Steve Hackett Unites Solo Magic And Genesis Grandeur At The Royal Albert Hall

October 29, 2026

Steve Hackett is like a fine wine. The more he ages, the better the quality gets. A near sold-out Royal Albert Hall paid testament to this. What is particularly special about a Steve Hackett show is that it is just not about him. He is a wonderfully unassuming character, and the show revolves around each member of the band as much as it does him.

Steve Hackett

Royal Albert Hall, London – 26 October 2026

Words: Adrian Stonley

Photography: Robert Sutton

Yes, Hackett is the catalyst, but the imagination and structure of the show is as much shared around the other band members as it is with him. He is clearly comfortable enough within his own talent to not be fazed by having multi-talented musicians and instrumentalists at the top of their game around him.

In fact, it seems that each and every person on stage tonight thrives on the quality and talent around them, and this can only mean one thing. We are all in for one helluva show.

Clearly, on this tour Steve Hackett has chosen to roll the clock back with a few fan favourites, obviously the entire Genesis section in the second half, but also with his solo material. As tonight’s show starts, it seems otherwise, with the band opening with the heavy rock of The Devil’s Cathedral from 2021’s Surrender Of Silence album.

Aside from that the balance of the material is classic older era Steve Hackett, the stuff we grew up on. Everyday from the Spectral Mornings album is a ray of sunshine and hope, with special guest Amanda Lehmann joining the band. It is light and delicate, catchy and brings back memories of summers past. Spectral Mornings itself lives up to its name with its ethereal melodies and soaring guitar work.

The third song is an entirely new composition which is to feature on his forthcoming but as yet untitled album, which should see the light of day in 2027. The song itself, The Sea Inside, is a typical slice of Hackett guitar brilliance.

The song is dedicated to his wife Jo, and enables Steve and the band to change musical styles at the nod of a head. It starts with a heavy rhythmic tone, yet the vocals are more choral, with the band joining in to build a layered vocal contrast, leading to Steve striking out on his own in all his fretboard brilliance.

The stage itself is lightly lit, with no backdrop, although the majestic great organ in the Royal Albert Hall is quite honestly backdrop enough for any show.

The instrumental Ace Of Wands, from Steve’s first solo album, Voyage Of The Acolyte, is a celebratory run through for the band, and they all have their individual solos built in to reflect their own abilities.

The Steppes, with Rob Townsend on Alto Sax, is dark and brooding, imagining dark nights over the barren Russian waste. Yet the sax over the guitar foundation is haunting and evokes mystery, before Rob switches instruments to deliver a dynamic display of jazzy sax as an introduction to Camino Royale.

This in itself is adapted and extended and reminds you of laid-back nights in smoky jazz clubs. Once again Rob is to the fore on this tune, and you realise that musically the first half could be as much about him as Steve, such is his tremendous input.

Amanda returns for Shadow Of The Hierophant, taking over from Sally Oldfield’s vocals on the original recording. Interestingly, Steve explains that this could have been a Genesis song. It was worked through by the band, but never quite made it onto the Foxtrot album. He felt it was good enough, that it had a special feeling to it, and so subsequently it was reworked for his Voyage Of The Acolyte album.

Tonight we got it in its full demanding splendour. With the background knowledge relating to the song’s creation, you realise quite what an impressive piece it is, as it drives through the highs and lows, pulling on the emotions and twisting the heartstrings.

If the first half of the set was this good, then the second set raises expectations further as we settled back to wallow in our youth with classic Genesis.

A while back I wrote that the legacy of Genesis is very much now Steve’s and that it was safe in his hands. So has anything changed? Absolutely not. If anything, Steve’s work on the older material has raised it to another level, reminding all quite how special the earlier Genesis material was.

Opening with Watcher Of The Skies, he sets the standard for the rest of the evening.

The gentle, picked guitar introduction to Cinema Show brings about an enormous roar from the crowd, who then sit back to listen to Romeo’s escapades and Steve’s phenomenal guitar playing. This is one of those songs that no matter how many times you hear it, it never fades, and always continues to grow on you.

It is a work of near perfection, and like the version on the original Selling England By The Pound album, it segues perfectly into Aisle Of Plenty. This in itself is a reason for the band to leave the stage, and new keyboard player Lalle Larsson takes over the reins to build a keyboard solo around a classical monologue, although teasing parts of the next piece which is to come, namely Firth Of Fifth.

This piece was really Tony Banks at his most creative and very best, yet Lalle possesses it as though it is his own work. The music shifts through the light and shadow of the song, with soaring guitar work and intricate keyboards. The whole band are intense and immense throughout and before the end the audience are on their collective feet in worshiping applause.

Can it get any better? Well, only if they play Supper’s Ready, the iconic, blitzkrieg of a multi-faceted song. The next twenty minutes or so sees the audience entirely involved, singing along to every piece and part. From the soft, haunting tones of Lovers Leap through to the quirkiness of The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man.

The bonkers, humorous weirdness of Willow Farm sees everyone in the RAH singing along tonight. A Flower? Absolutely.

As the piece develops so the band move into musical overdrive. Vocalist Nad Sylvan is as enigmatic as Peter Gabriel, and his tone matches that of the original Genesis singer. As the piece expands and drives towards its crescendo, so he adapts and drives his voice perfectly to meet the demanding vocal gymnastics required.

If there were times that you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium tonight, then the opposite was the case as the song finally rises to its apocalyptic ending with the audience erupting into voice as one.

And speaking of eruptions, so we came to the encore, and that could only mean one thing. Dance On A Volcano. This was traditionally the prelude to the end of earlier, post-Gabriel Genesis sets and continues to hold its place in Steve’s set today.

As the familiar drums and bass build so the song expands before Felix Lehrmann on Drums produces a short drum solo, which builds into Los Endos. So, the traditional end to the set, albeit with a few bars of Hackett’s Slogans interpolated.

Quite simply, what a stupendous show. Steve, can we do this again next year, please?