By DJ Astrocreep

Three bands on a prog bill? On a Friday night? Sounds like sheer madness – but the kind of madness I can really dig. A quick train and several drinks later, I’m in Manchester Academy, ready to be uplifted by the melody monster that is the hevviest of Devys.

 

Openers Fixation head to the stage with the venue sadly only a quarter full, though this continues to grow as they wind through their set. They have a lot of melody and ability, playing a very tight set and showcasing just why the Norwegian act deserve their spot on the tour. They seem to have a lot in common with fellow Scandinavians Leprous – a heady compliment indeed, these days – and show more than enough promise to demonstrate that they have the potential to create work of real note. Their music is enjoyable and they do a good job of getting more and more reaction from the crowd as they wind through the slot, with more cheers and claps between sings showing quite how good a job they do, compared to the quite sterile atmosphere as they started. There is a good balance between their delicate and powerful sides, demonstrating a good variety in song writing ability, too. A very good opening set.

A two thirds full room greets Klone as they take to the stage and we get more similar to Fixation before them (though I’ll resist the current urge to make the clone joke!). Plenty more melody seated alongside what sometimes veers a touch towards the post rock side of things, they create nice wall of sound quite early in their set. Slight discordance sets in at times with the guitars to create a nice edge to the music, providing good contrast and quality to their live performance.

The French progsters are really enjoyable, despite the rather lethargic reaction from the crowd – which is actually quite disappointing, given the quality on display. The talented five piece do a better job of filling the stage, compared to Fixation but seem almost plagued by the lack of reaction despite being genuinely good at what they’re doing. There is even, at times, a hint towards something a touch more AOR in their sound, which fits surprisingly well, seated in amongst their more downbeat side. Another enjoyable act that provide genuine quality to proceedings.

So, on to Hevy Devy and, as usual, he knows how to work a crowd.

Devin himself is on absolute top form, introducing the loan theramin as “the piece of shit that’s costing me 100 bucks to rent”, drawing laughter from the crowd. Seeing quite how well he merges the different sides of his music genuinely brings a smile to my face, as not many people could perform in such a schismatic manner and keep it as coherent as Devin always seems to do. After all, who doesn’t need some Strapping Young Disney in their life? Even if, by his own admission, he has ‘a limited type of humour, and most of it comes down to penises’!

Starting with newest album title track ‘Lightbringer’, we’re quickly on to fan favourite ‘Kingdom’ right after. The set continues through in a similar manner, with the mix of new and older stuff merging well to avoid too much energy drop. ‘Deadhead’ gets what is almost obligatory at this stage, in the form of a clap along start, while more phones emerge, as people grab photos of quick recordings of another fan favourite, a few songs further into the set.

It’s actually really cool hearing the likes of ‘Lightbringer’ and ‘Deep Peace’ being imagined into a live reality, with their delicacy sitting quite at odds with the heavier output of ‘Kingdom’ et al, especially when it works so well in the way that he approaches both sides. We have time for two encores, looking at different stages of Devy’s musical career, with the final one lifting the roof off the place. What a night!

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