Steve Hackett - Torquay Review

Whilst I always enjoy travelling away, and having nights out in other cities, it is also nice to sometimes enjoy live music a little closer to home - without the need for trains and hotels. I have lots more travelling to do this year, but I also have a handful of more local events this month - with two here in Plymouth as well as two nights out slightly more further afield in Torquay. I may not cover the staging of Jeff Wayne's The War of the Worlds that I am going to be seeing in Plymouth at the end of the month, as it is not likely to be a concert in the traditional sense, but everything else will be covered here as usual - and the first of those more local nights out happened last night, when I took the trip to Torquay to catch the former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett on his latest, lengthy UK tour. Torquay does quite well for live music these days. Whilst this is good, as it is pretty close by, it is not the easiest place to get go, either by road or rail, and it is also not the nicest place to spend a significant amount of time in. I can imagine that the town was once thriving and looking its best, especially down by the seafront, but time has not been kind to most of the old seaside resorts - and much of Torquay looks quite rundown these days. As such, an increased live music offering in the town can only be a good thing, and it can hopefully be one spoke of the wheel of wider regeneration - but it also means that those of us within striking distance can enjoy plenty of nights out at the town's music venues. Hackett, being a bigger artist, does not frequent any of the fairly thriving clubs in the main town centre - but instead brings his progressive rock show to the Princess Theatre whenever he comes to town. Last night was my third time seeing him live, and my second time seeing him in Torquay. The first time I saw him was in Plymouth in 2021, which was an excellent night due to him playing the whole of Genesis' Seconds Out, whereas the second time came the following year in Torquay - where, that time, Foxtrot received the full album treatment. Whilst I enjoyed both shows, Hackett is someone that I am unlikely to travel and stay overnight to see, given the amount of competition he faces, so I had not caught him since - as the closest he had come since 2022 was Bristol. When his current tour was announced last year, then, and I saw that it included a Torquay show, tickets were picked up pretty quickly. Hackett and his band are always worth seeing locally, and the Princess Theatre is a pretty decent venue - which is not as tired as it could be given much of the rest of Torquay. This current tour, though, has no particular theme. Hackett is always going to play some Genesis material, as he knows which side his bread is buttered having gone many years barely touching his former band's catalogue, but there was no full album performance this time. As such, then, the tour was billed as a celebration of the best of Genesis - alongside some solo material from his vast catalogue. In truth, this is essentially how Hackett has been operating for the past decade-plus. His shows generally include a first set of solo material, before a second, often longer, set showcases some Genesis material. The second sets are what keep him in the bigger venues, but his solo material has kept him in work over the years - and the mix of the two often makes for an enjoyable night. As such, then, after a fairly quiet Saturday at home resting, it was soon time to head up to Torquay for the evening. Wetherspoons was packed but there was room for a small one - and a quick dinner was enjoyed before taking my seat in the venue's circle.

The lights went down at bang on 7:45pm, and Hackett and his band took to the stage - with new keyboard player Lalle Larsson launching into the classical-esque, gothic intro of the rocker The Devil's Cathedral. Hackett's band looked a little different to recent tours, and now includes three alumni of The Flower Kings, but singer Nad Sylvan remained - and he sang The Devil's Cathedral with all of the power that he brings to the band. Despite Sylvan impressing early on, much of the first set was instrumental. Hackett's solo work is largely instrumental, with vocal-led pieces included occasionally, but there are generally quite lengthy instrumental passages even in the vocal-led songs - and that was evident last night. There was a lot of soloing throughout the night. Hackett, of course, had plenty of time in the spotlight - but it was actually Larsson who maybe soloed the most during the course of the show. Multi-instrumentalist Rob Townsend, a long-standing band member, also soloed, largely on the saxophone, so a lengthy instrumental incursion never felt too far away. Despite this, the first three numbers all included vocals. The upbeat and melodic Every Day followed The Devil's Cathedral, with its whimsical vocals and fluid guitar melodies - whilst a new number in the form of The Sea Inside saw Hackett taking the lead vocally, with Sylvan harmonising. Hackett's voice has never been the strongest, but it worked quite well in the context of The Sea Inside, which also featured plenty of melodic guitar playing. The second half of the first set was largely instrumental, then, save for the strange Camino Royale. Proper progressive rock and jazz workouts were then thrown at the crowd. Ace of Wands was a look back to Hackett's first solo album form 1975, and was more on the melodic side, whereas the dense The Steppes and the aforementioned Camino Royale were a little less digestible. These numbers ended up being some of the biggest soloing vehicles early on - with a lengthy Larsson solo coming at one point, before the sultry jazz club vibes of Camino Royale brought the best out of bassist Jonas Reingold. The bass playing in the song was pure jazz, but there was a fairly laid back vibe throughout thanks to some slow moving grooves and Hackett's fair weak vocals. This song ended up being one of the main showcases for Townsend, though, whose smoky saxophone soloing ended up being a big feature. The first set then came to a close, as tends to be the case on these tours, with the second half of the epic length Shadow of the Hierophant. The almost operatic first section is rarely played live, but the guitar-led closing instrumental section often is - with its slow-burning shredded guitar intro that morphs into some aching guitar melodies, many of which Townsend doubled with one of his saxophones. The guitar melodies in the track always feel quite moving - and the lengthy guitar solo essentially capped off the set nicely following a couple of somewhat less accessible pieces. The solo set felt longer than they have been on previous tours, and I did find that it dragged a little in the middle - but it opened and closed on highs, and, given that he has been a solo artists for significantly longer than he was ever in Genesis, it is understandable that Hackett wants to showcase as much of it as he can before giving the people what they want.

Following a 20 or so minute break, Hackett and the band trooped back on stage - ready to launch into a number of Genesis favourites. The second set may have only included five songs, but they included some of the best material of the Hackett era of Genesis - and the atmosphere clearly took a boost from the off. I was personally very pleased that they kicked off the second set with Dancing with the Moonlit Knight. The song is one of my very favourite Genesis songs, and I had not seen Hackett do it at any of the other shows I had been to. Looking back at the other setlists from the tour so far, it being played is not guaranteed - so I got lucky last night. Sylvan was featured a lot more during the second set, of course, and he nailed Dancing with the Moonlit Knight for me - with some emotive vocals early on and a more powerful delivery during the somewhat heavier mid-section. The song also included some of Hackett's fieriest soloing of the night, showcasing that he was an early user of tapping. Whilst all of the rest of the set I had seen Hackett and the band do live before, it was great to hear some of those Genesis greats live again. The Cinema Show came next, with more emotive vocals from Sylvan - and a lengthy instrumental section later on that gave Larsson plenty of time in the spotlight. Clearly Hackett shone during his solo spots, but Genesis were always much more keyboard driven overall. Larsson's melodic playing throughout did the songs justice, though, and he looks to have already really integrated himself in the band after the fairly recent retirement of Roger King - who had essentially been Hackett's right hand man for years. As it does on Selling England by the Pound, too, The Cinema Show segued into Aisle of Plenty - with the much shorter number bringing Sylvan back to the stage. A fairly lengthy keyboard solo from Larsson followed, which was largely made up of classical piano playing. It probably went on for a little too long for my liking, but it did nicely flow into the opening melodies of Firth of Fifth - a song that has largely become Hackett's signature song over the years. The guitar solo in the song is one of his most notable moments, so it is a part that fans look forward to each night. Despite this, the band really rocked through the track, so it was not just a case of waiting for the solo, but when it did come Hackett attacked it with everything - delivering the busy, melodic feast as would be expected. There was only one song left at this point, but with that song being the 23 minute Supper's Ready thing were far from over. I did wonder if the song might be rested for this tour given that it has been played a lot over recent years - but I suppose it is one of Genesis' best songs, so it was fitting that it was played. The progressive rock epic is always impressive to see played live. Sylvan again really did the vocals justice, whilst Townsend was here, there, and everywhere playing different instruments. There was quite a lot of flute playing during the track - and at times he even seemed to be playing the basslines on a keyboard, whilst Reingold doubled Hackett on the guitar. The song was as powerful and fun to experience live as always - and when it finished the band received a standing ovation as they left the stage. There was time for a couple more, though, and the soaring, melodic Dance on a Volcano was the first song of the encore section, with some excellent guitar and keyboard melodies, as well as that hooky chorus, before drummer Felix Lehrmann launched into a fairly brief drum solo that the morphed into a medley of Genesis' Los Endos and Hackett's own Slogans. Hackett often pairs Los Endos with other songs, with this arrangement, I think, being the same as the one played in 2021 - with the 2022 show being different with another song thrown into the mix. As such, it was one last return to something more jazzy to close things off - with some powerful soloing bringing what had been a lengthy night to a close. The setlist was:

The Devil's Cathedral

Every Day

The Sea Inside

Ace of Wands

The Steppes

Camino Royale

Shadow of the Hierophant

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Dancing with the Moonlit Knight [Genesis material]

The Cinema Show [Genesis material]

Aisle of Plenty [Genesis material]

Keyboard Solo

Firth of Fifth [Genesis material]

Supper's Ready [Genesis material]

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Dancing on a Volcano [Genesis material]

Drum Solo

Los Endos [Genesis material]/Slogans

Given that it had been a few years since I last saw Steve Hackett live, it was nice to catch up with him again in Torquay last night and hear some of those Genesis classics. Hackett always delivers live, and his new-look band were as tight as ever - despite Larsson and Lehrmann both being new recruits. My appreciation of classic Genesis only improves with time, and if Hackett comes back to the South West on future tours then I imagine that I will see him again.