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You
can't miss Rob Sowden, he's about 10 ft tall and has a wild crop
of curly long hair.
Tonight
(Sunday 9th November), at the album launch party of his band Solar's
new album, he is clad all in black leather, complete with long tassles
on the sleeves. A fitting costume for Solar - a contemporary prog
rock band, a mellow mystical version of the Darkness crossed with
Mogwai.
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| Rob
Sowden |
After
the launch Solar hope to conquer Manchester and Liverpool, and even
cover his other band Arena's stomping ground on the continent.
Rob's
is a little nervous about the album launch - and quite understandably
so…the turn-out is good, in fact great for a cold Sunday night at
21 South Street, Reading.
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| Solar |
Dark
Places, taken from a lyric in the song In A Dark Place, took two
years to record he exclaims to me.
Not
through being pernickety but because of a delay in label Verglas
releasing it. During which time Solar decided to add a couple more
new songs to the album.
The
additions still allow the album to "scan well", even though it meant
a slight diversion from the concept album's alien theme. Yes you
did read that right, aliens.
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| Simon
Bell and Lawrence Jarvis |
Rob,
who writes all the songs, continues quite seriously: "Metaphorically
it's about relationships. There's one story where the guy's awake
and the girl's in bed asleep and he's looking out the window waiting
for the spaceship to arrive because he doesn't like the world and
he's talking to his girlfriend even though he knows she's asleep
so it's sort of cheating!"
"I
write all the songs and they're drawn from relationships I've had
over the years."
Talk
about Close Encounters eh.
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| Solar |
Soon
after Rob had to gather the troops to get on stage after elfin warm-up
act Justin Gibson played an alluring set.
With
new fourth member - guitarist Raff, Rob, Lawrence the bassist and
Simon the drummer mounted the stage to applause and set off on their
epic musical journey.
There
was definitely something of the night about this set. Professionally
executed, the gig was swirling with indulgently-long floaty guitar
solos, upbeat drumming, strong recurrent riffs. Nocturnal prog rock
that, well, could be music to watch aliens go by really. Mesmeric
stuff.
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| Raff
of Solar |
The
attention was diverted for the last part to a man filming a young
lace-clad girl in black who stood on her own at the front looking
longingly at the band and fingering her belt - it caused much amusement
but was not a good move if the band wanted all the limelight.
Afterwards,
Solar showed their video for the song Atrophy - oddly voyeuristic
and as if in a disturbed dream-state featuring a girl, insects and
other such off-the-wall stuff.
Dark
Places is released in the Uk on Monday 12th January 2004.
Listen
to Solar's In A Dark Place by clicking on the link in the left hand
menu.
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