Words by Chris McGarel
Pictures by Martin Reijman
Islington Assembly Hall is a pretty venue. Its theatre-like interior lends an aura of class to its performers. Anathema don’t need any help in that department, of course. As an acoustic trio, this evening they present their anthemic songs of love, loss and longing without subtracting any of the grandiose power in their music.
Danny Cavanagh enters alone to huge applause, straps on his acoustic and begins the fingerpicked intro to 'Untouchable (Part One)'. The familiarity of the lead-off track from Weather Systems, and the entrance of brother Vinnie, evince more applause and the atmospheric conditions are just right for a special evening. With the help of his trusty loop pedal Danny proceeds to layer strummed chords and percussive slaps of the guitar body in lieu of a drummer. With his typical affable manner, he exhorts our hand-claps as another rhythmic device. We are all part of this performance.
Three-part harmonies, with the addition of the heart-rending voice of Lee Douglas, bring to mind a prog version of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Douglas’ first chance to shine comes with 'Untouchable (Part Two)', the feminine response to Vinnie’s anguished cries in the first part. The pristine yet powerful quality of her voice make her an indispensable ingredient of their sound now, rather than the guest musician which began her tenure. That period is revisited with a moving rendition of 'A Natural Disaster'.
In a set that also includes 'Thin Air', 'Fragile Dreams' and 'Dreaming Light', it’s impossible to pick a highlight. Everyone here tonight will have their own highlight anyway, such is the very personal relationship this band’s music has with its listeners.
As time ticks away, signs from stage left indicate it’s time to being wrapping up, forcing Danny to reveal he will have to drop a cover of Pink Floyd’s 'High Hopes'. Instead we are introduced to an experiment - the world premiere of the title track from the new album, Distant Satellites. On record it is driven by electronic beats, strings and synths. Tonight they attempt to render it acoustically. It is an absolute triumph as the crowd sing back the chorus to the stage, the chorus to a song they are hearing for the first time, such is its immediacy.
As the trio leave the stage we are still singing the refrain to them over the looped guitar figures. Anathema are a supreme live act (elsewhere on this site I reviewed the Universal live concert film). What they have proven to many tonight is that those songs do not need the orchestral backing of that film; they do not even require the full rock sextet to deliver the emotion inherent in their songs. Their rise has been inexorable up to this point. But they are now on the cusp of greater glory and richly deserved acclaim.
