Though lampooned by the punk generation for its self-indulgence, the progressive ‘prog’ rock genre has had its standing somewhat rehabilitated by modern listeners who, as radio DJ Stuart Maconie writes in his programme notes, ‘approached prog without the baggage’. Maconie’s curated setlist at this BBC Prom – spanning formative, fan-favourite, and more left-field selections – showcased the convention-busting, sonically adventurous and outright epic nature of this British-pioneered genre.
The BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Robert Ames, has never sounded better, performing with lush majesty, if at times smoothing over the repertoire’s psychedelic edge. The show’s unequivocal highlight was the guest appearance of Peter Hammill, who belted out his yearning Van der Graaf Generator ballad ‘Refugees’ about the dissolution of his 1960s London house share. In fine voice, Elbow’s Guy Garvey embraced the ludicrous camp of the evening’s King Crimson medley.
On other occasions, the evening’s vocalists were under-amplified or deployed on the wrong material. The lovely harmonising of English folk singers the Staves could not be fully appreciated over the orchestral bombast. Jane Weaver sounded lovely on Renaissance’s ‘Northern Lights’ but her dulcet tones did not suit the Moody Blues’ anguished ‘Nights in White Satin’. That number should have gone to soul singer Vanessa Haynes, who raised the roof with the wordless vocals of Pink Floyd’s ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’.
Listening back on BBC Sounds, that orchestra truly sounded magnificent. The first set finale of Mike Oldfield’s ‘Tubular Bells’ was chill-inducing – and has prompted me to rewatch The Exorcist. The audience response in the Royal Albert Hall was ecstatic. Like the Northern Soul Prom from a couple of years ago – which galvanised fans with a frisson of nostalgia – I wouldn’t be surprised to see this concert take flight across the country.
