LIVE REVIEWS
Photo: Mark Hateley
PANIC ROOM @ BILSTON - THE ROBIN 2
17th May 2015
Review by Dave Ormston
Have you ever watched a High Frame Rate movie at an IMAX theatre?
Even to seasoned cinemagoer like myself, it is a very strange and disturbing experience.
The "otherworldly" filter afford by the normal film frame rate is gone. Props and costumes are laid bare for criticism. CGI looks very silly and game-like in HFR.
All artifice is uncovered and obvious.
It feels more like a stage play than a movie. When actors engage in intimate scenes and dialogue it can feel a bit odd, as if I am eavesdropping. It is art without any filter, in a medium where we are accustomed to stacks of filters.
Well, at the Robin on Sunday I'm pretty sure I saw a High Frame Rate gig.
The sound was DEVASTATING, with near transistor clarity and separation.
There was nowhere to hide for the band or the sizable crowd.
When PANIC ROOM came on stage and began the first song, it felt just too BRIGHT.
Too intimate. Shouldn't there be some shawl over this beautiful nakedness? Some modesty?
But oh my God how beguiling !
The acoustic set built in depth and power and was all about musical storytelling, not just music.
My first tears came during the eternally beautiful and longing 'Sunshine', and my second was in the glorious new song "Rain, Tears And Burgundy" whose emotional power belies its "Bridget Jones" title massively.
Still intense, undiluted and desperately lovely to the end of the first set, this was PANIC ROOM unvarnished and at their majestic best playing acoustically.
After twenty minutes the band were back for their electric set.
The same clarity that left us breathless with the emotional heft of the first half's songs, now removed all defence from the crisp, deep power of PANIC ROOM plugged.
I have never seen the band on this collective form before - playing with swagger and assurance yet maintaining emotional intensity. Dave Foster did not stop smiling all night: he just knew he'd won the lottery to be playing THOSE songs with THOSE musicians behind THAT voice.
Dave has many "voices", all of them authentic... yet when he fires off his prog metal blitzkrieg solos, it literally takes the breath away.
A three hour show was over in what seemed like five minutes, and the "High Frame rate" delivery left me drained and challenged in the very best way.
Gavin and Yatim are surely Britains best rhythm section - in fact PANIC ROOM on this showing are Britain's best band and a national treasure.
Jon's breathy and soulful playing is matchless.
And Anne-Marie.... her voice is... well...
Not a casual listen, but my GOD this is live music at its very, most timeless best.
Support them and love them with all your might.
We may not see their like again.
Review: Dave Ormston
17th May 2015
Review by Dave Ormston
Have you ever watched a High Frame Rate movie at an IMAX theatre?
Even to seasoned cinemagoer like myself, it is a very strange and disturbing experience.
The "otherworldly" filter afford by the normal film frame rate is gone. Props and costumes are laid bare for criticism. CGI looks very silly and game-like in HFR.
All artifice is uncovered and obvious.
It feels more like a stage play than a movie. When actors engage in intimate scenes and dialogue it can feel a bit odd, as if I am eavesdropping. It is art without any filter, in a medium where we are accustomed to stacks of filters.
Well, at the Robin on Sunday I'm pretty sure I saw a High Frame Rate gig.
The sound was DEVASTATING, with near transistor clarity and separation.
There was nowhere to hide for the band or the sizable crowd.
When PANIC ROOM came on stage and began the first song, it felt just too BRIGHT.
Too intimate. Shouldn't there be some shawl over this beautiful nakedness? Some modesty?
But oh my God how beguiling !
The acoustic set built in depth and power and was all about musical storytelling, not just music.
My first tears came during the eternally beautiful and longing 'Sunshine', and my second was in the glorious new song "Rain, Tears And Burgundy" whose emotional power belies its "Bridget Jones" title massively.
Still intense, undiluted and desperately lovely to the end of the first set, this was PANIC ROOM unvarnished and at their majestic best playing acoustically.
After twenty minutes the band were back for their electric set.
The same clarity that left us breathless with the emotional heft of the first half's songs, now removed all defence from the crisp, deep power of PANIC ROOM plugged.
I have never seen the band on this collective form before - playing with swagger and assurance yet maintaining emotional intensity. Dave Foster did not stop smiling all night: he just knew he'd won the lottery to be playing THOSE songs with THOSE musicians behind THAT voice.
Dave has many "voices", all of them authentic... yet when he fires off his prog metal blitzkrieg solos, it literally takes the breath away.
A three hour show was over in what seemed like five minutes, and the "High Frame rate" delivery left me drained and challenged in the very best way.
Gavin and Yatim are surely Britains best rhythm section - in fact PANIC ROOM on this showing are Britain's best band and a national treasure.
Jon's breathy and soulful playing is matchless.
And Anne-Marie.... her voice is... well...
Not a casual listen, but my GOD this is live music at its very, most timeless best.
Support them and love them with all your might.
We may not see their like again.
Review: Dave Ormston
BRISTOL - THE FLEECE
6th May 2015
Review & Photo: Tim Hall
"The electric set focused on the big richly-layered atmospheric numbers and the out-and-out rockers,
and turned into a 'greatest hits' set featuring established favourites
alongside songs that hadn’t been performed live for years.
The way it went from highlight to highlight demonstrated just how strong a back catalogue
PANIC ROOM have built up, over four albums..."
READ THE FULL REVIEW AT 'WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE'...
6th May 2015
Review & Photo: Tim Hall
"The electric set focused on the big richly-layered atmospheric numbers and the out-and-out rockers,
and turned into a 'greatest hits' set featuring established favourites
alongside songs that hadn’t been performed live for years.
The way it went from highlight to highlight demonstrated just how strong a back catalogue
PANIC ROOM have built up, over four albums..."
READ THE FULL REVIEW AT 'WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE'...
ST HELENS - THE CITADEL
9th May 2015
(Review by Pete Whalley | Photo : David Randall)
"For a gig that stretched to just over two-and-a-half hours, it was telling just how all too quickly it seemed to pass.
A thoroughly engaging performance – Halimi could have been Duracell-powered such was the energy of his bass runs
and he re-visited his earlier Jean Jacques Burnel impersonation with some more inspired lines on the outstanding ‘Satellite’.
There was also some wonderful improvisation between Edwards, Foster and Anne-Marie on flute amidst ‘Chameleon’,
and Gavin Griffiths on drums and percussion was rock solid throughout..."
READ THE FULL REVIEW at 'GET READY TO ROCK'…
9th May 2015
(Review by Pete Whalley | Photo : David Randall)
"For a gig that stretched to just over two-and-a-half hours, it was telling just how all too quickly it seemed to pass.
A thoroughly engaging performance – Halimi could have been Duracell-powered such was the energy of his bass runs
and he re-visited his earlier Jean Jacques Burnel impersonation with some more inspired lines on the outstanding ‘Satellite’.
There was also some wonderful improvisation between Edwards, Foster and Anne-Marie on flute amidst ‘Chameleon’,
and Gavin Griffiths on drums and percussion was rock solid throughout..."
READ THE FULL REVIEW at 'GET READY TO ROCK'…
LONDON - The Borderline
14th June 2014
The reception that greets PANIC ROOM makes it clear that they're among friends and the faithful tonight.
Opener Into Temptation sets out their stylistic stall right from the start - massive melodies and rich arrangements given plenty of power by Anne-Marie Helder's majestic vocals.
The power is highlighted in those moments when she uses her voice as an instrument to accompany the rest of the band.
As songwriters and performers Panic Room avoid excess - there are no lengthy instrumental breaks and mere glimpses of odd time signatures. Instead they write highly accessible songs that display their gift for catchy refrains.
It's easy to imagine this band crossing over to mainstream radio - second song of the night Velocity would fit comfortably next to The Cranberries and if this were the 1980s, when Marillion and It Bites were regulars on Top Of The Pops, PANIC ROOM would surely have been right there next to them.
The anthem Freedom To Breathe provides the first real peak of the set, and bassist, Yatim Halimi deserves special mention for the deep sense of groove he brings to the music. Helder's vocals may deliver the fireworks, but Halimi provides the launch pad.
Guest guitarist, Adam O'Sullivan has a smile on his face the entire night and blends seamlessly into the sonic landscape.
There's a strong sense of theatre in many of the tunes PANIC ROOM play tonight. Aside from the obvious thematic ground, the arrangement of I Am A Cat brings to mind the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, while All That We Are would sound right at home as the showstopper from a West End musical.
The band go acoustic at the start of the encores with a stripped back version of Song For Tomorrow, before they plunge back in to finish big with Incarnate.
The only question that remains when the last note fades is where PANIC ROOM go from here.
They have the songs to be huge - now they just need the exposure.
Review : David West
14th June 2014
The reception that greets PANIC ROOM makes it clear that they're among friends and the faithful tonight.
Opener Into Temptation sets out their stylistic stall right from the start - massive melodies and rich arrangements given plenty of power by Anne-Marie Helder's majestic vocals.
The power is highlighted in those moments when she uses her voice as an instrument to accompany the rest of the band.
As songwriters and performers Panic Room avoid excess - there are no lengthy instrumental breaks and mere glimpses of odd time signatures. Instead they write highly accessible songs that display their gift for catchy refrains.
It's easy to imagine this band crossing over to mainstream radio - second song of the night Velocity would fit comfortably next to The Cranberries and if this were the 1980s, when Marillion and It Bites were regulars on Top Of The Pops, PANIC ROOM would surely have been right there next to them.
The anthem Freedom To Breathe provides the first real peak of the set, and bassist, Yatim Halimi deserves special mention for the deep sense of groove he brings to the music. Helder's vocals may deliver the fireworks, but Halimi provides the launch pad.
Guest guitarist, Adam O'Sullivan has a smile on his face the entire night and blends seamlessly into the sonic landscape.
There's a strong sense of theatre in many of the tunes PANIC ROOM play tonight. Aside from the obvious thematic ground, the arrangement of I Am A Cat brings to mind the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, while All That We Are would sound right at home as the showstopper from a West End musical.
The band go acoustic at the start of the encores with a stripped back version of Song For Tomorrow, before they plunge back in to finish big with Incarnate.
The only question that remains when the last note fades is where PANIC ROOM go from here.
They have the songs to be huge - now they just need the exposure.
Review : David West
HRH PROG FESTIVAL - 2014
@ HAFAN Y MOR, NORTH WALES
22nd March 2014
PANIC ROOM turn in an assured set, built largely around their latest album 'Incarnate'...
easily their best record since Visionary Position.
It probably hardly needs saying they deservedly go down a proverbial storm.
Review: Jerry Ewing
@ HAFAN Y MOR, NORTH WALES
22nd March 2014
PANIC ROOM turn in an assured set, built largely around their latest album 'Incarnate'...
easily their best record since Visionary Position.
It probably hardly needs saying they deservedly go down a proverbial storm.
Review: Jerry Ewing
MANCHESTER - SOUND CONTROL
23rd April 2014
Teetering onto the stage in what would appear to be at least six-inch heels, singer Anne-Marie Helder's appearance at the tinselled and fairy light-bedecked microphone stand is greeted with warmth, and a certain relief that the countless potential trip hazards on her brief journey have been avoided.
Let's be honest, there are a raft of prog bands whose music may be dazzling on record, but who adopt a 'staring at their shoes' approach to live performances. Not so PANIC ROOM, who apart from creating exquisite music, have a way of conducting themselves on stage that's both hugely endearing and technically inspiring.
Indeed, there are times tonight when the band are so tight that you begin to wonder if they're using backing tapes.
They're not, but that really demonstrates just how far they've developed as a live act in recent months.
Promoting their latest SKIN album, it's clearly noticeable how their new songs sound fuller, warmer and less fragile than their studio counterparts. Screens, Promises and Chameleon all possess a juddering, live lustre and are aided by the emotionally wrought vocals Helder produces.
With Helder's presence being - like all truly gifted singers - magnetic, it's easy to miss the consummate musicianship the rest of the band bring to the mix. Guitarist Paul Davies flits from matching Dave Gilmour's soaring melodies to adding a grittier potency to the likes of Hiding The World, Jonathan Edwards effortlessly offers lush keyboard sounds from the shadows, and the rhythm section of Yatim Halimi and Gavin Griffiths adds the urgency and drive.
In a two hour show, the band dip wisely into their back catalogue, with Freedom To Breathe and Apocalypstick adding a balance to the set.
The inclusion of the evocative and tender Firefly from their first album, and the obscure Blood Red Sky from a Helder solo EP, also provides a spark for those PANIC ROOM veterans in the audience. Always keen to work the crowd, the bracing and uplifting Satellite closes the lengthy set.
You'd have to be a real miserablist to not leave a PANIC ROOM gig with a broad smile, and as a band, their continued evolution merely cements their position as one of the most potent and formidable acts on the 'prog' live circuit.
Though, how long they stay outside of the mainstream remains to be seen.
Review: Rich Wilson
23rd April 2014
Teetering onto the stage in what would appear to be at least six-inch heels, singer Anne-Marie Helder's appearance at the tinselled and fairy light-bedecked microphone stand is greeted with warmth, and a certain relief that the countless potential trip hazards on her brief journey have been avoided.
Let's be honest, there are a raft of prog bands whose music may be dazzling on record, but who adopt a 'staring at their shoes' approach to live performances. Not so PANIC ROOM, who apart from creating exquisite music, have a way of conducting themselves on stage that's both hugely endearing and technically inspiring.
Indeed, there are times tonight when the band are so tight that you begin to wonder if they're using backing tapes.
They're not, but that really demonstrates just how far they've developed as a live act in recent months.
Promoting their latest SKIN album, it's clearly noticeable how their new songs sound fuller, warmer and less fragile than their studio counterparts. Screens, Promises and Chameleon all possess a juddering, live lustre and are aided by the emotionally wrought vocals Helder produces.
With Helder's presence being - like all truly gifted singers - magnetic, it's easy to miss the consummate musicianship the rest of the band bring to the mix. Guitarist Paul Davies flits from matching Dave Gilmour's soaring melodies to adding a grittier potency to the likes of Hiding The World, Jonathan Edwards effortlessly offers lush keyboard sounds from the shadows, and the rhythm section of Yatim Halimi and Gavin Griffiths adds the urgency and drive.
In a two hour show, the band dip wisely into their back catalogue, with Freedom To Breathe and Apocalypstick adding a balance to the set.
The inclusion of the evocative and tender Firefly from their first album, and the obscure Blood Red Sky from a Helder solo EP, also provides a spark for those PANIC ROOM veterans in the audience. Always keen to work the crowd, the bracing and uplifting Satellite closes the lengthy set.
You'd have to be a real miserablist to not leave a PANIC ROOM gig with a broad smile, and as a band, their continued evolution merely cements their position as one of the most potent and formidable acts on the 'prog' live circuit.
Though, how long they stay outside of the mainstream remains to be seen.
Review: Rich Wilson
LONDON - THE UNDERWORLD, CAMDEN
ESOTERIC ANTENNA SHOWCASE
14th April 2012
Judging by the number of T-shirts in the audience, Panic Room have attracted the largest contingent of fans tonight. They plough their way through a conquering set of the finest prog'n'roll out there. Their latest release, SKIN, is featured heavily, including the energetic opener Song For Tomorrow, and the commanding spectacle of of Hiding The World. But the real treat comes from their extraordinary cover of ELP's Bitches Crystal with frontwoman, Anne-Marie Helder's vocals ranging from soft jazzy incantations to soaring emotional hollers. The touching and melancholic Satellite resounds through the crowd, particularly when Helder dedicates the song to "all the lost souls out there", the Reasoning's emotional set still fresh in everyone's minds. Despite seeing far too much of bassist Yatim Halimi's chest, Panic Room's set is enchanting from beginning to end.
(Sarah Worsley)
ESOTERIC ANTENNA SHOWCASE
14th April 2012
Judging by the number of T-shirts in the audience, Panic Room have attracted the largest contingent of fans tonight. They plough their way through a conquering set of the finest prog'n'roll out there. Their latest release, SKIN, is featured heavily, including the energetic opener Song For Tomorrow, and the commanding spectacle of of Hiding The World. But the real treat comes from their extraordinary cover of ELP's Bitches Crystal with frontwoman, Anne-Marie Helder's vocals ranging from soft jazzy incantations to soaring emotional hollers. The touching and melancholic Satellite resounds through the crowd, particularly when Helder dedicates the song to "all the lost souls out there", the Reasoning's emotional set still fresh in everyone's minds. Despite seeing far too much of bassist Yatim Halimi's chest, Panic Room's set is enchanting from beginning to end.
(Sarah Worsley)
LONDON - THE PEEL, KINGSTON UPON THAMES
3rd Dec 2011
PANIC ROOM have spent the best part of the last four months on the road, on what has been their longest and most comprehensive tour of the UK so far. Tonight is the penultimate show, and gives them a chance to play some of their favourite songs as part of a solid two hour set.
Helder brings a touch of modern glamour in her sequinned minidress, which sparkles under the twinking fairy lights that illuminate the stage as she and her band launch into the sultry new Song For Tomorrow, tipped for inclusion on their third album.
Smooth, yet dramatic, driven by Helder's luscious vocals, it's easy to hear how she won the title 'Best Female Vocalist' from readers of this very magazine.
Each song showcases a different facet of PANIC ROOM's edgy diversity; from the uplifting clap-a-thon Freedom To Breathe to the poignant The Fall; there's even the completely bonkers fan favourite I Am A Cat, which lets the frontwoman talk about the song's feline inspiration.
At this last-but-one show before the Christmas break it's fitting there should be some seasonal treats. An acid jazz cover of ELP's Bitches Crystal, the traditional O Holy Night and a cheeky version of Metallica's Enter Sandman (renamed Enter Santa especially for the occasion) are among the highlights.
Anne-Marie Helder even dusts down Exodus from her 2004 solo album The Contact.
PANIC ROOM close with the funky Snowstorms, a more festive version of Little Satellite EP track Sandstorms, complete with funky guitars.
At the end of an active year for the band and with work already underway on the next album, 2012 looks set to be even busier... and better.
Review: Natasha Scharf
3rd Dec 2011
PANIC ROOM have spent the best part of the last four months on the road, on what has been their longest and most comprehensive tour of the UK so far. Tonight is the penultimate show, and gives them a chance to play some of their favourite songs as part of a solid two hour set.
Helder brings a touch of modern glamour in her sequinned minidress, which sparkles under the twinking fairy lights that illuminate the stage as she and her band launch into the sultry new Song For Tomorrow, tipped for inclusion on their third album.
Smooth, yet dramatic, driven by Helder's luscious vocals, it's easy to hear how she won the title 'Best Female Vocalist' from readers of this very magazine.
Each song showcases a different facet of PANIC ROOM's edgy diversity; from the uplifting clap-a-thon Freedom To Breathe to the poignant The Fall; there's even the completely bonkers fan favourite I Am A Cat, which lets the frontwoman talk about the song's feline inspiration.
At this last-but-one show before the Christmas break it's fitting there should be some seasonal treats. An acid jazz cover of ELP's Bitches Crystal, the traditional O Holy Night and a cheeky version of Metallica's Enter Sandman (renamed Enter Santa especially for the occasion) are among the highlights.
Anne-Marie Helder even dusts down Exodus from her 2004 solo album The Contact.
PANIC ROOM close with the funky Snowstorms, a more festive version of Little Satellite EP track Sandstorms, complete with funky guitars.
At the end of an active year for the band and with work already underway on the next album, 2012 looks set to be even busier... and better.
Review: Natasha Scharf
