Steve Wilson

You might not have heard of Steve Wilson. He's perhaps best known as the front man of Porcupine Tree but his musical CV is insane; hugely prolific, with a number of other bands, a solo catalogue, plus collaborations and production work. Frankly, he deserves a higher profile. 

And yet he does have a huge and loyal fanbase, which makes getting tickets to see Porcupine Tree nigh on impossible and hugely difficult for his solo gigs. As it happens, I did see him once before but I think it was a duff night and it didn't put me off wanting to see him again.

This week, he's playing three nights - different sets, each night - at the Royal Albert Hall. Of course it sold out immediately but happily for me (if not for him) my friend, John, had two tickets that he couldn't use that he let me have. So, after drinks with another friend, David, the Minx and I took our seats at the RAH to watch the second of Wilson's three nights.  

To be honest, it was a bit like gatecrashing a family gathering. Everyone there, apart from us, appeared to be a diehard fan who was intimately familiar with the entirety of Wilson's back catalogue. To illustrate my point: you know how on live albums sometimes it takes the audience a while to recognise the songs? Well, tonight, the auditorium was erupting after three notes of introduction. I was really impressed.

And for the most part, I enjoyed it. On the downside, there were some long musical sections when all the musicians simply seemed to be playing as many notes as possible and that was a little tiresome. But there were some great songs and performances, even if I didn't recognise much of the material. 

Early on in the proceedings, I took a look at the lanky, blond bass player on the far side of the stage and thought "I know that guy". And, later on, when Wilson made the band introductions, it was indeed Nick Beggs! (You know, him out of Kajagoogoo.) He's actually a great bassist: my only regret of the evening was that I wasn't over on his side of the stage. 

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Reading: 'The Descent Of Man'