LIVE AU CABARET DU LIQUOR STORE

Since I recently rediscovered this canadian band I was curious to find out how they would sound live. So when I heard there was a DVD available I made sure to get it as soon as possible. Their Fish era marillion style of music was so interesting I wanted to check out if they looked like that band too. The answer, as on the CDs, is an yes and a no at the same time. Yes, they sound like Marillion and the singer does uses masks and other props like Fish in the very beginning of his career. And no, they are not really copycats. Simon Caron wears his influences on the sleeve, for sure, but unlike so many other Marillions clones out there, he does have that magical touch to write impressive epics just like Rothery & co.

I'm happy to find out they are terrific musicians on stage (bassist Mathieu Gosselin is brilliant), while vocalist Steff Dorval is a charismatic singer that fits perfectly in. The band could easily turmed out a kind of parody of Marillion, since they handle all the elements that would ruin any best intentions if they were on less capable hands (and voice). After watching this video I was finally convinced they do deserve more atention. My only complaint is that the show is quite short (only 5 songs, although they are all over 10 minutes epics). You end up wanting more. My special edition has also 3 bonus, acoustic tracks (recorded earlier, when they were still with their keyboards man Pierre Massicotte. They main tracks features a guest player, W. Simard). The Acoustic tunes are nice, but really don't add much.

On the technical side this is a very well done work: you can hear everything, the sound is very well balanced and the lights are great too. The venue seems to be a small one, but it does have some great acoustics as far as I could notice.

Conclusion: A very fine video. Just like Marillion was unfairly labeled by critics as an early Genesis clone, Red Sand does have its value as a band by their own merit. History repeats itself, as they say. If you're into neo prog don't miss this DVD. Highly recommended.