Четверг 17 Фев 2011, 10:03
Always a pleasure to see Anathema, whether it's for their energy, tenacity and character on stage or the fact they are all to be found in the bar post-performance. Performing all of 'We're here because we're here' from start to finish was perhaps at times a little draining but this is partly due to the fact that this was the fourth time in 12 months that I'd seen them play live, which in itself is a credit to their appeal.
Their setlist (and material in general) covers of a huge range of pace, tone and emotion with the chaotic and frantic 'Judgement' closely being followed by the hauntingly poignant 'A Natural Disaster' and the distorted and robotic 'Closer'. There are some songs that you can see in their faces mean a lot to them, most notably 'Dreaming Light' and 'One Last Goodbye' which Vince Cavanagh introduced by dedicating to everyone in attendance who had lost someone long before their time. They are a band you can feel close to, making their performances feel very accomodating and in a sense, safe. Comedic value was also on hand as Danny Cavanagh explained the cause of the rather sizeable black eye he was sporting, placing the blame on an inconsiderately positioned tree in Sheffield.
The Academy 3 whilst perhaps being a little too small for a band in Anathema's calibre was however advantageous in terms of sound quality as the Academy 1 in particular can be excessive in terms of bass and reverb. The sound was spot on and Danny Cavanagh's guitar tones during solos particularly was at times utterly magnificent. That combined with a selection of older material following the rendition of the latest album equated to an extremely enjoyable gig. Their homecoming charity gig at The Cavern in Liverpool just prior to Christmas edges it slightly but that is of no discredit to them.
8/10