With over 55 million albums sold and a wealth of anthems under his (glam rock) cloak, Rick Wakeman is my keyboard hero. And when the prog titan announced a special gig at my favourite and most poshest venue, The London Palladium, I was thrilled.
Rick Wakeman CBE and the English Rock Ensemble
The London Palladium – 28 October 2025
Words: Sara Harding
Photography: Manuela Langotsch
This evening in honour of Rick, I am proudly wearing my ‘The Traitors’ cloak from Primark, complete with glittery blue eyeshadow for this sell-out run of shows.
This is all part of Rick Wakeman’s UK tour, The Return Of The Caped Crusader Part 2: The Six Wives Of Henry VIII / The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table.
And also I am so privileged to see my dear friend, whom I last saw at Ozzy’s final farewell, and a bloody lovely fella, Adam Wakeman, as well as my favourite It Bites bassist, Lee Pomeroy.
For me personally, this gig was the perfect prog storm as I am from Cornish heritage, obsessed with Henry VIII, love classical music and often wear glitter cloaks, which I must admit did stand out on my council estate. 
As Rick and his ensemble walk on stage to mahoosive applause, he looks at us and says, “I played here back in the day and I thought sod it, let’s do it again. But this time in chronological order, just like Henry VIII did.”
We all laugh and settle back into our seats with sheer anticipation.
The show begins with The Six Wives of Henry VIII. Released when Wakeman was 23 years old, it is a suite that was designed to show off the keyboard whizz’s greatness on the ivory.
Rick is surrounded by a circle of Moog, Roland, Hammond and Korgs. I am already playing my ‘air’ keyboard along with over 2,000 other fans beside me.
The triumphant Moog at the close of Catherine Parr is as slick as it ever was. The unlikely juxtaposition of romance and slapstick in Catherine Howard still sets the head spinning or ripe for beheading.
With the complexities of the music and the visuals of English Rock Ensemble, bassist Lee Pomeroy and drummer Adam Faulkner are clearly enjoying riding with the setlist’s challenges. Their backline is solid and sublime.
On the other side of the stage are the trio of Progettes who dance and add percussion between vocal contributions in their gorgeous ethereal arrangements.
Guitarist Dave Colquhoun and Adam Wakeman, on his own bank of keyboards, are flawless, and as I adore Adam, I often find myself scanning the stage to watch him.
This first half flew by, with nods to Toccata and Fugue, some DNA of Yes, Madrigals and more. It was Wakeman et al at their finest.
During the interval, we met fans from as far as Australia to Austria who had flown in just for this gig. After a lady petrol (white wine), we all headed back, buzzing for the second act.
With King Arthur, the second half of the show is much more of a rock gig than an electric conservatoire performance. The line-up is joined by Jesse Smith on vocals, guitar, percussion, hair and theatricals with a goosebumps voice.
Jesse Smith only had a week to learn the set. Smith has performed as lead vocalist for The Classic Rock Show, Led Zeppelin Symphonic, The London Symphonic Rock Orchestra and his own show, 1971. 
This is some frontman with his Disney prince good looks, gorgeous hair, fabulous outfit and just the right touch of drama. Perfect for this venue. He sells every song to us. His performance is outstanding, and his voice is pitch-perfect.
Wakeman has now changed into his familiar purple, almost cardinal-like cape for Sir Lancelot and the Black Knight, which delights The London Palladium audience. He addresses us, “And now for the second part of the show… it’s only four and a half hours,” which has us all laughing. Mind you, I would have been happy with that. 
Rick continues that he visited Cornwall in 1954 with his parents and fell in love with the place, and it has always stuck with him, especially the myths and the legends.
And so to the performance which takes us on this journey of Kernow, the King, the Knights, the battles, the jousting and jolliness of an epic epoch.
Fans old and new are literally immersed in this aural and visual set. From Arthur through to Lady of the Lake, Guinevere, Sir Lancelot and Sir Galahad. Yeegads!
The Last Battle brings the set to a stirring finale. What a prog work-out for the band and a joyous journey for us all with all the fan favourites.
Every member of the ensemble on stage has their moment to shine with a solo, and Rick ends with the band introduction. You can see the sheer joy of these talented musicians to be led by the truly dynamic keyboard wizard that is Rick Wakeman.
After several standing ovations, cheers and hollers, the band deliver us one more delight – Merlin the Magician, complete with keytar.
What a night, or should I say Knight.
“For me, historical events, myths and legends, and great stories, should never have a date stamped on them,” Rick Wakeman said, “as they will be talked about for centuries to come. Henry’s wives and King Arthur are great examples of ‘here forever’.
“Writing music for all these fascinating people was magical and thoroughly enjoyable in every aspect, and so to still be playing both of these suites of music at the age of 76 is also another remarkable milestone in my life.
“With a stunning array of musicianship surrounding me, I only wish I could be in the audience watching and listening, so all those sitting out there will have to do it for me.”
Thank you, Rick Wakeman et al, for the best prog-nography I have ever experienced. As I swish off with my cape into the night with thousands of other fans, I am a very happy prog chick.
We are all excited about the new album drop, Melancholy, which is out now and is simply a masterpiece. Please say there will be more gigs. My cloak wants another airing.
Huge thanks to Valerie Potter at United Stage. Melancholy is out now.
