There are
about 2000 fans in the Wolverhampton Civic Hall tonight, and yet when RTM walks
towards the venue a fella strolls up to me and says “who’s on tonight, mate?”
We reply, and your man says: “never heard of him” and carries on about his day.
This exchange
proves a few things: First that the general public is basically ill-informed
when it comes to great music. Second, that mainstream radio is basically
irrelevant, but thirdly it proves – perhaps most important – that great music
does not need support, because somehow it gets heard. The rest of us are in the
Civic Hall tonight to watch perhaps Britain’s greatest modern proggist.
Steven
Wilson has had quite a career, in bands and solo – and of course as a producer
and prog records restorer, he gives the impression that he lives for music.
This year he released an album called “The Raven That Refused To Sing (And
Other Stories)” which is a quite stunning affair. It will appear highly on the
end of year award lists of the great and good (and RTM). It is the finest prog
record of the year in a year of cracking ones.
He is evidently
proud of it too, playing five its tracks during the course of his two and a bit
hours on stage. He begins, though, with “Trains” from his Porcupine Tree days,
which is played acoustically.
He is soon joined
by his magnificent band, which is topped off by a projection and lightshow that
would be the envy of a many an arena rock act, and having a go at “Luminol” “…Raven’s….”
first track.
Given the
level of musicianship on show this evening – and the skills are quite
jaw-dropping – the songs are not mere facsimiles of the ones that appear on the
albums, rather interpretations. This is perhaps best shown on “Drive Home” during
which Wilson jokes with his guitarist that he might try and play the same solo
twice in two shows.
Wilson is a
lot more gregarious than you might expect, and chats amiably between songs,
letting fans record the show, but requesting that the devices are turned off
for the new song that he plays, an untitled and unfinished tune which is introduced
as “Break It (And It's Yours).” In actuality the fact that he has the courage
to do this tells you all you need to know about Wilson, he is a musician that
gets a thrill from challenging people and trusts his audience to come along for
the ride. And it is a thrilling ride too, one that ends with a brilliant encore
of “Radioactive Toy” and has been superlative throughout.
So whilst
the mainstream might not be aware, the prog enthusiast might have had the night
of the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment