KEEPERS OF THE FLAME

“It should always be about the music and what you feel in your heart. And if you don’t do that, it’s going to come across.”
Mike Holmes

The myth that punk killed prog has been conclusively laid to rest over the last decade. However, in 2009 when Prog launched, the scene was not nearly as vibrant as now, and many bands had endured rather than thrived since the 70s heyday of progressive rock.

To examine this further, we gather IQ guitarist Mike Holmes, Pendragon vocalist/guitarist Nick Barrett, former Pallas singer Alan Reed and Twelfth Night drummer Brian Devoil at Prog HQ for a discussion to cast minds back to the 80s as well as consider their bands’ respective positions and legacies today.

Prog: What was your perception of the progressive rock scene when your band first emerged?

Holmes: I don’t think there was a scene particularly. We didn’t know of any other band playing this kind of music when we started. Prog was a dirty word in the early 80s. If you bought anything prog you’d hide it in a brown paper bag to take home.

It was different on the west coast of Scotland. Glasgow was very much a rock city. A lot of guys going to Scorpions and UFO gigs would also listen to Genesis and Yes. Prog seemed just part of the same continuum. I first came across Pallas as a punter. They were initially playing a mix of Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Genesis, Yes and Pink Floyd covers in Glasgow. Pallas’ original following was guys with leather jackets. At university I became aware of Marillion just as they were starting to make a name for themselves. It was only then that I discovered there were other prog bands popping up from