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michaelmorris 
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 Topic: Pendragon - Leamington 12/12/09
Posted: December 13 2009 at 06:33 |
I saw Pendragon for the first time last night and thought I'd post a quick review of the gig.
Overall rating - 3 out of 5.
Venue - 4 out of 5
The venue (the Assembly) is excellent and I would hghly recommend it. It's an old Art Deco Cinema with a large bar, good faciltiies, good acoustics and a good view of the stage.
Music - Variable - 2 out of 5 to 4 out of 5
About what I expected I suppose. Some tracks were excellent (those from the albums 'Not of this World' and 'Window of Life') whilst otheres were a bit 'clunkie (Particularly the tunes from the album 'Pure')
The show - 2 out of 5.
God does Nick Barrett love himeself or what! Me thinks he takes himself a little too seriously. Yes, some of the stuff he writes is excellent and yes, he plays a mean guitar. IMHO he could do with a little less of the Jack Black/JGene Simmonds and little more of the Dave Gilmour - if you know what I mean. The bass and keyboard players were excellent as was the drummer (Scott Higham). However, Mr Highams put in the most extraordinary performance I have ever seen from a drummer. In the quiet bits he insisted in standing up and making funny gestures at the crowd (thumbs up, pointing at individuals waving his arms about etc). I'm afraid it ruined the entire show for me! I went with a group of mates and everyone commented on his strange and off-putting antics.
Would I go and see Pendragon again? I'm afraid (based on this performance) probably not.
Edited by michaelmorris - December 14 2009 at 16:04
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ozzric
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Posted: December 14 2009 at 16:33 |
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I also saw Pendragon at Leamington Spa.
My take on it is slightly different. I'd agree that the venue was very good; nice size, style and sound. I thought the music was excellent - particularly the tracks from Pure.
Rather than Nick Barrett taking himself too seriously, I think he simply enjoys playing so much and engages well with the audience that it can come across as a bit smug or knowing. As for Scott Higham, he certainly knows his way around his drumkit, but I'd agree that the gurning goes a bit too far at times. It seems that the relationship between the band and a hardcore of fans is unusually close!
I saw them last year at The Peel and I much preferred this performance because they had more space on stage (and hence could move around more and looked more comfortable) and the sound was a lot better. Would I go again next year? Probably, yes.
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chopper
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Posted: December 15 2009 at 06:52 |
 michaelmorris wrote:
IMHO he could do with a little less of the Jack Black/JGene Simmonds and little more of the Dave Gilmour - if you know what I mean.
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No. Did he wear black and white make up and poke his tongue out a lot?
Edited by chopper - December 15 2009 at 06:53
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michaelmorris
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Posted: December 15 2009 at 14:17 |
chopper wrote:
michaelmorris wrote:
IMHO he could do with a little less of the Jack Black/Gene Simmonds and little more of the Dave Gilmour - if you know what I mean.
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No. Did he wear black and white make up and poke his tongue out a lot? |
Did he wear black and white make up - no
.... and poke his tongue out a lot ? - yes!
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pealo
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Posted: December 16 2009 at 16:20 |
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you must have seen a different gig to me. I think that at this moment, Pendragon are at the top of their game.
A varied set list covering just about all of the studio album releases, and a couple of christmas "silly's" at the end.
They played for over 3 hours , not many other bands could do that long I am sure.
Scott Highams jestures and points add to the "band of brothers" feeling for me, you know - how the band connects with the audience- and he has done this at all the gigs I have seen him play at, and everyone I spoke to after thought this was simply an awesome gig in an awesome venue.
Now I know that for some people Nick is marmite - but I think this was a special night, and I would deffinately go to see them again!
Horses for courses I suppose, you cant please everybody :-)
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Do you remember, Do you recall, the smell of school dining halls and backstreet brawls?
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michaelmorris
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Posted: December 16 2009 at 16:32 |
Oops - technical problem with this post
see below for re-sent post.
Edited by michaelmorris - December 16 2009 at 16:43
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michaelmorris
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Posted: December 16 2009 at 16:41 |
pealo wrote:
Scott Highams jestures and points add to the "band of brothers" feeling for me, you know - how the band connects with the audience- and he has done this at all the gigs I have seen him play at,
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Dear Pealo
I think my mate Rich summed up the performance (not the music) quite well. He said it was like watching a VERY good school band perform in front of their mates at the school disco, not a professional prog rock band.
I'm sure Scott Highams antics were very much appreciated by an 'in crowd' of dedicated fans, but they put off quite a few other people. All four in my group thought his antics were off-putting and I heard several other members of the crowd comment on them as we left. I've seen similar 'exclusive' behaviour at gigs in the past by Fish and Al Stewart and it does nothing to endear them to a new audience.
I still like some of Pendragon's music, but live - they're not for me.
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Wilcey
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Posted: December 16 2009 at 17:25 |
School band????  I wonder who's taking themselves too seriously??? It was the Pendragon Christmas show, and approximately 596 (leaving out your party of 4) people had a BALL, including those on stage, what I saw was an evening of top notch entertainment. Sorry if it wasn't your cup of tea....... but School band? 
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progkidjoel
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Posted: December 16 2009 at 18:04 |
God I'm jealous of all these damn Pendragon concert goers
I reeeeeeeaaaaaaalllly wish they would come to Australia  But I'm a bit confused by your review... It still sounds like a good show, and I would love to have attended it 
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Wilcey
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Posted: December 16 2009 at 18:42 |
well for you Progkidjoel, here's the set list............. Set1
Indigo
Eraserhead
Comatose
The Freak Show
It's Only Me
Set2
Learning Curve
The Last Man on Earth
Oh Divineo
If I Were The Wind
The King of the Castle
Leviathan
Nostradamus
The Shadow
The Black Knight
Am I Really Losing You
Paintbox
Masters of Illusion
Red Shoes
Fairytale of New York (with Christina from Magenta)It was a Christmas show so it was a biggie and all a bit of fun, Pure is stunning live (so thought 596 people  ) The boys would LOVE to come to Aus, we're getting more and more support down under. Some radio station in Tasmania does occaisional Pendie specials and are busy spreading the word. IF a promoter made an serious offer they'd be there like a shot! (can we bring our surf boards as well as guitars? ) W x
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progkidjoel
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Posted: December 16 2009 at 18:49 |
Thanks Wilcey 
Sounds like a stellar show, I only have The Masquerade Overture and Pure so far, but there are some awesome tracks there!
It'd be awesome to have PD in Aus sometime 
It just sucks that most people don't like any prog here, and Pendragon is pretty much unheard of to most people who do like some prog here. The major Australian CD retailer doesn't even stock Pendragon CD's 
Thanks again!
-Joel
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SLFTB1
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 02:57 |
Have no problem with people not liking the performance but....
School band????, I have to say that this is an incredible comment to make can you play aninstrument???
I have played in a band for 20 years plus and if Pendragon are a school band then god help me when I go on stage on Saturday and Sunday night.
Having had the pleasure of seeing some very large names onver the last 25 years I would rate Saturday as one of the best performances I have seen.
I mean what do you want??, Nick spends time talking to the audience and iterracting with them, is it forbidden for a drummer to wave to people that he knows.
How many other bands give you 3 hours for £12 and then come and speak to the fans for as long as they want to talk???
OK, I am a big Pendragon fan but I know when I am being cheated, Saturday night was a fantastic night and we all had a ball.
So I hope this gives a bit of balance, sorry you do not feel the same but School band...thats just out of order!!!
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progkidjoel
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 04:25 |
^More than perfectly said - Especially considering they charged 12P for the show 
Dream Theater charged (the equivalent) of 75 pounds for the show, and another 30 to meet them...
Also, MichaelMorris, either you've seen some pretty awesome school bands ( ), or are completely insane! I can get the whole 'playing to their mates' thing, because the band is/was obviously considers the attendees to be mates, but from a musical quality or live re-production point of view, thats just wrong...
Edited by progkidjoel - December 17 2009 at 04:34
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MarcelH
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 04:29 |
I did not see the band at Leamington, but a few days earlier in The Netherlands. Yet, aftre reading this review, i feel the urge to comment on a few things....
michaelmorris wrote:
Music - Variable - 2 out of 5 to 4 out of 5
About what I expected I suppose. Some tracks were excellent (those from the albums 'Not of this World' and 'Window of Life') whilst otheres were a bit 'clunkie (Particularly the tunes from the album 'Pure') |
It's been a few years since i've seen Pendragon play, but what I witnessed, was an amazing performance, especially oif the Pure songs! Those were the ones I was most anxious about and live it sounded even better than on the album! There was one song that sounded other than fantastic. And words like 'clunkie' did definetly not come to mind here...
michaelmorris wrote:
The show - 2 out of 5.
God does Nick Barrett love himeself or what! Me thinks he takes himself a little too seriously. Yes, some of the stuff he writes is excellent and yes, he plays a mean guitar. IMHO he could do with a little less of the Jack Black/JGene Simmonds and little more of the Dave Gilmour - if you know what I mean. |
Excuse me???? Comparing Nick to Black or Simmons is way off...You ask for Gilmour, well, that is exactly what I saw and heard. My god, the solos in Comatose...breathtaking. Yes, Nick is enthusiastic! And he should be...he is playing great music. Although I love Pink Floyd/David Glimour, I find live shows of them pretty boring to watch...so I'll take a Pendragon live show over Pink Floyd any day!
michaelmorris wrote:
However, Mr Highams put in the most extraordinary performance I have ever seen from a drummer. In the quiet bits he insisted in standing up and making funny gestures at the crowd (thumbs up, pointing at individuals waving his arms about etc). I'm afraid it ruined the entire show for me! I went with a group of mates and everyone commented on his strange and off-putting antics. |
Again...what is wrong with a musician who has fun in the music he is playing??? Scott is totally involved in the music and he interacts with the audience...that is what I like about the live shows...better than musicians that play amazing, but have no interaction or connection with their audience.
michaelmorris wrote:
Would I go and see Pendragon again? I'm afraid (based on this performance) probably not. |
That will be you loss...you will miss out on a band that loves what they do and are only getting better at what they do! As for me...I can't wait to see them again...This band showed me how great a live show can be and that is something I forgotten after seeing many other bands....
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SLFTB1
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 04:38 |
Value for money is something that Pendragon have always given to their fans.
Nick cares passionatly about his performances and is one of the most down to earth guys I have had the pleasure to meet.
Clive and Peter are the same and as for Scott, probably the best drummer I have ever seen even next to Paice, Lombardo, Bourdin and loads over the years.
You know what, he has even come to see my band twice and seen us murder Nostradamus both times!!!
So like I said.....if you don't like the gig fair comment but your comments are far form fair and balanced and as Macel says that is your loss.
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Mick
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 07:29 |
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It was a great night by a great band, enjoyed by 600 plus people, nuff said!
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Fish is for Life!
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michaelmorris
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 13:42 |
Hold on a moment folks!
If you read the review and my comments I said felt 'the performance' was a bit school band - not the music, not the musicianship, not the stage set, not the venue, not the crowd - the performance. All I'm saying is that the performance wasn't my (or my friends') cup of tea.
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Prog Rock fan and Amateur Astronomer
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MarcelH
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 13:53 |
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I read what you said...you didn't like the performance....still, my reply to your comments still stand.
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Neil Palfreyman
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 13:59 |
Each to their own, of course, but I feel the need to balance things a bit. The venue (and isn't it a great venue?) was absolutely packed. I've been there six times this year and that was the most people I have seen in there by a long chalk. From the sound of the audience response I would say 99.99% were absolutely loving it!  Afterwards several "hardened gig goers" told me they thought it was the best gig they have ever seen - not the best Pendragon gig, or the gest gig this year but *the* best gig - and considering the age of some of them I think that covers an awful lot of gigs! With regard to your comments about Nick - for whatever reason you've ended up with completely the wrong impression: He's passionate about the music and fans, and he certainly loves the performance, especially in front of such a responsive crowd and absolutely always pours heart and soul into a gig (even when he's got a stinker of a cold  like at Summer's end a few months back.) But catch him after a gig sometime and have a chat. I can guarantee that you really, really couldn't wish to meet a more down to earth and likeable guy.
Edited by Neil Palfreyman - December 17 2009 at 14:14
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SLFTB1
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Posted: December 17 2009 at 14:31 |
michaelmorris wrote:
Hold on a moment folks!
If you read the review and my comments I said felt 'the performance' was a bit school band - not the music, not the musicianship, not the stage set, not the venue, not the crowd - the performance. All I'm saying is that the performance wasn't my (or my friends') cup of tea. |
As I said each to their own but I still think your comments are unfair.
I am not sure why Nicks "performance"? sure he likes a laugh but did you see him during "If I were the wind"?, do you know the background to that song? not sure I have seen someone put so much emotion into a song and it was much the same in Zoetermeer the week before.
I suppose my point is that I am finding it hard to understand your comments re "the performance", Scott has had a very close relationship with Pendragon fans almost as soon as he joined last year. So what if he waves at a few people?, we follow them everywhere we can and they are part of the Pendragon family.
At 41 I still want to have a laugh and a good time at a gig and we sure did, don't want to be motionless analysing everything. We jumped around like idiots, although I have only been going to gigs since 2007 there wer epeople with me who have follwed them since 1982 and to a man that was the best Pendie gig of all.
Sorry you didn't like it enough to go to another, as has been said "your loss"
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Pendragon - Leamington 12/12/09
