Ed’s Letter

Hello and welcome to the latest issue of

Bloody Well Write

Send your letters to us at: Prog, Future Publishing, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London, W2 6QA, or email prog@futurenet.com. Letters may be edited for length. We regret that we cannot reply to phone calls and we cannot always respond to individual messages. Find us on facebook.com under Prog.

PHIL MANZANERA TO RELEASE AMUSICAL MEMOIR BOX SET

IF IT’S OUT THERE, IT’S IN HERE

VOLA EXPLORE SONIC EXTREMES ON NEW LP

Friend Of A Phantom promises to be both heavier and mellower than last album.

PELAGIC ANNOUNCE 2024 FESTIVAL LINE-UP

The label celebrates 15th anniversary at new venue.

PSB SOAR ON NEW CONCEPT ALBUM

The last flight of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart forms the basis of new album.

IHLO SIGN TO KSCOPE

Independent proggers Ihlo are re-releasing their debut album

HAZE RAMP UP THEIR SOUND

Eschewing their DIY approach, the 80s band recorded latest against the clock.

HELD BY TREES: DELIRIOUS WITH THEIR GUEST SINGER

Martin Smith joins the instrumental proggers on latest EP.

STUCKFISH PROMISE THE UNEXPECTED

North-east proggers return with “ambitious” album for new label, White Knight.

JAKUB ZYTECKI SIGNS TO INSIDEOUT

Polish prog guitarist and producer Jakub Zytecki has

PROGRESSIVE CIRCUS 2024 LINE-UP CONFIRMED

Swedish event combines vintage and heavy prog sounds.

STEVE AND DYLAN HOWE’S NEW ALBUM

The father and son combo share equal billing on their latest collaboration.

FAD GADGETS

Rhodri Marsden on thre e of the latest must-have gizmos currently putting the prog in progress.

PROG IN BRIEF

The Alan Parsons Project’s 1978 album Pyramid gets

JAKE DREYER

Inspiring the wider music world…

RELIQA

The genre-bending Aussies ready to take on the world with their hook-refined anthems

LUKE HAINES

9½ PSYCHEDELIC MEDITATIONS ON BRITISH WRESTLING OF THE 1970S AND EARLY 80S (Fantastic Plastic Records, 2011)

AMAROK

Our far-out trip to far-flung prog

PROG IN BRIEF

RESS/MARTYN GODDARD Ian Anderson (ghtnes the 10-LP vinyl box

DAWN CHORUS AND THE INFALLIBLE SEA

US trio find the perfect home for their guitar-based “dronegaze” sounds.

MAGIC FIG

Organ-led San Francisco quartet with a passion for the Canterbury scene.

A BURIAL AT SEA

Meet the angular shoegaze duo flying the flag for beautiful and chaotic Irish music.

MICHAEL DE ALBUQUERQUE

ELO’s former bassist on becoming friends with Roy Wood, reissuing his solo albums and stepping out of the spotlight.

THE PORG INTERVIEW

DAVE PEGG

LEPROUS

A return to prog metal? Not quite, but Norway’s kings of the epic ditch the excess baggage on album number eight.

AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR

Soaring seventh long player from the Northern Irish instrumental art-rockers.

ABSOLUTE ELSEWHERE

Long-lost 70s prog album exhumed from the vaults.

BEAK>

Cosmic vibes that reflect the here and now, courtesy of Portishead man.

BLACK MARKET KARMA

Woozy, off-kilter psychedelia on UK band’s 11th studio album.

CHRYSTABEL & DAVID LYNCH

Soporific collaboration between Twin Peaks’ mentor and his muse.

DAVID CARROLL AND FRIENDS

Friend of Fairport and Gryphon gathers pals for more trad-folk fun.

EMILY FRANCIS TRIO

Jazz trio embrace prog and electronic energies.

TIM BOWNESS

Stunning change of pace from maverick crooner.

IQ

Neo-prog survivors’ gathering of the clans captured.

MARCO GLÜHMANN

Sylvan’s vocalist opens his heart on solo debut.

GURU GURU

Komische linchpins’ new album falls short of its lofty ambitions.

GAVIN HARRISON & ANTOINE FAFARD

Jazz and soul overdrive from two of prog’s landmark players.

HEILUNG

Nordic neofolkers revisit their live ritual.

KING GIZZARD AND THE LIZARD WIZARD

More genre fluidity from Aussie sextet on album 26.

KINGCROW

Dynamic Italian proggers wear their influences on their sleeve.

IZZ

New York prog collective return with moods swinging wildly.

MAGIC FIG

Transportive psych prog. Take a bite and wait for them to kick in.

MOTHMAN AND THE THUNDERBIRDS

Dynamic prog metal with a pop edge, and a concept album to boot.

NEKTAR

Veteran proto-proggers embark on a three-album mission.

EXPERIMENTAL PROG

Ambient, electronica and oddities through the monocle of Jo Kendall.

MEER

KARISMA Norwegian prog-pop perfection.

ØRESUND SPACE COLLECTIVE

Space rock free-wheelers go on an epic trip.

TOM PENAGUIN

21st-century Canterbury scene man.

PRESENT

Final album from Belgian RIO awkward squad.

JULIANNE REGAN/TIM BRICHENO

All About Eve couple are back and reeling in the years.

RITUAL

Swedish storytellers drop first half of belated return.

SIMONE SIMONS

Epica’s vocal powerhouse on a busman’s holiday.

PSYCHEDELIC PROG

Take a trip with Rob Hughes as he seeks out the latest mind-expanding music.

RETURNED TO THE EARTH

Sublimely produced collision of melodic art-rock and existential reflections.

SOFT MACHINE

Complete 1971 concert released at last.

SUNFACE

Cosmic, stoner rock combining heavy fuzz with a world music beat.

SUSANNA

A compelling mix of melancholy and minimalism.

SYLVAN

Contemplative and enchanting live set from German art-rock ensemble.

TUSMØRKE

Scandinavian prog-folk troupe take a trip to Faeryland.

ZIO

Special guests highlight neo-prog project’s expansive first live LP.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST

Grant Moon has a rummage down the back of the Prog sofa for the ones that nearly got away…

FISH

Circle-closing reissues of the big man’s first two solo albums.

BEARDFISH

Swedish prog crew reanimate a landmark.

THE POLICE

Their final studio album gets the deluxe, demo-revealing treatment.

STEELEYE SPAN

Steeleye’s ‘Dylan goes electric’ moment, helped by David Bowie and Tull’s Ian Anderson.

THRESHOLD

Less thrash, more sparkle on two 90s prog metal remasters.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Sprawling three-CD/two-LP Decca/Deram retrospective.

WHITE WILLOW

Everything comes up roses for Jacob Holm-Lupo’s folk proggers.

VARIOUS ARTISTS

The year in relatively lesser-sighted prog.

YES

Prog landmark gets an LP, four CD and Blu-ray bonanza.

ELO: A VISUAL BIOGRAPHY

Perfunctory hardback profile of British orchestral pop giants.

PROCOL HARUM: EVERY ALBUM, EVERY SONG

Fresh attempt to wrestle attention away from that song.

MAKING IT UP AS YOU GO ALONG – NOTES FROM A BASS IMPOSTER

Affectionate account of making remarkable music.

EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO PINK FLOYD

Trainspotterly detail with a personal touch in in-depth Floyd book.

Take a Bow

NICK MASON’S SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS VENUE ROYAL ALBERT

ALISTAIR MURPHY (THE CURATOR)

The great and good of progressive music give us a glimpse into their prog worlds. As told to Grant Moon

A Carpe Diem Attitude

David Gilmour is back with his first album of new material in nine years. Luck And Strange, due in September, finds the guitarist and lyricist Polly Samson taking inspiration from their Von Trapped Family Sessions and turning this into a real family affair. The pair discuss its creation, working outside their comfort zone, and why we might not have to wait quite so long for a follow-up.

Comfortably Strummed

It’s hard to imagine the world of progressive music without David Gilmour’s distinctive and accomplished playing. His soaring solos and sweeping soundscapes helped elevate Pink Floyd’s music, and led him to become one of the most instantly recognisable guitarists of the modern age. To celebrate the upcoming release of his fifth solo album, we asked 30 fellow musicians and collaborators to name their favourite Gilmour performances. Prepare to be surprised!

All Clear

They’ve been at the forefront of progressive music since 1969, and Focus show no signs of slowing down with latest studio album Focus 12. Prog caught up with mainman Thijs van Leer, ahead of their recent North American shows as part of The Heat of The Moment Tour line-up, to find out more about their new material and why he’s so happy to get back on the road.

The Contrarian

No-Man’s Tim Bowness is back with his most experimental album to date and his first solo offering for Kscope. Powder Dry finds him retracing his early art-rock and post-punk steps and “following the enthusiasm” to create a spiky blend of haunting soundscapes and vibrant prog pop. Prog learns what role his son’s budget guitar and Peter Hammill’s pedalboard had in its creation, and why he still feels excited by music-making in the 2020s.

Fantastical Journey

Voted Prog’s Best Unsigned Band back in 2021, Brightonbased proggers Azure have spent the past two years crafting their magnum opus, Fym. We meet band founders, vocalist Christopher Sampson and guitarist Galen Stapley, to hear the inside story of its fantastical, complex tale.

Rococo’n’ Roll

Fifty years ago, Gryphon entered one of their busiest periods. The release of not just Midnight Mushrumps but also Red Queen To Gryphon Three found them reaching a bigger audience than before, aided by a North American tour with Yes. Founding members Brian Gulland, Graeme Taylor and Dave Oberlé recall those early years, and why they continue to champion Gryphon’s unique blend of medieval, classical and prog to a highly appreciative audience.

Breaking The Chains

He’s been described as a “psychedelic polymath”, and Gong’s Kavus Torabi lives up to that title on his timely second solo release, The Banishing. Reflecting on the challenges in his personal life and the “heroic dose” of hallucinogens that led to its creation, The Utopia Strong and Mediæval Bæbes member discusses the healing power of music

Grey Days In Gothenburg

Evergrey have been bridging the gap between progressive music and power metal since 1993. To celebrate their belated 30th anniversary and the release of new album Theories Of Emptiness, Prog flew to Gothenburg to meet the band. There, keyboardist Rikard Zander and guitarist Henrik Danhage gave us a guided tour of their hometown and revealed the important role it’s played in their success.

More Than Meets The Ear

Eight years after their last studio album, Jadis have returned with More Questions Than Answers. Prog catches up with bandleader Gary Chandler to find out about what might just be their career-best recording and why he has no plans to give up

The Seeker

It’s been five years since Alcest’s last studio album, and after tackling a spell of writer’s block, the French blackgaze duo are back with a surprisingly uplifting new release. Les Chants De L’Aurore takes the listener on a magical journey through childhood memories of a past life. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Neige recounts the dreamy record’s creation and explains why he considers it to represent “the real Alcest”.

DREAMING BIG

While Leprous are gearing up to release their latest album, drummer Baard Kolstad’s other band, Rendezvous Point, are thinking ahead on their own new record. Prog catches up with the quintet’s Nicolay Tangen Svennæs, Gunn-Hilde Erstad and Petter Hallaråker to discuss Dream Chaser, tortured artists and the potential of some very exciting guest collabs.