SOUTHERN EMPIRE
Tonight’s show prompts two immediate questions. Firstly, what possesses an australian band to forsake summer in adelaide for a dank wednesday evening in a southampton pub? secondly, if this proves to be southern empire’s sole UK trip, will the nation’s prog fans regret their indolence?
the night before, a mere 40 or so watched this line-up in swindon. the Joiners hosts only a handful more. however given keyboardist sean timms’ recent heart attack, the fact that this tour has proceeded at all provides perspective. timms isn’t taking it easy either: he plays with both damanek and southern empire, as do southern empire drummer Brody Green and guest saxophonist/ flautist James capatch.
First up are damanek. the ‘ek’ element is absent, with German sax player Marek arnold unavailable – hence capatch depping for him – but leader Guy Manning and bassist dan Mash are both present and correct, augmented by Luke Machin on guitar.
damanek air a fairly balanced mix of tracks from 2017’s debut on track and recent successor in Flight. after a fairly low-key start with nanabohzo and the rainbow, ragusa provides the inestimable Machin with a greater chance to shine, his lovely tone cutting through a mix that is at times too rhythm section heavy.
instrumentally, damanek’s performances are strong but collectively they don’t always gel. it’s a solid set, but they are a more compelling proposition in the studio, where in Flight in particular benefits from subtle atmospherics which struggle to be audible on stage.
By contrast, it’s the other way round with southern empire. the band’s second album, civilisation, has rightfully attracted considerable acclaim, but live they are an absolute revelation. From the outset their musicianship is off the charts, and they’re frighteningly well drilled.
if southern empire are at all dispirited by tonight’s turnout, they hide it well. Vocalist danny Lopresto is a livewire and oozes charisma, sandwiched between guitarist cam Blokland and bassist Jez Martin. For most guitarists, following Machin on stage would be unenviable, but Blokland isn’t most guitarists. he’s clearly a virtuoso, and Lopresto is no slouch as a guitarist either.
with a set built around civilisation, cries For the Lonely and the crossroads are the highlights, with the latter rivalling transatlantic’s all of the above as one of this millennium’s great 30-minute epics.
Given this impressive showing, southern empire merit both tonight’s response and far larger audiences.