DATE:
VENUE:
RIVERSIDE
Friday 21st April 2006
Boederij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
RIVERSIDE
Since Riverside played their first show outside of Poland back in October 2004 at the Progpower Europe festival in Holland, they have become a fast evolving band. In fact, people were so impressed by their performance that the merchandise stall had sold all copies of their debut album 'Out of Myself' before they even finished playing their hour long set. More remarkably, they were only brought in as a last minute replacement for a cancelled band. Their fast growing success is easily measured tonight by the near capacity crowd at the Boederij compared to when they played here in April last year (see pictures below) to roughly a third-full venue.
Riverside walk on stage to loud cheering from the crowd as they open their set with a version of the intrumental section from the beginning of Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'. Then they play 'Conceiving You' from their second album 'Second Life Syndrome', a song from which fans immediately recognise the opening piano intro and cheer loudly again. This becomes the pattern for the next 2+ hours as every song played from their 2 albums (and EP) is as well received and culminates in their now standard stage exit at the end of 'The Curtain Falls' followed by no less than half an hour worth of encore material.
The media frequently likens Riverside's music to Porcupine Tree; Anathema; Opeth; Pink Floyd etc. These are fair comparisons and self-professed influences of the band although, at the same time, they have a unique style and sound of their own. Mariusz Duda's distinct clean voice (and occasional convincing death growls) and creative bass lines; Piotr Grudzinski's accomplished guitar playing with its rich, smooth tones; Michal Lapaj's varied keyboard parts; and Piotr Kozieradzki's dynamic drumming combine to create original and emotive soundscapes - music that you can genuinely get lost in. There are occasional technical glitches in Riverside's performance tonight, but generally receive a well balanced mix and pristine sound through the PA.
The band have also evolved as performers. A year ago when they appeared at this venue, Duda, although confident musically, appeared slightly nervy on stage in his interactions with the crowd. A year on, he has become a much more self-assured frontman and talks to the audience with ease. Grudzinski spends long periods with his eyes shut, completely relaxed and seemingly lost in his own guitar playing. In fact, the whole band appear to be having a good time on stage and seem genuinely humbled, though very overjoyed, by such positive reactions from the audience. Riverside are adored by their Dutch fans, which is evident from the loud, lengthy cheers and applause as they bow before exiting the stage after the final encore. There's only one word to describe tonight - awesome.
Riverside walk on stage to loud cheering from the crowd as they open their set with a version of the intrumental section from the beginning of Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond'. Then they play 'Conceiving You' from their second album 'Second Life Syndrome', a song from which fans immediately recognise the opening piano intro and cheer loudly again. This becomes the pattern for the next 2+ hours as every song played from their 2 albums (and EP) is as well received and culminates in their now standard stage exit at the end of 'The Curtain Falls' followed by no less than half an hour worth of encore material.
The media frequently likens Riverside's music to Porcupine Tree; Anathema; Opeth; Pink Floyd etc. These are fair comparisons and self-professed influences of the band although, at the same time, they have a unique style and sound of their own. Mariusz Duda's distinct clean voice (and occasional convincing death growls) and creative bass lines; Piotr Grudzinski's accomplished guitar playing with its rich, smooth tones; Michal Lapaj's varied keyboard parts; and Piotr Kozieradzki's dynamic drumming combine to create original and emotive soundscapes - music that you can genuinely get lost in. There are occasional technical glitches in Riverside's performance tonight, but generally receive a well balanced mix and pristine sound through the PA.
The band have also evolved as performers. A year ago when they appeared at this venue, Duda, although confident musically, appeared slightly nervy on stage in his interactions with the crowd. A year on, he has become a much more self-assured frontman and talks to the audience with ease. Grudzinski spends long periods with his eyes shut, completely relaxed and seemingly lost in his own guitar playing. In fact, the whole band appear to be having a good time on stage and seem genuinely humbled, though very overjoyed, by such positive reactions from the audience. Riverside are adored by their Dutch fans, which is evident from the loud, lengthy cheers and applause as they bow before exiting the stage after the final encore. There's only one word to describe tonight - awesome.
Click on thumbnails for larger images:
Boederij - 21.04.2006
Boederij - 15.04.2005
Click on thumbnails for larger images: