Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Friday 5 June 2026 The Royal Albert Hall, London ★★★★★ Kraftwerk's music sounds as fresh and contemporary as ever by guest reviewer Mike Holmes Image © Mike Holmes Between 1975 and June 2026, Kraftwerk have been infrequent visitors to London, with a total of 26 visits in 51 years (I am indebted to the meticulously …
Continue reading "Kraftwerk – the Multimedia Tour – Live Review"
On 14 January 2017, I was staying in the Thistle Hotel, Euston, within striking distance of Euston station in London. That evening, I ordered a copy of the original cast recording of Lazarus the musical with music by David Bowie and a book by the Irish playwright Enda Walsh. I know the exact date I …
Friday 25 October 2025 Bridgewater Hall, Manchester A magical musical journey from sorrow to joy ***** A recording of the English composer Edward Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ from his Enigma Variations (1899) introduced Friday night's concert. This felt appropriate in Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, which has often hosted orchestral concerts that have included Elgar’s masterpiece. There’s a quintessentially …
2024 was a stunning year for Prog Rock new and old The Cover of Living & Alive by Beatrix Players The Return of Beatrix Players Beatrix Players, led by Ms Amy Birks, made a welcome return to the progressive rock scene in late 2023 with the release of their album Living and Alive. In 2024, …
A melancholy disco masterpiece ***** Love you to bits is the seventh studio album by no-man, the long-running collaboration between Steven Wilson, frontman of Porcupine Tree and a solo artist, and singer and co-writer Tim Bowness, who is also a well-established solo artist. The band was formed in the late 1980s and signed to the …
Continue reading "love you to bits by no-man – Album Review"
'Inclination', the first track on Steven Wilson's seventh solo album, The Harmony Codex was released in a limited edition 12 inch single, remixed by Ewan Pearson, on 19 January 2024. Pearson describes himself on his website as a 'Producer, Mixer and Remixer.' Pearson previously remixed Wilson's upbeat pop song 'Permanating' (from 2017's To the Bone) in …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten track #9 – Inclination by Steven Wilson (Ewan Pearson Remix)"
Tate Modern, London ***** Blog Piece No. 68 (2024): A Music Critic's View of an Art Exhibition A fascinating and moving exhibition reveals the breadth and of depth of Yoko Ono as conceptual artist, activist, musician, artistic and life partner of John Lennon, mother...and her unexpected sense of humour. Half-A-Room 1967 from HALF-A -WIND SHOW, …
Continue reading "Yoko Ono – Music of the Mind – Exhibition"
Art-rock band no-man were founded in 1987 when Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness started writing music together. They briefly flirted with mainstream success in 1990 when their single release colours was Single Of The Week in Melody Maker and Sounds, leading to record label and publishing deals. Wilson went on to have much more success …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track # 2: Pigeon Drummer by no-man"
Tuesday 6 December 2022 First Direct Arena, Leeds ***** Robert Smith and The Cure are happy Goths In his 2004 song 'The Happy Goth', Neil Hannon of the Divine Comedy sang 'She wears Dr. Martens and a heavy cross/But on the inside she's a happy goth.' Back in the dark days of the last century, …
Thursday 3 June 2022 Manchester Academy Radiohead members bring new band The Smile to Manchester ***** Last time Radiohead played in Manchester was five years ago, when the Manchester Bombing forced the Arena to close and the gig was moved to Old Trafford Cricket Ground. It was an emotional evening, with the crowd singing Karma …