ONE NIGHT ON FIRE

Well, it's well packaged and well produced, the band themselves are in sparkling form and the sound quality is excellent. The DVD features tracks from the debut CD plus a few from the recent release "Curious Things" and some new tracks (presumably) from the forthcoming CD "The Big Red Spark" (including the title track). The DVD is a pretty straightforward concert film with only a few shots of a fairly static but appreciative crowd. As I've said the band are in top form (no equipment breakdowns!) - Simon Godfrey is in excellent voice and the rest of the band are faultless. Leon Camfield proves himself to be one of the top prog drummers around and Rob Ramsay's costumes are worth paying to see.

The extras included artwork and an interview with Simon and Rob. The live CD is worth shelling out the extras for - the sound is one of the best I've heard on a live CD, the separation and clarity of the instruments mean you can hear exactly what's going on

Criticisms? Well, occasionally the camera is not on the right person, I had to strain to hear the questions in the interview and there is little of the onstage banter you normally get at a Tinyfish gig (although this is probably explained by the Polish audience).

Overall, this is a highly recommended release and will hopefully push the Fishes further into the spotlight where they deserve to be.

The number of mainly British bands making the pilgrimage to Katowice in Poland to perform live in one of the prog fests there is testament to the enlightened nature of the audience which awaits them. Fortunately for the rest of us, it also recognises the unequalled facilities offered by local record company Metal Mind Productions in terms of capturing those performances and releasing them in audio and video format.

Tinyfish are among the latest of the bands to make the journey, playing at the 2 day event which took place in February 2009. Tinyfish were the first band on this night (16 February 2009), and it does take the audience a while to warm up. The set list consists of most of the tracks which appeared on their self titled 2006 début, their only full album to date. Also present are tracks from their 2009 mini album of rarities "Curious things", and some recorded for their forthcoming album "The big red spark".

The first thing prog fans will notice about Tinyfish is that they do not have a keyboard player. Instead, we have the twin guitars of Simon Godfrey (brother of Gem Godfrey of Frost*) and Jim Sanders. Sanders is the principal lead guitarist, with Godfrey mainly providing rhythm. While the guitar sounds are diverse, this can at times lead to the sound seeming a little thin at least in prog terms, but on the other hand it does mean that the guitar sounds are transparently clear. One admirable nod to prog excesses is the occasional appearance of one Robert Ramsay to deliver spoken word recitals in fine the tradition of Graeme Edge, Fish and the likes.

Longer songs such as the 10 minute "Wide awake at midnight" see the band developing their themes well, the performances being tight throughout. Most of the songs though are compact, the diversity of pace and style between them causing them to merge into a greater whole. The highlight of the gig is saved for the encore, where the three part "All hands lost" (parts 1 and 2 are separated by the band's eponymous intermission) makes for a fine suite.

The main gig runs for just short of an hour and a half, the DVD also containing around 50 minutes of extras. The first of these is a home made documentary capturing the band pretty much from inception (including the e-mail which started it all) through to rehearsals for the Polish gig. The film captures the closeness of band to each other, their friendship being a clear strength throughout (indeed it is part of the reason why the band do not have a keyboard player). Also included is an interview with Simon Godfrey and lyricist Robert Ramsay, where Godfrey makes the statement quoted in the heading here.

This was by all accounts the biggest gig the band have performed. A visit to their website indicates that it made a significant impression upon them, and with good reason. This is a highly polished set from a band who have come up with some fine material. The limited range of options available from their chosen line up can leave the sound seeming one dimensional at times, but this is more than offset by the strength of the material.