Karnataka - Tavistock Review

After a busy March through May gig-wise, June has been quite relaxing. It has been good to catch up on some sleep and not burn the candle at both ends - but I have still made time for the odd concert, and last night I headed back out to Tavistock for the second time in less than a month to catch the Welsh progressive rock five-piece Karnataka on their latest tour. I first got into the band properly around the time that The Gathering Light album came out in 2010, but I did not get to see them live until 2012 - and by that point the band was an extremely different beast. Aside from their ethereal, atmospheric progressive tock sound, Karnataka are also known for their line-up upheaval over the years - with bassist and songwriter Ian Jones the only link between each iteration of the band. Karnataka are currently in their fourth era, fronted by Sertari, and this version of the band was debuted back in 2022 - and I caught the band on that tour, again in Tavistock. It was a rather odd experience, as the band lost their keyboard player one show into the tour and the new line-up was clearly finding their feet - but when I saw them again last year everything had fallen into place. With the new line-up now stabilised, and the excellent Requiem for a Dream album (which I reviewed here) out in the wild, Karnataka feel whole again. I caught the band twice on the Requiem for a Dream tour last year - in Tavistock yet again and at a sadly very poorly attended show in Bristol the following day - and they were excellent both times. With a new keyboard player in Rob Wilsher and a new drummer in Jack Summerfield, last year's shows were powerful and a great example of what the current line-up can do - with the whole of the latest album featured in the set alongside a handful of older favourites. I had not expected the band to undertake another UK tour so soon after the previous one, but clearly Jones and the rest of the band want to make up for the time lost between the last era of the band coming to an end in 2017 and 2022 - especially as the pandemic had stopped the current Karnataka era from kicking off when it had originally been planned to. Requiem for a Dream has received strong reviews, too, so clearly the band wanted to get out there and push it some more - with some European shows also included this time. I think that one of the Dutch shows was also filmed for a potential future live release, too, which gives us something to look forward to - but for now I will turn my attention to last night's show in Tavistock. The bar area was looking pretty sparse early on, but the driving rain was likely keeping people away until the last minute. By the time the band took to the stage, though, there was a decent-sized crowd gathered. It would have been nice to see a few more in attendance, especially on a Friday night, but it was a typical turnout for the band - and the crowd was extremely enthusiastic throughout.

Given that this was essentially the second leg of the Requiem for a Dream tour, it was good to see that the band had changed up the setlist. The new album was still heavily represented, but they chose not to play the whole things this time. Five of the eight songs were retained, though, and this gave the band an opportunity to play a few different older tracks - including one which I had not seen them do live before. The set kicked off in a fairly familiar fashion, though, with the older self-titled instrumental playing over the PA as the band took to the stage - before they joined in once it kicked in proper, with Sertari taking to the stage to sing the wordless vocal hooks. This short burst of rock set the tone nicely, before the string intro of Road to Cairo saw the set kick off proper - and the Eastern-tinged rocker was the only cut from 2015's Secrets of Angels played, as has been the case since Sertari joined the band. She delivered the song with class, though, and the sound mix was crystal clear from the off. Wilsher's keyboards were high in the mix, which allowed the atmospheric nature of the band's sound to fill the venue, whilst the guitar playing of Luke Machin (guitar/vocals) was on-point throughout. Despite his immense talents I was not sure he was the right man for Karnataka in 2022 - but he has really grown into his role since and now he fits like a glove. The cutting leads of Road to Cairo sounded great coming from his guitar, whilst Sertari added more of a floaty flavour to the vocals compared to the original. With the exception of one other song, though, the rest of the first set was filled with songs from the new album. Wilsher's opening keyboard flourish heralded the lengthy All Around the World, which is one of the showpiece cuts from the latest album. Despite its length it is very vocal-driven, and Sertari sounded excellent throughout - with Machin also laying down a pretty cutting solo later in the piece. The real treat for old-school fans came next, though, with a rare outing for Strange Behaviour. I had not seen the band do the song live before and it came across very well - with the hooky chorus and easy one for Sertarti to bring to life. The more ballad-esque Sacrifice and the atmospheric Don't Forget My Name were next - but the next true highlight was the first set-closing rendition of Forgiven. It is another of the latest album's centrepiece tracks and it moves through a number of different moods - from ballad-esque sections, through Latin choral-led moments, to some of Machin's most venomous soloing of the night.

Following a 20 minute break the band came back out for the second set - which only consisted of three songs, but given that two of them were very long this did not matter. The intro to The Gathering Light started playing over the PA before the band took the stage and they joined in when they did - with the lengthy song getting the show back underway. It has been a setlist regular over the years, but had not featured last year so it was great to hear the melodic feast live again. Sertari has a voice which allows her to handle all of the band's back catalogue perhaps more authentically than her predecessor, which is to take nothing away from Hayley Griffiths who re-interpreted the band's older songs really well, and the Celtic flavours of The Gathering Light really came alive on stage - with plenty of excellent leads from Machin again. Another treat for long-time fans then came in the form of Heaven Can Wait from 2000. Jones stated that it is was the first song which started to get the band some attention early on, with even some play on Radio 2 at the time. I had seen the band do it live before, but not for over a decade, so it was great to hear it again - as it has always been a favourite of mine from the early days. The overall arrangement was much more keyboard and vocal focused, which worked well, but the band still added some depth, especially during the slightly tougher chorus, and some of the closing guitar volume effects from Machin were very effective. Following the two older songs, though, was the gargantuan title track from Requiem for a Dream - with the next 25 minutes or so filled with the twists and turns of the band's most progressive piece. Slower moments and heavier moments sat side by side nicely, with Sertari once again the real star of the show. Whilst the song does have instrumental moments, including an excellent slide showcase for Machin and a bit of a bass-led groovy section towards the end, it is another pretty vocal-heavy piece considering how lengthy it is - and Sertari knocked it out of the park. There was also plenty for Wilsher to do with his varied textures and playing styles - and the track rounded out the main set in style, with the closing lyrics filling the room with many singing along. The band briefly left the stage following Requiem for a Dream but were called back for one last track - with another lengthy piece in Forsaken wowing the crowd. The song has essentially been ever-present in the set since The Gathering Light came out - and it has always been a guitar showcase, with Machin relishing in the song's lengthy mid-section guitar workout. Sertari and Wilsher took the spotlight either side of Machin, though, with the delicate piano ballad sections bookending the expansive guitar solo - and the track ended the show on a high, as it often has done so before. The setlist was:

Karnataka

Road to Cairo

All Around the World

Strange Behaviour

Sacrifice

Don't Forget My Name

Forgiven

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The Gathering Light

Heaven Can Wait

Requiem for a Dream

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Forsaken

Karnataka shows are always treats and last night in Tavistock was no different. It has been great seeing this current line-up solidify itself over the past couple of years - and Sertari and Machin in particular have gone from strength to strength in the context of Karnataka. Given this band's turbulent history it is never clear what is around the corner - but I hope that this is just the start of a long and prosperous new era for the band, and in the meantime I will look forward to the hinted-at live album which will capture this current line-up at their best no doubt.