By: Chris McGarel
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Koko | September 26, 2014
The last time Anathema played this venue was on the ‘Weather Systems’ tour in 2012. It was packed out. Tonight it is positively heaving. No surprise to those of us who have watched the Liverpudlians’ star ascend in recent years. The Venn diagram intersection of London’s metal and prog fans all appear to be here tonight.
The first two parts of ‘The Lost Song’ triptych further illustrate how this band brings people together, blurring distinctions and breaking down emotional barriers: Vincent Cavanagh’s impassioned masculine power in Part 1 is tempered by the equally potent feminine comforting of Lee Douglas’s lead vocal in Part 2. It’s Gabriel and Bush’s yin/yang duet on ‘Don’t Give Up’ extrapolated to the nth degree and it is making grown adults weep openly.
No quarter is offered as they segue into that other heartrending-yet-uplifting twofer – ‘Untouchable Part 1 & 2’. The tsunami of passion pouring from the stage is pulverising. Give us a break, guys. Save something for later! Not a chance. ’Thin Air’ follows like a punch to the gut. By this stage the extreme highs and lows being experienced begin to take toll. The piano-led intro to ‘Ariel’ provides some respite, some calm after the storm of ecstatic feeling. It’s a temporary peace, of course, as we’re off on another wave of devastating intensity after a few minutes.
‘Anathema’ gives Danny Cavanagh his chance in the spotlight as he wrestles a wailing feedback solo from his rig. The repetitive electronic mantra of ‘You’re Not Alone’ benefits from the dynamics of its live setting, prompting Danny to chastise its detractors, “See, it’s not as bad as you thought it was!” Maybe, Danny, but it’s eclipsed by what comes next. ‘The Storm Before The Calm’, ‘The Beginning and the End’, ‘Universal’ and that old favourite, ‘Closer’ finish the main set in jaw-dropping fashion. There are few better live acts in the world today than this lot.
‘Distant Satellites’ and ’Take Shelter’ benefit from the human drummer, compared to their cold, artificial feel on record. Daniel Cordoso’s tight fills and machine-like intensity ensure that the album’s title track, in particular, will be a mainstay of future sets. An instant classic in a long and varied back catalogue, it is as representative of where they are now as tonight’s final encore, ‘Fragile Dreams’, was in 1998.
As Anathema continue to grow musically and spiritually, they bring ever more bodies into their gravitational pull. Tonight was an uncomfortable, overwrought, tearful, cramped experience. It was also mesmerising and life-affirming. They have outgrown clubs of this size. Time to engage second stage boosters and set their trajectory for the Royal Albert Hall. It can only be a matter of time.
