Anathema

Should expect nothing less than the unconventional from a band as imaginative as Anathema. The usual format for a retrospective is to start from the beginning. Well that’s reversed tonight with the band starting right up to date and playing back to their earliest days. That leads to some confusion from more recent fans later on during the evening. It does however bear fruit for the patient and more broadminded for as the band work their way backwards we can trace a golden thread.

Spread over three sets it’s a sort of greatest hits package and choosing to open with Anathema from the latest album is possibly a statement that this is where we are now. This period covers the current line up and sees them leave behind almost any hint of metal, with its lush atmospherics and soundscapes. It also means it’s a relatively short night for Lee Douglas. Though one wonders what if the White material would have sounded had they decided to try and adapt it for Ms Douglas?

A brief break and into set 2 and Duncan Patterson on bass. Arguably the band were at their most experimental here; grappling with moving their sound forward yet still dipping their toes in the past. The plaintive Shroud of False intros into a superb Fragile Dreams. Eternity takes up a good portion of the set to nobody’s complaint. It’s also worth bearing in mind that while we are now used to seeing Vincent Cavanagh on lead vocals, it wasn’t always the case and he sounded different. As demonstrated on this sections closer A Dying Wish a fitting baton pass to Darren White.

A lot of people have been waiting a long time for this and Darren White doesn’t let anyone down as he is visibly moved throughout the entire set. The pit erupts, the growls are deep and for some it’s too much and it’s an early exit. Their loss because had they stayed they’d have been treated to the grandeur of Kingdom, and as heavy as these songs are the seeds of what they are today can be heard for example on Under a Veil (of Black Lace). They encore with the requested all night Sleepless.

And that’s it. The band’s present and past members come on stage to take the applause from an absolutely sated crowd. These series of concerts are unique both for the richness and variety of the music performed, the chance to re-acquaint with some old friends (and meet new ones) and the feeling that this is a watershed, that some of these songs may never be heard live, in this form, again.
Photograph courtesy of Iain Reid.