LIVE REVIEW: Textures @ Rebellion, Manchester
When TEXTURES announced that they would be breaking up in May this year, the progressive metal world was rocked to its core. If there is any silver lining to be taken from the gutting news is that fans have the opportunity to bid farewell as TEXTURES take to the road one last time, dubbed the Last Miles to the Moon Tour. We caught the show in Manchester to experience the progressive metallers one last time.
Opening proceedings was fellow countrymen EXTREMITIES who have a direct link to TEXTURES through both musical influence and coaching from the band themselves. And despite a sparsely filled venue (most likely due to the fact that OPETH were performing up the road), the young progressive metallers demonstrated their class with a tight and professional performance. The dual guitar play from David Luiten and Maarten Stoelhorst was consistently impressive as each bounced off the other through impressive soloing and riffs that oozed with progressive rhythm whilst Thimo Franssen displayed the qualities of a true frontman as his solid vocal lines and natural charisma enhanced EXTREMITIES live presence. It was a solid opening performance, and whilst it was disappointing that the venue was far from full, the band demonstrated more than enough quality to mark them as a band to watch in the future.
Rating: 8/10
EXIVIOUS are in the same boat as the evening’s headliners. Not only does the band share the same nationality as TEXTURES but EXIVIOUS were also utilising the tour as a chance to say goodbye following their announcement at the end of last year and the instrumental act delivered a solid performance to mark their farewell. The band’s sound ebbed and flowed as guitarists Tymon Kruidenier and Michel Nienhuis displayed their skill through breathtaking lead play and hard-hitting rhythms whilst Robin Zielhorst‘s thick bass lines kept a degree of bite in EXIVIOUS‘ sound. Often with instrumental music, especially live, there is a worry whether the performance can maintain the audience’s interest and whilst EXIVIOUS dipped in form occasionally, on the whole the band delivered a solid set, one which marks the end of the band in a positive manner.
Rating: 8/10
TEXTURES have graced our shores once already this year following their decision to call it a day; a headlining performance at this year’s UK Tech-Fest. However, whilst at Tech-Fest the band played to a big crowd, here the feeling was much more intimate and worked wonders in the band’s favour. From the moment the band took to the stage right on through to their emphatic closure, TEXTURES fired on all cylinders and gave a truly wonderful performance. Through the wonderful guitar work of Bart Hennephof and Joe Tal, TEXTURES packed the power on the live stage as the riffs swung with progressive prowess and the crowd responded emphatically.
From the dazzling frenzy of Shaping a Single Grain of Sand to the lovely guitar leads on Reaching Home, the momentum from the guitar play shifted organically and worked to great effect. Whilst the guitar work was certainly very impressive the rest of the band delivered solid efforts in their respective departments. Bassist Remko Tielemans added meat to the band’s live sound and drummer Stef Broks never missed a beat whilst Uri Dijk‘s work on the keyboards helped maintain an expansive soundscape with his solitary and solemn work on Zman being a particular highlight before subsiding into the soaring Timeless. At the heart of the action, Daniël de Jongh moved effortlessly across the stage whilst delivering his range of vocal deliveries to great effect. Working like a well-oiled machine TEXTURES ploughed their way through a set covering all aspects of their respected career and as the show drew to a close, it ended on a bittersweet note as the realisation that the band’s time was over. Farewell TEXTURES and thanks for one last blistering performance.
Rating: 9/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here:
