Live Review: Gazpacho at the O2 Academy Islington – November 2015
Gazpacho live in London - Photo copyright by Gabriele Peloso for rebelrebelmusic.com
Venue: O2 Academy Islington, London
Date: November 1, 2015
One year and a half after their London show at the O2 Academy during their Demon tour, Norwegian prog band Gazpacho were back on the same stage to close their European tour promoting the new album Molok. If listening to their albums wasn’t enough to understand that these guys are one the best bands around, their live shows are the ultimate test. A test they always seem to pass with the highest scores.
Gazpacho are like a warm blanket that cuddles you into gloomy nightmares that you’ll love; their live show is like following Alice in the white rabbit cave, a journey through that kind of mixed emotions only grand music and tenebrous atmospheres can give. With Jan Hernik’s sweet voice softening the dark tones so well arranged and performed by the rest of the band, the show offered an aperitif of 3 tracks from the new album, to then dunk our souls into the marvellous melodies of The Walk from the Tick Tock album.
VIEW ALL OUR ARTICLES ON GAZPACHO >
Just when I thought they couldn’t be get any better, they offered a masterful live execution of one of their masterpieces, Death Room, from Demon. An 18-minute track that keeps evolving, involving, turning into spirals that require a high level of effort, mastery and precision when played live. Despite the pitch dark atmospheres this track inherits from the whole concept of the album, the middle part of the song gave the band a chance to show their – ever present – playful, ironic side.
The rest of the show offered some pearls from their repertoire, including the enchanted moment when Tom and Mikael delivered an outstanding finale to the song Upside Down weaving together keyboards and their trademark violin.
Another highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the live execution of Molok Rising, with the band saying farewell before starting the song, joking on the possibility that the universe could be destroyed at the end of track. Thankfully, this didn’t happen, the Universe had to wait while we had still two tracks to savour before having to crawl back from the white rabbit cave to our regular lives.
The dream was over, but it’s only a matter of time before we’ll be taken to wonderland again, just a tour away.
Full setlist:
Algorithm (Intro)
Park Bench
Choir of Ancestors
The Walk, Part 1
The Walk, Part 2
Defense Mechanism
The Wizard of Altai Mountains
Death Room
Hell Freezes Over III
Hell Freezes Over IV
Know Your Time
Winter Is Never
Chequered Light Buildings
Upside Down
Molok Rising
Encore:
Desert Flight
Vera
Photo gallery by Gabriele Peloso:
