Tim Bowness - The Boston Music Room, London (UK) - 26th August 2015
Given his close association with the ubiquitous Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, Steven Wilson) via their No-Man enterprise, one could and probably would have expected a far better turn out than was in evidence for this gig. Clearly the acolytes of the current "God Of Prog" only have eyes and ears for him.
That's a great shame because the stayaways missed a relatively short but certainly sweet set from Bowness and his excellent band of top notch musicians, Colin Edwin (PT), Andrew Booker (Sanguine Hum), "Professor" Michael Bearpark and Stephen Bennett (both members of Henry Fool and No-Man).
For the most part the music had a reflective, atmospheric quality, but was no less entertaining for all that. I'd have to confess that this isn't my preferred style of music, but I enjoyed their set immensely. However, music of this nature requires an attentive and quiet audience; regrettably we were not afforded that luxury thanks two very loud and presumably inebriated groups of women who seemed to have no interest in anything other than themselves.
For me the material the latest album ('Stupid Things That Mean The World') represented the standout moments of the set, primarily because they had the better melodies and hooks, making more accessible as a consequence. A case in point being the opening song, 'The Great Electric Teenage Dream', which managed to be both hypnotic and stirring. 'Press Reset' was terrific but the following 'Sing To Me' was absolutely superb. The delicious melody topped off by a splendid guitar solo from Bearpark.
Both 'The Warm-Up Man Forever' and the NM song, 'Time Travel In Texas' were rather shouty for my taste but the latter was followed by the ethereal and captivating 'Know That You Were Loved'. I was wondering how he was going to top that when we were treated to the title track from the current album which was another triumph. From his previous album 'Dancing For You' was very pleasing and featured fine guitar and synth solos.
'The Me I Knew' featured an infectious drum pattern and the set was rounded out by 'Smiler At 50', much to the delight of many in the audience. It built in both power and intensity; towards the end Tim Bowness stepped off the stage and into the crowd, walking swiftly to the back of the hall. The look on his face made me think he was headed in the direction of the noisy people to "have words" but his actions were to vacate the stage while the band moved through an extended instrumental passage and the end of the song.
Gary Marshall
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