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Review: Lonely Robot, Thekla
Craig Blundell’s huge drum kit leaves support act Tilt spanned across the Thekla stage in a line, with unfortunate drummer Dave Stewart positioned halfway to the dressing room. In all other regards, they’re treated generously, with an excellent sound and full use of lights and the back projection screen.
Two of these guys (Stewart and bassist Steve Vantsis) are best known to the prognoscenti as members of Fish’s band, setting up certain expectations that are about to be confounded. The rather lovely Against the Rain proves to be the only song that might merit the description ‘Marillionesque’ – and that sounds more like Steve Hogarth-era Marillion. But, unusually for the genre, singer PJ Dourley is more of a hard rock belter and Tilt are not afraid to unleash the metal during heavier songs such as Hinterland and No Superman.
is needed now More than ever
Hooray – he’s wearing the spacesuit! Okay, so it’s hardly Peter Gabriel hiding inside a giant deformed testicle or sporting a fox’s head, but John Mitchell’s modest embrace of the dying art of dressing-up box prog is surely to be welcomed. It’s a fairly lightweight outfit, mind, that would probably survive for nanoseconds in an actual vacuum, but could still have proven a sweaty encumbrance had this been a baking summer’s evening rather than a cold and drizzly one. And this gig might not even have happened, since Mr. Robot himself spent the afternoon in A&E with a fractured wrist (a sailing accident is rumoured – rock and fucking roll, eh?).
Given that this is the third and final day of what all concerned enjoy referring to as a “tourette”, Mitchell’s classy touring band sound as though they’ve been playing together for months. Steve Vantsis from Tilt is back on bass, Steven Wilson’s phenomenal drummer Craig Blundell is behind that vast kit and talented multi-tasker Liam Holmes, whose main contribution to the world of prog is with Touchstone, contributes keyboards. Opening songs Airlock and God vs Man from the first of Mitchell’s two Lonely Robot albums underline his knack of writing accessible, atmospheric melodic prog that, in another era, might have enjoyed considerable chart action.
Although there are some weighty themes being addressed here, notably during the environmentally friendly In Floral Green – which sounds just as gorgeous without Kim Seviour’s harmony vocals – any potential for pomposity in this conceptual meditation on the human condition is repeatedly undercut by all the onstage smirking and drollery. At one point, Mitchell pretends to take a phone call from Bono. His introduction to the epic, doomy eponymous centrepiece of new album The Big Dream cuts to the heart of prog’s traditional fanbase: “We’re now going to play something really bloody long. But it’s OK – the queue for the ladies is very short.”
What’s most impressive about this is that it isn’t another contribution to the great progressive rock ‘my song’s longer than yours’ dick-measuring contest, but a track that is simply allowed to stretch to its natural length – with some magnificent, frequently Gilmouresque guitar playing by Mitchell, seemingly unhindered by his injury. By contrast, set closer The Red Balloon couldn’t be more concise or simple, the reverential prog audience falling silent as he sings it solo, accompanied by a few delicate keyboard touches by Holmes.
They leave the stage for barely long enough for us to peruse the merch desk, where for £20 one can purchase an actual toy lonely robot, which looks remarkably similar to Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet – though I should perhaps stress that it’s not actionably identical. Then Blundell’s back for a big bombastic drum solo, during which no cymbal goes unpunished. This seems an odd way to start an encore (“Bet he doesn’t get to do that with Steven Wilson,” remarks B24/7 snapper Mike Evans sagely), but the rest of the band promptly return for the driving and euphoric Sigma. It’s singalong time, announces Mitchell, rousing the reserved punters to unseemly audience interaction, but he’s very keen that we should get it right: “It’s not Sickbag or Sieg Heil. Please don’t sing that back at me.”
All photos by Mike Evans
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