"Is this band the next Pink Floyd?" asks the promotional flyer for Mostly Autumn's audio-visual extravaganza they have dubbed the "V" tour. But while the similarities to Floyd are easy to spot, the comparison actually does the band a disservice - there are many more sides to their music.

Still, it goes part way to explaining the age range at tonight's show - all age groups are represented but majority seem to be the forty-somethings who have been waiting thirty years for a band like this to come along.

Transition

Fragile beauty: Heather Findlay

The seven-piece Mostly Autumn are making the difficult transition from small clubs to theatres like the Opera House, but they act like they were born to play these venues.

They use the larger stage to full advantage, bombarding the audience with a visual package that includes moving projection screens, a complex and beautiful light show, and a dazzling array of lasers.

The addition of a string quartet helps recreate the complexities of the songs as performed on record, but the sheer power always present in Mostly Autumn's live shows is never lost. The band themselves dominate the stage; confident, polished, and brimming with infectious enthusiasm.

They play for close to three hours, taking only a short break mid-way through the proceedings. They take the unusual step of playing the entirety of their newest album, "Passengers" in the first half of the show.

It's a bold move that they appear to get away with, but the second-half set of live favourites from earlier albums inevitably get the most enthusiastic crowd responses.

The band promised an "audio-visual" experience on this tour and no doubt they deliver the visual spectacle, but the audio component? As their fans have come to expect, the band's performance was flawless.

fragile beauty

Heather Findlay's voice combines fragile beauty with a confident power, giving her the versatility to switch effortlessly from ballad to rock. When not singing or playing guitar, she's constantly whirling around the stage like the proverbial dervish with a tambourine.

Her partner at the front of the stage, Bryan Josh, shares lead vocals on several songs but it's his guitar work that really shines. With stunning solos and crunching riffs, he proves himself not just a virtuoso player but a true guitar hero in the classic mould.

Unique: Angela Goldthorpe

Angela Goldthorpe spends most of the show providing beautiful backing vocals and additional keyboards. But it's with flute and whistles that she has the biggest impact on the band's sound and is a vital part of what makes this group's music unique. Her haunting low whistle in "The Night Sky" and lengthy flute solo in "the Last Climb" earn her well-deserved ovations.

They seem slightly disappointed that the audience remain seated throughout the bulk of the show. But their music doesn't require standing - you can't dance to the soaring harmonies of Passengers or intricate compositions like The Night Sky.

Special live moments

You just want to sit and wallow in the emotions that saturate each song. And if Mostly Autumn thought the audience were sitting down because they were unimpressed with the performance, the smiling faces throughout the crowd and spontaneous standing ovations should have dispelled the notion.

And when, through sheer force of personality during an emotional rendition of Heroes Never Die, Josh gets the crowd to stand and invade the front of the stage, it produces one of those special live moments that will always be remembered by whoever took part.

The live Mostly Autumn experience is an ever-changing mixture of sounds and emotions. One minute you're clapping along with a song, the next you're dropping your jaw at the sheer perfection of the instrumentation, the next you're in tears as beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics wash over you - and that's within the space of a single song!

Mostly Autumn have something special to offer, and tonight they pour their hearts into communicating it. It's hard to believe that anyone in the audience went away disappointed.