The Lux theater is a cultural centre in the middle of Nijmegen. Although the Lux is best known as a movie theater, the venue has a small concert hall as well. The hall offers room to around 250 people so it was no surprise that both nights had sold out very fast; as a matter of fact the entire Dutch leg of the tour is sold out. Tonight’s gig was going to be a seated concert. I’m familiar with these kinds of performances in large venues like Ahoy and the HMH but not in such small halls like Lux and therefor I didn’t know what to expect.

The atmospheric, experimental and emotional rock of The gathering worked perfectly in the living room type surroundings of the Lux. The crowd was very much focused on the music, as were the musicians. The members of the band played very subdued. At first glance this might have seemed to be a rather passive performance, but their act suited the music perfectly. If the band made one thing clear tonight it is that The Gathering is about music, really good music.

Another thing that was most striking is the simplicity of the music. There was no difficult bass playing, no excessive guitar solo’s and only few overwhelming drum parts. I never knew that music so simple could sound so good and so intense! The choice of the band to play small venues proved to be a wise one. I have no doubt that the band can easily sell out 013 for example; but their music probably wouldn’t ‘work’ in front of an audience over 500 people. Take for example the piano version on “Broken Glass”, so delicate, so fragile; you could hear a needle drop. This definitely would not have worked in a crowded concert hall where people keep heading to the bar, keep lighting up cigarets and keep socializing with friends.

A major surprise for me are the vocals of lead singer Anneke. I knew she had a great voice, but somehow she didn’t convince me on the live album (I found her parts just a little bit too sharp). Tonight I think I discovered why that is. This sharp edge only appeared during some of the faster vocal melodies and I bet it were the nerves of a live recording, you can hear on Sleepy Buildings. Seeing and hearing Anneke sing live is in one word overwhelming.

The band played two sets, divided by a short break. Both sets were structured the same way. The Gathering started with atmospheric tracks and grew to a climax at the end of the set. The encore “Black Light District” was well chosen and I bet that the EP with the same title sold well at the merchandise stand. Looking back at the concert I still find it hard to believe that Dutch band is capable of such an impressive and convincing performance.

(Review & Pics: Geert Oldenmenger)