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Soaring, symphonic movements of feeling transmitted to the crowd on a wave of astral visuals. Okay, forget the usual pretentious hyperbole used to describe prog-rock. Pure Reason Revolution are just very, very good. Tonight’s gig at the Barfly in Camden is an added treat for those fans lucky enough to get their hands on tickets for both downstairs and upstairs gigs.
Arriving on the tiny stage at an early 8 o’clock (and this is half an hour later than advertised) PRR give a rare five-track acoustic set. The four-way harmonies, which have led to whispered comparisons to The Beach Boys, are immediately evident with the pared-down sound. The acoustic set allows the real beauty of the vocal arrangements to hit a crowd stunned into silence. Singer Chloe, wearing a massive wide-brimmed hat, looks like a foxy, folk pixie rescued from the middle of a field in 1967. The band never try to outdo each other and look confident in the knowledge they could do very well in 2006.
All too soon the brief downstairs set is over and the crowd decamps upstairs for some plugged-in music. Support band Echelon have a name nearly as bad as PRR and dress as if they aspire to be in the O.C. They work hard to please the crowd but their sound is so 60s influenced they make Oasis look progressive. Echelon have obviously got a liking for the Doors but they need to concentrate on writing some more expansive tunes rather than pastiching their heroes. And they should download more music on their iPods.
Appropriately, the Doors are played as the expectant crowd waits for the main attraction. Unfortunately this encourages a middle-aged dick to bellow out ‘Break on Through’ as if we should all listen to him. No matter, PRR are soon on stage and proving the acoustic set was only a starter to the feast of the main course. Backed by large visuals showing cloud and lunar forms, PRR launch into an astonishing set. The prog influence of Pink Floyd is evident throughout but so is grunge in the crashing drum crescendos. There is even one point halfway through that could be a Rage Against the Machine instrumental. The softer moments are brilliantly built up to make the most of the harmonies. Each song has several movement of different tempo and the crowd is sucked into each one. Set highlight is 'Bright Ambassadors of Morning' which seems to last about 20 brilliant minutes, moving effortlessly between massive rock-outs and tender soft, folky moments. If there’s a very minor gripe it would be that the harmonies between Chloe and Jon could vary more. However, PRR are a brilliantly timed antidote to the majority of their peers in the current British music scene. If the public has any taste they will embrace this band with the same fervour some other groups are currently getting.
Photos by: Chris Birkinshaw
