Steven Wilson review – an interstellar sound voyage with Floydian grandeur

A fewer feet supra Steven Wilson’s head, the beingness expands and contracts. His attention, though, is connected a slope of equipment, from which he’s attempting to propulsion sounds that lucifer the interstellar scope of the visuals dispersed crossed the gargantuan surface that hangs implicit him. Across the people of astir three hours, helium does truthful with singular regularity.

Cosmic … Steven Wilson astatine the Bristol Beacon. Photograph: Hajo Müller

Appearing initially successful profile, each successful achromatic and ensconced successful a keyboard array that makes it look similar he’s fallen to Earth successful a pod, Wilson’s opening determination during his archetypal solo circuit successful 7 years is to play his caller conception record, The Overview, successful full. Its 2 immense songs (one 23 minutes, the different 18) are musings connected our cosmic insignificance greeted with rapt attraction by an assemblage relishing his instrumentality to prog aft a tally of works that tested his mettle successful art-rock and bubbling electronica.

Part one, Objects Outlive Us, encompasses mundane stills from English life, pristine melodies and Baroness-worthy sludge arsenic Wilson trades snarling leads with guitarist Randy McStine, who besides does a neat enactment successful elegiac solos and metallic experiments. The ensuing rubric way voyages done flickering synthetic beats and Floydian grandeur arsenic the imagery becomes progressively transportive. “Better than drugs,” Wilson says astatine its conclusion, amid a lasting ovation.

The remainder of the evening much evidently resembles a stone show, but Wilson neatly uses philharmonic and thematic threads to necktie things successful with The Overview. The Harmony Codex, its voiceover describing thousands of cities and trillions of stars, is similar ambient cartilage betwixt sets, portion King Ghost’s delightful falsetto hook calls backmost to the aboriginal moments of Objects Outlive Us. Opening the encore, Pariah dissolves into time-bending post-rock bliss.

If there’s 1 contented it’s that the all-seater country people prevents determination being overmuch of a carnal speech of vigor betwixt set and crowd. It’s thing Wilson notes, not unkindly, astatine 1 constituent and successful world it does render Harmony Korine’s squalling octaves and Vermillioncore’s thunderous riffs somewhat inert. Fittingly, successful the cosmic strategy of things tonight, it hardly registers arsenic a complaint.

• Touring until 25 November