Steven Wilson – Shepherds Bush Empire, London – 31st October 2011 (Live Review)
Wednesday, 02 November 2011
Written by Ben Bland
A musician of undeniable talent, who has dabbled in such seemingly disparate fields as prog rock, extreme metal, trip hop and ambient drone over the years, Steven Wilson recently released what should go down as one of the most impressive records of the new millennium. 'Grace for Drowning' was a soaring combination of everything Wilson has become known for throughout his career with the likes of Porcupine Tree, No-Man and Blackfield, as well as introducing increasingly prominent influences from the world of jazz. By turns both his most daring and most complete record, its complex nature makes the fact that Wilson has decided to play his solo material live for the first time recently a surprise, albeit a very pleasant one.
As the only UK date in Wilson’s current tour, it is no surprise to see the Empire sold out for this, as Wilson himself terms it, “adventure”. Many are no doubt taken aback on arrival for this seated show to be greeted by the noise of one of Wilson’s favourite projects, Bass Communion, over the stereo accompanied by the ever intriguing visuals of frequent Wilson collaborator Lasse Hoile. The nature of Bass Communion dictates it being an extremely acquired taste and there are clearly plenty in attendance who are not exactly overjoyed to hear it.
Joy is in the air however when the lights dim and the drones come to an end. First to enter the stage is drumming machine Marco Minnemann, the German who (for reasons unfathomable to this onlooker) came second to the speedy but dull Mike Mangini in the running for replacing Mike Portnoy in Dream Theater. He is soon joined by ex-Kajagoogoo bassist Nick Beggs and the two settle firmly into the groove of 'No Twilight within the Courts of the Sun', the prog-jazz centrepiece of Wilson’s debut solo record 'Insurgentes'.
The rest of Wilson’s assembled virtuosos arrive one by one; Adam Holzman is a late replacement for Gary Husbands on keyboards, Aziz Ibrahim (briefly of The Stone Roses) shows off his guitar skills and long term Wilson collaborator Theo Travis flits between sax, clarinet, flute and keys. The musicians have all had a chance to make an early mark by the time Wilson finally appears on the stage. By his own admission Wilson does not actually do a huge amount of playing during this show. He acts predominantly as the conductor, although more than proves his guitar chops when he does give himself a chance to play. As ever he is also in fine voice.
Slightly veiled behind a net curtain that doesn’t come down until part way through the instrumental 'Sectarian', Wilson and his band manage to reproduce the high fidelity sounds of 'Index' and 'Deform to Form a Star' to get the show fully up and running. It is 'Insurgentes' opener “Harmony Korine” that gets the best reception of all, that is until Wilson announces that the band is about to launch into the ferociously complex epic 'Raider II'. Performed without a hitch, this twenty plus minute piece has rapidly become the centrepiece for proof of Wilson’s phenomenal compositional talents. 'Get All You Deserve' is, perhaps, a slightly surprising encore choice but as it draw to a conclusion with Wilson in a gasmask (as per the “Insurgentes” album cover) creating incredible waves of vicious noise with his guitar, it seems bizarrely appropriate.
No matter what the songs, however, this is a show about musicianship. The rhythm section is particular is spectacular, although no individual on stage looks at all out of place tonight. Backed by a surprisingly good sound mix, even if Theo Travis is occasionally slightly inaudible at times, this is an incredible evening of performances. The only slight criticisms that immediately arise are the use of the net curtain for a good twenty-five minutes or so of the set, as it adds nothing, and perhaps the overuse of Lasse Hoile’s superbly disturbing visuals, as they do occasionally distract from the fact that watching the band themselves is perfectly entertaining. As the lights go back up and the audience departs however, it is clear that pretty much everyone present believes they have once more seen Wilson pull off another triumph, and they have.
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Slightly veiled behind a net curtain that doesn’t come down until part way through the instrumental 'Sectarian', Wilson and his band manage to reproduce the high fidelity sounds of 'Index' and 'Deform to Form a Star' to get the show fully up and running. It is 'Insurgentes' opener “Harmony Korine” that gets the best reception of all, that is until Wilson announces that the band is about to launch into the ferociously complex epic 'Raider II'. Performed without a hitch, this twenty plus minute piece has rapidly become the centrepiece for proof of Wilson’s phenomenal compositional talents. 'Get All You Deserve' is, perhaps, a slightly surprising encore choice but as it draw to a conclusion with Wilson in a gasmask (as per the “Insurgentes” album cover) creating incredible waves of vicious noise with his guitar, it seems bizarrely appropriate.
