It has been quite simply one of the loveliest days of a rather dreary year, the mid-May sun finally breaking through the clouds and sending temperatures in London soaring. It sees the Koko, a gorgeous venue nestled away in the south of Camden, bathed in evening sunshine as an army of black-clad fans wait to be admitted for a very special show. For, not only does tonight represent one of the last shows of Riverside’s extensive ID.Entity tour (“we wanted to come back, because the last time we played here was a festival”), but it also offers an opportunity to see the wonderful Klone unplugged.
The Koko itself is a fantastic venue, representing an era where care and craftmanship was put into places of entertainment. It’s also incredibly friendly, and full marks to the staff members who guide us to the right place, perform the various security checks, and basically make the venue extremely welcoming.
Then there’s the remarkable art deco styling that sees you walk down a tunnel flooded with blood-red lighting to emerge in a theatre from a bygone age, complete with stage and auditorium decoration, thoughtful lighting, and one of the best bars of any venue in London. It’s the perfect location for a show that has seen Riverside considerably up the ante in terms of presentation, adding backing lights and lasers to the mix, and it gives the night an immersive feel that the clinical confines of your average O2 establishment simply can’t hope to match.
The evening starts with the enigmatic Klone. Hailing from France, Klone have yet to make the splash that their vibrant mix of Tool, Deftones, Soundgarden, and Katatonia deserves, and it feels as if the audience are a little uncertain as to what to expect. As the band take the stage, there is a decent cheer, but there are equally a large number of people who apparently see this as an opportunity to catch up with friends. They are soon disabused of this notion.
Opening proceedings, the band unveil a lovely ethereal sound, reminiscent of the reinterpretations Tool would carve out during their celebrated Aenima tour (check out Third Eye, documented on the excellent Salival set). With rich, reverb-wreathed guitar tones, warm bass lines (delivered on an acoustic fretless bass that just sounds phenomenal), the vocals ring out with considerable emotional heft, and there’s a noticeable drop off in audience chatter as the song progresses. Part of this is down to singer Yann Ligner, who not only combines the sonic characteristics of Maynard James Keenan and Jonas Renske within his vocals, but who also has a remarkable stage presence that draws the attention.
Despite the intensity of Klone’s music, the acoustic setting works perfectly, and the balance of sound the band achieve is truly mesmerising. Songs like Night And Day and Gone Up In Flames are rendered with potency, yet they take on new shapes in this environment, the band maintaining the dynamic of their work even in the absence of heavy tones.
The set arguably hits its peak with the perfect pairing of Bystander, which sees Yann singing “All the tears will do nothing” as the music swells beautifully; and a cover of Blackhole Sun, which snares any audience members not already hooked. It feels so natural, and it’s delivered with such obvious love for the source material, that it fits perfectly into the set, adding further emotional weight to proceedings.
With just a few tracks left, the venue has transformed. Not only has the audience doubled, but the talking has practically stopped from front to back, as people start to recognise that they’re seeing something very special. In consequence, newcomers to Klone’s remarkable sound come away assured of what fans already know – that this is a band not so much to witness as to experience. Even when Yann finally lets loose on Scarcity, adding a touch of darkly metallic grit to the vocals, it’s done with such poise and precision so as to never overwhelm the music, and the band leave the stage to riotous and richly deserved applause.
And so, to Riverside, one of the most beloved modern prog bands, and a unique entity that continues to push boundaries both on and off stage.
Riverside’s strengths very much lie in the fact that frontman Marisuz Duda simply does not care about other people’s preconceptions – whether about his band, or the genre of prog in general terms. As such, he appears to subscribe to Neil Young’s assertion that great art is about giving people what they need, not what they want, and tonight sees Riverside do exactly that, although it’s fair to say that what the audience needs does closely align with what they want for the majority of tonight’s epic set.
As is so often the case with Riverside, tonight’s show sees the band play fast and loose with song arrangements. From the moment they emerge to jam on an extended intro to #Addicted, it’s clear that we’re on a trip with Mariusz and it’s best just to hold on for dear life and hope to stay the course. With Mariusz encouraging audience participation, and ebullient keyboardist Michal Lapaj finding it physically impossible to keep both feet on the stage, it’s a strong start to the performance, and the cheers come thick and fast from the already warmed-up crowd.
Next up, we’re treated to the mid-tempo swell of 02 Panic Room, which has stop/start riffs and an airy dynamic that is only disrupted when the band stop on a knife edge, frozen in time and space as the audience collectively scream themselves hoarse. It’s an impressive demonstration as to how tight Riverside have become and, when they launch into the “sweet shelter of mine” chorus, you can hear people singing throughout the venue.
And Mariusz isn’t done with us – oh no. Barely pausing for breath, we’re into Landmine Blast, and we’re marvelling at a track that pairs a rippling bassline with a heavy prog pulse – part Deep Purple, part Tool – that seems to just keep expanding as the band work their way through its labyrinthine structures. With Michal throwing shapes in silhouette behind the keyboards, it’s a mesmerising take on the song, and wholly engaging.
One significant change tonight is just how much Mariusz talks to the crowd. Like Mikael Akerfeldt, he has a wry sense of humour, although there are moments (particularly when he labels the audience “the fifth member of the band”), where he threatens to slip into pastiche. On the flip side, when he argues that being compared to Dream Theater is “not a compliment for” the band, you can’t help but feel his frustration, given how broad the prog-metal church has the capacity to be. At any event, it’s a prelude to Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened By A Hat?) from Fear, Love, and the Time Machine – a classic tune that receives a warm response and which, Mariusz will surely be glad to hear, bears no resemblance whatsoever to Dream Theater.
As much as the band has a remarkable back catalogue, it should be remembered that we are here to celebrate the quite excellent ID.Entity, and the bulk of the set is drawn from that album. This focus on the new reaches its peak as we are treated to a back-to-back display of where the band is at in 2024 via Post Truth – rendered with visceral power in the live environment, and not a few lasers; and an utterly epic The Place Where I Belong, which takes in so many elements that it nods, by turns, to Porcupine Tree, Tool, Genesis, and Massive Attack, the band all the while appearing wholly absorbed in the music.
With even the encore featuring an ID.Entity track (a rambunctious Self Aware), it’s clear that Mariusz means what he says when he says the band have changed, although that doesn’t stop him from digging in to Second Life Syndrome for set closer Conceiving you. It’s a breathless finale that sends the audience wandering out into the warm night air, still trying to absorb everything they have taken in.
Riverside are a very special band indeed. Engaging, exciting, and wilfully driven by art over commerce, they are a million miles away from the bands that claim a progressive mantle by religiously adopting the sound of the classic bands circa 1972. While it is arguable that Mariusz could rein in the between-song banter a touch, the presentation, musicianship, setlist, and interaction is otherwise flawless, and seeing the band in this arty, intimate setting proves to be truly majestic evening of genuinely progressive music.
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