Kaprekar's Constant — The Water Rats, London, England, UK, 30 September 2017

Ignacio Bernaola Lorenzo

Last Saturday 30th September I had the opportunity to attend to my first concert in London. One can expect a big gig in the Royal Albert Hall or even Wembley, but no. I have to thank Stephen Lambe and Kaprekar's Constant for inviting DPRP to an intimate show at The Water Rats, a great venue in which artists like Bob Dylan, Oasis and Even Katie Perry have played before they become famous. It's the perfect place to see a band like Kaprekar's Constant while drinking a good beer too.

For those who haven't heard about Kaprekar's Constant yet, I can only recommend to do it as soon as possible. They were nominated for the Prog Awards in the category of Limelight. Of course, they aren't new in this but their debut album Fate Outsmarts Desire was released this year and, trust me, it's a real gem and its get even better when playing live. I arrived early at The Water Rats and I even could see how meticulous the rehearsal was. As one guy told while waiting to enter the concert, prog rock bands rehearsal could be longer than the concert itself…

Once we got into, one could feel the good vibrations among the crowd. I have to admit that I don't use to go to concerts thinking about doing a review so don't expect me to explain every song and details (and professional photos) about the performance because I went there to enjoy the music. And for sure I did it. The seven musicians on the stage performed great, really feeling the songs and that the crowd just did the same.

They played the whole album, including pre-recorded voices linking the songs. It's not very common to see a young singer among not-so-young players, but to me, it's a great decision, since Bill's voice fits perfectly with the atmosphere of the album. And of course he did great live!

Dorie Jackson's voice is also the perfect complement. Having said this I must admit that I couldn't take my eyes off David Jackson. The Van der Graaf Generator's musician was a show himself, playing flutes and saxophones and encouraging the band. You have read it correctly, saxophones. He played two at the same time and I bet he would play more if he had more hands...

Check out John Wenslock-Smith's reviews Kaprekar's Constant's album Fate Outsmarts Desire here on DPRP.

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