By DJ Astrocreep
Another short hop over to Manchester sees me take in some classic progressive rock of the finest calibre, with Uriah Heep performing their Magician’s Farewell tour. With more than able support from Canadians April Wine and New York City AOR rockers Tyketto, in a venue with the acoustics of the Bridgewater Hall, it was shaping up in advance to be quite the evening of melodic music.
I arrive just as Tyketto are kicking into gear and they are bang on form, as always. While the room starts around half full, it keeps topping up as they work through their set, reaching a quite respectable level by the time we get to perennial set closer ‘Forever Young’. The acoustics are perfect for their brand of melodic AOR and it shows, showcasing their talents and in particular Danny Vaughn’s mercurial vocals. The band work well together, as tight and rehearsed as ever and they have people up and dancing in their seats by the time their set draws to a close. A fantastic performance as always.
I have to admit that, despite them having been rockin’ around the Überverse longer than been bothering it, April Wine are a new one for me, though a little digging shows some long term members are still around in the current iteration. Coming to them with completely fresh ears, I quite enjoy them pretty much from the off. Plenty of melody, plenty of technical ability and a definite step towards more progressive solos on the joint guitar attack mean they’re a good bridge towards the evening’s headliners from our previous support and they’re just as tight as Tyketto before them.
The layout of the venue again works very well to supplement their sound, not needing them to blast the levels but instead to focus on the harmonies and other aspects which show their songwriting and playing abilities. An excellent introduction to a talented act.
Our headline act strut out behind a large black cover, which drops as the first notes rings out around the now very busy room and get into gear. The band are on absolute fire, making a mockery of just how long they’ve been going and showing no signs of slowing down while on stage.
Mick Box in particular, at 77, still makes his guitar skills look as effortless as ever and his remarkable level of performance at an age that the vast majority of his ilk have already retired absolutely belies his years. Everyone takes to their feet from the off (although I rather sheepishly sit on the backs of the seats, given I’m considerably taller than people even five rows behind me) and are all up for it.
The room absolutely enlivens after a bit of a lull with our main support and the atmosphere goes into the stratosphere with love and appreciation for the talents on the stage. The sound is immaculate and being sat fairly centrally in the room almost has it feeling like they’ve sat specifically in my seat to adjust the sound, so good are the acoustics. While the venue is a lot grander than the last time I saw them (in The Ritz, Manchester) and the room almost twice the size, it’s a venue befitting the farewell tour of such a storied band and one that does them absolute justice.
While the setlist comprises of a mere 14 songs, including the two encores, you have to remember the progressive nature of a lot of their music, meaning the 14 songs still complete a full 90 minutes, even allowing for the likes of fan favourite and perennial set closer ‘Easy Livin’ being under three minutes. A couple of new tracks fit in seamlessly alongside so many classics now sitting at over 50 years old, showing that while the band may have aged, their music and songwriting ability remains timeless.
Overall, it’s been a night of classic bands, classic songs and memories being made that many will remember for a long time to come. A great night of melodic music.
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