Pure Reason Revolution – King Tuts, Glasgow - 28th November 2011 (Live Review)
Thursday, 01 December 2011
Written by Jonny Rimmer
Pure Reason Revolution, or PRR, were a remarkably unique band considering the British musical climate. Whilst the transatlantic influence of the Strokes has stimulated a rise in “post-punk” acts – I won't give you names because you've already got plenty in your head – PRR carved their own way. I say were, of course, as this Glasgow show was the band's penultimate show before splitting; yet another example of a UK band finishing before the mainstream got a whiff (or maybe that is wishful thinking).
'The Dark Third', their debut record, remains somewhat of an anomaly: a concept record about dreaming with male and female harmonies, spacey guitar sequences and occasional bursts of heavy riffing. Oh, and Rick Wakeman loved it. King Tuts is treated to this album in full tonight, and the result is as sonically breathtaking as you'd expect.
There's almost a sense of reverence in the orderly crowd as the band scrupulously present their piece to their audience. The album's centrepiece, 'The Bright Ambassadors of Morning', is observed in silence by many, and yet the applause at the end of it is rapturous. PRR themselves are also courteous throughout, with vocalist Chloe Alper softly announcing a five minute interval.
The second half of the set showcases the more electronic elements of the band (primarily from the two records that followed); tracks like 'Deus Ex Machina' have an industrial tone that is so far removed from the band's ethereal introduction, that casual fans might wonder where the last two hours have gone. They pull it off though, and even the middle aged progheads in the audience can't help but shout and shake to the passionate encore of 'Fight Fire'.
For all that Pure Reason Revolution were gently mannered, their music was ambitious and their sound unique. Although there hasn't been a mass outpouring of grief at their departure, the Scots that braved the weather tonight will have been far from unsatisfied, and this reviewer will quietly lament the loss of one of Britain's most interesting outfits.
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