Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
John Wesley (left) and Colin Edwin. Image © Carol Alabrese Colin Edwin was Porcupine Tree’s bass player from 1995 to 2010, playing on seven studio albums from Signify (1996) to The Incident (2009) before the band took a long hiatus. Edwin is currently a member of progressive metal band O.R.k., with American drummer Pat Mastelotto …
Malcolm Galloway Malcolm Galloway is vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer of London-based progressive rock band Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate. He’s joined on bass by Mark Gatland, who also sings backing vocals, plays keyboards, and is co-producer.The band’s ninth album, Parallel Lives, is due to be released in early September 2026. Nick Holmes Music spoke to …
Peter Hammill performing Refugees by Van der Graaf Generator at the Prog Rock Prom in July 2026. Image © Andy Paradise/BBC The English prog rock band Van der Graaf Generator have very rarely troubled the UK charts. So, based on chart positions, all the recordings released by the band and the solo albums released by …
Continue reading "Off the Beaten Track # 18 – Refugees by Van der Graaf Generator"
Saturday 18 July 2026 Royal Albert Hall, London ★★★★ There’s life in the old prog yet… A celebration of the classic era of British prog rock The BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Robert Ames.Image © Andy Paradise The first-ever rock band to appear at the Proms was Soft Machine on 13 August 1970. The first-ever …
Continue reading "Prog Rock Prom: A Fanfare for the Common Man – Live Review"
STAR RATING Heading In August 2017, Steven Wilson told Jess Thompson of Discogs that Tangerine Dream’s 1972 album Zeit is, ‘The original and greatest ambient record, years before the notion of ambient music existed. It’s music without melody, rhythm or structure, but listening to it is like filling the room with the most beautiful and …
Continue reading “Theo Travis – Aeolus: one hour duduk meditation – Album Review”
Steven Wilson – Insurgentes – To The Bone On Track: Every Album, Every Song (Sonicbond) I am pleased to announce that my second book, a detailed analysis of Steven Wilson's first five solo albums released between 2008 and 2015, will be published in July 2026. The book also covers associated bonus tracks, compilation albums, EPs, …
Continue reading "My New Book on the Music of Steven Wilson"
Sunday 7 June 2026 University of Wolverhampton at the Halls, Wolverhampton ★★★★ BEAT brings King Crimson's 1980's legacy to joyful life I knew I was in the right place. At a fast food joint before the gig, I saw a man sporting a King Crimson (KC) T-shirt and an extravagant beard. Inside, there were more …
Continue reading "BEAT play the music of 1980s King Crimson – Live Review"
Wednesday 3 June 2026 Polygon Portal, Soho. London ★★★★★ Source: Polygon Portal Last night, I had an experience that could have come from a Steven Wilson album when I returned to my hotel after the launch of his ninth solo album. The Harmony Codex, his seventh studio album, is partly based on his own short …
Continue reading "Steven Wilson – Album Launch and First Impressions of his Ninth Studio Album"
Tuesday 7 April 2026 Band on the Wall, Manchester ★★★★★ Soft Machine launch their new album Thirteen and revisit some classics Soft Machine: John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Baker, Asaf Sirkis Last time I saw Soft Machine's Theo Travis onstage was nearly a year ago, at a much larger venue, the London Palladium, guesting for …
***** Soft Machine return with a new line-up, and their thirteenth studio album, sixty years since the band was formed. The number thirteen is unlucky for some, but the latest version of Soft Machine obviously don't think so. In some cultures, the number is considered a symbol of change, regeneration or growth. Thirteen is the …