Lone Star
On The Tangent’s 14th album, To Follow Polaris, Andy Tillison has embarked on a “one-off” solo adventure that tackles self-doubt and finds him going on a quest for The Truth. Prog catches up with the multi-instrumentalist as he ponders whether we’re better off without the internet and finds out why he still remains optimistic in a world full of turmoil.
Words: Dom Lawson Images: Chris Walkden
The only inter-band politics here are between Andy and himself!
One of the most reliable and prolific prog bands of the 21st century, The Tangent are nothing if not adaptable. Two years on from Songs From The Hard Shoulder, these revered veterans are about to release a record with one significant difference. Defying the odds and proving himself to be an even more talented man than his many past achievements might suggest, founder and songwriter Andy Tillison has pulled off the impressive feat of creating an entire album without any help from his bandmates whatsoever. Dedicated fans shouldn’t panic, however, as this cherished keyboard wizard hasn’t fallen out with his fellow musicians. He just couldn’t get them all in the same room to bring his new songs to life, and so he did it all himself.
As he explains to Prog, To Follow Polaris is the product of circumstance and, more specifically, the fact that comrades bassist Jonas Reingold and guitarist Luke Machin are so absurdly talented that they’re nearly always in demand by other bands and projects, including Steve Hackett’s touring band (Reingold) and Karnataka (Machin).
To Follow Polaris is a treat for the ears.
“I’ve never been quite sure why it happened this way,” says Tillison with a laugh. He’s speaking over the phone from his isolated base on the Yorkshire Moors. “But I’ve had some really great musicians in my project over the years, and they’ve all been so keen and generally amazing, and I feel very lucky. And of course, they are in demand, because they’re really good! I’m certainly not one to stop them going out and earning some money, so there’s no animosity towards that at all. This whole thing of making an album alone has nothing to do with any dissatisfaction on my part. I love working with the band, and I particularly like the guys that are in the group at the moment. So this is a one-off experiment, really. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.”