Progressive Rock Tour in a Psychedelic Haze
For those of you still suffering Progressive Rock withdrawal with the cancellation of this summer’s Nearfest Festival, you can get a temporary fix with the Space Rock Invasion Tour. This little caravan brings together a trio of classic progressive rock artists with psychedelic roots, including Nektar, Brainticket, and Huw Lloyd-Langton .
Nektar was perhaps the last band to emerge from the golden age of progressive music. Englishman Roye Albrighton put the group together in Hamburg, Germany in 1969 and their early sound was more psychedelic than progressive. But their concept album, Remember the Future, put them solidly in the ProgRock wheelhouse with a sprawling and dynamic work. Here they are in their prime.
To my ears, the groups reached its zenith with the 1975 album, Recycled, which was anything but. Produced by Larry “Synergy” Fast, who also plays on it, it is at once their most expansive and most concise work to date. The group has undergone many personnel changes, but a new band has formed around Albrighton and they’ll be playing tracks from across their career including recent music and maybe something from the forthcoming Juggernaut.
Here’s a live video of recent vintage:
Brainticket was one of those second-tier Krautrock groups. Like Nektar, they bridged the transition from psychedelic to progressive rock having formed in 1968. They have something of a paranoid take on the future and their music is marked by aggressive rhythms and often avant-garde sound fields. This is their first U.S. tour.
Opening Space Rock Invasion will be guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton . He was an original member of Hawkwind the premiere psychedelic space band and he’s played and recorded with them off and on ever since. He’s also had a long-running solo career and tends to be a little more rocking. You would think it’s sure to be reverb drenched, fuzz-fractured and loud, but………this will be an acoustic solo show.
The Space Rock Invasion Tour just launched last night in New York. Subsequent dates include:
Thu 8/18 Foxboro Ma Usa – Showcase Live
Fri 8/19 Springfield Va Usa – Jaxx Concert Hall
Sat 8/20 Lancaster Pa Usa – Chameleon
Sun 8/21 Sellersville, Pa Sellersville Theater
Wed 8/24 Milwaukee Wi Usa – Shank Hall
Thu 8/25 St Louis Mo Usa – Fubar
Fri 8/26 Lincolnshire Il Usa – Viper Alley
Sat 8/27 Darien, Illinois – Q Sports
Sun 8/28 Cleveland Oh Usa – Beachland Ballroom
Thurs 9/1 Santa Rosa, California – Last Day Saloon
Fri 9/2 Capistrano Ca Usa – Coach House
Sat 9/3 West Hollywood Ca Usa– Key Club
I’ll be catching their show at Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, PA. It’s not Nearfest, but all these bands would fit on a Nearfest bill and Nektar has played the festival. Early reports from New York’s show are positive. Hopefully this will hold you till next year. I’m hearing good noises from the Nearfest camp that the original founders have retaken the reins and they’re gearing up for 2012.
John Diliberto ((( echoes )))