Aficionados of progressive rock will no doubt list Porcupine Tree as one of the shining lights of ‘new prog’. A genre long regarded to be obsolete since the fall of legendary groups such as Pink Floyd and King Crimson, an underground following remains for the genre. For the best part of two decades, Porcupine Tree, a quartet hailing from Hertfordshire in the UK, have wowed audiences with their winning blend of detached lyricism and fantastic instrumental arrangements.

Since their last album,
The Incident, released in September 2009, Porcupine Tree have been touring the globe, including lengthy stops throughout continental Europe, North America, and a brief stay in Australia during February. Although I was unable to catch them at their Enmore Theatre performance, their latest live offering, the mammoth DVD/2xCD titled
Anesthetize, has me wondering just what possessed me to not go to their gig.

The album nears two and a half hours in length, spanning tracks across a significant portion of their exhaustive discography. Despite the enormity of the task that is entertaining a live audience for two and a half hours, the album never gets boring or falls into a lull; lead singer Steven Wilson does a fantastic job as per usual with his singing; the lyrics of PT’s latest albums speak of obsolescence, depression and nihilism, and nowhere is this clearer than his lyrics. Take, for example, the set opener,
Fear of a Blank Planet (sidebar: just how many ways can musicians interpret Public Enemy’s
Fear of a Black Planet? Underground rapper Busdriver did his own curious take on
Fear of a Black Tangent). Wilson mumbles in a typically deadpan yet engaging delivery, "Don't try engaging me / the vaguest of shrugs / the prescription drugs / you'll never find / a person inside".

The titular track is another fantastic example of just what makes Porcupine Tree so revered within neo-prog circles; the song, which the band have playfully nicknamed ‘the Beast,’ lasts for over 17 minutes, yet never falls into the trappings of tedium, an accusation levelled at so many prog bands. Indeed, rather than feeling like a single song, it feels much more like a series of melodic movements, a la the 20- and 30-minute compositions of Canadian post-rockers
Godspeed You! Black Emperor. At various times, we hear Wilson crooning, cleverly crafted drum and guitar solos which serve to actually advance the song, rather than crassly showcase the musical talents of Wilson’s band. Wilson’s own guitar solo particularly stands out as one of the shining moments of this monstrosity of a song.

The sound engineering is fantastic as well; all too often when we hear live performances of bands whose sound tends to veer towards what one would classify as ‘metal,’ the vocals are overshadowed by the deafening percussion and lead guitars. Here, though, we hear a characteristically nuanced performance, with Colin Edwin’s bass guitar just as important in providing a strong foundation as Wilson’s vocals and lead guitar.

All in all, a fantastic effort, and one of the best live offerings I’ve recently had the pleasure of listening to. A must-have for all Porcupine Tree fans, though considering the length, probably not the best idea to undertake as an introductory listen. Fear of a Blank Planet or the Nil Recurring EP would give a better idea of what Porcupine Tree are all about, and if you like their aesthetic, then this album will prove to be an absolute gem.