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Post by unalaguna on Oct 30, 2011 16:57:22 GMT -5
Glad you enjoyed it... this review should clear my backlog, except tomorrow I'm going to see Steven Wilson!! I really can't wait. I'll placate myself by writing up this awesome gig... Aidan Baker Support: Plurals, A-Sun Amissa [/b] Salford Islington Mill, Manchester, 7th October 2011[/center] This was my first drone show... and definitely not my last! If you're uninitiated in the mysterious ways of drone, here's a quick crash-course: music stripped of melodies, beats and words. What's left? Pure sound. It sounds pretentious, but drone music is very much about appreciating sound in its purest form. I like to think of it as "extreme ambient" music. Some people compare it to listening to your refrigerator hum. Ambient music is far from mainstream; drone music even less so. As far as big names go in drone, Aidan Baker is one of the bigger ones. He has also released music with his wife under the Nadja moniker, and collaborated with pretty much everyone else in the drone scene. Aidan Baker may be a big name in drone, but that doesn't mean he has much of a following. I went to this show half-wondering if I would be the only person going along. In the end, I counted around 40 people there (although 10-15 were probably venue staff or support acts). Quite comfortably the smallest crowd I've ever been a part of, but that's only where the weirdness starts... First odd thing I noticed was that everybody turned up at the start. Nobody skipped the support acts. You might expect that if the support act was well-known, but nobody I spoke to had any idea who they were, aside from a few people who had seen their name on the billing. The second weird thing was that as many people were drinking tea/coffee as beer. At a gig!? The first support act were called Plurals, a drone band from Brighton. They improvised a 30-minute drone piece. Unusual for an ambient outfit was the fact that they had something like five members. That gave them a very full sound. Very avant-garde (even for drone), very dark, very atmospheric. I was very impressed. The second act was A-Sun Amissa, probably the weakest act of the evening. While by no means bad, they weren't particularly original, and rather than improvise, they played pre-written songs. I should probably admit to nodding off during A-Sun Amissa's set. Quite a few people were at the very least resting their eyes during several sets, such is the nature of drone music. I wonder what the musicians make of it? It wasn't helped by another Weird Thing about this venue... that I was sat in a very comfortable armchair for the whole gig, with a great view of the performers. Then came Aidan Baker. He improvised (as he usually does, I believe) for about 40-50 minutes. The sounds he made with his guitar and surprisingly small number of effects pedals (six, although he told me afterwards that he only ever needed three or four) were rich, varied and compelling. Well, compelling to me... one guy on a nearby sofa nodded off during his set. But I was mesmerised. I should take a minute to note that not only was this the smallest audience I'd ever been a part of, but it was also the most appreciative. When I've seen other psuedo-ambient bands, half-drunk audience members have tended to talk through the quiet parts, much to my annoyance. Just one person talking during any of the sets this evening would have ruined it. However, the audience was completely silent, paying rapt attention to the music (unless they fell asleep). For a change, I was the oddest-looking guy in the room; everybody else in the crowd looked completely normal. No posers there just to say they'd been there, just people really into the music. Once the show was over, the small audience meant I was able to have a good chat with one of the members of Plurals and Aidan Baker, which is something you rarely get to do. I'll admit that the first couple of times I went up to speak to some band members (God is an Astronaut, I think), I was completely starstruck and unable to do more than say "Can I have a picture?" But I was able to have a really enjoyable chat with people who were really passionate about what they did, which was wonderful. In the end, I came home from the show with three more CDs than I had before... Plurals' CD, and two Aidan Baker CDs (personally recommended to me by Mr Baker himself!) A really great night. I know drone music isn't for everyone. I love it, and if you're at all curious about what drone music is, I'd suggest looking up some Stars of the Lid, Eluvium or Tim Hecker. If ambient music is your thing, then Aidan Baker is a sure bet, either on CD or a few metres in front of you, when you're sat relaxed in an armchair!
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Post by unalaguna on Nov 1, 2011 12:00:06 GMT -5
Steven Wilson [/b] Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 31st October 2011[/center] Steven Wilson. STE. VEN. WIL. SON. Best known for his work with Porcupine Tree, and also Blackfield, No-Man, Bass Communion, the upcoming Storm Corrosion, and his mixing and production work with Opeth, King Crimson, Anathema and Fish, to name but a few. STEEE. VEN. WEEEL. SUNNN. If you haven't heard of him, then seriously, what's wrong with you? Where have you been? Get an appointment with a doctor. This show, at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, was Steve's first solo show in the UK. He exclusively played material from his two solo albums, 2008's Insurgentes and the double album Grace for Drowning, released last month. Despite not having a support act, the show took a while to get going. The doors opened at 1900, and at 1930 a "film" of sorts was projected on to a semi-transparent sheet hanging in front of the stage. This film consisted of scenes from the artwork for the album, with music from the new Bass Communion album, Cenotaph, playing in the background. Put simply, they might as well have projected a couple of stills. It would have had the same effect. Some film. This "film" played for an hour, meaning that despite there being no support act, the band didn't actually take to the stage until 2030 (90 minutes after doors). To put that into perspective for any non-concert goers, when I saw Porcupine Tree on the Incident tour, the doors were 1900 and the band took to the stage at 2040, with a support act in between. The various members of Steve Wilson's band took to the stage, and started playing No Twilight Within the Courts of the Sun. The first two members of the band to take to the stage were drummer Marco Minneman and bassist/Stick player Nick Beggs. Marco Minneman I was expecting to be floored by - there was, as Jordan Rudess commented after his audition to Dream Theater, an incredible joy to his playing. The real surprise for me was Nick Beggs, who matched Marco in the amount of fun he was having. The rest of the band gradually came on stage, and it wasn't until a few minutes that Steve Wilson came on stage to sing his vocal part. It's worth commenting that, for a significant part of the show, Steve didn't actually have that much to do. The other five members of the band were ample to play most of the music, and the music was mostly instrumental... so Steve just walked around on stage for a fair amount of time, admiring the other musicians. I must say that, as the show went on, Steve definitely looked like he was enjoying himself... something which wasn't so obvious when I saw him perform with Porcupine Tree and Blackfield. As mentioned above, the set drew upon material from both his solo albums, though with a definite bias towards Grace for Drowning. The performances were all round top-notch; however, there were a few moments where Theo Travis' incredible flute/saxophone/clarinet parts were drowned out by the other instruments. One criticism I would have is that some of the material from Insurgentes wasn't pulled off quite so well. Harmony Korine and Abandoner, were both phenomenal live; however Veneno para las Hadas did not come off as well. Much of the material on Insurgentes doesn't lend itself to a band scenario, and this was probably most noticeable on Veneno... The studio version was very sparse, very quiet, and quite beautiful. Live, however, the drums felt more prominent than they needed to be, and Theo Travis' flute solo didn't fit too well. The encore, Get All You Deserve, also lacked the extreme noise that gives it that extreme edge on the album. It felt like it was going to reach that crescendo, but never did. The only thing I can say about the Grace for Drowning material is that the parts which had choir on the album sounded decidedly weaker live. But really, those were fairly minor niggles. The songs were stellar, the visuals and light show great, the musicians incredible to watch. The show was a joy to be at.
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Post by sknowbird on Nov 1, 2011 22:19:42 GMT -5
..I must say that, as the show went on, Steve definitely looked like he was enjoying himself... something which wasn't so obvious when I saw him perform with Porcupine Tree and Blackfield.. ..Much of the material on Insurgentes doesn't lend itself to a band scenario, and this was probably most noticeable on Veneno... ..But really, those were fairly minor niggles. The songs were stellar, the visuals and light show great, the musicians incredible to watch. The show was a joy to be at. Bravo, una! You're a gifted writer and I appreciate your descriptions of the show which encompassed the whole of it for certain. Thanks for sharing! What you said about Steven enjoying himself onstage made me smile. For years I had followed Eric Johnson and only in the last 10 or so years has he really shown his true emotions onstage. That's so important if you're playing and sharing that passionate vibe with all around you I'd imagine! And your thoughts on the presentation of certain songs like "Veneno Para Las Hadas" worries me too. The layering of sounds would be really tough for OSI as well. If that ever happens, most assuredly. I'm purposely not watching any YouTube vids (in their entirety) of this show since I'll be witnessing the final show of SW's tour in a few weeks.
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Post by sknowbird on Nov 1, 2011 22:34:07 GMT -5
DISCLAIMER: The review below is from a local online source. I'm still a noob to Opeth so I will not try to pretend I know more about their repertoire than the writer below obviously does! FYI: This is one of my show photos, however. My pal who joined me was even more of a newbie than myself but what I will say is that we both thoroughly enjoyed the concert way more than we expected to. Excellent live band!! \m/ Opeth [/b] The Rave, Milwaukee Wisconsin, October 27th 2011[/center] onmilwaukee.com/music/articles/opethreview.htmlSwedish metal band Opeth brings its Heritage Tour to The Rave
By John Schulze Special to OnMilwaukee.com
E-mail author More articles by John Schulze Published Oct. 28, 2011 at 2:11 p.m.
Opeth at The Rave. Opeth released their tenth studio album, "Heritage," last month on the legendary Roadrunner Records, and last night brought their highly anticipated Heritage Tour to The Rave.
The Swedish progressive metal band played to a massive crowd eager to hear tracks from the new CD and older tunes rarely performed live. Fellow Swedish band Katatonia opened the show and played an hour long set full of dark and melodic metal that set the tone perfectly for the evening.
Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt, the band's guitarist, songwriter and lead vocalist, walked out on stage about 9:45 p.m. with his bandmates, strapped on his custom PRS guitar, and proceeded to blow minds with a sparkling rendition of "The Devil's Orchard", a roughly 7-minute long track that proclaims bluntly "God is dead." The fans loved it, and the sparsely lit light show set an ominous but promising stage presence that matched the 70s vibe of the riff-heavy song. It's the first single off "Heritage", an album that lacks the infamous growling vocals of previous Opeth releases and can be, perhaps, considered more accessible in many ways than their previous efforts.
Of course this doesn't come without a sharp amount of controversy from hardcore fans because of the deviation from the standard death metal that they've become accustomed to Opeth producing, but I personally find that Akerfeldt's natural voice is worth showcasing at this point in their career. I have an incredible amount of respect for any band that is willing to shake things up and break free of the expectations of the past. There's nothing worse than being pigeonholed into writing the same album over and over, and repackaging the same songs with a different cover to a loyal fanbase that deserves better.
Opeth did a fantastic job of crafting a setlist that unified the old with the new, and after another new song "I Feel The Dark", the band ventured into familiar territory with "Face Of Melinda" and "Porcelain Heart", which featured a thunderous and savage drum solo from Martin Axenrot. The band looked on with the audience at Martin with equal parts amazement and wonder as he proceeded to systematically punch out a complex routine, and made it look all too easy.
There also was an acoustic portion of the evening that started off with "The Throat Of Winter," a song that was featured in the epic video game soundtrack "God Of War III Blood & Metal" digital EP. The song was the perfect vehicle to switch gears to the lighter side of Opeth and the band went on to play "Credence" and "Closure". While the songs may have been acoustic, the level of intensity with which Akerfeldt approached the music was a fascinating array of technique, talent and tenacity.
In between songs there was even time for some jokes. Someone yelled out for "Freebird" and Akerfeldt commented that people have been asking for "Freebird" even before it was written, and the brilliantly timed comeback was a great example of just how well Opeth's leader has control of his stage at any given time. Akerfeldt is exceptionally comfortable expressing himself to the crowd with hilarious banter that is as funny as it is natural.
There was a tribute song to the late Ronnie James Dio, the aptly titled "Slither," and after what was apparently a misfire in his guitar intro, Akerfeldt stopped playing and said "You don't f@ck up a Dio tribute", and promptly started over, getting it just perfect.
At about 11:15 p.m., the band came back onstage for their encore "Folklore", and after thanking the crowd, Akerfeldt announced that it was his youngest daughter's birthday and about breakfast time in Sweden. I felt a little bad, really, enjoying the show while his daughter would miss her dad on her birthday. I guess it's one of the demons of being a touring band, you're going to every so often miss some important events while on the road making a living.
They proceeded to play the 8 minute song "Folklore" that sounds, for lack of a better term, folksy in the intro. In typical Opeth fashion it erupted into a complex and jazzy riff laden adventure. It's a song that has not only a huge dynamic range of tone and emotion, it also paints the newest direction of a band that has over 2 decades of history in the books. It was a fitting end to almost two hours of amazingly constructed and orchestrated music, and by the reaction of the crowd, a job well done to the satisfaction of the fans.
Opeth has just a handful of U.S. dates left before they head back to Europe and finish of the tour.
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Post by unalaguna on Nov 2, 2011 16:33:09 GMT -5
Awesome - glad you enjoyed the experience. Looks like you had a decent view, too. Interesting to hear that they've shaken things up quite a bit with their setlist, but then Opeth don't seem to have a "standard" setlist.
...and has Mikael cut his hair!!!?! Aaaaaiiiieee!!
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Post by unalaguna on Nov 13, 2011 16:25:33 GMT -5
Opeth Support: Pain of Salvation [/b] Academy 1, Manchester, 11th November 2011[/center] Mixed feelings about this show... I was surprised at how close to the front of the crowd I got - I was just two people away from the stage most of the time! Support came from the fairly well-known Pain of Salvation, a prog metal outfit which can perhaps be best described as a less technical version of Dream Theater. I listened to a couple of their albums two or three years ago. As I recall they were good but not great, and their performance enhanced that feeling. The sound was pretty poor - the guitars and keyboards melded together to form this bassy, mushy sound. Their music was good, but nothing special. Opeth did not play a "standard" Opeth show. There were no growls, very few proper metal parts, and even an acoustic set. I was expecting Mikael to lay off the growls - as you can hear on the Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVD, his growls aren't what they used to be. But to completely go without them was surprising. I think that led to an imbalance in their set. While their more mellow material is in my opinion excellent, I was left feeling a bit lacking in terms of the sheer power which Opeth are more known for. However, the material they did play they played excellently, and the sound was top-notch. These gripes were minor compared to the big issue... the crowd. Granted, metal crowds are rowdier than what I'm used to, but a large portion of the crowd was just plain disrespectful. I wasn't surprised when most people talked through Pain of Salvation. I still think that's quite rude, but it's happened before so I wasn't surprised. But then the talking continued, at least as loudly, throughout Opeth's set. The occasional remark to your friend, fair enough, but I swear a large proportion of the audience seemed to go along to talk loudly to their friends, get drunk and take photos (some guys were taking more photos of themselves at the gig than of the band on stage). And don't get me started on the Spanish-speaking contingent near the front of the crowd... So, Opeth were great, despite a weaker-than-usual set. The crowd, however...
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Niop
Junior Member
Posts: 68
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Post by Niop on Mar 12, 2012 3:09:30 GMT -5
I saw Fates Warning on Saturday. It was AMAZING. The location was not a big hall or something like that, but just a small pub (maybe 50 m² [550 sq ft]) without stage. Due to traffic problems, the band arrived quite late and so the concert started with a 2 hour delay - because there was just one entrance, the audience had to leave again for getting up the equipment and the soundcheck. But there was a nice barbecue outside, so it was ok. There were about 100-150 people and even that was almost too much, considering the lack of space - so it was hard to see the band sometimes, even considering the fact, that they stood 2m in front of me. The band was also surprised by the size of the location. As far as i understood, this was unintended - there may have been miscommunication between management and the owner. Nonetheless the band played. Ray Alder said, that it is their "by far most unusual gig." and it is "like a rehearsal". Overall I had the impression, that the band really had fun but was a bit exhausted. Rays Voice was incredible! I got a setlist and will post that later. There have been 2 people, wearing an OSI T-Shirt. One was me. The other one was Jim Matheos. ;D About 45 min after the gig, tha band came back to the pub. I got my FWX and my OSI Free signed by the band and Jim&Joey respectively. Ray liked my Shirt and stated, that he asked Jim for it but never got one. When Jim saw my Shirt he said "Oh, it's the new one, isn't it?". Sorry if my report is a bit confusing, but I'm still excited, when thinking about it. I didn't talk much with the band, because, as i said earlier they appeared to be a bit exhausted. After leaving all these questions came up to mind, that i should have asked them. And I forgot to do a photo with Joey. But it was definitely a dream come true. Attachments:
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Post by sknowbird on Mar 13, 2012 2:25:27 GMT -5
;D Hey niop, wonderful report of show! If I were you I'd make you & Jim your profile photo 'cause that's just too awesome for words!! Did Jim wear that shirt during show also? Yeah, I wish they'd do some US shows but we may have to wait 'til next year when long-awaited new CD should be released. Oh and I located a setlist for another German show from Sunday night below. Does this song list look like yours? If so, that's so sweet! Still Remains!! \m/ www.setlist.fm/setlist/fates-warning/2012/colos-saal-aschaffenburg-germany-5bded380.html
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Niop
Junior Member
Posts: 68
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Post by Niop on Mar 14, 2012 3:10:05 GMT -5
Thank you, sknowbird! Yes, Jim wore that Shirt also during the show. And the setlist was almost the same. Just the last songs were interchanged. So it was: (intro) One Life in Still Water APSOG 3 ---------- Outside Looking In Down To The Wire ---------- Heal Me Still Remains ---------- Another Perfect Day Quietus APSOG 11 ---------- 11th Hour Point Of View ---------- Different Eyes Monument ---------- Eye To Eye -------------------- Encore: At Fate's hands A great setlist. It has a very nice flow to it. I was listening to FW the weeks before the concert quite extensively and many of my favorites are on that list. Thanks again for the feedback! Niop
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Post by unalaguna on Mar 23, 2012 14:20:12 GMT -5
I seem to have built up a huge backlog of gigs... dating back to December. I'll try and address this with some short, snappy summaries!
Marillion (support from Antimatter), Dec 12 2011: don't dismiss Marillion as a neo-prog Genesis rip-off or an old-man band... they put on one of the most incredible, euphoric live shows I've ever been to. The highlights were many, but if you haven't heard their song "Neverland"... you haven't lived yet.
Mastodon (support from The Dillinger Escape Plan and Red Fang), Feb 6 2012: Mastodon played a pretty straight set with some cool lighting. Lots of material from their latest album, which translates brilliantly to the live setting. "Creature Lives" was a surprising but cracking encore. The real treat, however, were Dillinger... I was already a big fan of them, but their live show was one of the tightest, most intense I've ever seen. Simply incredible.
Portico Quartet (support from Matthew Halsall), Mar 10 2012: The closest way to describe Portico Quartet is "experimental jazz"... their latest album added a really unique electronic twist to the formula. This was my first jazz gig and I completely fell in love with all of it - Portico Quartet were nothing short of phenomenal (look up their song "Ruins" for a taster). The opening act appropriately adapted their more standard jazz pieces into a similarly experimental electronic/ambient setting, which was very cool. Truly, you can't fully appreciate jazz until you witnessed it live.
Coming up soon.... This Will Destroy You on Apr 4, and Agalloch on Apr 11. Words cannot describe how excited I am about the latter.
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