Live Review: Porcupine Tree, Manchester Academy, 30 Sep 2006

Having sold out the smaller Academy 2 twice last year, Porcupine Tree moved up to the larger Academy 1. They didn't manage to sell out, but still attracted a bigger audience than would have fitted into the smaller venue.

This was a rather different gig to those last two, in that PT started by playing an entire hour of completely new material. Evidently they've decided to road-test the songs for the next album in a live setting before going into the studio to record them.

So what did the new material sound like? Well, it looks as though there's another change in musical direction. It's not Deadwing part II. If anything, it's a bit more 'prog', less guitar-driven with a lot more keyboards. Wilson himself played quite a bit of keys, leaving John Wesley to play the lead guitar parts. (Wes sang lead vocals in places too!) It was quite a way into the set before we heard Steve play a guitar solo himself. A couple of heavier moments reminded me of parts of Dream Theater circa "Awake"; there was also one song with a soaring vocal line remiscent of Steve Wilson's side project Blackfield. Steve Wilson thanked us for patiently listening to so much unfamiliar music before the short interval.

The audience energy level picked up during the second half of the show when the band played songs people already knew. The second set was drawn entirely from the two most recent albums, "In Absentia" and "Deadwing", which might have disappointed those wanting to hear anything from "Lightbulb Sun" or the recently re-released "Stupid Dream". The kaleidoscopic epic "Arriving Somewhere" was greeted with the most applause, only a year old and already an audience favourite. High spots for me were "Sound of Muzak" and the final encore "Blackest Eyes" with that massive Zeppelinesque intro.

Despite a few quibbles over the setlist in the second half, this was still a very enjoyable show. Hearing so much unfamiliar music in a show often challenging for an audience, especially for a band who's work tends to need multiple listenings to be fully appreciated. On first hearing, though, these new songs came over as very strong, and I look forward to hearing the album when it comes out next year.

Update: The Ministry of Information has another review.

Posted by TimHall at October 01, 2006 04:59 PM

Comments

To be picky, 'Buying New Soul' is from 'Recordings' (2001). This was also part of the tour promoting the 'Arriving Somewhere...' DVD, not the 'Stupid Dream' reissue, so the setlist was always going to be drawn from the former, not necessarily the latter. Likewise, with 50 mins of brand new music in the first half, the chances of novel choices (from that restricted DVD tracklist, remember) in the second half were low.

I loved the new material - it blows the almost 'pop-rock' 'Deadwing' out of the water!

Posted by: NRT on October 1, 2006 06:19 PM

I don't remember 'Buying New Soul' at all; but I don't have "Recordings", so wouldn't have recognised it.

I could still have done without 'Open Car' or 'Start of Something Beautiful', both of which they played last time around. At least we were spared the forgettably sub-Coldplay 'Lazarus' this time around. I dread to think what would have happened had that been a hit. Come to think of it, 'Arriving Somewhere' is the only "Deadwing" song that really stands up compared with the four numbers they played from "In Absentia".

Posted by: Tim Hall on October 1, 2006 06:53 PM

You incompletist, you! ;-)

Posted by: Steve Jones on October 1, 2006 06:56 PM


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