Words: Justin Hulford.
Another day at the ABC!!! Luke Jackson kicked things off, fresh faced and dressed like a roadie rather than an artist. He caught the crowd by surprise as I don’t imagine many realised he was the support until he started playing.
His finger skills were superb, getting so much out of his acoustic guitar, and his vocals rich. He has a sort of mid Atlantic voice that regularly drops into his unpolished Home Counties (was it Kentish?) accent and it all makes for something quite interesting. His original compositions were intriguing and he definitely sits in the “one to watch” category.
The headliners were potentially a bit tricky for me. Back in the day they were part of the “other side” as people like me loved Maiden, reaching back to the likes of Sabbath and Deep Purple and saw our tastes spread forward into Slayer, Metallica and Anthrax. “We” hated Marillion and loathed the people that liked them, not helped by their soppy hits “Kayleigh” and “Lavender”. “Incommunicado” was probably reluctantly accepted but that was the limit!
But those days are long behind them with none of those played. “New” singer Steve Hogarth (he’s been on the scene in place of Fish since 1989!) is a truly theatrical performer who wrings every last bit he can out of some deep and thoughtful lyrics with a strong supporting cast. Steve Rothery’s guitars were quite fine and the keys of Mark Kelly ever present. For me Ian Mosley’s drums were a little pedestrian but Pete Trewavas was a joy to behold on bass. He was utterly precise and didn’t fudge one note as far as I could tell.
There were some softer and older tracks that could perhaps have done with the edge of a second guitar (demonstrated when Hogarth eventually got his to work), newer songs like “Power” and “Sounds That Can’t Be Made” really came to life, as did the older “Easter”. But aside from the songs it was the performance that really elevated the show.
They chucked in two encores, one a little oddly fronted by two Christmas related covers, the other seeing a Polish couple up on stage so that Gregor could propose to Anita (she said yes). At one point foam fell like snow from the ceiling, soon after coloured strips of shiny foil followed, and the crowd was in raptures. They then rounded it all off with a rousing rendition of “Heart Of Lothian”.
I had worried at the start as the vocals were up way too high and were reverbing horribly. Fortunately the levels were taken down a little, the music continued to be rich, and the whole thing was quite enjoyable. Now I have to break it to my 13 year old self… Hogarth is quoted as saying that keeping their name when he joined was a mistake and after now seeing them live 25 years after his arrival I am inclined to agree. I think it may have cut them off from a few potential fans.
Neo prog at close on its best.
Through The Wire Music 