A Band of Brothers...
Pendragon - The Ferry, Glasgow 28th May 2010
I'm not the greatest fan in the world of neo-prog rockers Pendragon yet I have caught them live three times now, most recently at The Ferry in Glasgow, one year after their first visit to that club concert venue on the River Clyde.
Pendragon, who were formed in 1978 and released their first album in 1985, are built around the song writing & direction of vocalist, guitarist, and founding member Nick Barrett.
Bass player Peter Gee has also been part of the Pendragon package since their origins, but it's fair comment to say the band really started making progressive waves in 1986 when keyboard player Clive Nolan joined (whose other musical prog projects and collaborations are too many to mention).
For me though the band was truly complete, certainly as regards live sound, with the arrival of drummer Scott Higham in 2008.
I had the opportunity to shoot the breeze with Scott earlier in the evening and his enthusiasm for music, and affection for this band, are very clearly defined in both conversation, and how he plays...
Higham physically drives the sound on from the back, by what I describe as truly 'attacking' his kit, whilst still in control of his playing, with just a touch of anger.
The only disappointment for drummer and audience was that the Ferry stage has a large but low ceiling 'alcove' area where the drums are situated and this meant Scott couldn't do any standing or leaning over the kit (which is usually a part of his performance) for danger of serious concussion.
So instead we got serious percussion (sorry). Boom, boom (sorry again).
Although I'm more of a fan of what I would describe as their more melodic but no less adventurous prog albums of the nineties, their last album, 2008's 'Pure', was well received, critically acclaimed in the progressive corridors of power, and remains the core of the set two years on.
So if I'm not the greatest Pendragon fan in the world, what am I doing at another 'dragon show and, in this case, reviewing it?
Well, primarily because Pendragon are worth seeing out on the circuit, no matter how much of a prog fan you are, or aren't.
Nick Barrett may not be the greatest singer in the world (and at this show he did comment that he was carrying a flu bug or a cold) but he has a very individual vocal delivery and approach, and attacks each and every song with the same passion and vigour, both vocally and musically (Barrett is a solid performer on guitar, and he can be beautifully emotive on some of the Pendragon passages).
This, in turn, is reflected in the rest of the band and something that the audiences clearly acknowledge and appreciate - there is a mutual respect between band and audience, and that's something you don't always find.
The front man also enjoys bantering with the audience as he introduces each song and the story or inspiration behind it, and his lyrics are usually based on real events or personal observations - you won't find many Starship Troopers, Squonks, or Tarkus tank animals in Pendragon's musical or lyrical repertoire (but some of their songs do rival those classic prog pieces in musicality).
Prior to Pendragon taking the stage, Abel Ganz opened proceedings, and the Scottish band entertained with a primarily acoustic set, more Celtic than prog.
Pendragon - The Ferry, Glasgow 28th May 2010
I'm not the greatest fan in the world of neo-prog rockers Pendragon yet I have caught them live three times now, most recently at The Ferry in Glasgow, one year after their first visit to that club concert venue on the River Clyde.
Pendragon, who were formed in 1978 and released their first album in 1985, are built around the song writing & direction of vocalist, guitarist, and founding member Nick Barrett.
Bass player Peter Gee has also been part of the Pendragon package since their origins, but it's fair comment to say the band really started making progressive waves in 1986 when keyboard player Clive Nolan joined (whose other musical prog projects and collaborations are too many to mention).
For me though the band was truly complete, certainly as regards live sound, with the arrival of drummer Scott Higham in 2008.
I had the opportunity to shoot the breeze with Scott earlier in the evening and his enthusiasm for music, and affection for this band, are very clearly defined in both conversation, and how he plays...
Higham physically drives the sound on from the back, by what I describe as truly 'attacking' his kit, whilst still in control of his playing, with just a touch of anger.
The only disappointment for drummer and audience was that the Ferry stage has a large but low ceiling 'alcove' area where the drums are situated and this meant Scott couldn't do any standing or leaning over the kit (which is usually a part of his performance) for danger of serious concussion.
So instead we got serious percussion (sorry). Boom, boom (sorry again).
Although I'm more of a fan of what I would describe as their more melodic but no less adventurous prog albums of the nineties, their last album, 2008's 'Pure', was well received, critically acclaimed in the progressive corridors of power, and remains the core of the set two years on.
So if I'm not the greatest Pendragon fan in the world, what am I doing at another 'dragon show and, in this case, reviewing it?
Well, primarily because Pendragon are worth seeing out on the circuit, no matter how much of a prog fan you are, or aren't.
Nick Barrett may not be the greatest singer in the world (and at this show he did comment that he was carrying a flu bug or a cold) but he has a very individual vocal delivery and approach, and attacks each and every song with the same passion and vigour, both vocally and musically (Barrett is a solid performer on guitar, and he can be beautifully emotive on some of the Pendragon passages).
This, in turn, is reflected in the rest of the band and something that the audiences clearly acknowledge and appreciate - there is a mutual respect between band and audience, and that's something you don't always find.
The front man also enjoys bantering with the audience as he introduces each song and the story or inspiration behind it, and his lyrics are usually based on real events or personal observations - you won't find many Starship Troopers, Squonks, or Tarkus tank animals in Pendragon's musical or lyrical repertoire (but some of their songs do rival those classic prog pieces in musicality).
Prior to Pendragon taking the stage, Abel Ganz opened proceedings, and the Scottish band entertained with a primarily acoustic set, more Celtic than prog.
Pendragon hit the stage to a noisy and warm 'Weegie' welcome, and the power of 'Indigo' (from the aforementioned Pure) was soon reverberating around the Ferry, with the band going on to deliver for close to two and a half hours.
Other Pure moments included 'Eraserhead' and the three movement 'Comatose' (the featured piece of the album), with 'It's Only Me' ending the main set in quite an emotive style with its "band of brothers" closing statements - quite fitting as regards the relationship Barrett and Pendragon have with their audiences.
In between such 'purities' highlights included fan favourite 'Paintbox' (sometimes given an acoustic setting but here given it's full outing), 'If I was the Wind', 'Not of this World' (a personal favourite), and a rocking version of 'Nostradamus (Stargazing)'.
Other Pure moments included 'Eraserhead' and the three movement 'Comatose' (the featured piece of the album), with 'It's Only Me' ending the main set in quite an emotive style with its "band of brothers" closing statements - quite fitting as regards the relationship Barrett and Pendragon have with their audiences.
In between such 'purities' highlights included fan favourite 'Paintbox' (sometimes given an acoustic setting but here given it's full outing), 'If I was the Wind', 'Not of this World' (a personal favourite), and a rocking version of 'Nostradamus (Stargazing)'.
The encore featured another crowd pleaser 'Master of Illusion', before the show ended with Nick in good company and amongst friends as he wandered in to the audience to deliver the final lines of the poignant '2am'.
This gig also turned out to be an opportunity that very rarely presents itself - a review of mine complimented by photo's from the camera of my buddy John McGuigan (of which only a small sample are presented here).
John has taken many photos at many gigs over the years, and isn't a bad amateur photographer, let me tell you.
Should you be interested, some of his work can be found on his flickr page.
Ross Muir
May 2010
This gig also turned out to be an opportunity that very rarely presents itself - a review of mine complimented by photo's from the camera of my buddy John McGuigan (of which only a small sample are presented here).
John has taken many photos at many gigs over the years, and isn't a bad amateur photographer, let me tell you.
Should you be interested, some of his work can be found on his flickr page.
Ross Muir
May 2010
