Take a bow
PROG FOR PEART
Amarok prove they’re more than worthy of their first UK tour.
JIM DONNELLY
VENUE THE NORTHCOURT, ABINGDON, OXFORDSHIRE
DATE 18/07/2025-19/07/2025
There’s a moment when Forgotten Gods’ Mark Cunningham sings Everybody’s Hero – written about Neil Peart – and we’re reminded that great live music truly transcends the mundane and touches the soul. Prog For Peart raises money for Headcase Cancer Trust, which researches glioblastoma multiforme, the disease the Rush drummer died from in 2020. Cunningham, who also organises the event, has recently had his own experience with cancer and faced it with great stoicism. It’s no wonder that today his vocals are soaked through with emotion, underlining
Tavananna get things underway. the spirit that imbues this friendly annual gathering.
Tavananna warm up an already hot venue with intricate jazzy rock and a line-up that includes Dominic Sanderson Band keyboardist Embiye Adalı. She sings softly the exotic Turkish Tune and they finish with the crunching To The Ground.
Malta’s Viper Soup Complex specialise in Grand Guignol-style rock tableaus, horrifying some and mystifying others. (See also the review of their London show on p106.)
“Poland’s astounding Amarok wrap up Friday. They’re a band that dare to be different.”