Threshold - London Review

Following the release of their excellent twelfth studio album Dividing Lines late last year, I was hoping that 2023 would see Threshold's first tour in a few years. It was 2018 when the band last toured throughout Europe, but it was 2017 when I last saw them - as part of the first run of shows promoting that year's Legends of the Shires. The 2017 tour was the band's first in many years with returning frontman Glynn Morgan, and the tour-closing show in Islington was a great night - and my third time seeing the band live. Sadly, though, due to work commitments I was not able to make the London show on the 2018 tour. That tour featured the entirety of Legends of the Shires being played, which I would have loved to have seen, but sadly it is not possible to go to every gig. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the time it took the band to record a follow-up to the 2017 album, until last night it had been around six years since I last saw Threshold live. They have never been the busiest of touring bands and, despite being from the UK, they tend to focus their activities on mainland Europe - particularly places like Germany. The band have always had more of an audience there, and have never been the most popular in their home country. For UK-based Threshold fans, this essentially means a trip to London once a tour to catch the band live - but I have always found it to be worth it. Threshold are certainly worth the effort, and the three shows that I saw prior to this weekend were all great for different reasons. Despite this, though, I did think for a while that we not even get a London show this time. When the main dates for the band's 2023 European tour were announced, no UK dates were included. I hoped that at least one would be added in time, and thankfully they decided to play their customary London show to round out the main club tour - so I purchased a ticket as soon as they went on sale. Being a Saturday it meant having a shell out quite a bit more than average for a night in a hotel, but this is the reality of a UK-based fan of melodic metal. In truth, it has only really been in the past year or so where chain hotels have really jacked their prices up in London, especially if you are willing to stay somewhat 'out of the way' - and as the show was only announced a couple of months ago, too, any early deals would have long expired. The latest in a long-running series of train strikes here in the UK threatened to make getting to London tricky, too, but I managed to get there easily - so after a bit of lunch and shopping I checked into my hotel - and then made my way over to Islington. As was the case for the past couple of Threshold shows which I have attended, the venue of choice was the O2 Academy in Islington. I have been to the venue many times over the years, and have always found it to be pretty decent. The sound is generally good in there and it is a nice size. Like the other Threshold shows that I have seen there, the place was busy but certainly not full. There were a few hundred in attendance, but it was not too crowded - and those who had turned up were certainly there to have a great time.

Being a Saturday, the venue had a 10pm curfew - meaning that the doors opened just before 6:30pm. This meant that there was little time to waste, but in truth I quite like gigs like that. There was no real hanging around at all during the night, which meant that it was easy to just enjoy all of the great music. Given the time constraints, there was only one support act - but the UK based progressive rock band Grace and Fire made their mark. I think calling the band a progressive rock band is the most apt description for them. They do sometimes stray into heavier, more progressive metal territory, but I would say that they generally they are more of a rock band than a metal one. Either way, though, the band's seven-song set impressed - with all of the songs coming from 2021's strong Elysium, the band's debut album. I had listened to Elysium a few times in the lead-up to the gig, so was familiar with the songs played - but, despite this, I think I enjoyed Grace and Fire more than I was expecting to. The album is certainly good, but I felt that the songs came alive on stage - and the live mix was generally pretty good so that the intricacies of the songs shone. I would have liked to have heard more of Joshua Gidney's keyboards, but the vocals of frontman André Saint were very clear - as was the excellent bass playing of Tim Ashton. Most of Elysium was played, and the band kicked off with the instrumental Overture, which featured some strong riffing from Aaron Gidney (guitar/vocals), before Saint took to the stage for the dramatic title track. Everything sounded a little heavier live, and Saint proved from the off to be a great live singer - with his slightly higher-pitched delivery soaring above the rest of the band. The more atmospheric Paradise Lost, which saw Aaron laying down some Steve Rothery-esque guitar leads, dialled back on the riffing somewhat - but the hard-driving A Warrior's Tale brought it back, whilst throwing in one of the set's best choruses for good measure. Like Threshold, Grace and Fire love a good hook and their melodies really shone. As mentioned, though, it would have been nice if the keyboards had been a bit higher in the mix. This would have allowed the songs to sound lusher, but otherwise the sound mix allowed the tunes to shine. Breathing Murder showcased a bit more of a technical side to the band, with the Gidney brothers trading solos back and forth, whilst the set-closing Eyes of the Seer reverted back to a more riff-heavy style, whilst also delivering on the hook front with another big chorus. Despite being fairly muted at first, after a while the crowd started to get on board with Grace and Fire - and by the time the set closed the cheers that rung around the venue were pretty loud. I imagine that the band made themselves a few new fans with their performance, and they are certainly ones to watch going forward. The setlist was:

Overture

Elysium

Paradise Lost

A Warrior's Tale

Chains of Sanity

Breathing Murder

Eyes of the Seer

It only took 20 or so minutes for the stage to be cleared following Grace and Fire's set, so it was not long before the house lights went down and Threshold trooped onto the stage - immediately launching into Haunted from the latest album. Threshold's setlists have generally been pretty forward-thinking, and they are not often a band to dwell on the past. This was certainly the case here, with 11 songs of the 14-song setlist coming from the band's last couple of albums - with seven coming from Dividing Lines. As such, over half of the set was made up of songs which I had not heard the band do live before - with those older songs played generally being real fan-favourites. As was the case with Grace and Fire, Threshold's live sound was generally well-mixed. Morgan's voice soared above the band, whilst the tough riffing of Karl Groom (guitar/vocals) ripped through the venue. Again, though, I would have liked to have heard more of Richard West's keyboards, but they still had a presence in the mix - particularly during the set's more atmospheric moments. As it does the album, Haunted kicked off the night in fine fashion, with long-time drummer Johanne James twirling his sticks from the off, before the band wasted no time in showcasing their prog credentials with the lengthy The Domino Effect. The song is the new album's centrepiece, and it came across well live - especially Groom's lengthy solo which showcased the more lyrical and emotional side of his playing. The oldie Slipstream was then wheeled out for an early sing-a-long. The heads-down rocker is essentially ever-present in the band's setlists, and it always goes down well live thanks to its massive chorus and relentless energy. The more technical Let It Burn then allowed Groom to play some knotty riffs, but in true Threshold fashion there were still plenty of hooks - with Morgan's more aggressive chorus shining.

I remember thinking that Morgan struggled during some moments of the 2017 show, likely due to the gig taking place at the end of his first tour in many years - but last night he sounded fantastic throughout. Most of the songs played were ones that he sung originally, but even the older ones played he really nailed. He particularly soared during the epic and prescient Mission Profile, which seems to get more relevant as time passes, before the new album was returned to for Defence Condition - which included some great atmospheric bass playing from Steve Anderson during the quieter moments, as well as a great heavy outro with some call-and-response vocals. Pressure, an oldie which I had not seen the band do live before, then kicked the energy levels up a gear following a couple of lengthy epics - before the newer single Silenced showcased the band's ability to write a pop metal anthem. Morgan's opening vocals swirled around the venue, as did West's busy keyboard solo which thankfully was a little higher in the mix. By this point the main set was coming to a close, but there was still quite a bit of music to go. A trip back to the last album meant the atmospheric Snowblind soon filled the hall, with Groom and Morgan teaming up for some dual guitar moments to fill out the sound, before the hard-hitting and riffy Complex allowed for another big sing-a-long. Threshold never fail to write a massive chorus, and Complex might have the best chorus on the latest album. The crowd lapped it up, anyway, before one last epic Lost in Translation brought the main set to a close. The song channels Pink Floyd at times, and allowed for a varied journey before the band left the stage. There was time for a couple more, though, and Threshold were soon back on the stage for one final new track: King of Nothing. Despite Dividing Lines still being pretty new, everyone around me was singing along to Morgan's hooky track, and it was then left to the big single from the last album Small Dark Lines to bring the night to a close. By this point, Threshold had been playing for around an hour and 45 minutes - but there were still cheers for more as the band took their bows and left the stage. The setlist was:

Haunted

The Domino Effect

Slipstream

Let It Burn

The Shire - Part 2

Mission Profile

Defence Condition

Pressure

Silenced

Snowblind

Complex

Lost in Translation

-

King of Nothing

Small Dark Lines

As mentioned previously, Threshold are always worth the effort - and last night in London was no different. With Dividing Lines, I feel that the second Morgan era of the band has well and truly been established, and it was great seeing the band's current line-up sounding so good and looking so confident. The crowd certainly made the band feel welcome, too, and I hope that it is not too long before the band play as a headline act here in the UK again. I am sure that I will be there when they do, but until then I will have yesterday to look back on - as well as the band's excellent back catalogue to immerse myself in once more.