After nearly missing this show because I thought it was last Saturday and not Friday, I showed up early to NYC‘s Irving Plaza to be sure to catch Anathema‘s set. I know they’ve traveled a great distance from their doomly beginnings as one of the “Peaceville three” — the other two being My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost — but hell, I’ve wanted to see them for at least 14 years now, so yeah, you’re god damned right I’m showing up before doors.

It was just the two bands on the bill, Anathema and Blackfield, which is the kind of high-minded pop project of Porcupine Tree‘s Steven Wilson and Israeli singer-songwriter Aviv Geffen, and that suited me just fine. As a veteran of Porcupine Tree‘s many prog indulgences (some might call them “albums”) and someone who saw Blackfield on their first American run — when most of the band couldn’t get their visas in time to tour and it was just Wilson and Geffen accompanied by Dream Theater‘s Jordan Rudess on keys — it was interesting to see him tackle what’s ostensibly a simpler band with simpler material in a live, full-band setting.

Coincidentally, it was Anathema this time who couldn’t get the whole band into the country — doubtless they were detained at the border and profiled for all their melancholy — so it was just vocalist/guitarist Vincent Cavanagh and guitarist/vocalist Daniel Cavanagh playing acoustically (Rudess was at the show, but didn’t join in). For what Anathema lacked in lineup, however, they more than made up for with excitement and gladness to be where they were. Granted, Daniel had some technical problems before the set got going, but I don’t think they’d have been able to start the set anyway for the cheering and back-and-forthing with the crowd. One guy bragged loudly that he’d seen them the last time they were in the US, for the 2000 Milwaukee Metalfest, impressing Vincent a bit but probably not as much as himself.

Their set was short, woefully short (which is appropriate in a way, given the mood of the bulk of their material), but they made the most of it nonetheless. They started with some newer songs from the most recent release, We’re Here Because We’re Here, opening with “Thin Air,” the first song off the album, and including “Angels Walk Among Us” as well with “Deep” from 1999’s Judgement between. These were well received, but the big guns came out later into their time, when they hit up 1998’s Alternative 4 — as far back as they could feasibly go — for “Lost Control” and “Fragile Dreams,” both of which were subject to epic sing-alongs.

With the crowd sufficiently melted already, “One Last Goodbye” and set finale “Flying” — from Judgement and 2003’s A Natural Disaster, respectively — more or less laid waste to everything around. Amazing to think of a performance with two dudes and acoustic guitars doing that, but it happened nonetheless. Vincent promised they’d be back with the full band (hopefully that happens before another 11 years are gone), and the vibe was thrilling all around. Irving Plaza was pretty packed, and everyone just seemed so happy to be seeing Anathema, and Anathema, likewise, seemed so happy to be there. It was a great time.

The room thinned out somewhat for Blackfield, who took the stage in speedy fashion and opened with “Here Comes the Blood” from their latest album, Welcome to My DNA, which was even more of a sufficient attention-grabber than Geffen‘s jacket, which had rope lights intertwined with the fabric. Fancy costuming aside, Blackfield is essentially a pop act, so that’s what they were. Champion songwriters both, Wilson and Geffen ran through a long setlist of highlights from their three albums, working in tandem on stage as well as they do on the records.

It wasn’t empty by the time they were through, but the night had clearly taken a toll on the audience, and as much of Blackfield‘s material is moody and on the quieter end — despite being unrepentantly pretty — it was a subdued feel, though closing with “Cloudy Now” from the first album did provide a genuine apex, that song’s ending being a high point of the band’s catalog. The crowd was an interesting mix of proggers, metallers, patient girlfriends and sundry other nerds, but those who stayed left happy.

Hard for Blackfield to compete with the event that seeing Anathema was, though. Just by showing up, them Cavanaghs killed, and it would have been hard for any act to follow that. I left Irving Plaza vindicated in my fanboy stubbornness, still wanting very much to see the whole of Anathema at work, and wanting also to revisit Welcome to My DNA to see if I could get a better sense of Blackfield‘s development from album to album. Wilson‘s always been more of a studio presence — his reliance on layering being pivotal in much of his work — but he gave a decent representation live, and that was more than enough for the mass of fans in attendance to see him.

More pics after the jump.

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In the spirit of the other day’s Buried Treasure post, I thought I’d make it known that after initial dejection and first encounters tainted by prejudice against it, I’ve finally and officially come to make peace with UK melodic proggers Anathema‘s latest album, We’re Here Because We’re Here.

This has been an emotionally charged process. First they didn’t tell me the album was coming, I had to find out and order it on Amazon and wait weeks for it to arrive, then I had to get over the fact that it’s neither A Fine Day to Exit nor A Natural Disaster, but rather a different, brighter sound altogether. We’re Here Because We’re Here is unrepentantly not the album I wanted and hoped it would be, and while it’s true I don’t know Anathema and they don’t owe me notice or anything else and it’s been seven years since the last album came out, you bet your ass I took it personally. But, I put the disc on while I was in the car last week on a trip I knew would be long enough to sustain a full sitting, and after that, I’m not ready to say I’m a full-blown convert, but I’m not holding a grudge either.

I’m sure everyone reading this and the band themselves will sleep better for knowing, so I just thought I’d share.

Hey, what gives, Anathema? How’re you gonna go ahead and put out an album TWO WHOLE WEEKS ago and not tell me about it? I thought we were friends (and by “friends,” I mean I worship everything you do and you have no idea who I am)! What, my three copies of Alternative 4 aren’t good enough for you anymore? I know maybe I didn’t take out A Natural Disaster as much as I should have this winter, but give me a break, it’s been seven years! And now this???

Well fine, Anathema. Have it your way. Out of sheer annoyance, I just put in an order on Amazon for We’re Here Because We’re Here. So congratulations. Now, after having to find out on The Metal Archives (of all places!) about the existence of this record, I’m going to have to wait another two weeks minimum to hear it while it’s shipped from Switzerland or god knows where because I’m too afraid Vintage Vinyl won’t have the import. I’m feeling more than a little betrayed here, Anathema.

I mean, seriously, would a phone call have been too much to ask? An email? Just a quick, “Hey there guy, we know you’ve been waiting seven years for a new Anathema CD and we just wanted to let you know it’s finally coming out.” I don’t think that’s unreasonable.

Fair enough. You want to go ahead and put out albums and not tell me, that’s just great. We’ll see if you get included in the all-British podcast to come later this month (you probably will). I’m hurt, Anathema. Deeply hurt. It’s gonna take a while to get over this one. If only I had some super-melancholic melodic rock to act as sonic accompaniment for my woes. Oh well, I guess there’s always Paradise Lost…

It was raining before, then slushing, and now it’s full-blown snowing here in the valley. Early this year, and it might well turn back to rain before this is posted. Nonetheless, just as springtime means Amorphis, summer means C.O.C. and fall (of course) means Type O Negative‘s October Rust, winter too has its own seasonal specialties, and perhaps my favorite of them is Anathema.

Not to say I don’t listen to them other times of the year, and ditto for all the bands above, but somehow Anathema are just more appropriate when it’s freezing, dark and miserable. Go figure. I don’t know when or if the UK melo-rockers are going to put out their long awaited new record. It’s a mystery. In the meantime, here’s the video for “Pressure” from 2001’s A Fine Day to Exit:

Okay, so influential UK doomers/atmospheric melodic rockers Anathema have announced tour dates, and guess where they’re not going, again? That’s right, America. Not even one show? Come on, man. Give me a New York show! How hard is that? If you need a place to crash, there’s plenty of room here in the valley.

What a shitter. In the meantime, here’s the tour dates for any lucky-ass North African, European or Latin American types who happen to have found their way here:

Apr. 04 – Acropolium of Carthage – Carthage – Tunisia
Apr. 29 – Palace Hal – Bucarest – Romania
May 05 – Incrivel Almadense – Lisbon – Portugal
May 06 – Teatro S? da Bandeira – Porto – Portugal
May 07 – Santana 27 – Bilbao – Spain
May 08 – Penelope – Madrid – Spain
May 09 – El Tren – Granada – Spain
May 10 – Nave 8 – Alicante – Spain
May 11 – Salamandra 1 – Barcelona – Spain
May 27 – Hard Rock Live – Mexico City DF – Mexico
May 28 – La Bunga – Quito – Ecuador
May 31 – ND Ateneo – Buenos Aries – Argentina
Jun. 02 – Teatreo Caupolican – Santiago – Chile
Jul. 04 – Fonofest – Cesis (near Riga) – Latvia
Jul. 05 – With Full Force Festival – Leipzig – Germany

And here’s Anathema doing an acoustic version of new song “Angels Walk Among Us” (the video is mislabeled), also not in America.