Live Review: Steven Wilson @ ICC Sydney

The second weekend of November provided a Holy Trinity for progressive rock and metal fans in Sydney. 

With Metallica having just performed the night before, and Swedish prog heroes Opeth set to commence a two-night stand at the Sydney Opera House the following evening, the latest iteration of Steven Wilson’s live show served as something of a marvellous filling in the middle of an already delicious sandwich.

Indeed, even members of Opeth itself were in on the act; frontman Mikael Akerfeldt took his place among the crowd at Sydney’s ICC, creating an enormous buzz in the venue before the show, and adding to the carnival atmosphere. Akerfeldt’s presence wasn’t surprising – he and Wilson have been collaborators for decades at this point – but in place of a support act, an A-list “prog celebrity” caused ample excitement before the main event.

Accompanied by his stellar band of Craig Blundell (drums), Nick Beggs (Bass), Adam Holzman (keys) and Randy “The Mink” McStine (Guitars), Wilson arrived onstage and proceeded to play the entirety of his new, space-themed album The Overview. 

Made up of two 20-minute epics, the first forty minutes of the show veer between scintillating riffage, free-jazz, and, most impressively, bubbling electronica; a side of Wilson’s sound that emerged on his To The Bone album and has been perfected on subsequent releases.

Never one for nostalgia, dropping the entire new album off the bat was perfectly on brand for Wilson, who, flanked by visuals of planets and mathematical equations, was at times seemingly as engrossed in the musical and visual madness around him as the rest of the audience. 

The conclusion of the album led to what felt like a somewhat premature intermission (“that was a very intense piece of music for us, so we’re going to take ten minutes”). Still, in an evening featuring nearly three hours of music, the breather ended up being sorely needed.

Upon returning, the group performed nearly two hours of Wilson’s back catalogue, and at no point did things feel sluggish or lethargic. 

For many frontmen-gone-solo artists, the personalised headline shows tend to feature a few solo deep-cuts, followed by a smattering of ‘greatest hits’ from the band that gave them the profile in the first place. This was not the case for Wilson. 

Impressively, only one Porcupine Tree song made an appearance: the marvelously funky and psychedelic Dislocated Day, a number from the band's Jurassic period in the '90s, meaning only the most hardcore fans were 'serviced.'

Wilson has carved out a solo career with more than enough prog classics to fill a show without ever letting down the purists, whilst keeping those in the mood for new sounds engaged. 

On the heavier side of the ledger, Home Invasion/Regret #9 sounded as aggressive – and virtuosic – as ever, while What Life Brings and Staircase from Wilson’s excellent pandemic album The Harmony Codex slotted in beautifully, once again highlighting his forward thinking blend of progressive rock, electronica, and even trip-hop sounds.

As ever, Wilson was in fine form between songs. At one stage, he requested a show of hands of girlfriends/wives dragged along (to which he received an alarmingly large response), and at another point, noted he was going to have to pay tariffs on McStine and Holzman’s wages, given their American passports. 

Perhaps the most impressive part of the show that set it apart from other ‘solo tours’ was the emphasis on the broader band. Wilson’s musicians pack some serious pedigree. Blundell is a prolific session drummer, having also recently worked for former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett; Holzman has Miles Davis on his resume; Nick Beggs hails from Kajagoogoo; and McStine was a touring member for the reformed Porcupine Tree. 

Blundell was particularly impressive, moving between Jojo Mayer jungle beats, gospel chops, tasteful balladry, and even pulling out a gravity blast beat at one stage – all while contending with his band mates muting his cymbals, or poking their heads through his hardware to try and throw him off. 

“He puts up with a lot of shit”, quipped Wilson about Blundell, adding that he himself “is consistently the worst musician onstage whenever I play”. The energy and chemistry between the live members took things to a new level – and if Wilson can maintain this line-up, things will be highly entertaining for future tours.

Returning to the stage, it was clear a lot of punters wanted to hear the seminal Porcupine Tree classic Trains. “Yes, that is one of the most popular songs I’ve ever written”, Wilson said, confronting the hail of requests for it. “But if you go and ask any fucker on the street if they know it, nobody does – and that’s liberating for me!”

The band closed proceedings with a one-two punch: first, the prog epic Ancestral, and finally the cinematic and beautiful The Raven That Refused To Sing, featuring the haunting video created by Jess Cope and Simon Cartwright. It was a moving and cathartic way to close a spectacular evening.

Wilson, by his own admission, was the “filler” in between the Metallica and Opeth sandwich – but based on this performance, it’ll be hard for either of those artists – or any future proggers for that matter – to top his shows.

Another triumph in an increasingly long list of achievements for “the most famous person you’ve never heard of.”