The group gave a stellar performance on October 18th at the Joy
Eslava venue in Madrid
In early September, Anathema won the award for best live
performance of the Progressive Music Awards. After seeing their show on October
18th at the Joy Eslava Venue, Madrid,
it is only natural that they won. The group from England, offered an amazing concert
which invited the viewer to explore and feel the music in the depths of their
being.
Normally, people associate metal music with headbanging
and people jumping up and down waving fists filled with spiked bracelets in the
air. Few know the depths that can be found behind that music. Anathema is a
group that has gone beyhond traditional metal creating a unique progresive
atmospheric sound that invited refluction while seducing the listener.
The concert was an example of what the group who has been
working for more than 10 years, can achieve. At a quarter to nine, even though
there were still people coming in and a few asking for leftover tickets at the
door, the first chords introducing the group to the stage began to ring. Untouchable I and Untouchable II, two songs from their latest album, "Weather
Systems" were the first songs to fill the theatre.
The venue was packed but unlike other concerts in which too much people can be a burden, here, Anathema created a sense of intimacy and closeness with the audience.
The venue was packed but unlike other concerts in which too much people can be a burden, here, Anathema created a sense of intimacy and closeness with the audience.
It’s an impossible task to appease everyone, but Anathema
tried to satisfy as much people as possible going back in time to play songs
from older albums that date back as far as 1998. They even played songs never
before heard in a Madrid stage, such as two out of the three songs played from
their album "Judgment”, Deep, Emotional Winter, Wings Of God.
The set of stage lights, the powerful voice of Vincent Cavanagh mixed with David Cavanagh and the angelic voice of Lee Douglas left the audience stunned, listening and nodding to the rhythm of the melancholic sound of the music. Lyrics were whispered and not shouted at full potential, almost as if the audience were afraid of breaking the magic being created on stage. It was only under the encouragment of Vicent or David when songs were chorused loudly, with bodies writhing to the beat.
The set of stage lights, the powerful voice of Vincent Cavanagh mixed with David Cavanagh and the angelic voice of Lee Douglas left the audience stunned, listening and nodding to the rhythm of the melancholic sound of the music. Lyrics were whispered and not shouted at full potential, almost as if the audience were afraid of breaking the magic being created on stage. It was only under the encouragment of Vicent or David when songs were chorused loudly, with bodies writhing to the beat.
A Simple Mistake from the album "We're here Because We're Here", was introduced as a song about the beauty of life, followed by Lightening, Storm Before The Calm and The beginning and the end.
Attendees were amazed with the show, but many gasped with Natural Disaster. The group called for public input to illuminate the room with their phones while the mirror ball flashed through every corner, giving the impression that the sky had dipped to Earth to listen to Anathema.
Since then, emotions seemed to overflow. Some wept openly with "Flying", others concentrated on the stage, staring fixedly or shaking their heads rhythmically while others closed their eyes, imagining only they know what.
The encore brought two more songs, Fragile Dreams and Internal Landscapes, as well as more tears when Vicent thanked the audience for having bought tickets that cost almost 30euros: "We know the situation in Spain and we appreciate you coming tonight."
Wrenching voices, emotional lyrics, beautiful music. The Anathema concert in Madrid was an experience hard to tell in words for it was more than a sensorial experience, it was extrasensory. Vincent Cavanagh which was signing along with the rest of the group, records, shirts and stickers at the merchandising stand, said that the Madrid show was the best so far. We don’t doubt that it was indeed something worth living.
Daniel Cavanagh’s last words were: "Adios Madrid, hasta luego, hasta la próxima.” (Goodbye Madrid, see you soon, until next time). See you soon, Anathema, we’ll be looking forward to it.
In Spanish/En español: http://www.lahuelladigital.com/anathema-la-musica-de-los-angeles-descendio-a-madrid/
