The Emerald Dawn / Ebb

Trillians, Newcastle

30 May 2024

I was trying to work out how many years it is since I was last in Trillians, and I realised it's been decades, not years. It hasn't changed. I mean, literally, it's exactly the same as it was 20 years ago. Even that one loud guy who's off his head at the bar seems to be the same loud guy who was off his head at the bar 20 years ago.

Trillians is a great venue for a loud rock band with a packed crowd, and I've had some great times there. It's not as great for a small audience trying to concentrate on 20-minute prog rock instrumentals while random punters wander in for a drink and a chat and there's the loud guy...

Of tonight's two bands, Ebb cope with the venue better. They put on a great show of loud and punchy rock numbers, though their theatrics perhaps don't come off as well as they could, given the tiny, crampled stage and the indifferent crowd. But the music, and the musicianship, is great, and the energy level is that of a band playing to a festival crowd, not to 20 people in a pub. Most of the songs are from their debut album, with a few from the new album (which I haven't heard yet), and they finish with the beautiful Mary Jane, probably my favourite from that first album, so I'm extremely happy with the hour-long set.

I don't know The Emerald Dawn's music at all, though it's been strongly recommended to me. And I can understand the recommendation: the keyboard-heavy, long, complex, mostly instrumental music is right in my sweet spot. Unfortunately, the venue lets them down. The crowd noise swells during their set, and the sound quality from the PA isn't great: vocals are very low in the mix, and the flute and sax are almost inaudible. But what I hear is stunning. Instrumentally, all four musicians are flawless, and the compositions are strong but really need proper listening to. I am immensely impressed, but I need to hear them again in better conditions. When I do, I suspect I'm going to discover a new favourite band.