Esoteric (label)
10 March 2023 (released)
19 February 2023
Unfortunately I missed the tour that VDGG did at the start of 2022 but I’m very happy to see that the final show, at Bath, was recorded for this exceptional release.
It’s the first time that the band were completely in control of a live recording process and the package - including 2 Cds, Blu-Ray & DVD – demonstrates that it was a magical place to be.
The band were slimmed down to a three piece with Peter Hammill (vocals, keyboard & guitar), Hugh Banton (keyboards & bass pedals) and Guy Evans (drums & percussion) playing VDGG’s incredibly complex pieces immaculately.
Peter Hammill has had issues with illness over the years and he is incredibly slim but that voice, assertive, almost angry but with an underlying softness is still there. Banton’s keyboards form the musical core of the band and his church like playing has always been the perfect counterfoil for Hammill’s vocal gymnastics. Guy Evans drumming is more than mere rhythm and he is essential in guiding the pace of the music as well as building tension in the music as the intensity rises.
The performance includes old material as well as more recent and it all fits well within the canon of Van Der Graaf Generator. I’ve seen the band live many times over the years and it is fascinating to see how well pieces such as ‘Man-Erg’ or ‘A Louse Is Not A Home’ sit with the later material such as ‘Interference Patterns’.
The sound quality of the recording is superb, the video positively sumptuous and the performances are powerfully integrated.
Van Der Graaf Generator have never been an easy listen or a comforting sound and they have always required that the audience listen closely to them but this definitely shows the rewarding side of the band and, as usual, concentration reaps rewards.
