Music / Reviews
Review: Frost*, Komedia, Bath
Billed, with quantum authenticity, as “both a prog band and not a prog band”, Quantum Pig are, on this occasion, a duo comprising multi-instrumentalist Ian Faragher and vocalist Mark Stevenson. They’re signed to John Mitchell’s White Star Records, which is how they managed to land this prestigious support slot.
Genre definitions aside, they certainly know how to win over a prog audience with a performance that occasionally feels like a self-deprecating stand-up comedy act interspersed with the odd song. And those songs are certainly odd, or erudite and idiosyncratically quirky if you prefer. One minute they’re referencing the Fermi Paradox and Carl Sagan; the next they’re quoting W.B. Yeats’s The Second Coming and taking a guffawing left turn into the Yes catelogue. The duo certainly succeed in conjuring up a spacious sound, and by the end of their short set we’re yearning to hear these songs performed by a full band. Job done.
is needed now More than ever
“This venue is great, isn’t it?” quips Stevenson of the ornate former Beau Nash cinema. “It’s like the inside of my nan’s head – including the bar.” Little wonder Frost* chose not only to play their first local gig in six years here, but also to bring along a multi-camera set-up to film the whole show for future release. An obviously very expensive lighting rig even makes use of Komedia’s ceiling as the packed audience is enveloped in sound and light.
“Sit back, relax and enjoy yourselves . . . you scum!” announces a child’s voice by way of introduction. For founding keyboard player and vocalist Jem Godfrey, this is, as ever, an opportunity to escape from toiling in the pop hit factory and indulge his love of prog, though his pop sensibility is never far from the surface, as evidenced by those multi-part harmonies in expanded opener Day and Age – the vaguely Genesisy title track of the current album – which segues effortlessly into Terrestrial from the same dark and cynical collection.
Clearly conscious of the fact that we’ve all waited an awfully long time to see them again, thanks to covid and the band members’ many other commitments, the prog supergroup deliver a set that’s rich in old favourites while showcasing their excellent more recent stuff, such as the pleasingly bleak Island Life. Guitarist John Mitchell gets his chance to shine in Dear Dead Days, the only song drawn from 2008’s Experiments in Mass Appeal, his slightly harsher, Gabriel-esque vocals blending perfectly with Godfrey’s more mellifluous tones, the three-part harmonies being completed by Level 42 guitarist Nathan King (playing bass in Frost*). Back in Bath just a couple of months after playing at the Forum with Steve Hackett, ace drummer Craig Blundell is positioned centre stage behind his giant yellow kit.
This isn’t prog of show-offy, grandstanding variety. Although the music can be complex and challenging, it’s unfailingly melodic and song-based, with no room for soloing. The end of the set sees a return to the breakthrough Milliontown album for the magnificent Hyperventilate and the epic title track, which never fails to hold the attention despite its near 30 minute length. As this short tour comes to an end, there are no weak points anywhere.
But as usual, there’s no shortage of larking about on stage either. Frost* clearly take the view that solemnity has no place in their brand of classy modern prog, despite those frequently gloomy lyrics.
They even sport matching T-shirts bearing their names, dates of birth and gender – except Blundell, who perhaps prefers not to reveal his age.
All pix by Mike Evans
Read more: Metal & Prog picks: December 2022
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
