Solar @ Rough Cuts - live music on Mondays, Mojos Bar, University of Reading, Monday 21 November 2005. First Night Of The Progs may be selling out at the Hexagon with the Led Zeppelin tribute band et al, but in truth the first night of the progs began on Monday 21 November at the University of Reading's Mojos Bar. Why? Because veteran band Solar took to the stage to punch a sonic defibrilator onto the hearts of all the supping students sitting around. The small stage rockets off into some far off star-studded galaxy when the contemporary prog band, together for ten years, launch into Psycho - a long exploration into a wealth of melodically-tingling riffs and sounds. The song creams into another vibrant blaze, Cheap Thrill. During Atrophy it's clear the band are more relaxed than they've ever been, they're smiling and enjoying themselves. They've either all just had a full-body massage or they know it's one of the last times they're playing together as a band. Unfortunately it's the latter. The band are planning to disband, amicably, some time around March. This means watching Solar on stage tonight is a bittersweet treat for us. Amazingly, the quartet hadn't rehearsed for three months, yet the wailing solos and the tight rhythms sound like the product of a band who've been practicing hard - well, I guess after a decade the band could play their songs with eyes closed. The gig continues with statuesque frontman Rob's long curly hair flailing merrily to the warm electric vibes they give off. They don't miss a note or a beat and come away beaming. Make sure you catch them soon before it's too late. | 
