TONY MOORE’S AWAKE
BLACK BOX, HASTINGS
Playing at the behest of Steve Harris, who once hired and quickly fired him asperforms an abridged version of his forthcoming prog-rock opus, Considering that several of its tracks resemble Pink Floyd, tonight’s crowd in Hastings is surprisingly tolerant. On earliest tours, it was tempting to dismiss them as a vanity project for Steve Harris, but 13 years later they’ve become a proper concern with huge improvements right across the board. Where thinly disguised expectations of being a mini-Maiden once bubbled beneath the surface, now there’s a narrative, an identity, and a body of songs that is still being added to. Shaven-headed, wiry and intense, frontman Richard Taylor has learned how to project and interact with the audience. All five members know their roles, though of course Steve is the focal point, mouthing silently along to every word –the very epitome of commitment. In a 280-capacity room such as the Black Box, his chunka-chunka basslines punch you in the gut, though this is very much a group performance, and one that will live long in the memory.
