CAUGHT IN THE ACT

Excellent DVD, marred only slightly by the fact that the general sound is a little too low on the final editing. That´s strange since otherwise the balance is perfect: you can hear all the instruments and voices almost like a studio recording. Anyway, it is really a treat for all fans of this outstanding prog band that started out as a simple side project for Clive Nolan (Pendragon, Shadowland) with ex Marillion drummer Mike Pointer. If you consider how many of those project Nolan had already done (Strangers On A Train, Wakeman-Nolan, etc), it is all the more amazing to see how far they have reached up till that point.

Caught In The Act was recorded during the tour for Arena´s Contagion CD and it is no surprise that the bulk of the songs are from that album. Which is not bad at all, since that record is one of their best (second only to their masterpiece The Visitor) and being a concept album, it is only logical to play it almost entirely and in the correct running order of the CD. But fans of the earlier material cannot complain much since they also play three songs from both The Visitor and Immortal?, two from their debut Songs From The Lion´s Cage and one from Pride. Most of the time the choice of material was the best from each CD. The only exception to this rule is in the case of Pride: I´d much rather see them playing the epic Sirens instead of Cry For Help VII, but you can´t have everything, right?

For the perfomances themselves, the band is in fine form. They seemed to be playing together since forever and it amazed me: Contagion was just the first Arena´s work to feature the same line up as its previous one and still they play like a seasoned group. The original duo found a very talented guitarrist (John Mitchell) that gave them the right ingredient to expand their original formula and save them from the ' Marillion clone' syndrome of their first two releases. Singer Rob Sowden is a very charismatic singer with an very good voice, strong and versatile enough to perfect deliver Nolan´s dark and gloomy lyrics (something Nolan himself always lacked when he fronts Shadowland). The rhythm section of Ian Salmon (bass) and Pointer is powerful and dynamic, giving the songs a driving beat that is both original and very adequade for the tunes.

Wih fantastic stage lightining, good camera angles and a killer repertoire, this is surely a must have for any fan. Arena really exceeded all expectations. Kudos to them!

Rating: 4,5 stars. Highly recommended.