musomuso were invited along to Bristol Beacon on a warm Saturday evening to witness a visual and audio spectacular that left us simply awestruck.
‘The Overview’ tour will visit the UK and eleven European countries in May and June following the release of Steven Wilson’s eighth solo album the similarly banned ‘The Overview’, which arrived earlier this year. The 2 track, 42 minute album saw a return to the expansive progressive rock sound and these dates will be Wilson’s first full band solo shows since 2018, when he followed the release of his 2017 album ‘To The Bone’ with a 145 date tour that took in 30 countries.
A sneak peak at the setlist before kick-off showed the set being split into 2 parts. With no support band, set 1 was going to be a full play through of the new album and set 2 a greatest hits tour of Wilson's career. From the moment the lights were dimmed, you gained the full sense of scale of the visual experience, a huge screen towered over the protagonists on stage and showed swirling geometric and abstract shapes, CGI of space scenes and space landscapes. These complimented the soundscapes that the incredibly impressive musicians were playing on stage. The play through of “The Overview” album in set 1, inspired by the “overview effect” experienced by astronauts looking back at the Earth from space, had us transfixed and feeling almost transported into spacesuits drifting around the earth's atmosphere.
The end of set 1 brought us sharply down to earth after an intense 45 minutes. I don't think the security at the Beacon had the briefing for us couple of shooters quite right, as we were given the usual "you can shoot the first 3 songs" schtick which, if I had the stamina for it, would have been about 90 minutes worth of shooting. After 30 mins I had to retire to the bar for some much-needed refreshment! Steven excused himself and the band for 20 minutes for "a bit of a break after an intense 45 minutes"
Set 2 had a more traditional feel and took tracks from across his solo career and former band Porcupine Tree. 4 tracks came from his 2023 offering ‘The Harmony Codex’, played live for the first time. The visuals continued to support most of the music offerings and at times you simply don't know where to look. Between songs, although chat was kept to a minimum, Steven was warm and engaging. He must have known after stating before 'Impossible Tightrope', "we need to concentrate now, this is a difficult one" that he would trip over a chord progression in the intro. The pained expression told the whole story of a perfectionist, annoyed with himself for missing the note. The set even contained Porcupine Tree's 1995 track ‘Dislocated Day’ to complete the various stages of his career.
It was an incredible, intense night that by the end left us simply awestruck and drained. The first set hit at all of your senses, weaving an immersive experience, driven by top level musicianship. The conceptual nature of the new album, and the live run through in its entirety had a Pink Floyd feel, a modern day Dark Side of the Moon if you will. If you get the chance to catch Steven on this tour, jump at it, you will not be disappointed.
Words and Pictures by Glenn Morrison
About ‘The Overview’
Released earlier this year, ‘The Overview’ is Steven’s most audacious album to date. The forty-two-minute record consists of just two tracks: “Objects Outlive Us” and “The Overview”, each inspired by the “overview effect” experienced by astronauts looking back at the Earth from space.
‘The Overview’ sees Steven Wilson return to expansive, progressive music, a genre he helped redefine and repopularise with both his solo and Porcupine Tree releases. The two wildly ambitious tracks are each made up of distinctive musical sections that flow from one to the other, playing out as unique and continuous pieces.. Wilson’s 21st-century progressive music updates the classic ‘prog’ musical palette to incorporate everything from glistening electronics to post-rock and beyond, which brings the genre right into the beating heart of the current musical landscape.
‘The Overview’ is instantly recognisable as Steven Wilson and will stand alone as an utterly unique release for 2025. Headphones and a wide open mind are recommended.
About Steven Wilson
Hugely successful yet always uncompromising, Steven Wilson has been one of the UK’s most consistently creative artists for the last thirty years. Musician, producer, spatial audio innovator and occasional band frontman, Wilson has pushed the boundaries between expansive rock music and visionary electronic sound.
His seventh solo album – ‘The Harmony Codex’ – was released to universal acclaim in 2023 following the hugely successful, unexpected reunion tour of arenas all over the world by Porcupine Tree, the band Wilson fronted from the mid-‘90s until their hiatus in 2010. Wilson’s last three albums (‘To The Bone’, ‘The Future Bites’, and ‘The Harmony Codex’) all reached the top 5 of the UK album charts.
