RECURRING DREAMS
Turning 50 last May was more than just an age thing for Matt Berry. His half-century milestone also happened to coincide with the end of his successful run in TV comedy-horror What We Do In The Shadows. Berry had been a central part of the series, playing pansexual vampire Laszlo Cravensworth, for more than five years.
"I turned 50 on the last day that I filmed anything for that show," he tells Prog. "So, that was a significant day for me. I hadn't done it consciously, but everything I'd been writing from the year before was all geared around that. When I look back, it's all pointing in that direction. I think certain things happen to you that force you to progress." This subconscious reassessment of life and work fed into what eventually became Berry's new album, Heard Noises. As did the recurring dreams.
"This obsession with nostalgia was creeping into my subconscious. I was having a repeated dream of basically seeing my younger self in the distance and working out whether I should run up to him or just let him get on with whatever he was doing. But it felt so real. I could see him and all my friends, exactly how we were about 10 years ago. And it kept happening, so I couldn't ignore that." One new song in particular feels like a direct result of that experience.
To Live For What Once Was finds Berry wrestling with notions of past and present, of living in the here and now as opposed to some idealised memory palace. 'No matter what I do I'm trapped' he sings, 'Like a man in a jail of his own.' Other pieces, such as Stay On The Ground, serve as a kind of self-support device, its protagonist negotiating a path through fear and bullshit until he can simply 'ignore the sound'.
Bu hikaye Prog dergisinin Issue 157 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Prog dergisinin Issue 157 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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SOLSTICE
Since their formation in 1980, Solstice have been led by guitarist Andy Glass through various hiatuses and line-up changes. It took until 2020 and the start of the Sia trilogy to truly find their feet, but this strange route to success has left them in an interesting position.
SAVATAGE
It's not entirely accurate to use the word \"reunion\" if a band never broke up in the first place, but semantics aside, it's fair to say that American progressive/ power metal trailblazers Savatage have spent the better part of the past two decades far away, in a land caught between time and space.
Against The GRAIN
US veterans Glass Hammer have ripped up their own rulebook - yet again - on Rogue, an hour-long concept album that takes the listener on a journey of self-discovery via life's highs and lows. Bassist and co-founder Steve Babb takes Prog on a deep dive into its themes, its innovative recording process and the global mix of musicians involved in the project, and explains why, after more than 30 years in the saddle, his fire for creative reinvention still burns as brightly as ever.
JOHN LODGE
It’s lovely to be here,” says John Lodge. “In fact, it’s lovely to be anywhere,” he adds, adapting the old joke and explaining that just over a year ago he had a stroke. Yet with “Prayers, love and good vibes,” he continues, “here we are.”
True Or False
Aband featuring members of Porcupine Tree and King Crimson were always going to be considered a prog supergroup, but O.R.k are continuing to prove there is much more beyond the label. With fifth album Firehose Of Falsehoods another impressive addition to the quartet's catalogue, Prog catches up with bassist Colin Edwin to find out more.
HATS OFF GENTLEMEN IT'S ADEQUATE/ GHOST OF THE MACHINE
The new album by modern prog mainstays Hats Off Gentlemen It's Adequate is an expansive, polystylistic release centred on Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
DIVIDE AND DISSOLVE
Sax, drone and rock'n'roll with an anti-colonial message.
SALLY POTTER
The avant-garde musician, filmmaker and activist on exploring the human connection, staying optimistic in the face of uncertainty and her memories of brother and VdGG bassist Nic.
BLIND CONVERGENCE
Ambitious ambient solo project from Thieves Kitchen guitarist Phil Mercy.
Chris Squire: "The greatest bass player in prog rock history." - his 30 greatest performances
He was one of the most influential and creative rock musicians, who transformed the way the bass was viewed. Chris Squire's impact on the world of progressive rock is still felt to this day, as is the music he played a major role in creating. Prog asks former bandmembers, collaborators and musical fans to share their favourite songs from his back catalogue. Is yours among them?
