The Nest, London
9 November 2010
The Nest is the old Barden’s Boudoir with a bit of a face lift. Rather than the stage being in the centre of the room, as it once was, it’s now tucked away nicely into a corner. As the venue is quite long (and there is a handy pillar right next to the stage) the further you stand back the less chance there is of seeing the band. This could end up being a real problem if the venue has a large audience. The stage also seems rather small as the three members of Prince Rama seemed to swamp the area. Maybe some of these things will be rectified as according to Prince Rama’s Michael Collins they were still doing building work there when the band arrived for their soundcheck. This probably contributed to the late running of the show rather than any organisational hiccups.
Seeing the Prince Rama on stage was not a problem tonight, as rather sadly only about 50 people made it along to see this great band perform. Nimai Larson was centre of the stage standing behind her drums and assorted percussion, while Collins and Taraka Larson stood behind her with their keyboards and guitar. The music rises and swirls in a very psychedelic fashion; it shines bright colours from the stage as it heads towards the back of the venue.
The songs have a spiritual quality, the band chant and hum like a 21st century Quintessence in the white light of the divine. The drums pound temple trance rhythms while the soaring voices echo the calling of the Sadhus by the river Ganges as the music heads heavenwards. Most of the set tonight is based around their new album Shadow Temple with “Raghupati” being a highlight. The music moves like bright star strewn sky but the set was over far too soon: they should have played all night crying out to the spirits past. Oh well…. Hopefully next time they come over the shows will be better attended because you missed a damn fine gig…
-Words: Gary Parsons-
-Pictures: Richard Fontenoy-
