Mike Kershaw - Ice Age

Progressive music comes in many shapes and sizes. Some of the modern examples of this particular art hark back to the halcyon days of the 1970s, recreating the sounds and textures of the early pioneers of the genre; others carve out a more modern niche, pushing the boundaries in true progressive style.

Although self-avowedly 'progressive', I'm not sure where on that spectrum Mike Kershaw sits. His music is relatively new to me and so far I've only really listened to this, his third and latest album, so what did I make of it?

'Ice Age' is, perhaps fittingly, quite a dark, brooding, melancholic collection that reflects the cold and isolation of the cover image. Predominantly keyboard-driven, the music has elements of light and shade - perhaps lighter towards the end of the album, and if anything puts me in mind of the 1980s synth-pop of The Human League and Talk Talk in tracks like 'Tomorrow's Door' and 'Broken Skies', but with elements of Tangerine Dream in 'Blossom Falls' and even a hint of Pink Floyd in 'Broken Skies'. The music is by and large multi-layered and atmospheric, though I found the stripped-down, almost minimalist feel of 'Terracotta' with its piano, solo synth and vocals quite haunting.

The vocals throughout are quite understated and evocative, and the album as a whole - musically, vocally and visually - put me in mind of the work of contemporary band Fractal Mirror, and it is worth noting the support of band members Leo Koperdraat and Frank Urbaniak listed in the sleeve notes, and the common use of Brian Watson's sleeve art by both artists.

'Ice Age' is a collection of songs that uses, I think, the metaphor of winter, with its harshness, darkness and isolation, to speak to the bleaker moments in our existence. I was struck with the words particularly of the final song - 'When Winter Comes' - where Mike says: "Winter comes too quickly: to some it never goes away", but which goes on to perhaps leave us a note of hope: "...something must be badly wrong if I'm on my knees to pray. I've never held with gods and such - never seen the reason why - but witnessing such suffering I feel the need to try."

The album is released on 2nd June 2014, and can be ordered from Mike's Bandcamp site. I would commend it as a fine piece of work and well worth a listen.

Rick Wakeman - Sheffield City Hall 8/5/14

If you're anything like me, there will be certain recordings that resonate with different periods and events in your life. One of my 'resonating' pieces is Rick Wakeman's 'Journey to the Centre of the Earth', which evokes for me lazy summers in my mid teens lounging about at my mate's house, beginning to discover the many and varied delights of music. This was one of the first albums that I listened to as a whole, and one of its great attractions was, and is, that it tells a story.

When news broke that Rick was going to perform the piece again, in its original intended form (rather than the truncated one that his record company, A&M, had insisted on back in 1974), I was delighted. When it transpired that one of the venues for the tour would be Sheffield, I rejoiced greatly with great joy!

And so, on Thursday 8th May 2014, 10 days short of Rick's 65th birthday, we gathered. The first part of the show was Rick on his own, in grey suit and t-shirt, telling (with his characteristic sardonic wit) stories from his early life in music and the circumstances that led to his conception of the project. We were treated too to renditions of songs from his early session playing, including Cat Stevens' 'Morning has Broken', sung by the English Chamber Choir, and Bowie's 'Life on Mars', performed by Haley Sanderson.

After a 20 minute break, the main event unfolded, as the stage filled up with not only the English Chamber Choir but also the Orion Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Guy Protheroe, and Rick's 'house band' - the English Rock Ensemble. And centre-stage, Rick's keyboard rig, and the man himself, this time resplendent in silver-sequined navy velvet cape. The music was tight throughout, and everyone involved seemed to exude an air of absolute pleasure in the performance. Orchestra and band slotted together seamlessly, with all three - Dave Colquhoun on guitar, Matt Pegg on bass, and Tony Fernandez on drums - giving masterful displays. Rick, of course, was annoyingly brilliant, with a fluency and dexterity that still puts many a younger player to shame.

Guy, Rick, Philip (behind), Hayley & Ashley

As I said earlier, this is a piece of music that tells a story, and the narration of that tale was in the hands of (in words) the actor Philip Franks, who gave the evening a certain gravitas with his mellow tones, and (in song) Rick's long-time collaborator and contributor to the original recording, Ashley Holt, and the afore-mentioned Hayley Sanderson, one of the regular singers on 'Strictly Come Dancing'. I must confess that I have always had one or two issues with Ashley Holt's voice: he has a great range and equally great power, but always seems to be straining to me, and this just grates a little. Haley's singing style is a little easier on the ear, but both of them brought their own contirbution to a great show.

For the encore we were treated to a kind of reprise of the work, with sections from the later follow-up piece, 'Return to the Centre of the Earth', which allowed some space for the musicians in both the orchestra and band to express themselves a little more freely. After just over 2 hours of music, the crowd left having enjoyed a musical treat. I hope that there will be more to come from this highly-talented and urbane musician.