PROG IN THE PARK

Housed in a tent, the Prog In The Park stage is almost an oasis of calm compared to what’s going on elsewhere. Israelis Scardust open proceedings with some decent symphonic prog, before Leeds band Koyo step things up a level with power and intricacy.

Scandinavians Vola ease smoothly into their methodical prog that leans towards the more industrial and electronica side, but Sweden’s Pain Of Salvation struggle to overcome a terrible sound, their metal-oriented approach suffering badly. By contrast, Poland’s Riverside have no such difficulties as they confidently perform a set spanning their career, effectively fusing bombastic moments with more thoughtprovoking motifs.

But headliners Anathema take everything up to a new level. The tent is packed with fans, who watch in awe as the band display their full repertoire of skills. A Natural Disaster is elegant, Closer is haunting, and both parts of Untouchable are mesmerising, with Vincent Cavanagh, John Douglas and Daniel Cardoso at one point exchanging tribal percussive rhythms. Danny Cavanagh shows his sense of humour, introducing set closer Fragile Dreams by shouting: “Scream for me, Ramblin’ Man!” and dedicating the song to “ex-death metal fans”. It’s little wonder that Anathema are one of the icons of the modern prog era.