Saturday 10th November starts off as a glorious day, the sunlight filtering through Autumnal leaves, with barely a cloud in the sky. However, by the time we’ve made our pilgrimage to Camden to catch the amazing Riverside, ominous clouds have gathered in the sky and rain is hardly far behind. Joining the snaking queue to the Electric Ballroom at 6:00, the first worry is whether we can even get into the venue in time to catch the opening act. In point of fact, the Ballroom staff are impressively efficient at getting people through the door, but it doesn’t change the fact that fifteen minutes is too little time to leave between the doors opening and the first band going on stage and it slightly mars the start of an otherwise great night.
With an airy, muscular sound, Mechanism sound great, which makes it all the more tragic that the bulk of the crowd are still out in the rain when the band kick things off. The first album, between the words, is represented with two lengthy tracks that recall the likes of Tool, King Crimson and the band’s own countrymen, Hunter, whilst the latter three tracks are drawn from the band’s more recent offering, entering the invisible light. A good band, whose singer, Rafal Stefanowski has charisma to match, Mechanism get the night off to a fine start and, by the time their set draws to a close with the epic the grand confusion (parts 1&2), the Electric ballroom has filled up nicely and the band receive a suitably rousing response for their efforts.
With a tight turnaround, the stage crew work rapidly to clear the stage as the Wasteland soundscape plays over the PA. With an eye on the weather, perhaps, the band take to the stage with the heavy acid rain, one of the new album’s tighter, tougher cuts with a rippling, distorted bassline and plenty of energy in the delivery. The band look delighted to be on stage in front of, Mariusz suggests, one of their largest crowds to date, and the stage set (which sees Riverside flanked by two video screens and towering, alien light pods) only adds to the air of unreality as the band draw us into the post-apocalyptic world their latest album evokes. Vale of tears is greeted like an old friend, with a good number of the fiercely partisan audience singing along (as, indeed, they do all night long, much to the band’s obvious joy), before we go back in time for the instrumental reality dream 1. Lament sounds even more impressive live than it does on record, whilst a monstrous left out (the only track to be aired from ADHD), ebbs and flows with dextrous might, leaving the packed out audience stunned in its wake. The whimsical Lost (why should I be frightened by a hat?) remains a glorious example of how to incorporate pop melodies to deliver a beautiful piece of music that draws from the elegance of Floyd and the deft melodic skills of Genesis before we return to Wasteland for the lengthy instrumental piece, the struggle for survival. Next up, we get a couple of deeper cuts, in the form of forgotten land and loose heart before the band wrap the set up with the latest effort’s epic, folky title track. It marks the end of an impressive set and the cheers for an encore are loud and sustained.
Barely missing a beat, the band return for a lengthy, three-track encore that sees the remainder of wasteland aired, firstly with the glorious, piano-led the night before. Delivered as a raw, achingly beautiful piece of music, Michal Lapaj (whose effervescent character is a highlight of the show) has a chance to shine as he provides the sole backing for Mariusz’s sombre vocal. In contrast, long-time fan-favourite Panic Room 02 provides a short, tough interlude, all distorted bass and driving beat, before the band bring things to a close with eerie acoustic number the river down below. It marks the end of a near-perfect set, the band drawing from across their back-catalogue whilst placing appropriate focus on excellent new album wasteland. With the venue packed with an adoring audience (fortunately banishing the cretins who love to talk throughout a show to the rear), a perfect sound balance and impressive lighting providing the icing to this particularly appealing cake, Riverside truly excelled and they cannot return to the UK soon enough.
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