THE PINEAPPLE THIEF
VENUE ROCKEFELLER, OSLO, NORWAY DATE 22/03/2022
When the pandemic first struck, The Pineapple Thief were one of the only bands who postponed their 2020 Oslo gig by a whole two years. It might have seemed like a ridiculous length of time to some, but the live experience has certainly been worth waiting for. Frontman Bruce Soord addresses the crowd with gratitude: “Hands up if this is your first gig for a long time – it’s a special time, isn’t it? Thank you so much for coming.”
Back in 2009, when the British band first played in Oslo, the audience consisted of around 25 people.
Now, there are several hundred in attendance. It helps that they have King Crimson and Porcupine Tree drum master Gavin Harrison in the band, and the setlist heavily focuses on albums released since he joined, from 2016’s Your Wilderness and 2018’s Dissolution through to 2020’s Versions Of The
Truth. The title track of the latter opens tonight’s show as ambient noise fills the room, before bandleader Soord makes hand gestures and sings the lyrics ‘You caught me in the black light’. It’s followed by an early highlight, the understated In Exile, which showcases the complex rhythms Harrison brings to the band’s music.
As the night progresses, the band flit between being animated on stage, then soothingly static. It’s also a reflection of how they like to build a song, fluctuating between delicate acoustics to powerful bursts of guitar, bass and drums, where not only Harrison, but also bassist Jon Sykes and second guitarist Beren Matthews can shine. A mid-set highlight is Give It Back, with its heavy intro later breaking down to just Soord’s voice filling the room, but then layers and textures build, including tribal drumming from Harrison. The crowd claps in unison along with Soord repeatedly chanting, ‘I will give it back to you’. After the calming effect of the softer Fend For Yourself, it’s time to raise the roof with White Mist. The brief drum solo sparks sporadic yells of enthusiasm from the audience, and leads into a powerful guitar solo. Soord joins the party with some guitar sliding and keys are added too, all building to a climax of thunderous drums and squealing guitars, followed by the loudest cheers and chants of the night so far.
The encore begins with older track, Part Zero, from 2003’s Variations On A Dream. It’s followed by the spatial The Final Thing On My Mind with Soord’s echoing vocals and Matthews’ slick whammy bar. The dynamic Nothing At Best, from 2010’s Someone Here Is Missing, ends the concert and Steve Kitch emerges from behind his keyboard and plays keytar up front, jumping around with the rest of the band. After a two-year wait, the crowd are jumping wildly too!