Steven Wilson - Melbourne, Australia 28-10-2016

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   STEVEN WILSON - October 28th 2016, Melbourne, Australia

Last night, Melbourne Australia was privileged to witness modern progressive music icon Steven Wilson's sublime sold-out performance at Billboard the Venue.

A three hour show split over two sets, he initially played his recent `Hand. Cannot. Erase' album in its entirety, and to say that the album completely comes alive in a live environment would be an extreme understatement. The power and poise with which Wilson performed, alongside his backing band that included Nick Beggs (Mute Gods, Iona, and 80's pop group Kajagoogoo) and his thunderous bass, jazz keyboard player Adam Holzman, guitarist David Kilminster (Roger Waters, John Wetton and Keith Emerson touring bands, Mantra Vega, and plenty more) and powerhouse drummer Craig Blundell (who played on Neo-prog figurehead Pendragon's last studio album `Men Who Climb Mountains'), insured a first-rate concert experience. 

The second set saw a choice selection of material from Wilson's previous three solo works, a welcome dip into his recent `4 1/2' mini-album, and much-loved Porcupine Tree material such as `Dark Matter', `Lazarus', `Sound of Muzak' (could the lyrics of that song be any more relevant now than ever before in the current musical environment?) and `Don't Hate Me', a new interpretation that had lengthy ambient ethereal improvised sections with Wilson adding some droning and hypnotic Glissando guitar effect (well, parts of the original always reminded of the classic period of Gong!), making it perhaps the definitive version to date, and Adam's keyboard noodling (replacing the absent Theo Travis' sax) gave the piece an unexpected grooving quality! 

There was also a surprisingly effective cover of Prince's `Sign of the Times' that was completely respectable and fit in quite nicely with the sound of the rest of the show.

Steven himself was in a frequently jovial and insightful mood, even joking about the public perception of him being frequently considered (in his own choice words!) a `miserable f*ck'! He also spoke very passionately and intelligently about artists such as David Bowie and Prince, considering them some of the last examples of constantly evolving/experimenting musical artists that had mainstream success, the likes of which we'll probably never see again with the way the industry is these days. He also discussed that same 70's/80's era where artists were frequently putting out new works on an often yearly basis, and his interest over the worth of exploring complete discographies of artists, covering both highs and lows, because seeing that journey and progression was completely fascinating and rewarding. His light-hearted dig at Tool taking `50 years between albums, for something that will likely sound pretty much just like the last one' also brought massive approval from the crowd! 

Along with the exceptional production/lighting/visual effects, the show proved that Steven just keeps taking things to the next level, and he's a revelation for those who appreciate artistic intelligence in music that remains melodic and mostly accessible. 

No doubt everyone was in agreement over what an incredible show it was to witness, so let's hope it's not too long before Mr Wilson and company return to Australia!

Michael Hodgson.

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