MOONSPELL / TIAMAT / FLOWING TEARS - 25th March 2002 - Mean Fiddler

You would think that this is a fully saturated market but somehow the style is so succinct that everyone adds to it without cloning. I had heard about this band so made sure I got to the venue early and it was well worth it to say the least. Flowing Tears are a pretty hot commodity fronted by Stephanie Duchene who not only has a sweeping expressive voice and all the other usual physical attributes, but appears to specialise in a form of exotic dancing normally reserved for videos made by The Bangles! Add to that the superbly named Benjamin Buss who specialises in some pretty powerful riffs, decent arrangements, and (even better) decent songs, and it is pretty clear that we are onto an immediate winner here. The likes of "Serpentine" and "Merlin" hit all the right spots and Flowing Tears have the professionalism that you expect from a Century Media Act. Well worth looking out for.

Tiamat haven't played on the Godforsaken isle since about 1994 so their appearance was to yours truly greeted like manna from heaven. Since releasing the groundbreaking "Wild Honey" in 1994 they have barely put a foot wrong after a slightly dubious past and have amalgamated into The Sisters of the noughties. Just listen to "Brighter than the Sun" and "Vote for Love", both of which showcase Stepanie Duchene who returns to the stage in the Patricia Morrison role; and could comfortably have been bonus tracks from Vision Thing.

But Tiamat are more than just a tribute band. For one thing they have written some fabulous lyrics. Check out the new "Judas Christ" CD for these belters; "The Pope went back on the dole and Santa flew back to the Northpole" and "A loudpipe duck and a pink rubber Minnie Mouse, a delirium trademark in a cardhouse"(!). In frontman Johan Edlund (formerly known as Hellslaughter!) they also have an undoubted focal point. Short, wiry like Iggy Pop, with a shaved tattooed head he appears on stage wearing a pair of Dave Lee Travis shades. Couple that with the rhythm section Lars Skold and Anders Iwers who add a good deal of ballast to proceedings and a guitarist Thomas Petersson who thinks he's in Pink Floyd and this mob are by no means run of the mill!

While I would have been happy to have heard "A Deeper Kind of Slumber" in it's entirety the choice of live material was inspired. Much of Tiamat's set is in the electro-goth mode, "As long as you are mine", "So much for Suicide", "Cold Seed", "The Ar" and "Whatever That Hurts" but the absolute highlight is "Phantasm de Luxe". A Pink Floyd / Nephilm inspired dirge from the aforementioned "....Slumber" platter, played with grace to a perfect light backdrop which only emphasises the vastness and sheer scope of the song. Close you eyes and this could have been at a festival anywhere in Europe rather than to 500 rabid followers in a hole in Charring Cross Road. Closing with "Gaia", ("a song about Mother Nature") sees another five minutes of Gilmour-esque soloing that I simply do not want to end. I cannot remember a more perfect hour in this venue. Lets hope we haven't got to wait another 8 years.

And so to Moonspell a band who have had their fair share of detractors in the past. Much of this however can be seen as their failure to perhaps grow up properly in public or perhaps they just wanted to be a little different? Witness their early interviews with frontman Fernando waffling on about "Lusitanian" pride (or the like!) in such a wordy manner as to make Stephen Fry look like David Beckham! Also consider their disastrous support of Type O Negative circa 1996, a performance that reeked of rock star arrogance and pretension and was rewarded at the time with chants of "Oi. Moonspell. NO!!!"

Thankfully Moonspell however appear to have learned and not only that whilst other European acts have dwindled in the past about the prospect of crossing the Channel Moonspell have never wilted in coming consistently to the UK. For that alone they should be respected. Recent output of "The Butterfly Effect" and "Darkness and Hope" also have been excellent compounds of goth metal all played with that Portuguese suave that presumably comes naturally.

Fernando still cannot fail to be a rock star however; a set of wings appears during "Archangel" and he indulges in various dress changes throughout the evening; but the difference is that they now have the songs to rely on wherein the past they merely had sub Paradise Lost riffs. Fernando & Co also have the stage presence that Wayne Hussey & Co desperately lacked in The Mission's recent (slightly soulless performance) and an unexpected humility to match. The band were seen chatting to fans in the bar area before the show and keep the crowd involved during the set.

 A slew of tracks are heard and whilst oldies like "Awake" and "Wolfshade" get an airing, to these ears it is the more recent material that is stronger. "And the Serpents in my Arms" is an inspired opener and "Heart Shaped Abyss", a savage "Devil Red" and the standout from the current "Darkness and Hope" opus "Nocturna" are all aired. Tiamat and Flowing Tears return to the stage for the encore and the stage resembles absolute bedlam for ten minutes, but after the roar it was nice to see the band come out again at the end and do a further unscheduled encore after the lights had come back on.

Tiamat are at the door to greet the faithful as they leave, and it just helps to emphasise how much of a "show" this was in the fullest sense of the word. A great night  - shame on you if you missed it matey!

Andrew Lees

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