As one of the most icon bands to come out of Liverpool this side of the millennium, 'The Coral' reached UK number 1 in their prime and returned earlier this year with their 8th studio album , 'Distance Inbetween' . The new release really emphasized the more psychedelic side of the band's music and brought with it a less catchy sound perhaps but certainly a more hard-hitting feel packed full of energy and musical brilliance. With their UK tour drawing to a close, what better way to begin the festive countdown than with the most anticipated homecoming of the year! Live @ Liverpool Olympia.
A hugely devoted audience looked on as the Liverpool legends performed all the old favourites as well as the best of the new album, which certainly have to be up their with their best ever songs. And when i say 'performed' i mean performed, not merely played. Every nice riff or ferocious instrumental ( a trademark of the new album) drawn out and amplified many times over. Opening with the new record "Chasing The Tail Of A Dream" and seamlessly leading into "White Bird", this set the tone for a night which was a constant flow of psychedelic rock pouring from their instruments, with little rest and little rest for the audience to even catch their breath. This was all topped off by their electrified 8 minute version of "Goodbye" and of course "Dreaming Of You" to end the show. Just non-stop reverberated riffs accompanied by the ever-brilliant drumming of 'Ian Skelly' whos drumming style appears quite unique. Layering his smooth psychedelic freedom on top of a solid rock basis, creating the perfect sound required for such a band. We mostly try to refrain from comparing drumming styles to items of confectionery, however describing Ian's style as Malteser drumming can be a one off!
Another major feature of the night that seperated it from your average Olympia gig, was the incredible visual display. A mix of conceptual, abstract animations and reminiscent montages filled any gaps in the sensory overloaded night (as if there were any anyway). Often the visuals can distract or even overshadow the artists music, but this was never going to be a problem with a band showcasing their very own exhibition at 'Red House Originals' art gallery. As always with the coral's art (mostly designed by Ian Skelly) it captured every element of the songs artistic purpose and portrayed it in dramatic style whilst still intertwining with the music on-stage. This added an extra dose of depth and an extra helping of psychedelia for those hardcore fans.
We could not talk about the gig without mentioning the admirable performance from local support "Sundowners" who kicked off the heart-pumping psychedelia an hour earlier than expected from those unaware of the band's talent.
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