Aural Moon - Progressive Rock Discussion - Summers End 2008

Summers End Festival 2008.

I can’t believe it’s over!!! The best SEfest so far without any doubt. Great company, new friends, old friends, hugs, cuddles and, of course, GREAT MUSIC.

Huw, Lambsie and their band of little helpers really did the business this year and to all of them I say a HUGE “Thank you”. It was magnificent.

The weekend started on Thursday night with me going to pick up Mr Mortis at the station. I’d been to a works do and was a little shaky on my feet but we managed to get back home and after a few hours sleep, interrupted by the odd trip to the loo (a pattern repeated for the next three nights) we made our way to Lydney on Friday morning.

Lydney station is in the middle of nowhere and when we got off the train we met up with a bunch of Scandinavians (Yes, THOSE Scandinavians) who looked as lost as we did. A little thought got us pointing in the right direction and the two mile walk started. The Scandinavians branched off towards their accommodation and Mortis and I struggled on to ours. I say struggled because the Great Dane had bought along his entire photo studio in a case that even when empty weighs more than he does….hey ho, he will never learn.

We found the hotel and as we approached the reception area we were greeted by a pleasant Yorkshire twang that could only be one person. Steve aka Eloy1964 and his mate Norm. I was a bit taken aback because I’m sure he said “Eee we’ve just had a couple of pints of butt come. It were greeeeeeeet” . It turns out that it was a brew called butcombe beer (http://www.butcombe.com/ ) but I was worried for a while.

Unpacking took no time at all, mainly because we didn’t, and we headed to the pub for what was the first of many pints that weekend. Bliss, sheer bliss, and then it was time to head off for the evenings entertainment.

FRIDAY.

Lydney Town Hall is a great venue. Good sound, nice bar (even though it only sold canned beer), friendly staff and right on the main road a mile from our hotel. That would prove really useful later that evening.

We were to hear two bands that night and the first of these was SEASON’S END.

Billed as a symphonic metal band I was interested. They were young, good looking and could really play. They had a very attractive female singer called Becki and when the band really got going she took part in what should be an Olympic sport, “Synchronised moshing”. Ye Gods…I honestly thought she was going to fall out of her black outfit. As it happens so did a lot of the rest of the audience because a loads of cameras were poised ready - especially Mortis’.

Next up were THRESHOLD. They played a blinding set at last year’s festival and I was really pleased when Huw and Lambsie invited them back again this year. They did not disappoint. Damian Wilson was in superb form and the rest of the band seemed to take off with him. Every song was brilliantly played and I was particularly pleased that they played “Pilot in the sky of dreams” as it’s my favourite Threshold track with it’s superb vocal harmonies.

All too soon the set was over and I realised that I seemed to be staggering a bit. Looking at the rather large pile of empty Guinness cans it became obvious why.

A few drunken chats with various people and it was time to head off to noddy land. That meant walking back to the hotel as taxis were, shall we say, at a premium. More on that later.

We set off along the main road but as we left the town the street lights disappeared too and there was about half a mile of pitch black road to wander along. I am thinking of writing a book about country ditch wildlife as I fell into four of them and met what seemed like every species of spider and rodent known to man. Thankfully the alcohol coursing through my veins stopped me from sustaining any serious injury and we made it back to the room.

SATURDAY.

Woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, found my way outside and had a smoke and somebody spoke and said “Your Bloody snoring kept me awake for hours you swine”. Sorry Mortis.

Had breakfast and went into town. We were a bit early, two hours early, but as we walked along the road I noticed a sign that cracked me up.

Sheer brilliance, because where else on Earth could you have a Prog Rock Festival in the same town, on the same weekend as a MODEL RAILWAY ENTHUSIASTS CONVENTION? I nearly wet myself laughing. Mortis on the other hand was delighted because he is a die hard train spotter. Every time he went missing you could guarantee he was taking photos of trains.

I sat down outside the hall but Mortis wanted to go to the shops for some food. I stayed and looked after the camera case. Mortis returned after about an hour and it was then that the “Magic coat” came into being. For the rest of the weekend people noticed that whenever Mortis put his hands into his pocket he would retrieve all manner of things. Pies, wine gums, bars of chocolate, more pies and did I mention the pies? Completely bemusing and I hadn’t even had a drink yet.

The doors opened (a little late) and the days’ entertainment started.

Five bands today.

OVERVIBE are another very young group who could go far. Good songs with nice synth lines and impressive vocals from Si Aljewicz.

ABERAX were supposed to be here last year but had to cancel. I’m glad they made it over this year because I really like their album “Crying of the Whales”. A good set although some of the material sounded a little “samey” and it might have been a mistake to do ‘Comfortably Numb’ and Procol Harum’s ‘A Salty Dog’. Still an excellent set overall though and I’m certainly not put off seeing them again if the chance arises.

QUIDAM were the highlight of the day for me. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!!!!!

Excellent flute playing and the traditional prog sound that a lot of people wanted to hear. The reception given after their last song was beautiful and moving. I thought Mortis was going to cry. Well done guys. You were brilliant.

There followed a break while they set up for MAGENTA. Mortis’ Magic coat continued to produce pies and chocolate and I decided that I should ease up on the beer consumption so only had one more the whole evening. It didn’t stop me investigating the ditch life again on the way home however.

MAGENTA’S set was plagued with a few sound problems and at one point the entire room literally shook with the bass notes and they had to stop playing and restart the song. Poor Christina seemed to be in great pain with her “in ear” monitor and at one point even threw her tambourine across the stage in disgust. Goes to show what a professional outfit they are though as they carried on and delivered a great two hour set. Nice one.

Another break for more of the Magic Coat pies, chocs and a quick trip to the chippie then it was time for IQ.

John Jowitt and Andy Edwards have to be the hardest working rhythm section in prog. Not only did they play a 2 hour set with IQ but returned the next day with Frost*. It was great to see Pete Nicholls back singing after his illness earlier in the year and the band played a great set including some NEW numbers from the soon to be released album. Excellent!!! They also did ‘The Wake’ and a terrific version of ‘The Seventh House’. The light show was rather impressive too as were the accompanying slides.

An excellent Saturday but even that was surpassed by the Sunday which is the best day’s music I have EVER heard.

SUNDAY.

Things ran (mostly) to time today. The first band on was GLOW. A group of guys who were rather worried that they wouldn’t fit in. I think they had heard the Season’s End and Threshold sets.

They needn’t have worried though as the crowd loved them. Two guitarists and a guy called, I kid you not, ‘Ni’ pushing buttons, knobs, dials and switches (I wondered if his parents had liked shrubberies) which controlled the drums and other swirly sounds. I loved them and was reminded of a cross between Ozrics, Hawkwind, TD and Can. Quite trippy at times which is always good.

Next up were THIEVES KITCHEN. This, for me, was the highlight of the entire weekend. Their latest album “The Water Road” is my favourite album of the year so far and they played a lot of it during their incredible set. They use a lot of “odd” instruments including a clarinet which makes for a very interesting sound. They even had a Mellotron on stage and when Thomas Johnson hit the keys and that “proggiest” of soundscapes washed over the audience there were audible sighs of pleasure. Fantastic music indeed and the different time signatures were both a delight and mesmerising. Their guitarist, Phil Mercy, had a beautiful twin neck 12/6 string guitar. The body of the guitar was made of an incredibly grained wood and jokes were made that 17 trees died in the process of it’s creation. Very funny.

If Thieves Kitchen play in your neck of the woods make the effort to see them. You’ll be in for a real treat.

ABEL GANZ played next. A really good performance, in a much more accessible vein than TK which sent the crowd away happy. I’d first heard Abel Ganz in the 80s on an album called Double Exposure with other bands from the British “Prog Revival” of that era like Haze but considering this was 20+ years later our Scottish friends can still turn out great music as their recent “Shooting Albatross” album demonstrates. An excellent set guys. Loved it.

Another break and then it was time for FROST*.

John and Andy played their second full set of the weekend and they were joined by the amazing John Mitchell on guitar (John was playing his third SEfest in a row with different bands), Declan Burke of Darwin’s Radio on guitar and Jem Godfrey on Keys. A veritable prog ‘Supergroup’. They played songs from their soon to be released CD “Experiments in Mass Appeal” and from what we heard it bodes really well for a great follow up to 2006’s “Milliontown”. The title track of which was their final number. This track is 26 minutes of brilliant songwriting. Changes in moods, soaring guitar work from Dec and John, powerhouse rhythm section and stunning vocal harmonies from everyone. This time it was me who was moved to tears by the experience of listening to this amazing track.

After another break it was THE TANGENT.

Fabulous entertainment from this most fluid of bands. Fluid that is in the personnel changes. The latest incarnation includes Andy Tillison (of course), the brilliant Guy Manning, guitarist Jakko M Jakszyk, reedsman Theo Travis and the four guys from Swedish band Beardfish who started working with Andy this year. Boy what a talented bunch they are. Their young bassist is incredible both in the way he plays and the way he moves about the stage. The set was not only a musical tour de force but HUGELY entertaining. Andy’s story of how his computer started a Windows update in the middle of a set had the whole audience falling about laughing.

Tracks that stand out are “GPS Culture” and “Lost in London” but the whole set was a delight including the Manning song and the Beardfish track played by the lads themselves.. Andy is surely a prog guru. A lot of people could learn a lot about songcraft from him.

But was it all over???? Oh No it wasn’t!!!! We’d been promised something a bit special and we got it as an encore. The Tangent playing “Yours is no disgrace” with Jakko as Jon Anderson. What a hoot!!!!

And then it WAS all over. Huw and Lambsie bid us all farewell and I’m sure that after a short break will be thinking about next year. I had a drink with Huw and his wife after the Tangent and he was sure that there will be a SEfest2009. I’ll be there. You should be too. It will be Fan-bloody-tastic!!!!

Special thanks to Mr Mortis who continues to be fabulous company. Steve, Norm, Lee, Sara (more cuddles please sweetheart), Mick, Tommo and the rest of the Prog Ears/Peel gang. Also a big hello to Vince and Amy who flew over from the USA. Great meeting you and see you next time.