PROG THE FOREST 6th of July 2019
If Prog be you're food of life, then you could be in for quite a treat on the 6th of July. For on that day at the Fiddlers Elbow Camden London Hats Off Gentlemen Its Adequate and London Prog Gigs have a line up of some of the best Prog bands in the country at the moment. You will also be doing your bit to save the planets rain forests.
Of the bands playing that day two I have already seen, both played the main stage at HRH Prog in 2017/2018. Both bands did a wonderful job in winning the crowd over who were starting to fill the main arena.
Hats Off Gentlemen Its Adequate surely had the harder job, one for being a replacement band at the very last moment, and two for being the first band on the main stage on Saturday. They would be followed later by Magenta, Focus, Carl Palmers, and Magnum.
Hats Off Gentlemen Its Adequate have built a steady following over the last few years and rose to the occasion with a set that some say was the best of the weekend. Their previous album become Beastie Rocks Shows joint winning Prog album of the year along with Roger Waters and Alice Cooper and the album was recommended by Steve Hacket no less. They have also appeared twice on the free cds that accompanies Prog rock magazine, and are a band im sure we will hear and see a lot more of.
Axiom hail from Birmingham also played the main stage of HRH Prog in 2018 maybe not feeling the same pressure as Hat Off Gentlemen Its Adequate with only Martin Turner and Pendragon to live up to.
Axiom took to the stage and deliverer a wonderful hour and twenty minute set combining their influences of jazz, funk, rock and metal while maybe a little strange for a Prog band it worked really well. With the right exposure Axiom could break through to a much bigger audience in the next year
Mardhys started life in Guilford although their roots go a lot further a field. With a Dutch singer Melatti Braam and a Swiss drummer Cherry T they along with four other members have managed in a short space of time to carve out a promising career even playing G live in Guildford. They play Prog Folk along the lines of Renaissance, Heather Findlay and Mostly Autumn.
Mardhys have played at European and UK festivals and here at the Fiddlers Elbow Camden it is a fine chance to catch this band in action.
of Petra a Prog rock band with influence coming from Pink Floyd led Zeppelin and Herbie Hancock to name but a few. they have a couple of albums available on band camp. One of them so onto itself is certainly an album worth checking out and hopefully if you feel inclined downloading with a small gift to the band. Enkidus last run is a track that sounds like its been transported from 1976 and could easily slip on to one of Manfred Manns Earth Bands later albums. They may not change the face of music to much but you will be pleased you have seen them.
Sinka are a three piece band formed in 2017 and come from Watford . They class themselves as alt-rock power trio, Sinka seem to have a good following and some good songs, whether or not they are the right band for a Prog festival is another question. However for energy they would win hands down.
tAngerinecAt this duo who formed in 2008 in the Ukraine by Eugene Purpurovsky and Paul Chilton, will if they are on stage after Sinka bring you back to the reality that you are at a Prog festival.
They have released four albums to date all independent releases.
Rise of the Underworld, Kuolema, H.R.V.I.P an album that would find itself at home in 1981 on Mute or Some Bizarre. Also maybe its just me but I can hear the theme from taxi by Bob James on the last track It's Not My War.
Their latest Many Kettles although written about many dark themes carries on the bands strong body of work.
the Wood Demons are a band from London who's sound would fit right on stage at any Hawkwind convention. They have a new album available on band camp called the Lost Domain, which deserves you're attention. Along with Big Game Fishing a strange title but hey this is Prog and would be a good song to see played live, they have their newest track All Heaven's Breaking Loose a modern day silver machine perhaps. The Wood Demons are a band certainly worth an hour of your time.
If that wasn't enough Prog for you, Alan Reed (former frontman of Pallas) Tudor Davies and Stuart Avis will end the evening.
Alan Reed, Malcolm Galloway, Stuart Avis and Kark Galloway will perform Pink Floyd's Comfortably numb.
Alan Reed and Tudor Davies join Hats Off Gentlemen Its Adequate to play Marillion's MARKET Square Heroes.
Finally Alan Reed, Tudor Davies and Malcolm Galloway on guitar will perform a stripped down version of one of Alan Reed songs.
words by Peter Stock Hammersmith78musicpromotions copy right 2019
