Porcupine Tree are special; it's hard to put a finger on what exactly makes them so, but the first time you hear them you know it's true. PT had already been flying expertly under my radar for nigh on a decade by the time I stumbled across them in an interview with Opeth's Mikael Akerfeldt in which he raved about his then-producer's band.
Slowly, but surely I have collected their works and enjoyed each for its unique character and flavour; each a testament to individuality as well as a part of a greater whole. I greeted the announcement of their first ever Australian tour with elation, but in addition came a niggling concern that the pedestal I had placed them upon may possibly have been set too high, therefore inviting disappointment. I needn't have worried.
With little fanfare the 5 musicians took the stage in front of a crowd containing more different types of people than I have seen at one show in a long time and proceeded to launch into the powerful opening strains of the title track from their latest album 'Fear Of A Blank Planet'; the song's video played on a screen behind the band and beautifully highlighted the tense alienation of the song's lyrics. The screen was used to great effect throughout the gig but not in such a way as to detract from the music - it wasn't always video images, sometimes it was just used to accentuate the rich muted lighting employed to great effect throughout the set.
From this point the band proceeded to more than do justice to every song selected from their wealth of material. Mainman Steven Wilson stated that unfortunately they wouldn't be able to do everyone's favourite, though I was fortunate in that quite a few of mine were aired, including "The Sound of Muzak", "Hatesong" and "Lazarus". Wilson has a gentle intensity about him that quietly commands attention; his vocals can be lilting or powerful but are always captivating and his musicianship was top notch. In fact the entire band must be commended for the technicality of their performance. I was particularly interested in keyboardist Richard Barbieri being as I am a fan of his old band Japan; everyone however put in an exemplary performance.
Wilson, padding about in bare feet moved about between his cohorts, providing the odd nod or cue here and there, but knowing that they were more than capable of handling themselves one often saw him caught up in his own performance which sometimes included thrashing both his guitar and head about madly... without missing a note of course. Thankfully there was enough subtle variation on some numbers that, for all the technical brilliance displayed, it never felt like you were listening to the CD, nor did it ever descend into that "for muso's only" type of wank-fest that gigs by bands with something of a prog bent often can; PT are far too much about the songs and we were treated to 15 gems.
After being told that the band had no idea they had so many fans in this country we were assured that the wait wouldn't be as long next time, though any wait at all could feel like forever as this was definitely one of the gigs of the year.
Set list (thanks to Kel Skye):
1. Fear Of A Blank Planet
2. What Happens Now?
3. The Sound Of Muzak
4. Lazarus
5. Anesthetize
6. Open Car
7. Dark Matter
8. Hatesong
9. A Smart Kid
10. Blackest Eyes
11. Way Out Of Here
12. Sleep Together
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13. Mother and Child Divided
14. Trains
15. Halo
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