Porcupine Tree - Arriving Somewhere (DVD)

Porcupine Tree began as a joke in 1987, with a mock-biography of a psychedelic band. Steven Wilson, along with friend Malcolm Stocks, invented its history, and Wilson recorded some hours of music to back up the ruse. But some of the songs he recorded had enough going for them for him to compile a selection onto tape a couple of years later and send them out to potentially interested parties. It was a few years later, after gradually building a reputation ...
...studio.

Porcupine Tree continued as a solo project with occasional collaborators for a while, Wilson worked on honing his own sound now that it was no longer a joke band and created a fusion of dance and rock with the album "Up The Downstair"in 1993, followed shortly afterwards by "Voyage 34", an electro-psychedelic literal trip based around audio clips of interviews with LSD users, advocates and critics. '93 was ... more

Porcupine Tree began as a joke in 1987, with a mock-biography of a psychedelic band. Steven Wilson, along with friend Malcolm Stocks, invented its history, and Wilson recorded some hours of music to back up the ruse. But some of the songs he recorded had enough going for them for him to compile a selection onto tape a couple of years later and send them out to potentially interested parties. It was a few years later, after gradually building a reputation in the underground psychedelic music scene, that the first proper release "On The Sunday Of Life" saw light of day, a compilation of what Wilson deemed to be the best bits of this early work, quite surreal and definitely psychedelic! Meanwhile, Wilson was enjoying some success with his then 'proper' band No-Man, in partnership with singer and lyricist Tim Bowness, whose record deal financed his side project and also new equipment for his home studio.

Porcupine Tree continued as a solo project with occasional collaborators for a while, Wilson worked on honing his own sound now that it was no longer a joke band and created a fusion of dance and rock with the album "Up The Downstair"in 1993, followed shortly afterwards by "Voyage 34", an electro-psychedelic literal trip based around audio clips of interviews with LSD users, advocates and critics. '93 was also the year that brought the first live performance by the band - which meant that a band had to be formed! Collaborators keyboard wizard Richard Barbieri (formerly of art rock band Japan) and bassist Colin Edwin were joined by drummer Chris Maitland to make up Porcupine Tree, with Wilson on guitar and vocals.

With a band now formed, Porcupine Tree went on to develop over the next few years from a psychedelic-tinged dance/rock fusion band to 'space rock' - atmospherics and occasional outbursts of rock guitar, that appeared on albums The Sky Moved Sideways and Moonloop. Next album Signify in 1996 was a major departure with a heavier sound coupled with a partial return to a more psychedelic feel, and is an album still regarded by many fans as one of their best. Then again, another departure as the next two albums leaned more heavily towards a more pop-rock, commercial sound - Stupid Dream and Lightbulb Sun were both lighter in sound on the whole, but lyrically melancholic and intelligent.

A change was on the way in 2002 when drummer Chris Maitland parted company with the band, and Gavin Harrison took over the percussion duties. Later that same year the album In Absentia was released, a massive shock to a lot of the fans it is furiously heavy in places, (instrumental Wedding Nails and the blistering Creator Had a Mastertape); the subject mater of serial killers is understandably disturbing, and yet it still retains what had developed into a 'typical PT' quality which has a lot to do with the atmosphere they create. It also contains some beautiful quieter moments such as .3 and Collapse The Light Into Earth. In Absentia was followed in 2005 by Deadwing, a concept album of sorts based on a film script written by Wilson and film maker Mike Bennion (the film is yet to be made, but hopefully one day will get the backing it needs). By now, it's fair to say that Porcupine Tree had really developed into a progressive rock band, but progressive in the proper sense - moving forward, taking ideas and pushing them on - varying time signatures, harmonies, excellent musicianship and production. These two albums raised the band's public profile considerably, and also brought audiophiles on board as they were both released in DVD-A and DTS surround format. This DVD is from the Deadwing tour, and contains songs largely from In Absentia and Deadwing.

I started to listen to the band about a year after the release of Deadwing, after being badgered by a couple of friends with musical tastes that I respected to give them a try. It was pretty much love at first listen and I have since spent a frightening amount on the back-catalogue, not to mention some of the other musical exploits of Steven Wilson (e.g. No-Man, Bass Communion, Blackfield which is a collaboration with Aviv Geffen, a huge star in Israel). It's music that satisfies the brain for me, in the sense that it's not just some processed pop that tickles your ears - it gives them a thorough work-out!

This live music DVD was filmed in 2006 at Park West, Chicago, during the Deadwing tour. The setlist is strong, predominantly featuring songs from Deadwing and their previous album In Absentia, but also from a little further back, for instance Hatesong (a standout track, showcasing drummer Gavin Harrison) and the acoustic, lesser-known and hauntingly atmospheric 'Buying New Soul'. The film has a very 'art-house' feel, with sometimes scratchy visuals and colour overlays, and may not be to everyone's taste, but in my opinion it adds to the atmosphere of the concert footage. Frontman Steven Wilson is a charismatic presence throughout, and the performance is backed by several films by their frequent artist-collaborator Lasse Hoile.

Tracklist:

1. Revenant
2. Open Car
3. Blackest Eyes
4. Lazarus
5. Hatesong
6. Don't Hate Me
7. Mother And Child Divided
8. Buying New Soul
9. So Called Friend
10. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here
11. Heartattack In A Layby
12. The Start Of Something Beautiful
13. Halo
14. The Sound Of Muzak
15. Even Less
16. Trains
17. End Credits

On the bonus disc, there is also:

Futile and Radioactive Toy, (from German Rockpalast TV broadcast)
Lazarus promo clip
Lasse Hoile films for "Halo", "The Start of Something Beautiful", and "Mother and Child Divided"
Gavin Harrison "Cymbal Song" in 5.1 surround sound
Photo gallery

The concert footage is available in both PCM stereo and DTS 5.1. The main DVD menu is very artistically designed with a porthole-style picture for each track.

Since this DVD was made, the albums Fear of a Blank Planet and The Incident have also been released. The first is another concept piece, this time about disenfranchised youth, and inspired by Lunar Park by Brett Easton Ellis. The Incident, released this year (2009), is a return to the more melodic sound of earlier albums such as Lightbulb Sun, although there is still a heavy element to the songs in places.

More information, plus sound and video clips, can be found on their website here:

http://www.porcupinetree.com/index.cfm

For those unfamiliar with the band, they have been compared at times with Pink Floyd, however their musical style over the years has evolved radically, and can only really be appreciated by having a listen yourself. Personally, I love this DVD, and sit glued to it from beginning to end!

 

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