There are comeback gigs, and there is Through Storms And Stars: An Evening with Voyager. After illness forced Voyager off the road at the height of their Eurovision-fuelled rise, the Australian Prog Metallers return with a heartfelt, theatrical and thunderously joyous London show at the Islington Assembly Hall.
Voyager
Islington Assembly Hall, London – 31 July 2026
Words: Liz Medhurst
Photography: Ryan Hildrew
Australian Prog Metallers Voyager have quite the story. Formed in Perth and recording their first album in 2003, the band made a steady climb, picking up increased accolades and fans along the way.
With a line-up unchanged since 2011, a blistering live show, plenty of touring including with Nightwish, Epica, Children Of Bodom, Alestorm and Queensrÿche, and ever-better albums, Voyager established themselves as a real force to be reckoned with.
Their profile in the UK was raised greatly on their 2018 European tour, with appearances at Ramblin’ Man Fair and Bloodstock, their trademark blend of Metal and ’80s synth-pop hitting a sweet spot.
Following the pandemic, the news broke in 2023 that Voyager were chosen for the Australian entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. As a diehard and unironic fan of Eurovision, I actually shrieked when I heard this news, and I am not sorry.
The resulting song, Promise, was three minutes of prog perfection, slaughtering the opposition in the semi-final by a country mile and then coming ninth in the grand final, which is an almighty success by anyone’s standards. Not to mention the presence of a real 1988 Toyota MR2 AW11 on the stage at Liverpool, making this event truly iconic.
With a new album, Fearless In Love, and a huge European tour lined up for the latter half of 2023, if there was any fairness in the world, Voyager would have gone stratospheric, reaping similar benefits to Måneskin two years earlier.
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel hand, and frontman Danny Estrin was diagnosed with serious Stage 4 cancer necessitating the cancellation of all dates and activities.
Thanks to the miracles of modern medicine, however, after lots of gruelling treatment, the cancer, while not curable, has been managed to the extent that shows are possible once more. Voyager are back – and how.
Before the band took to the stage at the packed and very hot Islington Assembly Hall, the backdrop showed a ten-minute countdown clock along with a slide show of candid snapshots of the band throughout the ages.
As soon as the clock hit zero, an almighty roar went up, and out came Jerry Ewing, esteemed editor of Prog Magazine, to formally introduce the band and get everyone to sing happy birthday to guitarist Scott Kay, who would be celebrating the next day.
It took about five seconds after all the members had entered the stage and burst into Prince Of Fire to realise that this was going to be a special show. The band (Estrin on vocals and keys, Simone Dow and Scott Kay on guitars, Alex Canion on bass and Ash Doodkorte on drums) are seriously talented musicians, and their vibe together is irresistible.
We got theatrical flourishes, solos to die for, and showmanship from the entire gang as they delivered one dynamic anthem after another. Danny Estrin’s clean, soaring vocals sounded wonderful, and he entered the stage resplendent in a full-length blue furry coat.
I know it’s midwinter in Australia, but this is the middle of a London heatwave. Talk about dedication to your art. It only lasted three tracks before he changed into something a bit cooler and more sparkly.
The evening was split into chapters, taking in the highs and lows experienced by the band, and these have been extreme.
During one interlude Danny spoke candidly and honestly about his illness and making a plea for people to go and see a doctor if something is not right, a sentiment that we wholeheartedly agree with. Get yourselves checked, do not be an idiot in denial, it could well save your life.
With last year’s single Seen Better Days coming immediately after this speech, the song landed with poignancy and power.
It is not all seriousness, far from it. There is plenty of humour and banter even within the songs, such as Hyperventilating, with a hilarious karaoke-style coda using wordplay on the song’s title, or the recovery when the occasional mistake was made, or the two interludes with Alex Canion acting out his mock children’s book telling the Voyager story, which was the epitome of the laid-back lunacy that the band delight audiences with.
This career-spanning set included Everwaiting from the 2007 album UniVers, making its live debut in these shows, fitting perfectly with more recent cuts such as Dreamer.
The synth pop aspect is done to perfection, but make no mistake. When the breakdowns hit, they hit hard, heavy and deep. Voyager have pure Heavy Metal hearts, and it is thrilling.
Production elements were high, and as well as good lighting, throughout the set inventive use was made of the backdrop with some genius touches such as playing The Meaning Of I in front of a video replay of their much younger selves.
Unsurprisingly, the whole hall went completely insane for Promise, but there was no sense that the rest of the show had been a build-up to this.
It was all nothing short of magnificent. The encore of White Shadow, or “a song about a horse,” ended proceedings on just the right light-hearted note.
What a show, what a band. As Danny Estrin declared at the closing bow, “we will do this again,” and that is a promise we will be there for.
