As I had expected Anathema played a very solid one hour set, convincing all of the Porcupine Tree fans in the hall. The set list mostly consisted of tracks from the last couple of albums and these aren’t that far off from the work of Steve Wilson and company. Listening to the band brought back memories of Marillion gigs I witnessed in the early days. The music so powerful, the lyrics so intense you can’t help feeling the urge to sing or hum along. The response by the crowd clearly touched the musicians on stage, resulting in smiling faces and subtle interaction with the crowd. The message that the band was given another five minutes of playing time resulted in the inevitable Pink Floyd cover “Comfortably Numb”, which I had always thought exceeded the five extra minutes Anathema were given.

After the show I had only one worry, would the main act, Porcupine Tree be able to top the performance given by their supporting act? From the reactions in the crowd I’d say yes, but personally I must admit that I enjoyed Anathema more than I did Porcupine Tree. One thing I know for sure is that Anathema made a lot of new fans tonight.

(Review & Pics: Geert Oldenmenger)