BITING BACK
I remember many years ago someone quipping that if someone put a dead dog onstage and said, “That’s Bob Dylan”, half the audience would applaud anyway. I wonder if the same has become of Lord Steven Wilson.
It’s fair to say – in my humble opinion – that each of his solo albums showed ‘progression’ and peaked with the genius of Hand.Cannot.Erase. but elements of the following To The Bone were perhaps a warning sign and I recall his demand for the audience to clap/sing along to what even he admitted was an attempt to be a bit ‘poppy’ simply made a portion of the audience think, “Fuck off! I’ve paid!” Indeed, money seems to be as equal a driving force to him as commercial success: the relentless pop-ups and pesterings to buy The Future Bites stuff have become wearing. But I’ve bought a ticket for the Manchester Apollo show and I have an open mind, which I hope sees me through.
I hope I don’t appear disrespectful – a degree of my terminology is an attempt at humour – but I bet if your roving reporter said to Genesis prior to their first show ,“Did you consider adding Silver Rainbow to the setlist?” After a considered pause, Lord Banks would have said, “No, we’ll play Afterglow instead because it’s tons better and the audience go nuts. Now please pass me a chocolate teacake…”
He’s a genius – no doubt – but
I just don’t get the obvious resistance to expand on a winning formula, especially when the result is – to most – just not as good.
Andy Banks, Farnborough This is just a selection of the letters we’ve received about Steven Wilson’s new album, The Future Bites, since our review in Prog
116 and our feature in Prog 117. Despite it reaching No.4 in the UK charts and No.1 in the official prog charts, it’s certainly divided our readers. As Wilson himself said in our feature, he can’t take everyone with him – Deputy Ed.