Before music there was silence
Photo © Roger Allen Islington O2 Academy saw the final night of the “Prog 2.0 tour” come to London, with rising stars Touchstone topping the bill. On record at least, openers Enochian Theory are a prog-metal act with a nice line in atmospherics, and have been compared with the mighty Opeth. But tonight’s performance suffered [...]
Mostly Autumn are a band who have undergone a major change in the past year, with the departure of much-loved lead singer Heather Findlay and her replacement by former backing singer Olivia Sparnenn. The new incarnation had already won over a large proportion of their fanbase when they toured earlier in the year playing a [...]
After seeing Therion, I was back at Sub89 again the following night to see Wishbone Ash. I’d seen them at Shepherds Bush Empire back in May when supported by Panic Room and Mostly Autumn. The consensus amongst fans was that Mostly Autumn in particular completely stole the show from the headliners. But since this gig [...]
Panic Room are a Swansea-based progressive rock band that emerged from the ashes of the original lineup of the celtic/progressive band Karnataka, with Karnataka’s backing vocalist Anne-Marie Helder taking on the role of lead singer. They have so far recorded two studio albums, and made their live debut at the beginning of 2008. The Robin [...]
Mostly Autumn’s ninth album, the first with Olivia Sparnenn as lead singer, sees the band renewed and re-invigorated. Strongly recommended if you’re looking for a band who take the spirit of 70s classic rock and make it sound relevant for the 21st century, and love great songwriting, singing and musicianship.
Because different band members have so many other commitments, live appearances by Parade are extremely rare, which is why I was prepared to make the 400-mile round trip to see them play in their home town of York. Parade is a project put together by York-based singer-songwriter and musician Chris Johnson, who has played at [...]
Contrary to popular myth, progressive rock did not disappear overnight in a massive pyre of twin-necked guitars and Mellotrons the day after Johnny Rotten dropped the F-bomb in prime-time TV in 1976. Instead, after a brief revival in the early 80s, it just went underground, in the UK at least. In the past decade, the [...]
At the beginning of the year Heather Findlay shocked the progressive rock world by announcing that she was leaving Mostly Autumn after more than a decade to embark on a solo career. The band announced that no way could she be allowed to leave without a proper goodbye. So she would be making one last [...]