Written by:	Ivor
Published:	16.11.2015
Galleries:	Iamthemorning, Gazpacho - Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands, 31.10.2015 by Ivor (33) Iamthemorning, Gazpacho - De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands, 30.10.2015 by Ivor (37)

I wanted to go to Oslo. Even if I had not made any actual travelling arrangements yet, I had my mind all made up on catching the last date of the Gazpacho tour with Iamthemorning supporting. With the date falling on Friday in mid-November, all seemed perfect and good to go - except what I really wanted was to see Iamthemorning play live and Oslo was the only date of the tour they were not present. Thus, a new plan had to be forged with The Netherlands coming to the rescue.




Try as I might, I once again ended up with last-minute bookings. I found out about the problem with Oslo some two or three days before the tour started on October 24th in Poland. With what was basically the next day flight to Poland being expensive, and German dates being in the middle of the week, I was left with the choice of either of the two dates in The Netherlands (neither of which was in Amsterdam), or London. None of the choices looked really inviting. I was about to give up on it entirely when suddenly it hit me that I could just attend both shows in The Netherlands and use it as an excuse to travel around a bit.

However, the actual tipping point was that by going to The Netherlands I was going to see both bands play twice. When travelling to a gig, to see a show once is already a privilege. You are, however, stuck with the choice you made and with what you are served. It could be awesome but it could equally well be, well, less awesome, although you most likely wouldn't realise nor admit it should it indeed happen to be so. While catching two shows of the tour increases the likelihood of being truly satisfied, getting two points of reference is a more valuable asset. If chosen carefully, this could result in very contrasting experiences.

De Pul in Uden and Cultuurpodium Boerderij in Zoetermeer turned out to be quite similar venues in many respects. Though De Pul is the considerably smaller of the two, they both shared a wide stage, a floor area not too deep, and a balcony above running from side to side (though the one in De Pul was closed off for the night). The overall appearance of the venues was of halls wide rather than deep, allowing audience to be closer to the bands on stage. The sound was also good at both locations, although De Boerderij suffered from quite a lot of standing bass; not enough to be a distraction for the listeners, but apparently causing considerable problems on stage.




Iamthemorning are a young band from Saint Petersburg in Russia who play what you might call chamber progressive rock that is far less focused on rock, and more on classical string instruments, while the core of their music revolves around piano of Gleb Kolyadin and vocals of Marjana Semkina. The strength of the band lies in intricate and dynamic compositions that are beautiful and captivating throughout - so much so, that I consider them among my favourite discoveries of recent times.

When Gazpacho wanted something acoustic for the support on the tour, Iamthemorning probably came in through the common management. But, that aside, the band are becoming a bit of a phenomenon in winning people over. The response they have been receiving is astonishing. It looks as if everyone is falling in love with this band. They sold out most of the shirts during the first part of the tour, as well as their début album. They also ran out of the unsigned copies of the second album (yes, you read that right, you want to get them signed rather than get them signed, if you know what I mean). The cheers and the heartfelt applause they got are really hard to describe.




I figure that besides the beautiful music, the key to success is that the band appear so natural and open on stage. They came as a four-piece, the stripped-down version consisting of keys, vocals, cello and violin. The dynamics these four create make you forget that there's no guitar or drums; it's frankly amazing. Marjana with her beautiful voice, all emotions reflecting in her being and on her face - the slight stage fright, the joy of performance, the sorrow of music - is the most genuine of them all. This all counts and the audience just respond to that open honesty and love for music they are playing. It's all there and on both nights it was absolutely fabulous.

Iamthemorning set list:
1. Scotland (~)
2. Touching II (~)
3. To Human Misery (Belighted)
4. Would This Be (~)
5. 5/4 (Belighted)
6. Romance (Belighted)
7. Os Lunatum (Belighted)
8. K.O.S. (Belighted)

Although I've been familiar with Gazpacho's music for years, they have never struck me as a live band. If you will, their music felt a bit too intricate for a live, probably requiring a setting reminiscent to that of a theatre. Two things made me reconsider this view. Firstly, I was totally hooked on Demon, a pretty stunning album all in all that I felt I'd like to see in person. Secondly, I watched the Night Of The Demon live recording, which somewhat unexpectedly turned out to be a rather exciting experience.




Gazpacho are majestic live. That's probably the only word that describes them well enough. It's not that they manage to bring complicated songs to life; they do it in a fashion that makes you stare in awe. It's grand. Yes, they probably err here and there but that seems irrelevant, all things considered. It's not like most of the songs are easy to play. They even have a little game going that whoever makes the most mistakes during "Death Room" pays for the drinks that night. In De Boerderij it was by his own admission the singer Jan Henrik Ohme. Then again, the aforementioned standing bass was causing him so much problems that the band even restarted "Defense Mechanism" twice. And even that couldn't alter the impression.

It's a curious feeling to be blown away by complexity of the music that comes to life. Even more so, when the pace is slow. When you happen to look at Dream Theater live, or, say, Haken, if you want something more up to date, you get a lot thrown at you, all twists and turns happening in very short time-frames. The skill and sheer audacity of being able to pull it all off is mind-numbing. With Gazpacho, on the other hand, what strikes is the ability to observe the intricate and delicate interplay, to see how each of the musician places the notes, how they interact and react to each other. And because of the breathing space in between, it makes it all the more enticing, real, and complex. More so than a solo of too many notes.

Because of all that, a Gazpacho gig feels like a slow ride across a hilly countryside in summer. It slowly and lazily twists and winds through the terrain, making you oblivious to the passage of time. At times you look at how they play, paying attention to the change of instruments, at others you concentrate on what is being played, going along with heavier passages that are few and far between but all the more sweeter because of that. The show is never fast paced but with so much changing dynamics it's far from being still and is never boring. Two hours fly by and you won't even know it. Works like that even the second time.




Gazpacho set list:
1. Algorithm (Intro) (Molok)
2. Park Bench (Molok)
3. Choir Of Ancestors (Molok)
4. The Walk (Part I) (Tick Tock)
5. The Walk (Part II) (Tick Tock)
6. Defense Mechanism (Missa Atropos)
7. The Wizard Of Altai Mountains (Demon)
8. Death Room (Demon)
9. Hell Freezes Over III (March Of Ghosts)
10. Hell Freezes Over IV (March Of Ghosts)
11. Know Your Time (Molok)
12. Winter Is Never (Tick Tock)
13. Checkered Light Buildings (Night)
14. Upside Down (Night)
15. Molok Rising (Molok)
Encore:
16. Desert Flight (Tick Tock)
17. Vera (Missa Atropos)

Curiously enough, though unsurprisingly, both bands played the same sets on both nights. So, the variation I was looking for, didn't happen. However, it was interesting to know what was going to happen during the second show, to expect some of the jokes and mannerisms. The fact is, though, that the bands were good on both occasions. Even if I prefer the De Pul show more for being slightly smaller and having a better and more even sound this time around, I cannot help but admire what a wonderful venue De Boerderij is and what astonishing list of bands they have hosted and have lined up for near future. Those of you living close enough, you just don't know how lucky you are.

Iamthemorning proved to be every bit as beautiful as I hoped them to be. I'm sure it'll be even more wonderful with the full band. It's something I now know I have to see rather sooner than later. Gazpacho, on the other hand, surpassed my reasonably high expectations by a large margin. Their live performances seem appropriate to their music, not above a bit of stage fun but in general well in line with the grand lyrical themes they tackle.