A PROG PILGRIMAGE
I just wanted to write and thank you for a wonderful evening at the premiere of Steve Hackett’s At The Edge Of Light.
[In January, Prog and InsideOut Records hosted an exclusive listening session of Steve’s new album before its release for Prog readers.]I have pre-ordered all of Steve’s albums during the last 20 years or so and, for each of them, I can remember the first time I took the CD out of the case and listened to the whole album. Auditioning this, a few days before release, and so obviously with likeminded folk, made this one particularly special. Not having any journalistic or record company connections, I have to wait to listen to new music like every other punter, so this evening really did make it all a bit different for me. Making the journey from the north west of England to a cinema in Crystal Palace would have seemed something of an anti-climax had the album not been up to his usual standards; suffice to say that I never considered this to be a possibility and, of course, it has turned out to be another belter. While some musicians are letting the standards slip as they get older or putting up their trotters altogether, Hackett just gets on with producing fabulous music. I (and my mate) had a brilliant time, so thank you again!
Incidentally, I have just renewed my subscription. I know this view has been expressed in these pages before, but thanks to your magazine I have come to listen to a number of artists that are new to me (albeit not exactly new to the prog scene). Among others in the last 12 months, I have seen Anathema in the Brudenell Social Club, and Mostly Autumn at the (sadly soon to be closed) Citadel in St Helens. On the one hand, I wish more people had seen those gigs, because these bands deserve to be so much more widely heard; on the other, hearing and seeing such outstanding performances (yes, they really were) in such intimate settings is a real privilege. At least we can be assured that, if you go and look for it, the prog genre is in seriously good hands.
Chris Poole
Glad you enjoyed it, Chris! There will be more events like this to come. Watch this space… – Dep Ed.