Location: Reigen / Vienna / Austria
Concert date: November 24, 2007
Attendance: 130
Ticket price: 20.00€
IQ are a legendary neo-prog band from England who started out in the early eighties and rank among the best in their genre. Even before that, the guitarist and the keyboardist had a band called The Lens, which gave birth to quite a few ideas for IQ’s later music. This year the guys decided on a real feat (by their standards): a tour of Europe. They usually prefer to play on home turf (plus the odd festival in Europe and America), but this time they decided to show off their talents with solo shows across the rest of Europe too. When the news dropped that they were coming practically next door to Slovenia, we obviously had to act.
So on a gloomy Sunday we piled into a car and headed for Vienna. For me, a trip like that was a proper expedition, but I had two old road dogs with me, for whom the drive was a walk in the park. The whole journey went without a hitch (apart from arguments over whether Marillion or IQ are better, Yes or Genesis; yeah, I know, we are such nerds), and the real trouble only started once we got to Vienna itself. None of us had ever been to Reigen, the club hosting the show, so we had no idea where to go. Being the idiots we are, or maybe just short on time, we hadn’t prepared properly before leaving (no maps stocked up), so we got lost in Vienna. We had to ask the locals for directions. The friendly Austrians each sent us off somewhere different with their own instructions, and we’d already started thinking we wouldn’t see the gig at all. But persistence paid off. We stopped one kind Austrian gentleman who was willing to write the directions down on a sheet of paper. A few minutes later we set off again with his instructions, though we kind of doubted they’d do us any good, at least judging by past experience. And lo and behold, fifteen minutes later, after following them to the letter, we finally spotted the landmark we’d been looking for – Schönbrunn, which sits right next to the venue. At last we could breathe a sigh of relief.
At seven in the evening we finally found a parking garage (with extortionate prices), left the car there and walked the hundred or so meters to the Reigen club. It’s a fairly small place that probably holds a couple of hundred people. As soon as we got there, we spotted the members of IQ. Like a typical journalist, I immediately pounced on guitarist Mike Holmes and made him go find singer Peter Nicholls, with whom I’d arranged an interview beforehand. When Mr. Nicholls showed up, he happily sat down at a table with us for a chat. He turned out to be a sharp conversationalist who didn’t mind at all talking to three crazy Slovenes. He seemed a bit reserved at first (and so was I), but then he loosened up and a really pleasant conversation developed. I even had a sheet of questions on me, but I didn’t need it at all, since he was so open and good-natured that the questions just came on their own. After the interview, once we’d said goodbye to Mr. Nicholls, there was nothing left to do but wait for the bands. While waiting we also dropped by the IQ merch stand, which had everything related to the band (CDs, T-shirts, etc.). I wasn’t surprised in the least by the inflated CD prices (18 euros for a single and 24 for a double), which are pretty common in England.
First on stage were the local favorites ConXious, who deserve all the praise for managing to bring IQ to Austria, since the guys organized the show entirely on their own. And their set? Hard to say, since I’m no expert on progressive metal (if that’s even what it was), but the whole thing didn’t strike me as very high quality. The first song did promise an interesting show, but it was all downhill from there. There were no original ideas (a lot of it sounded like something I’d already heard somewhere) and the music had no real common thread either. Their style is too forced – in the long songs they wanted to sound complex at all costs, but the transitions were extremely clunky and artificial. There were a few interesting moments on guitar and keyboards, but otherwise nothing special. There were also quite a few technical and individual mistakes.
Then came a few minutes of break while IQ’s crew carried the band’s gear onto the stage, set up the projectors and so on. The whole thing took about fifteen minutes, and shortly after ten IQ were already on stage.
The show kicked off with my favorite song from the first album Tales from The Lush Attic, Awake And Nervous. The new guy, keyboardist Mark Westworth, had to prove himself right away with some of the more demanding parts, and they gave him no trouble.
For me, one of the surprises of the night was the inclusion of You Never Will in the set. It’s not one of my favorites, but it was a real chance for the new guy Mark Westworth to shine with a keyboard solo.
Next up was the new track Frequency, which is supposed to appear on the new album (probably in 2008). If the whole album is as good as this song, there’s nothing to fear for the future of these legendary musicians.
Then they went back to the eighties with The Magic Roundabout from the album The Wake, which, like Awake And Nervous, got a real makeover with new sounds and a new style, in a positive sense.
Harvest of Souls isn’t among my favorite long IQ pieces, but it was great to hear it live. The song is clearly very popular with the crowd, since quite a few people knew the lyrics by heart and loudly backed Nicholls up. Harvest of Souls has often been criticized for being too similar to Genesis’s Supper’s Ready, and as if Mike Holmes wanted to joke about that, he sat down on a chair during the first part, just like Steve Hackett. I would have preferred to see them play The Narrow Margin among the epics, but then the setlist would have been almost too perfect.
The crowd was still trying to recover from the twenty-four minutes of Harvest of Souls when IQ hit us with a new eighties classic, Headlong. Personally I’d have liked to see them play Widow’s Peak from The Wake, but you can’t have everything.
Then they gave us another glimpse of the new album. Crashed And Burned, like Frequency, sounds like a real treat. The new album will obviously be a return to the paths of Subterranea and The Seventh House.
And speaking of The Seventh House, IQ played us the title track from that excellent record. Guitarist Mike Holmes needed quite a while to find the right guitar effect, but he turned the whole thing into a joke, so the audience didn’t get impatient either.
The next surprise was the inclusion of Orford’s It All Stops Here from Seven Stories Into 98. It was one of the highlights of the night, an incredibly energetic piece (in the first part) with typical neo keyboards of suspicious (Rick Wakeman) origin.
The main set closed with one of their most beautiful creations, The Guiding Light. Too bad Mark Westworth had a few problems, because otherwise it would have come off even better. Then IQ said goodbye, but not for long.
When the crowd called them back to the stage, they played the energetic, anthemic title track from the album Subterranea, including a saxophone solo (this time with a keyboard effect) at the end. Then they bowed again and left us.
But we in the crowd were persistent and managed to call them back once more. When they returned, they played one of my favorite compositions – Darkest Hour from the album Ever, and with that they magically wrapped up an outstanding concert.
Their setlist said they were supposed to play The Wake as well, but two and a half hours was enough for the guys. I liked it better too that they finished with Darkest Hour rather than the more pop-oriented The Wake.
The new member Mark Westworth, for whom this was his second show with IQ, did very well. He did have a couple of slip-ups, but you can’t hold that against him given he hasn’t been with the band long. It would have been nice to meet Martin Orford, a longtime member of IQ (more than 25 years) who would probably have played a bit better, but Westworth is more than a decent replacement. It’s kind of funny that we finally get IQ playing somewhere near us, and then it’s without Orford. John Jowitt pulled faces all night, made grimaces and generally flirted with the audience. If singer Peter Nicholls ever ran out of charisma, Jowitt could lend him some without any trouble, since his enthusiasm and positive mindset are downright contagious. Before this show I had no idea what to expect from yet another new addition, Andy Edwards on drums. From the very first beats it was obvious we were dealing with an exceptional drummer, a step forward in IQ’s evolution. Cook’s simple style may have suited this lineup for a long time, but Edwards took them to the next level. He played flawlessly, was always on time, and he built on Cook’s fills too. I think that with Edwards on board, IQ currently have the best rhythm section in neo and symphonic prog. Peter Nicholls proved himself not just a good conversationalist but also an excellent singer. Like Westworth, he missed the note by about a half tone a couple of times, but he quickly corrected it and saved the situation. His banter with the audience wasn’t long, but it was just enough to make us laugh with his humor and his way with the English language. At one point during the show (Harvest of Souls) he even dressed up as a doctor, in a white medical coat and sunglasses. I don’t know exactly what that getup meant, but it could be that he was trying to cure our corrupt human society. Guitarist Mike Holmes is the only member who has been in IQ the whole time. His fluid guitar lines could teach a lesson to every guitarist who thinks technique and speed are the most important things. His finesse can even rival a master like Steve Hackett. He too helped Nicholls and Jowitt get the audience laughing a few times with his typical British humor (a nod to Benny Hill). Now and then Holmes also stepped up to the keyboards, though that was more for sound effects than to help out the new guy.
This may have been the first and last chance to see this legendary band so close to us. Sadly, the guys aren’t exactly young anymore, and they’d rather stay closer to home anyway. The turnout at Reigen was surprisingly poor, especially considering we’re talking about a cult neo-prog band. So it’s quite understandable why they prefer playing at home if the response abroad is this weak. But even though the place wasn’t exactly packed, those who were there were all the bigger fans, and IQ looked overjoyed with the audience reaction. Sometimes it’s better to have fewer listeners who are really fired up than a bigger crowd that reacts much more coldly. IQ proved themselves not just as superb musicians but also as genuinely nice people. They were always approachable, not only for us journalists but for the fans too. They put on a truly magnificent show, especially considering their financial limitations. On three screens behind the band, interesting projections played the whole time, from archive footage of the band to Star Trek episodes, motifs from their albums and pictures of historical figures. I’m a big fan of this band, but I hadn’t expected such a good show and setlist. They used a smart trick in picking the songs, playing a few from every album with Peter Nicholls. The emphasis may have been slightly more on the last two records (Dark Matter and The Seventh House), but the others weren’t neglected either. They also mixed effectively between eras (one from the eighties, a couple from the nineties, then another from the eighties, etc.), so it felt like they were trying to please everyone. I think they pulled it off really well. A show that can even rival Magma’s, which I saw at the Rock In Opposition festival. Lots of energy mixed with dark themes and incredible melodies.
Words: Rok Podgrajšek
Photos: Aleš Podbrežnik
Setlist
CONXIOUS:
1. Between Arivall…
2. How Could You
3. Cheers To Vienna
4. Never Before
5. If It Wasn’t
6. ortraits
7. Do You Feel Free
IQ:
1. Awake And Nervous
2. You Never Will
3. Frequency
4. The Magic Roundabout
5. Harvest of Souls
6. Headlong
7. Crashed And Burned
8. The Seventh Houe
9. It All Stops Here
10. Guiding Light
Encore:
11. Subterranea
Encore 2:
12. The Darkest Hour
IQ lineup:
Peter Nicholls – vocals, tambourine
Mike Holmes – guitar, keyboards
Mark Westworth – keyboards
John Jowitt – bass
Andy Edwards – drums
Photo Gallery
