In just a few hours, I’m going to be seeing the mighty Marillion for the first time since 2005, for the final date of the UK tour, a sell-out show at the Forum in Kentish town. It’s being filmed for a DVD!
This tour has been getting rave reviews on Marillion forums, even from people who have been underwhelmed by the somewhat patchy new album.
I have to say I’m really looking forward to this one.
Crewe Limelight is my ‘local’ Mostly Autumn venue, so for once I wasn’t travelling a long distance to see them. It’s actually the first time this year I’ve seen them that hasn’t been an overnighter.
Heather and Andy
Like The Point in Cardiff it’s a converted church, and there’s always a great atmosphere in the place. It’s been said that going to a Mostly Autumn gig is like a night out with your mates. That was certainly true this time; when I got to the venue there were about thirty-odd people in the downstairs bar, and I realised I recognised just about all of them! They weren’t the first familiar faces of the evening; As I was waiting to cross the road a black Subaru came round the corner, and I thought the occupants looked vaguely familiar. Then I realised it was Andy Smith and Chris Johnson; I’m pretty sure Andy recognised me.
If the previous show belonged to Heather to the extent that I was only dimly aware of the presence of six other people on stage (OK, I exaggerate a bit), tonight really belonged to entire band. It’s noticeable how much tighter they are now the current lineup has gelled. I don’t know how much is down to Gavin Griffiths on drums, easily the best drummer than band has ever had, and how much is down to spending longer in rehearsal before going on the road. They’re easily 200% better than they were this time last year. The setlist was almost identical to that of Cardiff, except that they didn’t play ‘The Night Sky’, perhaps because of a slightly delayed start.
(Livvy’s glockenspeil solo)
I’m probably not the best person to judge the sound; I was right down the front getting stage sound rather than the PA; where I was it was far superior to the muddy sound at Cardiff the previous weekend. The big wall-of-sound symphonic numbers in the second half such as the Bryan’s guitar showcase ‘Further from Home’ and a superb ‘Carpe Diem’ came over very well indeed, with just the right balance between Bryan’s Stratocaster and the multi-layered vocal harmonies, something that doesn’t always happen.
The big news at the end of the show was Heather’s announcement that there was an eighth person on stage. Angie Gordon is expecting! This prompted someone from the audience to ask Bryan when his was due, which got the response “It’s been due for the past 74 months”.
From left to right: Bryan, Andy, Heather, Livvy, Gavin, Angie and Chris
As gigs go, that was a good one. The band were in the ‘the zone’ for much of the time, and the atmosphere was great. Just one MA gig left in my diary now, the final date of the tour at Bury Met at the end of the month.
My thanks to Martin Kessel to allow me to some of his excellent photos. There are a lot more from the gig on his site. I’m sure the back of my head must be visible in some of them.
Yet again I’ve travelled a considerable distance to see my favourite band. Not quite as far as Bournemouth this time, and I was staying for the weekend with my brother in Cardiff.
The Point, a converted church in Cardiff Bay, is a new venue for me. It still retains a lot of features from the original building, especially the stained glass windows, which give it a lot more character than a lot of featureless boxes I’ve seen bands perform in. As is usual for an MA gig I bumped into a lot of familiar faces like David Taylor, Peter the Great, Roger N, Jerry Bloom and Matt and Rachel from The Reasoning.
The very beginning was spoiled somewhat by a muddy sound mix, with an overloud mush of bass all but drowning out the lead vocals, which reduced the impact of ‘Fading Colours’. Fortunately after the first two or three songs it got better, and although tolerable was never quite perfect. The 2+ hour long setlist was similar to earlier dates on the tour, except that “Half a World” and “Ghost” were dropped in favour of the old favourite “The Last Climb”. I can understand why Heather might not want to sing “Half a World” at the moment.
The night really belonged to Heather, who was absolutely fantastic. This was her first public appearance after the very traumatic events of the previous few days, so this was always going to be an emotional show. While it might not have been the best performance I’ve ever seen from the band on a purely technical level, nothing else has quite matched this one for emotional intensity. Heather poured her heart and soul into the performance, especially on “Evergreen” and “Carpe Diem”, which were the outstanding moments of the evening.
Only three more days and I seem them again in Crewe.
Andrew Elias has some photos of the show.
This is the announcement from the official Mostly Autumn website about Heather Findlay and Fish
Though we don’t usually like to comment on personal issues of the band, we feel here at MA that some announcement should be made with reference to Heather and Fish, in that their marriage will no longer go ahead. Heather is very upset at having to call off the wedding but she had no option as she felt the man she fell in love with had changed considerably. We had been worried about Heather over the last few weeks, she should have been walking on air, but was unsupported and alone up in Scotland and was having to deal with things which have no part in romance. Fortunately, by coincidence, her brother was in the Scottish borders to answer her call after a horrendous argument which ended badly, and she was safely back to the comfort of her family and friends very soon after. The nature of the argument and it’s ending makes it impossible for Heather to consider any sort of reconciliation.
Heather has made it clear that she would not like this to have any influence on Chris and Angie recording and touring with Fish, though Odin Dragonfly will not now be supporting Fish on his forthcoming tour.
She would also like to say thank you for all the supportive messages she has already started to receive from fans of both Mostly Autumn and Fish.
We all wish Derek every happiness in the future and of course wish our lovely Heather well in her own very bright future.
Suzie Bielby
For MA
When the news broke I was very sad for both of them. Unfortunately after the self-justifying postings that have been appearing on Fish’s own website, my sympathies for him are wearing increasingly thin. Washing dirty linen in public is never pretty. And then he goes and tells his side of the story to the tabloids.
I really, really didn’t want to have to take sides in this. I’ve been a fan of Fish and his music since Heather was six years old. At the time of their engagement they were tied as the two rock musicians I’d seen live the most times (nine each). But now I’m wondering if I really want to go to Fish’s Manchester gig in September, despite already having a ticket.
It’s a long time since I last saw Magnum live. I can’t remember the exact date, but it may well have been while Fish was still in Marillion. As for the first time I saw them, that was the 1980 Reading Festival. I’ve seen bands this year with some members that weren’t even born then!
For those not familiar with Magnum’s music, they’re a sort of British equivalent of American stadium rockers such as Journey and Styx (both bands I’ve seen this year). Their sound is epic and anthemic with occasional neo-classical flourishes, while lyrically they avoided the cheesy cliches those American AOR bands often tended to fall into.
The Magnum of 2007 are older and wrinklier than before, but most definitely can still cut it live. Bob Catley was in fine voice, and sang his heart out for the best part of two hours. The revelation of the night was the now hatless Tony Clarkin. Previously I’d never rated him much as virtuoso lead guitarist, but his playing has got an order of magnitude better since the last time I saw him. Now he plays not one but two extended solos, and they were both phenomenally good, just the perfect combination of technique and feel. Keyboardist Mark Stanway was, well, Mark Stanway, and the two new boys in the rhythm section Al Barrow and Harry James (on loan from Thunder) were energetic and enthusiastic thoughout.
The setlist, not far short of two hours long, was chock full of old favourites; “Vigilante”, “On a Storyteller’s Night” “All England’s Eyes”, “How Far Jerusalem”, “The Spirit”, “Sacred Hour” and “Kingdom of Madness”, plus some impressive sounding new songs from the current album “Princess Alice and the Broken Arrow”, which I’ve yet to hear. Magnum performed old and new with an energy and passion that belies their years. Long may they continue!
The Guardian’s John Harris thinks that all British rock music is the language of wet Wednesdays.
All of which puts one in mind of a great rule of British rock: that whereas musicians born and bred in the New World need only drop place names and cultural references to suggest an epic reality in which even lives gone wrong take on their own kind of romance, British people are best at the language of wet Wednesdays. There are not even many broken dreams in our music because no one dreamed very much to begin with. To grasp the essential point, go straight to that symbolic lyric in the Arctic Monkeys’ Fake Tales of San Francisco: “You’re not from New York City, you’re from Rotherham.”
All of which goes to show how much music journalists actually know about music. Does he listen to anything other than indie? People like him seem to think drab kitchen-sink parochialism (preferably sung in a fake working-class accent) is the only legitimate subject matter for lyrics. You won’t catch the likes of Iron Maiden singing about that sort of thing; bands like them think bigger. Why write songs about fights outside chip shops on a Friday night when you can write “Brighter than a Thousand Suns” about nuclear war?
This a provisional track plan for a new British outline layout using my existing 12′x2′ benchwork from my previous Swiss layout Wominsee. The 2′ width means I’ve got to use 9″ radius hidden curves at the ends.
The trackplan is based on the eastern end of Lostwithiel in Cornwall. I’ve seen Lostwithiel modelled in N before, focusing on the station area and associated sidings. But from several visits over the years, the loops at the Plymouth end are where much of the action tends to be, so this is what I’ve based the layout on. The station itself is not modelled, apart from the extreme ends of the platforms.
It’s not intended to be a 100% accurate model of the prototype; I’ll be using kitbuilt structures rather than scratchbuilding models of actual prototypes, and I’ve taken a few liberties with the trackplan. Hence the name “Restormel” rather than “Lostwithiel”.
The layout is intended to be multi-era, capable of running from the last days of the WR diesel-hydraulics to the present day scene of Virgin Voyagers and EMD class 66s. So some structures will have to be interchangeble. The uppermost siding will serve the creamery when running in 1970s mode (I’ve just got hold of a rake of Dapol milk tankers!). For later eras I might substitute some other industry so I still have something to shunt.
The upside of having to postpone my holiday until July is that I can now go to see Magnum in Manchester Academy 2 this Wednesday. It’s a long time since I’ve seen this lot live; I think the last time I saw them Fish was still in Marillion.
Older bands can be a bit hit and miss; over the past couple of years, my experiences have ranged from rather mediocre (Queensrÿche), the appallingly bad (Barclay James Harvest featuring Les Holroyd) to the amazingly good (Van der Graaf Generator and Styx). Reviews like this one from Newcastle suggest that they’ll be in the latter category. Should be a good one!
Another belated review. This one’s only two months old.
Cardiff’s The Reasoning are one of three bands to arise from the ashes of the original lineup of Karnataka, which imploded in 2004. The band includes Karnataka’s former lead vocalist Rachel Jones, and bassist Matt Cohen, formerly of Magenta. Their debut album was one of the most eagerly awaited for the first part of the year.
While the presence of Rachel Jones is invitably going to draw comparisons with her previous band, musically The Reasoning are a quite different beast. Compared to Karnataka’s atmospheric keyboard-driven sound, The Reasoning’s twin guitar lineup is more prog-tinged melodic hard rock than atmopheric celtic prog. And do they indeed rock out on this album.
It’s well-produced album with a crisp, clear sound courtesy of Dave Meegan of Marillion fame. Rachel shares lead vocal duties with Dylan Thomson, who I’ve heard compared with Frances Dunnery of It Bites, and the fact the Dylan sings more lead than Rachel is perhaps the album’s only fault. Several of the songs get stuck in the brain after just a couple of listens, notably “Aching Hunger”, “Fallen Angels” and the atmopheric “Sacred Shape”, perhaps the closest-sounding song to Karnataka, despite being sung by Dylan. Celtic prog sounds also surface in the album closer “Within Cold Glass” which features guest appearances from Marillion’s Steve Rothery and The Bluehorses Liz Prendergast.
For a debut album, this is an impressive piece of work. I look forward to the followup, to be recorded in the new year.
It’s an album that appears to have divided with the fanbase; although it’s been well-received by the majority, there’s a vocal minority that still strongly dislike it. I suppose this is inevitable for any band that refuses to tread water musically; this work is definitely not a retread of any period of the band’s past. It’s not a repeat of “Storms Over Still Water” or “Passengers”, nor is it return to the style of the much loved (by some) early albums.
Saying that, it is probably their most varied album since their 1996 debut. Opener “Fading Colours” has to be the most powerful hard rocker Mostly Autumn have ever recorded. A few bars at the beginning strongly recall Rainbow’s “Eyes of the World”, and the rest of the song has a similar feel. Other highlights are the lengthy “Walk With a Storm”, part epic hard rocker, part electifying celtic jig featuring guest musicians Peter Knight and Troy Donockley on violin and uilleann pipes, Heather’s heartfelt “Half a World”, and the achingly sad “Find the Sun”, also featuring Peter Knight’s violin.
Several songs break new ground for the band, such as the sparse “Broken”, just piano and Heather’s voice, and Chris Johnson’s hauntingly beautiful “Silver Glass”. Then there’s the largely instrumental “Further from Home”, six minutes of Bryan Josh putting that blue Stratocaster through it’s paces, and sounding like all the best bits of Dave Gilmour’s “On an Island” compressing into a single song.
The plodding sub-Oasis “Pocket Watch” is the album’s only real dud. There are hundreds of other interchangeable bands doing this sort of three chord nonsense, and Mostly Autumn shouldn’t be wasting their time trying to copy them.
Other quibbles are minor; I’d like to have heard more of Angela Gordon’s flute, which is almost completely absent this time around. And a couple of songs, such as “Ghost” and the closing epic “Dreaming” might have benefitted from a little more time polishing up the arrangments. But overall it’s a very strong album, even if it’s not quite the masterpiece I believe the band are capable of. If “Storms Over Still Water” marked a step change in Bryan Josh’s guitar playing, this one shows the same sort of improvement in Heather’s lead vocals; I’ve never heard her sing better. And Chris Johnson has proved that he can fill the role of third songwriter left by the departure last year of Iain Jennings.
