Live in London
Artist: Iona
Label: Open Sky
Time: 14 Tracks / 40 + 61 mins
 
This is the live record where Iona finally nailed it. They have always been creative, able to set moods and let faith organically and adventurously permeate their art, while happily ignoring boundaries that limit lesser musicians. Occasionally in the past, as well as playing well-invented signature tracks, they have had epic works where small parts have impaired the whole, either by a noisy blast in the middle of an atmospheric piece or by over-noodling. This disc has the atmospheric works without any dissonance, and has as strong a track list as they have ever put together (at least on a live album).
 
Take the first five pieces on disc one, which average a healthy seven minutes in length. The proggy regular opener “Woven Cord” sets the Iona scene with multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley matching guitarist Dave Bainbridge’s solos on both Uilleann pipes and guitar with such a fluid unity that it gets you craning your neck between the speakers to check exactly which – and how many – instruments are playing together. “Wave After Wave,” one of Iona’s most compelling tracks, contains a simple and urgent 7/8 riff that works brilliantly as a base from which to solo, but also adds Joanne Hogg’s pure vocals. “Inside My Heart” starts as a beautifully melodic worship song that sails over a twelve string sea and climaxes with one of Bainbridge’s most emotional and powerfully engaging lead solos. “A Dhia Ghleigil” is a lovely Celtic instrumental piece right through, bolstered at the end by sensitive string effects, and in “Wind off the Lake,” Donockley’s pipes fool you into thinking it’s going to be a set of rocked-up reels, before Hogg’s vocals focus the piece, leading into a guitar and whistle duet. 
 
By the time you reach the end of “Factory of Magnificent Souls,” the disc’s final, straight song (based on the lyrics of Tollbooth’s own Steve Stockman) there have also been sparkles of bouzouki, several harmonies, oriental-sounding programming and a variety of time signatures. What you certainly have not had is either boredom or musical inconsistency.
 
Then there is the second disc, which begins with the longest (thirteen-minute) track, “Encircling.” Despite its length, the piece feels very translucent, with just enough substance, and several pockets of sonic space, where everything slows right down like someone heading for cryogenic preservation.”Bi-Se I Mo Shuil Part 2” ends with a section that echoes the less dense end of Emerson’s work in ELP, with its moog sound and complex rhythms. Elsewhere, the disc features older tracks, such as “Murlough Bay” and the Camel-like “Flight of the Wild Goose.” 
 
Instrumentally, Iona is red-hot here. Drummer Frank van Essen and bassist Phil Barker effortlessly stride through tricky time signatures and various time changes. They punctuate the music where it is needed, have a break when that is needed, and drive forward the tracks that need underlining. Troy Donockley’s reels and his performance on the Uilleann pipes-centred “Castlerigg” really rock with forward momentum, and are a dramatic improvement on his previous set of live reels, which failed to properly ignite. It’s on such tracks that you notice the way that the band has perfected the arrangements of supporting keyboards and percussion. The accuracy of his interplay with fellow multi-instrumentalist Dave Bainbridge is even more remarkable, given that they were not touring or practising together regularly at the time. It says much for the band’s spirit that they gel so well.
 
The track list majors (just) on more recent works and shows how mature and disciplined the band has become in their faith and writing. Song themes range from various aspects of Celtic and biblical spirituality to Robben Island, the prison home to Nelson Mandela.
 
This gig has been released on DVD, but on this newly available CD format, without the visual distractions, the balance and clarity of the mix comes across even more strongly. This release omits the acoustic set that is found on the DVD, but with absolutely no filler, this 2-CD set is huge value. Quite simply, it succeeds on every count and must be the band’s best recorded work so far.
 
Derek Walker