Tag Archives: prog

BIG BIG TRAIN: “Bard” – Authorised high quality download

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Betweeen 14-16th August 2015, progressive rockers Big Big Train make most of their fanbase’s wishes come true, staging three live gigs in London.  This breaks years of silence for the band in the live setting, having not played any live shows for decades.  Unsurprisingly, tickets for those shows sold out in record time.

There’s still another piece of the BBT puzzle eluding most fans.  Their third proper album ‘Bard’ has been out of print forever.  Recorded at a transitional time in the band’s history, they do not feel it is at all representitive of the bulk of their work and are not keen to have it reissued, despite fan demand.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: Marillion, Ramblin’ Man Fair, Maidstone, Kent 26/07/2015

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Over the years, Marillion have released some great albums and played some fantastic shows.  Their 2004 double album ‘Marbles’ and following tour very much represents a high point in the band’s career and post-80s fortunes – the shows on that tour were arguably some of the best they’ve ever played.   Like every band that has ever set foot upon a stage, naturally, they don’t always get it right and some of the shows promoting their ‘Somewhere Else’ album in 2007 were frankly very dull indeed.

On this occasion, Marillion been given the honour of headlining the Prog stage at the very first Ramblin’ Man Fair, a classic rock and prog festival.  It’s kind of ironic that a band who spent the whole of the nineties trying to convince everyone they were not a prog band would headline a prog rock stage, but the idea that Marillion have a headline slot at a UK festival is a very appealing one to both the band and their fans.

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REAL GONE GOES OUT: Ian Anderson, Ramblin’ Man Fair, Maidstone, Kent 26/07/2015

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It’s approximately 6:45 PM and it’s finally stopped raining after about twelve hours.  It’s wet and cold and half the field’s population are still shuffling about draped in waterproof macs.  French progressive black metallers Alcest are coming to the end of their set.  Their wall of sound approach is definitely an acquired taste and often makes a lot of their material indistinct within the live scenario, with only occasional tinkly prog flourishes cutting through massive doom riffs.  Even so, it’s been enjoyable…and as they churn out their last few oppressively heavy chords (for Alcest have arguably been the heaviest band to appear at the festival), the sun finally breaks through – too little, too late – causing a beam of light to centre upon the middle of the crowd.  Had this occurred barely minutes later, you could even jest that it was stage managed, as was such a spooky spectacle.  This of course, is the only sunshine we’ve seen all day, and with that, it sheepishly hides back behind a huge blanket of cloud and decides that it’s all too hard.

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GODSTICKS – Emergence

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godsticksMixing rock and progressive edges on their first two records, Welsh trio Godsticks carved out a sound that they could easily build upon.  Given the soaring melodies and atmospheres they’ve proved more than capable – particularly on songs like the lovely ‘Withdrawn Was Giveaway’ –  it’s hard to work out why they felt they needed a change of direction. Their third release ‘Emergence’ severely cranks up the heavier edges…and the over-riding sound is that of a grungy hard rock with occasional prog-metal quirks.  If you like that, that’s fine, but if you actually liked what Godsticks did before, it’s a crushing disappointment.  Gone are the clean lead guitars and any neo-prog string bending; gone are the crisp and tinkly melodies and basically anything that made Godsticks worth listening to…and in their place, a bunch of riff heavy, needlessly repetitive dirges.

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ZERO SHE FLIES – The River EP

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the riverZero She Flies is a folk-rock band from Bristol formed from the ashes of pop-rock outfit Mermaid Kiss and although all three members had been involved with the previous band at various stages, the first recordings from ZSF feel very much like a new beginning.  The band made their debut in May 2015 with standalone track ‘Small Mercy’, giving listeners a fair idea of what to expect from upcoming material.  Their first EP, ‘The River, released a couple of months later,  features four tracks associated with water, thus making it a concept release of sorts.  That’s concept in a “linking theme” sense as opposed to carrying a definite narrative stretched out to its thinnest point over a double elpee, so those looking for more Broadway lambs, walls built from arrogance and general pomposity can swiftly move along…  Stoking up the folk elements, on these four numbers, Zero She Flies often carry sparkles of Caravan and Renaissance, but always with their own twist, and it would be fair to say that listeners who enjoy the occasional folky lilt and a strong female voice will find an affinity within at least three of these four tunes.

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