ALBUM REVIEW: Watching From A Distance – Live At Roadburn – Warning

WARNING were a band before their time. They preceded the post-millennial trad-doom revival and partly prompted it, releasing The Strength To Dream in 1999 shortly before their dissolution. Their debut might have become a lost relic were it not for the band’s prosperous revival in 2005, which would produce Watching From A Distance – the album with which the quartet have become synonymous. Let’s not understate the quality of Watching From A Distance: it is serene; it is bleak; it is utterly enchanting. Patrick Walker’s lyrical and vocal expressions of loneliness and vulnerability are simply peerless, and while he would continue to hone his craft in 40 WATT SUN when WARNING called it a day in 2009, his legacy arguably begins here.

In some circles, WARNING’s reformation at Roadburn 2017 has become the stuff of legend. Listen closely in the antechambers of Tilburg’s 013, and you’ll hear huddles of doom disciples recollecting that performance with revered admiration. Thankfully that performance was captured for posterity, and among the countless reunions which Roadburn Festival has precipitated, as well as the myriad live albums recorded there, it’s no exaggeration to say that WARNING’s performance of Watching From A Distance ranks among the most anticipated. 

Tekla Vály’s artwork recreates Matt Muhurin’s original with photography: emphasising the in-the-flesh nature of the live recording. Clever, but the same approach hasn’t been carried over into the mix: there’s some crowd-sounds here, there and in-between, and the band’s amplified fumbling lends some live presence, but for the most part this sounds like a straightforward soundboard recording. That’s not necessarily a criticism, though. The uncomplicated mix has allowed for a rich and clear mastering, which sounds absolutely superb. The familiar, warm purring of the amplifiers sits well beneath Walker‘s vocals, rounding off the slightly harsh upper-end which beset the studio album, and spotlighting what will be for many the reason we’re listening.

WARNING’s reunion performance came after years of inactivity for some members, and their original drummer was substituted mere months before the show – not that you would think it. This is a confident and assured performance; faithful to a fault. All the same, there is less strained angst in Walker’s voice, and much more character. The subtle lilts and cadences which exist in the original are explored more thoroughly here, giving each line its own particular quality. The temptation exists to reimagine material years after it is written, and for WARNING to have revisited their masterpiece without addition or subtraction must have been an exercise in restraint. 

In many ways, Watching From A Distance – Live At Roadburn doesn’t feel like a live album. That is both its strength and its weakness. The audience seem to stand in stunned silence, and you might well do the same as you experience this carefully mixed and mastered recording for the first time. The songs from Watching From A Distance speak for themselves. They did in 2006 when it was recorded, and they did again in 2017 when WARNING played the album at Roadburn. In 2021, the echoes of that show can finally be heard again, and the songs still speak just as loudly. 

Rating: 8/10

Watching From A Distance – Live At Roadburn is out now via Cappio Records.

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