Midlake at Whitley Bay Playhouse, 10 July 2014

When I last saw Midlake back in 2006 or 2007, they were promoting their wonderful album 'The Trials of Van Occupanther' and the intimate feel of the Sage, Gateshead Hall Two was ideal for their unique blend of soft rock and folk. Since then the band have undergone significant personnel changes including the departure of their lead singer/songwriter, Tim Smith.

Into the breach stepped Eric Pulido and their most recent release 'Antiphon' is to my mind a return to form after the slightly disappointing 'The Courage of Others'.

I was curious to see how the live sound would have evolved particularly with the addition of newish guitarist Joey McLellan. Well I can report  that they are now a lot heavier (and much louder) than when I last saw them. As Pulido himself said on the evening, they may be on the soft side of rock music but they are taking steps to cross that threshold.







Perhaps it was my particular seat, to the right of the stage about four rows from the front, that was the problem but I occasionally found their sound too harsh and the volume did not allow each individual instrument to shine through. The same could not be said of the quieter songs or passages however and these were much more enjoyable. 

I had no problems with the setlist which featured a range of numbers from their three most recent albums and featured the crowd pleasing 'Roscoe'. It was worth the price of admission for that alone.

At various points during their performance I found myself making some comparisons with The Band and lo and behold (sorry folks, I couldn't resist that), near to the end of the evening they performed their only cover song, 'I Shall Be Released'.

As I left the theatre, I wondered how that evenings performance would compare to when I was due to see them two days later in London's Hyde Park. Check back soon to get my thoughts on that event.

Here is the full setlist:
1. Ages
2. This Weight
3. Provider
4. Rulers ruling all things
5. Young Bride
6. We Gathered in Spring
7. Antiphon
8. Vale
9. It's Going Down
10. Children of the Grounds
11. Corruption
12. Aurora Gone
13. Provider Reprise
14. Roscoe
15. The Old and The Young
16. I Shall Be Released
17. Head Home