LA2, London

17/11/2000

The 13th Note Club, Glasgow

19/11/2000

LA2, London

19/01/2002

Venue: LA2, London                        Date:  17/11/2000

Setlist: Call to Arms; Cut and Run; Executioner; Hide and Seek; Rat Racing; Beat the Drum; Insomniac; Blood and Roses; Atlantis Suite; Fragments; Arrive Alive - Imagination - Queen of the Deep; Black Night.

It has been some twelve years now since Pallas last put on a show in London, and it was gratifying to see that so many people had turned up to witness the band make their triumphal return.

The support slot was capably filled by Yes tribute band 'Fragile', and judging from the t-shirts it was clear that a fair number of the audience were Yes fans. Although I did not get to see much of their set since I was handing out leaflets on the door, they sounded very authentic, even down to the Jon Anderson style vocals.  When they played the classic 'And You And I', I felt compelled to go and watch and, although I admit that I am not a huge fan of tribute bands, I have to say that the  experience made me wish I had been able to see more of their show as it really was very well put together.

Now on to Pallas themselves - The set that was played was virtually the same as on the recently released 'Live Our Lives' album, but this should not really come as a surprise since the band have to fit their limited live shows around their full time work commitments, consequently time does not allow the level of rehearsing necessary to vary the show too often.

Due to the very real time constraints imposed by the venue, the show started bang on schedule with the atmospheric intro music and muted blue lighting heralding the band's arrival on stage. However we were then treated to one of those moments that make live shows so memorable - instead of launching majestically into 'Call to Arms' it was a case of suddenly nothing happened as the sequencer failed to start. The audience took this in great spirit and applauded enthusiastically while the band seemingly unfazed by the setback resolved the problem and soon got things underway again with a spirited performance.

When I wrote a my review of 'Live Our Lives' I made the comment that I was not sure how representative that album was of the band's live sound - I can now say that it, if anything, probably undersells what the band are really capable of!  As on the aforementioned CD the playing was tight and controlled, and all the members of the band excelled themselves throughout the set as we were treated to tracks that covered virtually every era of the band's history.

Although it's hard to name specific tracks as being better than others my personal favourites from the main set include 'The Executioner', 'Beat the Drum', 'Insomniac' and 'Blood and Roses'.  Special mention should also be made of the light show which was truly awesome and did much to add to the live experience.

All too soon we arrived at the final part of the main set as the band delivered a fine rendition of 'Atlantis', which was very well received.  The resulting applause showed that the audience had had a great time and as the members of the band took to the front of the stage to take a bow it was obvious that they had really enjoyed the experience as well.

It was clear that the audience wanted to see and hear more and they were not to be disappointed.  A huge cheer went up as the band returned to the stage to play as their first encore the track 'Fragments' from the recent 'Beat the Drum' album. Delivery was brilliant, as I had by now come to expect, and this powerful and moving song really seemed to benefit from a live showing.

Scarcely had the closing strains of the last track died away before the band thundered on into the next number. Alan Reed said "I think you can guess what this is going to be...." and the sound became recognisably the vintage 'Arrive Alive' - and the crowd went nuts.  The track was played in lively fashion and the audience joined in with great enthusiasm to the chorus, after being initially berated in good natured fashion by both Alan Reed and Graeme Murray for not trying hard enough. More surprises were in store however as it soon emerged that rather than being a straightforward rendition of 'Arrive Alive' this was in fact a medley as the music moved without warning into 'Imagination', from 'The Wedge'. But the best was left for last as the final change moved things effortlessly into a fabulous version of 'Queen of the Deep'.

Applause at the end of the number was once again tumultuous, as the band went into an American football style huddle - emerging to announce that there was time for one more. Guitarist Niall Matthewson, who is the only member of the band not to have a microphone, came over to Alan Reed and announced "'This one's a bit silly" - Alan looked slightly surprised and replied "I've never seen him do that before!" - the final encore was a rousing version of Deep Purple's 'Black Night'.

Again the band took to the front of the stage to take a bow before leaving the stage, and it was nice to see that they made every effort to shake hands with members of the crowd before taking their leave.  In the final analysis it was clear that we had all been witness to a truly classic performance by the band, and somehow it was as if the years had been stripped away and we were all transported back to the Marquee years ...

Pallas are a band who have lost nothing of their ability over the years, but rather they have matured into a tight cohesive unit. If you get a chance to catch up with them live then do so, it's an experience not to be missed.

Simon - 19th November 2000
Pictures by Ian Moffatt reproduced here with his kind permission.

Venue: The 13th Note Club, Glasgow   Date: 19th November 2000

Set List: A Call To Arms, Cut and Run, The Executioner, Hide and Seek, Ratracing, Beat The Drum, Insomniac, Blood and Roses, The Atlantis Suite (inc Rise and Fall - Pt1, East West, The March on Atlantis, Atlantis).
Encores: Fragments of the Sun, Medley: Arrive Alive - Imagination - Queen of the Deep (closing section), Black Night.

It's been a long long time since Pallas played in their 'spritual' home, so there was a sense of anticipation as the audience crowded into the venue's basement bar, and the tiny stage became swathed in dry ice.  In some ways, the lack of room must have reminded older fans of those early days in the Diall Inn when the band were starting out.

A brief intro tape and then 'A Call to Arms' started things off. It didn't take long for the sound to settle, but throughout the show Alan Reed's vocals seemed a bit indistinct, in spite of his valiant efforts to sing his heart out.  Perhaps it was just where I was standing, but the rest of the band came across very clearly, as 'Cut and Run' showed.  It's always been one of the band's strengths that they can conjure up an epic sound in spite of the limitations of a small venue, and the closing section of this song, with its soaring melody showed that the guys hadn't lost their touch.

'The Executioner' was played a little slower than the studio version, but in my opinion this lent the song more power and allowed the audience a better opportunity to appreciate the song's complex mid-section.  'Hide and Seek' was pretty much as per the album version, but with the benefit of some V.A.R. ( Value Added Rickenbacker!), while 'Ratracing' still sounded vital and exciting fifteen years on from the first time I heard those tinkling keyboard strains.

'Beat The Drum's' melancholic intro came across well and as the song kicked into gear Graeme Murray's precision bass playing held it all together and drove the song forward to a dramatic closing sections where drummer Colin Fraser showed his skill and stamina on the skins.  In fact, I don't recall the drums sounding as good as this in the previous line-up.

'Insomniac' should perhaps have been relabelled 'Cardiac' as the deceptively quiet intro lulled the crowd before the band crashed in with no warning. This time it was Ronnie Brown's keyboards that came to the fore, and I was impressed at the variety of sounds and melodies he could coax out of his gear.  But he was also adept at tinkling the ivories, as the rest of the band bowed out on 'Blood and Roses', and Alan at last got his chance to shine.  Amazingly, the rowdy audience held their collective breath for this one, allowing Reed and Brown to run the gamut of emotions on the melody and lyrics.

The set closed with the mighty 'Atlantis Suite', which brought back memories of when I first saw the band in 1983, only this time the material was being sung much more capably by Reed.  The various parts of the suite still held up well, but personally I felt it was time to lay this particular piece to rest; the epic storyline seemed somewhat incongruous in such a tiny venue. Still, the crowd loved it, and as they enthusiastically sang along to the closing sections you'd have thought Atlantis was rising from the river Clyde outside!

As the band came back for encores, they revealed that original vocalist Euan Lowson would not now be putting in an appearance, as had been originally advertised, so this dampened hopes for any more earlier material.  Fragments of a 'Broken Sun' seemed a strange choice as an encore - would have been more fitting as a set closer - but it was played well and it was another chance to see Graeme do his stuff with the bass pedals. Less surprisingly, the band then launched into 'Arrive Alive', but it turned out to be a pretty loose and scrappy effort, not helped by limited audience participation, and the segue into 'Imagination' didn't fare much better either. However, the next segue, into the closing moments of 'Queen of the Deep' rescued things.  A final fling with Purple's 'Black Night' and then it was all over.

It was great to see the band back in action, but I'm not sure it was quite the triumphant return people had anticipated - the small venue and small audience put the mockers on that. But it did give the band and fans a chance to renew acquaintance after too long an absence, and the guys showed that they're still in fine fettle.  But more importantly, it laid the roots for the next step in the band's fortunes, when the band return with a new album next year. The call to arms has gone out we'll be waiting...

John Stout

Venue: LA2, London                        Date:  19/01/2002

Set list: The Cross and the Crucible; Greater Glory; Who's to Blame; Executioner/Rat Racing; Crown of Thorns; Beat the Drum; Blood and Roses; Blinding Darkness of Science; Towers of Babble; Celebration/Atlantis.  Encore: Midas Touch; Cut and Run; Arrive Alive.

It's just over a year since Pallas returned to London after a long lay off, airing material from  'Beat the Drum'.  The fact that the band had been absent from the scene for so long prior to this show made this latest appearance in support of another new album, even more welcome. With many people no doubt recovering from the shock of returning to work after their Christmas and New Year celebrations, the turn out on the night did not fill the hall to capacity, but for the many people that braved the January weather this was certainly another night to remember.

I turned up at the venue early in the afternoon to help load the gear into the hall - a tricky operation at the best of times due to the number of stairs to be negotiated, and having seen it with my own eyes I can confirm that reports about the band's pink tour bus, alias Tinky Winky, have not been exaggerated! Once we were finally allowed into the building, the stage was set up with minimum fuss, and the sound checking commenced and completed in a very relaxed manner.

A read through the set list for the show revealed that material from 'The Cross and The Crucible' was to make up the bulk of the set and, since Pallas won the Classic Rock Society's Best Album of the Year award on the strength of it, this was not surprising.

The set opened with 'The Cross and the Crucible' itself. Right up until the show started I had an uneasy feeling about how this would work in a live environment - the problem I foresaw was that because the track starts quietly and builds slowly, the transition may be lost among the background chatter.  I need not have worried however since from virtually the moment the band hit the stage there was silence in the auditorium - the usual high level of background chat that so often fills the hall was absent - replaced by an almost reverential silence. Thankfully this was a state of affairs that that persisted for most of the evening, and I congratulate anyone who was in that crowd for giving the band the attention they deserved!

In terms of performance, the playing came across with a vibrancy and majesty that was really awesome and by the end of the track I was already beginning to see this album in a new light.  If the opener had been impressive better was still to come as the band launched into 'For the Greater Glory'.  This track works on several levels, but to the forefront was the image of the senseless slaughter of young lives in the trenches of the first world war. The use of lighting which effectively simulated shell bursts, while the tune of "It's a long way to Tipperary" was whistled against the chaotic backdrop was a truly memorable and moving experience for me and formed one of the high lights of the show.

This was followed by another track from 'TC&TC', 'Who's to Blame', then it was time to take a step back in time; firstly with a great version of 'Executioner' coupled with 'Rat Racing', after which we were taken even further back into the band's now extensive repertoire with a very welcome rendition of 'Crown of Thorns' which received rapturous applause from the crowd.

Two tracks from 'Beat the Drum' brought things closer to the present once again, first with the title track itself, and then the slower paced 'Blood and Roses', which fitted very well into the set at this stage.

Then back to 'TC&TC' once again with 'The Blinding Darkness of Science' and 'Tower of Babble', the highlight of which has to be Ronnie Brown's tremendous keyboard section, thundering out with the power of a cathedral organ. As it turned out, things went a little off plot towards the end of this piece which was cut off before reaching its conclusion, due to some technical problem or other, yet the professionalism of the band was such that it was easily dealt with - but at the end of the day this is one of the joys of live performance, at least from the audience perspective!

Bringing the main set to a finish was 'Celebration', which had a very Christmasy feel to it, rounded off with the closing section of 'Atlantis' - the only nod to the Sentinel heard all evening!  While a lot of people still quite rightly hold 'The Sentinel' dear to their hearts, I personally find it refreshing that Pallas now have enough recent material, with sufficient variety, that they no longer need to use this to plug the set.

The thunderous applause from the audience soon brought the band back for a round of encores, which had to be carried out fairly swiftly due to the venues' cursed curfew policy.  First out of the bag was 'Midas Touch' , followed by the two old classics 'Cut and Run' and 'Arrive Alive' which always manage to bring things to a rousing conclusion!

Although I have not made specific mention of most of the band members above, each and everyone of them did a fantastic job.  Alan Reid's vocals were really hitting the spot, and it was good to see him take up the guitar for a good number of the tracks. As ever, Graeme Murray put in a sterling performance on the bass, and Niall Mathewson's guitar work was really "in the zone". Despite the fact that drummer Colin Fraser had been feeling unwell prior to the show, he played throughout like a man possessed and certainly did not disappoint the audience.

A final word should also go to sound and light engineers, whose names I am sorry to say I don't have, as both of them did a brilliant job in making sure the audience got the best possible from both a visual and audio perspective!

In conclusion, this was another superlative performance by Pallas who were playing in as tight and cohesive a manner as you could wish for. I for one cannot wait for a repeat performance, and next time Pallas come to London I will certainly be there - I advise you to do the same!

Simon