Seen a few Prog bands up at the Klub Progresja in Stare Bemowa, Warsaw this year, including Threshold; Enochian Theory; Riverside; Pain of Salvation; Antimatter; Anathema; and, earlier this month, Fish. Thus, seeing Galahad last night was a nice addition to this list.
About six months ago, I saw that Galahad were playing the Klub Progresja, and thought something like "Galahad? I know that name but don't know their music, I think they came out of the early/mid-1980s Prog movement that included Marillion; IQ; Twelth Night; Pendragon; Pallas etc., didn't they?' Thus, I checked Galahad out on Youtube, and after listening to 'Empires Never Last' (below), decided to go and see them at the Progresja:
Seeing Galahad at the Klub Progresja last night reinforced my view that they are a slightly quirky but seriously underrated Prog band. Lots of the tunes (predictably) go on for 10 minutes or so, but they never get dull or boring, as there are often nice changes of tempo. Who would I compare them to? Well, in their softer tender moments, they remind me a bit of IQ, while in their harder-edged moments, they may be a lbit like Threshold (who come along the Prog line a little later on than Galahad, of course).
Besides the obvious, 'Empires Never Last', which was the third or so tune of the set, which other song really stood out for me last night? Well, that would have to be the encore 'Seize The Day', a really good upbeat tune (with wise advice about doing the things that you need or want to do while you can):
Below the band are taking their fully deserved applause at the Progresja last night:
Also really liked vocalist Stuart Nicholson's turns of irony last night, for example, introducing the last track of the set by saying that it had to be the last as they didn't know any others. Wonderful stuff but the irony was perhaps a little lost on a foreign audience.