Steve Hackett - Plymouth Review

Those who know me well will know that Genesis have never been one of my favourite bands. As someone who considers themselves to be a prog fan, not being that familiar with Genesis was always something of a black mark that I 'awarded' myself. I had tried a number of times to get into the band properly, but for whatever reason they always left me cold. This all changed last year however, and for some reason some of the band's early work started to gently resonate with me. I decided to push forward with my Genesis discovery as a result, and over the past year I have really become familiar with much of the band's 1970s output. I am yet to fully explore the band's 1980s (and beyond) albums, but their 1970s work is now a part of my musical rotation. I am not sure why they left me cold previously, but my occasional persistence has paid off - and I now understand what all the fuss is about. Coincidently, the Genesis albums that I now consider myself a fan of all feature the guitar genius of Steve Hackett. Much is made of the band's Peter Gabriel era, or the Phil Collins era, but for me the era that matters the most is the Steve Hackett era. Hackett featured on six studio albums, and two live albums, as a member of the band - with his tenure lasting from 1971's Nursery Cryme to 1977's Seconds Out. This era, for me, was Genesis' golden period. This covers their most progressive work, but also showed the band to be great songwriters and conjurers of a good melody. Much of Genesis' output from that era is as catchy as it is intricate, and it is not hard to see why they are held in such high regard by many a prog band to follow in their wake. Hackett left Genesis in 1977 however, as he had grown tired of his role in the band - and he wanted to strike out on his own. He has remained true to his word in this regard too as, bar a couple of collaborations with Steve Howe and Chris Squire, Hackett has been his own man since 1977. He has released a wealth of solo albums covering different styles since leaving Genesis - but he also likes to keep his Genesis legacy alive. The last decade or so has really seen Hackett reconnect with his past, and a lot of his tours have featured setlists dedicated to particular Genesis albums - while still showcasing his lengthy solo catalogue. His latest tour, which stopped off in Plymouth yesterday, is showcasing Genesis' seminal live album Seconds Out - with a full performance of the classic release. I only bought my ticket for the show a month or so ago, but I think that it had been postponed at least once due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I had not really followed Hackett's progress previously, but with my newfound love of early Genesis and a local show on the tour it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take the plunge.

The concert took place at the underused Pavilions in Plymouth - a large venue that has suffered over the years from something of an identity crisis as well as poor sound. As such, despite living in or near Plymouth for most of my life, I have not visited the Pavilions very often. The sound system has certainly been upgraded in recent years, but it still fails to regularly attract much in the way of hard rock, metal, or prog - which is a real shame. It was great that Hackett decided to bring his tour to Plymouth however, and the healthy turnout showed that there is a crowd here in the South West for music such as this. There were some empty seats, but on the whole the venue was busy throughout the evening - which contributed to a great atmosphere throughout. One thing that I noticed too was just how respectful the crowd were. You could hear a pin drop while the music was actually playing, which was really welcome - especially being a Fish fan. There was no support act, but Hackett somewhat acted as his own support band. He hit the stage at bang on 7:45pm, and launched into a short five-song set that showcased some of his solo albums. He explained following the knotty opening instrumental piece Clocks - The Angel of Mons that he was going to play the crowd a few solo cuts, before taking a short break and coming back for a full rendition of the expansive Seconds Out. This meant that the crowd got well over two hours of music from Hackett and, although Seconds Out was what everyone was there for, the first set went down well. Two songs from his latest album Surrender of Silence were performed, with the second offering from that disc, The Devil's Cathedral, being particularly great. The lengthy piece was a real showcase for Hackett's excellent band - many of whom having been touring with him for years at this point. The song opened with a gothic-tinged instrumental section from keyboardist Roger King and multi-instrumentalist Rob Townsend (who moved between various saxophones, flute, keyboards, percussion, and even bass pedals all night), before it morphed into a somewhat jagged rocker that featured the excellent vocal talents of Nad Sylvan. The Devil's Cathedral was the first song of the night to feature Sylvan singing alone, as the other solo cuts chosen were either instrumental or sung by the whole band in a somewhat choral style. Sylvan would of course feature much more prominently later, but it was great to hear him sinking his teeth into the gothic cut - before Hackett launched into one of the evening's many spacy solos. The first set then came to an end with the closing instrumental section of the epic Shadow of the Hierophant, which was essentially a showcase for Hackett's fluid and atmospheric guitar playing. This rounded out the first part of the evening nicely, and there was plenty of applause as the band left the stage.

Following a period stood up, to get a break from the venue's awful chairs, the lights went down again and the band trooped back out. Hackett's introduction of what was to follow was pretty understated - but the performance was not. The whole of Seconds Out, with the addition of one song and full versions of some of the songs opted for over the album's truncated renditions, was played by the band masterfully - with all of the six guys on stage really doing their bit. Sylvan is a great singer for Hackett's band, as he is able to sing both Gabriel and Collins' parts well. He sounded strong throughout, but particularly came alive for me during the jaunty Robbery, Assault and Battery - which also featured some excellent keyboard playing from King. The set's first two songs were also strong, but for me it was Robbery, Assault and Battery that stole the show early on. Squonk could have done with a little less saxophone for me, as Sylvan seemed to be competing against it throughout, and the moody The Carpet Crawlers was soon aped by a stunning rendition of the delicate Afterglow. This was another vocal showcase for Sylvan, while Hackett's guitar arpeggios rang through the venue. It was during Afterglow too that the lighting rig that was set up to mimic the Seconds Out album cover was first utilised, which added some extra poignancy to the piece. A string of classic Gabriel-era tracks followed. Firth of Fifth was a powerhouse piece, from King's opining piano salvo to Hackett's lengthy, trademark guitar solo. It has always been a favourite of Hackett's to play live, and the crowd's reaction explained why. It was easily one of the highlights of the night; while the following I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) proved to be the night's wackiest cut with its strange semi-spoken word delivery and chaotic instrumental section that featured lots of Townsend's saxophone. The pompous The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, with a lengthy coda from The Musical Box, was another strong moment - but I think the song that everyone was waiting for was Supper's Ready. The 23-plus minute epic has always been a crowd favourite, and the multi-part song went down a treat. It started out gently, with Hackett and bassist Jonas Reingold both playing guitars (as is common with early Genesis), but the song soon moved through many different sections - with each one shining the spotlight on a different band member. Sylvan really owned the song vocally, but drummer Craig Blundell also deserves special mention - especially for his performance during the chaotic ending sections. It was left to the smoother The Cinema Show, and the short Aisle of Plenty which was not on the original album, to close out the main set. Supper's Ready may have been a better closer in truth, but the original album running order was being respected so it made sense - but the standing ovation that Supper's Ready received may have been better for the band to walk off to. There were two songs from the album left at this point however, so the band came back for rousing versions of the majestic Dance on a Volcano and the frenetic instrumental Los Endos to finish the night off - with a drum solo from Blundell in between. Los Endos included a snippet of Hackett's own Slogans, and the instrumental piece was a powerful way to end the lengthy show. The band received another standing ovation at the end, and they looked very pleased with the reactions of the strong Plymouth crowd as they took their final bows and left. The setlist was:

Clocks - The Angel of Mons

Held in the Shadows

Every Day

The Devil's Cathedral

Shadow of the Hierophant

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Squonk [Genesis material]

The Carpet Crawlers [Genesis material]

Robbery, Assault and Battery [Genesis material]

Afterglow [Genesis material]

Firth of Fifth [Genesis material]

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) [Genesis material]

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway [Genesis material]
The Musical Box [Genesis material]

Supper's Ready [Genesis material]

The Cinema Show [Genesis material]

Aisle of Plenty [Genesis material]

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Dance on a Volcano [Genesis material]

Drum solo

Los Endos [Genesis material]/Slogans

It was great capping off my recent conversion to Genesis with a live rendition of Seconds Out courtesy of Hackett and his excellent band. I had heard many good things about Hackett's live shows over the years, but not being a Genesis fan at the time I made little effort to actually confirm that it was true. This was to my detriment, but I have been really enjoying getting acquainted with Genesis, and some of Hackett's solo work, over the past year. I glad that I took the punt on tickets for the Plymouth show too - and it was great that Hackett brought the Seconds Out show down to the South West. Too many bands miss the South West out of their touring schedules, but Hackett was greeted by a strong crowd - and a good time was certainly had by all.