LIVE AT DANFEST

This is an amazing live album!

Oh yes, to listen to live albums is an exquisite human experience that I love, mostly when it comes to bands I like a lot and are not easy to me to watch on stage because of geographic issues, though I always keep my fingers crossed so maybe one day I happen to be in front of them. Well, Zopp is a band I loved since I discovered them back in pandemics, with their debut self-titled album that immediately caught my attention due to their delicious Canterbury-oriented progressive rock sound. Then in 2023 'Dominion' saw the light and my interest kept intact, I was quite satisfied with what mastermind Ryan Stevenson and co. were offering; and fortunately, in 2024 they released this great live album which, according to their info at Bandcamp, was just the second time they played together onstage.

Here they offer five songs and a total time of 42 minutes. Of course, we as music lovers always want more, however, I think these minutes are totally worth it and also, show the exquisite quality of the musicians, who gathered together for rehearsals only five months prior to this show.

The first song is 'You', taken from their second full-lenght album; a fourteen-minute bliss of Canterbury sound in which the organ plays a highly important role for the sound's success, however, it does not work alone, because the job done by Moneta on drums, Lucas on guitars, and Raynor on bass and syths is magnificent, crafting the song and its different passages; but I'd also want to point out the job made by Milne with his sax and flute, because the nuances it produces make us go to heaven, of course, adding some jazzy textures to this prog rock sound which might be liked by people who love its symphonic side. What I like a lot about them is the fact that despite having an evident vintage essence, they sound is so alive, vivid and contemporary, I mean, it sounds fresh, not old-fashioned at all. This is a great journey, I'm telling you.

'Before the Light' was the only song played here taken from their debut album, which I understand since they were promoting their most recent, however, I think is important to also deliver earlier sounds, more if this was only the second time Zopp performed on stage. This song goes faster, its sound is more explosive, it suddenly feel like running haha, the organ and drums work together while a raw bass deliver its addictive notes. The music shows different changes, going a bit slower then, introducing a great guitar work, and letting us know that Stevenson is really a mastermind if we consider he composed and played almost everything on the studio version, and this time he wonderfully transmitted to the musicians the essence of Zopp. Of course, when the songs finish, the crowd show their love with the deserved claps.

From their latest studio album, they chose the shorter, soft and relaxing 'Uppmärksamhet' as the concert's belly button, which might work as a breath of fresh air, or maybe as a kind of interlude where flute, organ, drums and strings embrace us. Then, they surprise us with an unreleased track whose title is 'Perspektiv', which is a great four- minute instrumental passage full of beautiful mellotron textures, first as lead and then as background; keyboards here and there in both a soft and bombastic way, dynamic drums that play prog and jazz, hypnotic bass lines, wonderful guitar tunes. I like how they dared to deliver a song that the audience had never listened to before.

This amazing live experience finishes with the majestic 'Toxicity', which makes sense to me since it is the song that also closes their latest studio album. A vertiginous Canterbury-esque beginning in which vocals appear in the very first minute creating a very attractive sound that is also closer to some classic rock tunes. The return of the saxophone here is delicious, playing sometimes at unison with guitars and drums. A tasty track that naturally flows, offering several changes in mood and sound, but always keeping their essential sound, though. Just to write a reference, the names of Hatfield and the North or National Health might come to your mind while listening to this amazing song, and in fact, while listening to the wonderful sound of Zopp in both, studio and onstage.

I cross my fingers wishing I could see them in concert sometime in the future, but if that is not possible, at least I have this great experience that I can listen anytime I desire to do it. Congratulations to Zopp on this great release!

I was really curious to hear what ZOPP would sound like in a live setting. They are the duo of Ryan Stevenson, the leader, composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. And a real drummer! That would be Andrea Moneta. Between these two guys, they can do it all in the studio. Doing this live though with just two? Tough gig(haha). So Ryan added a sax/flute player, a guitarist, and a bass/piano/synth player. A five piece here playing live at "The Musician", in Leicester, England, November 26, 2023. Released in 2024. So ZOPP have released two studio albums, and now two live records. And the live ones are their two very first shows. Apparently 5 weeks of rehearsals went into this latest show.

Ashley Raynor on bass here was a great choice. He's upfront and quite impressive. I have to say this album was so uplifting to listen to all last week. Like being warm and cozy in my warm little house while the blizzard rages outside. Those distorted keyboards that are Canterbury 101 are all over this album, more so than the studio records. It's like Dave Stewart in his younger days, although Dave stands alone in my opinion as the greatest Canterbury keyboardist.

We get those two 14 plus minute monsters from "Dominion" to open and close this record. That would be "You" and "Toxicity" and both are amazing here but I prefer "You". We get an unreleased track in "Perspektiv", and it sure sounds similar to the previous song "Uppmarksamhet", both are all instrumental, and they blend into each other here. Some majestic mellotron and organ on this new one. The only track from the debut is "Before The Light" which Ryan introduces as "a golden oldie".

Not a perfect record by any means, and I prefer the two studio albums to this, but talk about bringing a smile to my face every time I spun this recording. I love my Canterbury. Some real moments on this one, and they are throughout this 42 minute album. Highly recommended to Canterbury fans out there.