You were definitely taking the right musical direction if you were present at Henshaws on the warm summer evening of Sunday 22nd August. This was the final night of yet another highly successful Knaresborough Feva festival, which saw world class prog rockers ‘The Tangent’ playing to an enthusiastic audience at the excellent Henshaws centre. This was, of course, the third, and possibly the best yet of the ‘Yorview’ series of rock concerts.

The Tangent are simply masters of their genre, they draw from many Prog rock 1970s influences (Yes, Genesis and Camel) but they also weave those influences skilfully with contemporary rock (and jazz) sounds and styles. This is truly a 21st century sounding band - they are not merely looking backwards. The fact that their music is so relevant in the modern musical world surely means they have a good chance of going to even greater heights. They played many excellent pieces from their album ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’ such as ‘Where are they now’ and ‘Perdu dans Paris’. These pieces showcase the excellent musical dynamics of the band. Their music grabs the attention with ever changing, complex musical landscapes of instrumental rock, soft atmospheric passages, interspersed with power chords and dazzling crescendos.

Finishing with the song ‘In Ernest’ (from ‘A Place In the Queue’) they also demonstrated that their lyrics are quite interesting and not just mere fanciful ‘prog’ fare. This was a superb two hour musical journey that kept the audience spellbound throughout. The band is now gaining momentum and playing many more gigs so let’s hope that 2011 is their year.

Opening the evening were residents ‘Northern Soundscapes’, who were showcasing their new line up, which now features a bassist and backing drum tracks. The audience were very appreciative of this new, much fuller sound. The band’s 40 minute set was well received and drew favourable comment (and CD sales!). Those who enjoyed the set would be well advised to attend the next two concerts on October 31st and December 12th when they will be involved in longer, headlining sets, as their repertoire steadily grows.

(See Gallery for more photos)

Yorview Management