One year after the series of four shows that made up the Devin Townsend Project's By A Thread residency, the musical polymath was back in London for The Retinal Circus. A year in the making, this one-off event was billed as a retrospective plus. The plus being whatever crazy shit he could throw into a theatrical show.
Narrated on screens by Steve Vai and featuring guest performers, choirs, acrobats, fire-eaters, giant inflatable genitalia and a menagerie of creatures, earthly and otherwise, its billing as a circus was apt as Ringmaster Devin presented his absurd imaginings, both dark and playful. These can now be relived by those lucky enough to have been entertained that November night by heavy metal’s Willy Wonka and for the first time by those not fortunate to have acquired that elusive Golden Ticket.
Over the course of three hours the myriad aspects of Devin's prolific output are explored. All, that is, bar his new age balladry but even that gets a self-deprecating namecheck. Ably assisted by the muse that is Anneke van Giersbergen, this is for the most part a joyous celebration of the power of music for good. Our host's sense of humour runs through the entire spectacle, from his interaction with the audience, through his faux-embarrassed highlighting of plot holes in the masque itself, to the hilarious set-pieces. The sections with Ziltoid the Omniscient are laugh-out-loud funny.
Of course there's also a serious side and a message behind the tom-foolery. Like Frank Zappa before him, Devin Townsend has imbued his work with conceptual continuity - themes of love, our relationships with people, animals, our wider environment and a spiritual elevation of the self above the day-to-day banalities. If those narrative plot holes are big enough to let in water there's no sinking the titanic vision which is on display.
The Project rise to the occasion. Drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen deserves singling out for his Energizer Bunny stamina (other brands of battery are available) whether during the head-scratchingly complex ‘Planet of the Apes’ or the two brutal Strapping Young Lad songs with Jed Simon making a guest appearance. Elsewhere, Metal Hammer journalist and professional Oaf, Dom Lawson does a turn as the Planet Smasher in full King Diamond make-up. It is very very silly.
The Retinal Circus is at times daft, at others poignant but always entertaining. Fans will lap it up but if you haven’t yet entered the crazy world of Hevy Devy then this is as good an intro as you will find.
