CHRISTMAS 2000: A PISS-UP IN A BREWERY

They begin with Go off Marillion.com which has a slow build before it bursts into the main theme. I really can't remember the song being this good from the original album. They then do the pretty little number, After Me (Seasons End) which switches from acoustic guitar to electric piano. Lap Of Luxury, off Brave, is next, which quotes a verse off Afraid Of Sunlight before the band goes back in time to perform Cinderella Search. The main electric piano theme in Cinderella Search then morphs into a stripped down version of The Space in which you get some interesting bass playing from Pete Trewavas.

We now go into music off Holidays In Eden which are mainly acoustic guitar pieces. After they perform Collection, Steve Hogarth introduces Stephanie Sobey-Jones to the stage, who plays Cello on Sympathy and Number One. Cello adds a new dimension to the music and leads you into the right mood to enjoy what I find is the highlight of the disc, a rendition of Dry Land which is totally unlike the version on the Holidays In Eden album. The percussive Gazpacho follows and then they play the Neil Finn number, How Will You Go, from the Crowded House album, Woodface. The concert concludes with Cannibal Surf Babe.

I really wasn't expecting a CD to be this good. The fans attending the Brewery setting would have enjoyed a sparkling concert. The band enjoys a good rapport with the audience. I wish I had been there to enjoy it. This concert should have deserved a more widespread release.