Reviews of Prog Rock, Classical Music, Art Rock and Jazz
Thursday 29 October 2026 Royal Albert Hall, London ★★★★Steven Wilson bids farewell to space with an ambitious orchestral version of The Overview, and looks forward to his next, earthbound album, Requiem for a Village Image courtesy of Mike Holmes Shortly after Steven Wilson was born, a landmark concert took place in the Royal Albert Hall. …
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'A richly detailed yet accessible guide to one of prog's most distinctive and creative minds' The book is available now from Burning Shed, Amazon and other online bookshops
Saturday 10 October 2026 Corn Exchange, Cambridge A superb line-up celebrates the music of Syd Barrett, who would have been 80 this year, on World Mental Health Day I once boasted to a much younger work colleague that I had seen Pink Floyd in their original line-up. She said, ‘Wow, with Syd Barrett?’ I replied, …
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Saturday 10 October 2026 All songs by Syd Barrett and/or Pink Floyd, except where marked Pünk Flöyd BikeThe ScarecrowSee Emily PlayWined and DinedArnold LayneInterstellar OverdriveGigolo AuntJugband BluesThe GnomeBaby LemonadeDark Globe Radhika Theme from R.A.D.H.I.K.A. (Radhika)Starry Eyes (Radhika)Feline Bandits (Radhika)Matilda MotherCocoa Butter Eyes (Radhika)Since Yesterday (Strawberry Switchblade)Interstellar Overdrive Diana Silveira & The Psychedelic CircusNo Man’s LandOctopusShine On You …
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Thursday 17 September 2026 The Ritz, Manchester ★★★★★ Voyage 35 take us on a joyful trip to the outer reaches of the Porcupine Tree catalogue Colin Edwin and John Wesley. Image courtesy of Steve Livesley In an interview with Nick Holmes Music in August, bass player Colin Edwin explained how Voyage 35, his newly-formed band …
'A forensic and illuminating analysis of Wilson's first five solo albums' The first review of my new book about the music of Steven Wilson is out ‘… a forensic and illuminating analysis of Wilson’s first five solo albums.’ The Beat Magazine The Beat Magazine The book is available now from Burning Shed, Amazon and other …
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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 …
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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 …
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