Halfway through a UK tour and with a successful appearance at the Night Of The Prog festival behind them, Karnataka resumed their UK dates at a sold-out Trading Boundaries. In a hot venue, the band put on an absolutely scorching set, winning over many new fans and consolidating their existing fanbase.
Karnataka
Trading Boundaries, Fletching, Sussex – 26 July 2024
Words And Photography: Adrian Stonley
With the set pulled from across the last five albums, there was something for everyone, although the latest album Requiem For A Dream clearly featured.
Karnataka are a band that has had a revolving and changing lineup with every album they have released. Yet they have featured some of prog rock’s finest musicians in their lineup over the years.
I have to admit that the current band is possibly their strongest yet and comfortably handled the differing forms of music from across their past repertoire.
For those unversed with the band, the last two albums have taken on a more soft rock driven sound, although mixed with their proggy symphonic edge they create a wonderful and controlled musical outlay.
With main man, bass player Ian Jones, driving the band and vocalist Sertari at the forefront, they opened with their trademark self-titled instrumental Karnataka from the Delicate Flame Of Desire album before changing tack with Road To Cairo, the only piece played from the last Album, Secrets Of Angels.
In the live environment Road To Cairo is a much more stripped down version with a heavier rock feel to it, which allows Sertari to show the strength of her vocal. This is one of many songs that allows her to open herself to the audience and show the magnitude of the vocal abilities that she has, with Forgiven providing a true symphonic choral edge to it with the closing “sanctus dominus et spiritus requiem” refrain.
There is something special about Karnataka in the live environment. On record, the songs can exhibit a multitude of emotions. Yet there are distinct beauty and thought-provoking sentiments that are expanded by the quality musicianship and the chemistry between the band members that shines out when played live.
Certainly, Dont Forget My Name summed this up with its heart wrenching tale of passing loss and leaving, the emotions bubbling over leaving many a teary eye in the house.
The Tour De Force had to come with the title track from the latest album, Requiem For A Dream, a twenty-plus minute-long powerhouse of an ecological anthem.
There is a distinct theme running through the Requiem album, and the band have interwoven key pieces into the set to ensure that the message is not lost, with All Around The World, with its bleak warnings of climate change and global warming, through to the title track Requiem For A Dream, with its hopeful message that perhaps the world, its people, leaders and politicians are finally waking up to what is going on.
Musically, Requiem For A Dream is full of technical twists and turns. Yet despite this, the piece builds gently, ensuring that the key musical components are not lost in the musical wizardry until it hits its high point.
The choral refrain, “So we keep dancing in the rain, a second chance to breathe again,” provides the positive vibe that the piece aims to accomplish. It’s pure magic.
