Hand. Cannot. Erase - Steven Wilson Live

The evening I have been waiting for since my brother booked the tickets last year.

I was introduced to the music of Steven Wilson a few years back now when I first heard Porcupine Tree's Lightbulb Sun. A simply stunning album .. from there I got my hands on In Absentia and loved them even more. I have filled in nearly all of his back catalogue since.

And then along came his solo album - The Raven That Refused To Sing. I now consider this one of the best albums I have ever heard.

I have no idea how he does it but he writes songs that get you .. right there .. right in the part of your soul that really doesn't need a squeeze! Yes I get it he writes songs about loss ... but it's not just the lyrics .. it's the music. It touches a nerve.

This year he released Hand. Cannot. Erase his fourth solo album. A concept album inspired by the story of Joyce Carol Vincent. A young lady who died and yet was not discovered for three years later .. sat in her bedsit, next to undelivered Christmas presents and the television still on.

As you can tell we are still not dealing with the most joyful of topics here .. but the album is a work of utter musical genius. It takes a lot for me to say that, as I hold so many classic albums in such high regard. I am slowly drawing the conclusion that it is even better than Raven, and I thought that couldn't happen either.

The concert was the album in it's entirety, as expected, and hoped. Wilson added in some old songs along the way that fitted the mood of the album, which again was quite clever!

There was a new working in progress animation for the song Routine. If you have never seen any of the animations for his songs, search YouTube for Raven That Refused To Sing and Drive Home. They are amazing.

The visuals throughout were amazing, and really added a depth to story telling of the album.

The encores started with The Watchmaker, which after Raven is probably my second favourite song on that album, and after a Porcupine Tree number, Sleep Together, we ended with The Raven That Refused To Sing ... there must have been something in my eye, as I had to wipe them a couple of times.

It was an utterly spellbinding night, and a privilege to attend!

There was an enforced no camera phone rule in place, so I could only take a photo of the stage before the gig started. As much as I would have loved to get a few more shots it was a wonderful change to not have to keep looking over someone's iPhone display! More artists should insist!

If you have any interest in good music, please, please, please, check out the Hand. Cannot. Erase album .. it really should be up there with Dark Side Of The Moon and it's ilk!

Setlist


        First Regret
        3 Years Older
        Hand Cannot Erase
        Perfect Life
        Routine
        Index
        Home Invasion
        Regret #9
        Lazarus  (Porcupine Tree song)
        Harmony Korine
        Ancestral
        Happy Returns
        Ascendant Here On...
        Encore:
        The Watchmaker
        Sleep Together (Porcupine Tree song)
        The Raven That Refused to Sing