Here’s the trailer for the new Steven Wilson solo album:

I’ve cooled-off Wilson/Porcupine Tree a bit—I go through phases, and my current phase is DEVO—but I’ll still pick this up when it’s released.

As a sample of the new no-man album schoolyard ghosts, here’s the promo clip for “truenorth (edit)”, excepted from the second part of the 13-minute epic “truenorth”. (The third part is actually my favourite, but this is still a nice introduction to the no-man sound.)

On Saturday, the 26th of April, I journeyed down to the Enmore Theatre in Sydney once more, this time to see one of my favourite bands, Porcupine Tree, on the only Sydney date of their long-overdue first Australian tour.

Porcupine Tree started as a one-man side-project for no-man’s Steven Wilson, but after several albums in the early ’90s, the project eventually evolved into a genuine band that hearkened back to ’70s progressive space rock without directly imitating it.

It was 2002’s In Absentia, however, that marked the most obvious change in the band, with drummer Chris Maitland being replaced by the extraordinary Gavin Harrison instead. This was a chance for Wilson to fully integrate the sonic palette of progressive metal to the mix, the result being a curious mix of the layered melodicism of Brian Wilson, the psychedelic textures of Pink Floyd and the bursts of thrashing guitars of Opeth. The best comparison would be to King Crimson, but even that misses the mark somewhat.

In any case, these guys are legends among those of us in the know, and as soon as they announced their Australian tour, I made sure that I would not miss out on this extraordinary event.

The tickets I’d bought gave a showtime of 7:45 pm, so I arrived at the theatre by 7:10, which, while probably a good idea, meant half-an-hour of waiting without anything to do. The lines (there were two–one for each side of the doors) were quite massive, which was pleasantly surprising, given how unknown the band is outside certain circles. At 7:45, however, there was a cheer as we all began to pour in.

About half-an-hour after that, support act Sleep Parade did a 45-minute set, and they managed to keep a rather restless crowd entertained. This is a Melbourne-based prog-rock three-piece, and their sound actually reminded me somewhat of latter-day Marillion. I really respect the fact that there are Aussie bands out there doing more than just the usual rubbish, and it’s great to see Wilson & co. supporting local acts, too.

When 9 pm rocked around, Sleep Parade’s set was over and it seemed as if Porcupine Tree would appear very soon. They didn’t come on until about 9:30, however, and by that time everyone was DESPERATE. Prior to that, the lights would move occasionally, at which point some hopeful Aussie fan would cheer… only to then realise that they were jumping the gun.

Then, finally, the lights dimmed, the band entered, and the footage for “Fear of a Blank Planet” began playing behind them…

Setlist: (all quotes paraphrased)

• “Fear of a Blank Planet” (from Fear of a Blank Planet, 2007)
• “What Happens Now?” (from the Nil Recurring EP, 2007)
• “The Sound of Muzak” (from In Absentia, 2002)

Wilson: “Well, this is the first Australian tour. It’s been about 15 years coming and nine studio albums, so apologies for that. As I was saying in Melbourne last night, we just didn’t think we had a following in Australia, but I guess we do. To make up for it, we’re going to play as much for you tonight as we can. We can’t play everyone’s favourite, of course, but we’ll do our best. [At this point someone shouted something out.] Here’s a tip: it doesn’t matter what song you sing out–we have this thing called a setlist…”

• “Lazarus” (from Deadwing, 2005)

Wilson: “Porcupine Tree have quite a few more ‘epic’ tracks that we’ve done–we’re not exactly a band known for its brevity. [At this point, given his previous remarks, I was praying for 1995's opus "The Sky Moves Sideways", but alas...] Here’s the longest track off the last album. It’s called ‘Anesthetize’.”

• “Anesthetize” (from Fear of a Blank Planet)
• “Open Car” (from Deadwing)
• “Dark Matter” (from Signify, 1996) — this was a real highlight, as it was the earliest track played and is one of the best songs from their ’90s catalogue
• “Hatesong” (from Lightbulb Sun, 2000) — featuring a workout from Harrison that well-deserved the shout-out by Wilson immediately afterwards
• “A Smart Kid” (from Stupid Dream, 1999) — concluding a trilogy of tracks from their pre-Harrison days, this was yet another highlight

Wilson: “How about some more metal?”

• “Blackest Eyes” (from In Absentia)

Wilson: “Most Australians probably know us from our last album, Fear of a Blank Planet [at this point a guy near me shouted out "Not true!!!"--I'd like to agree, but Wilson's probably right] so we’ll do another track from it. It’s called ‘Way Out of Here’.”

• “Way Out of Here” (from Fear of a Blank Planet) — much better live than on record, and the accompanying footage is quite haunting; interestingly, John Wesley sang the chorus
• “Sleep Together” (from Fear of a Blank Planet)

Encore:

• “Mother and Child Divided” (from the Deadwing sessions)

Wilson: “We didn’t play that in Melbourne last night, but we figured Sydney was more of a METAL crowd. Anyway, this next song is quite popular in our shows in Europe and America… [some of us (including me) started shouting 'Trains!!!'] It’s called ‘Trains’.”

• “Trains” (from In Absentia)
• “Halo” (from Deadwing)

All told, the set went for about two hours.

Overall, it was a great night with a great crowd. There were the obvious young metalheads, but there were also the older prog rock fans who just wanted to see the saviours of modern rock in action. (I obviously identify more with the latter group.) I was hoping to hear “Even Less”, “Drown With Me” and/or “Cheating the Polygraph” (as I didn’t really expect anything from the solo days), but… maybe next time.

Still, how often do you get to see rock’s best kept secret in the flesh?

Now, how about Pink Floyd reform with Roger Waters, record a collaborative effort and then do a world tour?

The new no-man album, schoolyard ghosts, is released on Monday, and let me tell you: it’s amazing.

This is yet another creative peak for Steven Wilson and Tim Bowness; the first release by the duo since 2003’s together we’re stranger sees them once again exploring subtle textures and moods in a contemplative, melancholic setting. Every track is stunning in its own right, but the standout has to be the near-13 minute epic “truenorth”, which moves through several phases as it shifts and evolves, not once feeling like pieces stitched together. This is music to send chills down your spine.

Wilson, of course, has also released albums under the banners Porcupine Tree, Blackfield and Bass Communion in the intervening five years since no-man’s last masterpiece, but I can’t imagine (say) the metalheads who are recent ‘Tree fans ever really liking schoolyard ghosts (except maybe the dynamic track “pigeon drummer”). Wilson’s strength is his ability to work within different styles and genres yet still sound unmistakeably like himself.

Of note are the appearances by Pat Mastelotto and Gavin Harrison, both of whom are King Crimson alumni (with Pat being the former drummer for Mr. Mister, of all things, and Gavin, of course, being the drummer for Porcupine Tree since 2002). These guys are masters behind the kit (would Robert Fripp have it any other way?) and, once again, it shows.

schoolyard ghosts is a work of great beauty that deserves a listen by anyone interested in subtly evocative textural explorations.