THE BAND:
Residing in the United States allows myself many positives as well as negatives... one negative (besides having King... oops... I mean `President' Bush as a `leader,' is that sadly- I have never had the privilege of seeing the progressive Celtic band, Iona- in concert. Luckily with the technology of DVDs... people around the whole world can enjoy the band in both forms- acoustic and electric and what a treat you are in for!
The Iona lineup has remained stable since their `Open Sky' album in 2000. Guitarist / keyboardist Dave Bainbridge shifts between stylish guitar leads, acoustic guitar and moody keys, while the lead soloist Troy Donockly keeps their Celtic roots grounded with a multitude of recorders, tin whistles and a bagpipe-like instrument called Uilleann Pipes (though he does add some beautiful guitar as well). Joanne Hogg- a wonderful vocalist mixes a powerful voice with a beautiful angelic quality (she also contributes eys and guitars). Not to be forgotten, the band's rhythm section- Frank Essen and bassist Phil Barker perform like clockwork pros and give the featured members a brilliant tempo to play off of without being redundant or stoic. Essen also provides nice violin on a number of tracks while away from the kit. The band obviously enjoys what they do and perform magnificently.
THE PERFORMANCE:
After the second song of the acoustic set, Joanne explained that instead of having an opening act, they decided to be their own support band- hence the acoustic mini-set which showcased a simpler stripped down version of band with Donockly and Bainbridge playing some gorgeous acoustic guitar. The second song- `Greenfields of Canada' is a stunning track with a cerebral mood featuring Hogg and Bainbridge on synths, while multi-instrumentalist wizard Troy Donockly added poetic Uilleann Pipes that just breathes- film soundtrack. Another highlight is the fourth track- `Jigs;' again showcasing Troy and Dave on the strings, creating a wonderful fusion of traditional Celtic with a contemporary touch.
The electronic set called to attention Dave Bainbridge's brilliance on the electric guitar... having a bit of an Andrew Latimer feel with perhaps with a smidgeon of Mike Oldfield; Bainbridge showed off his strong sense of melody as well as potent prog-chops with the 9 min. + opening instrumental- `Woven Cord.' Tony's interplay on the pipes is amazing. A fantastic track! And as for Dave Bainbridge, more people should recognogize him as one of the better prog guitarists.
The tracks on the gig varied from heavily Celtic influences to Proggy influences to Pop (almost like Annie Haslam solo- post Renaissance, but even with the different genre mixing, the band never loses it's Celtic roots. Iona's set even included new or unrecorded tracks which were solid pieces, but palled in comparison to the evenings epic track (without being bombastic)- `Encircling,' which I would call classic CelticProg. Another feature song was the tenth track- `Castlerigg/Reels.' Need a more in-depth explanation? Buy the DVD! LOL. Many groups tend to end their set on a bang, but Iona did the opposite, finishing the fabulous set with their fourth encore- the band played a simple melody full of substance and emotion- `Murlough Bay.' Performance-wise the entire group was spot on, and the limited light show was enjoyable and set the mood in a subtle way. Joanne had a fun time with the crowd as well as fellow band members making the gig more personal. The crowd was very much into the band and their performance.
THE DVD:
So the band was fantastic, but what about the quality of the DVD? Good and so-so, but mostly good. On occasions, the image is a tad fuzzy, usually on long shots, but it isn't distracting; luckily, the close-ups and mid-shots are on the money and crisp and the camera placement on the 5 camera shot was quite good. Black levels are surprisingly adequate. Camera work is subdued and enjoyable without too many Star Wars-like quick edits. Once in a while, the picture turns to black and white to be slick? Why do producers do this? Yet again, it wasn't too distracting (except to me LOL). Compression isn't that noticeable. On the whole a very nice looking concert.
Sound-wise, the DVD scores a perfect 10! One gorgeous mix and one of the best sounding music DVDs I have heard/seen. You can experience the show in 2-channel or 5:1 which was produced by John Kellogg (Deep Purple, ELP).
COMMENTS:
I can not recommend this recording enough. The DVD case is well-presented and includes two discs. The first one is the electric show, while the second contains the acoustic opening and interviews with all five members of the band. Personally, I would have loved to have heard a band commentary, but maybe that could be for their second DVD release (hint hint LOL). If you like bands like Pentangle, Jethro Tull, Mostly Autumn and Blackmore's Night- this release is a no-brainer, but I firmly believe than Progheads that have no problem with melody should definitely check out Iona. This DVD is a winner.
Score 9.6 out of 10
