Riverside + Klone acoustic– The Ritz, Manchester: Live Review

Mike Ainscoe

2 years ago

Riverside, Klone (acoustic) – The Ritz, Manchester – 21st May 2024

Strangely, just about a year since we last encountered Riverside in Manchester at the Academy 2, they return to The Ritz to help round off an intensive period of touring the ID.Entity album. It’s the final date, bar a European gig in June so there’s an element of second wind (rather than Second Life) syndrome. The band, as ever, particularly keyboard player Michal Lapaj, is buoyant.

Many are vociferous when asked if they’ve returned for a second dose, while “ah, the same” Mariusz notes when checking who’s here for their first Riverside show. The latter is encouraging and with a broad demographic in attendance, we’re not just surrounded by the usual faces that populate the progressive tours in town and thereabouts.

Resisting the temptation to toy too much with the set we saw last year, the perfect opener is reinstated midway through the set. Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened By A Hat) makes a reappearance at The Ritz, (“one we didn’t play last time“) recalling their gig here in 2015 when those searing yet melodic lead guitar lines were the domain of the late Piotr Grudzinski and now sit in the custody of Maciej Meller. He delivers them masterfully and goosebumps must prickle all round the venue.

It’s a sign of the way the Riverside identity is in constant flux; the way they tweak not just the setlist but also in the way they play the songs. “We don’t just play the album versions,” says Mariusz Duda as gives a heads up to listen out for little easter eggs in some of the songs where they’ll work in a line from another song. “There will be a test later, or you can just shout out – like that guy...” and right on cue, the audience does exactly that when Meller throws in some of The Caterpillar & The Barbed Wire in the midst of Post Truth. The identity that they’ve explored over the last eighteen months – their disassociation with the Dream Theaters of the Prog Metal world – is almost like Mariusz says, “time to come out.” The sign in the brassy keyboard stabs in Big Tech Brother (which kicks off in power trio mode before Duda and Meller go Metal and mount the drum riser)and the poppy Friend Or Foe shows how they’re not going to toe the progressive line

Meanwhile, back at the start, #Addicted and the trebly Peter Hook basslines remains the low key opening gambit but combined with the delights of O2 Panic Room (and the iconic “sweet shelter of mine” signature) and its partner in further bassline trickery, Landmine Blast, a short sharp intro that’s worked well ain’t broken and in need of fixing. And while the last album provides the bulk of the set, they draw heavily on Anno Domini High Definition for Left Out and Egoist Hedonist which are undeniably big players in the progressive side of their catalogue. The gusto with which the audience become part of the chant in the former which weaves it’s Floyd/Grateful Dead jam way across a ten minute plus arrangement, is goosebump worthy, while the full of beans Lapaj adds both harsh and dancing keyboard flourishes.

Encoring with the contrast of new and old, the vibrancy and New Wave touches of Self Aware contrast sharply with Conceiving You. Pretty much in the same vein as they closed out the Wasteland shows in 2019 with the gorgeous River Down Below, the latter leaves us trudging out on a melancholy but reflective high. A thought that nigh on ten years on from that aforementioned appearance in the same venue, how Riverside might do their fair share of goalpost shifting, but quite rightly belong as innovators and continue to offer a thrilling live experience.

Early arrivals had the bonus of a band who we’ve been big supporters of. Klone have regularly featured on our pages- from Le Grand Voyage to Alive and their most recent album Meanwhile, so their appearance in acoustic guise was a genuine bonus. Remember the rule – always see the support band!

Given a full hour too, the French quintet perceived on a line of stools and gave a masterclass of how how the transition to low key arrangement works. Maybe on a similar end of tour high and responding to a hugely enthusiastic audeince, they seemed to thoroughly wallow in the experience. Not that the lower key arrangements lacked any of the sort of epic intensity that full electric versions would enjoy. The two guitars, driven by sonorous drum beaters on a single tom and a couple of wide cymbals for washes, plus Yann Ligner’s occasional forays into powerful growls heading into the ceiling ensured that this wasn’t just a dressed down skeleton of a set.

The opportunity to head into the back catalogue in a set bookended by Sealed and Yonder form the Le Grand Voyage album, saw Klone highlight some of the more delicate and subtle moments of a legacy that stretches back two decades. Having said that we were also treated to a much recognised and appreciated cover of Soundgarden’s Black Old Sun as well as a couple of new songs. Sitting very comfortably in the set, The Unseen in particular combined the languid Floyd-esque moods before shifting into a powerful climax.

It’s no wonder that the band seemed delighted by the response, throwing their Metal horns and unable to resist getting to their feet at opportune times when the temptation to from adapting their heavier moments to the acoustic format was too difficult to resist. Some may justifiably argue that Klone are at their most potent in this set up but their unplugged setup is certainly a quality alternative to the fully plugged in version.