounge, Richmond, VA
July 28th – The Milestone, Charlotte, NC

The band recently announced a brand new track called ‘Hiding Place’ which you can listen to here:

Hiding Place – Single (lnk.to)

YouTube: 

Originally founded as an instrumental solo project for guitarist Tristan Auman in 2020, Sometime in February became a fully rounded prog rock trio with the addition of drummer Scott Barber and bassist Morgan Johnson after making the jump from studio to stage following the release of their EP ‘Here Goes’ in 2021.
 
The Carolina-based group has kept their foot on the gas ever since, touring throughout the Southeast US and releasing their follow-up, the debut LP ‘There Goes’, in 2023. Their first full-length record gained attention from prog fans and peers alike, with Tristan receiving an invitation to join Between the Buried and Me in a live capacity throughout the Parallax II: Future Sequence Tour.
 
The band comments: “We are thrilled to be signing to the world’s premier label for progressive music, InsideOutMusic. Sometime in February wouldn’t exist without many of the artists on their roster, and it’s an honor to stand beside them. Thomas Waber has been supportive and encouraging to us for some time now, and we’re excited that we found the right moment to work together and make InsideOutMusic the home for the next era of Sometime in February.”
 
InsideOutMusic label-head Thomas Waber adds: “We are extremely excited to be working alongside this talented young US band. After talking to them for a while, it felt like now was the right time to welcome them to the fold, and on the evidence of the new track ‘Hiding Place’, bright things are ahead!”