The latest iteration of Karnataka continues to go from strength to strength, and this is a truism which brings huge pleasure to this reviewer. They are not only a wonderful act but are genuinely lovely human beings. They have put in some massive shifts, and the hard work is beginning to pay off. Long may it continue.
The band have toured continuously since the release of the exceptional Requiem for a Dream in 2023, and you can see my review of this by clicking on the button below.
We now have a live record of this lineup, Requiem for a Night, Live in Zoetermeer 2025. Having now seen them three times, I can honestly testify that the CD & DVD available via https://www.karnataka.org.uk/ is not only extremely representative of a band at the top of the prog game, but also of the intensity and emotion in the performances, and not every live record manages that, including several of the classic bands of the day we love so much. Sertari is a vocalist with as big a heart as her voice, pouring absolutely everything into every single word. Luke Machin is such a talent – he plays with Andy Tillison of The Tangent – you don’t need to know any more, and his stamp is all over this record. Rob Wilsher is a veteran of the scene, having toured with Magnum, Steve Harris, and more, and his textures are vital to the band’s live experience. Drummer, Jack Summerfield is one hell of a young find, and he has played with, amongst others, David Cross. The glue at the heart is Ian Jones, the sole remaining founder member, for whom this band is far more than mere music. It is his life, his passion, and I, for one, am so glad to see him playing with such a committed and talented group of musicians.
The DVD is sumptuously filmed, and when I played three tracks from the CD on a recent Progzilla Radio show of mine, it all went down an absolute treat with the chat veterans, no mean feat, I can assure you! The band provided a CD as a prize and this was won by a lovely regular listener to my show.
Further, what strikes one immediately holding the physical product in one’s hand is the love and care that has gone into providing something special for you to cherish when you buy.
The concert was filmed and recorded at Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer in June 2024. I must add, incidentally, that new tour dates for 2026 have just been announced, and we will be making a fresh pilgrimage to Acapela Studios this November.
So, twelve live tracks to unpick. Before we go to it, let’s look at the video trailer embedded below.
We open with Karnataka, the opener from 2003’s Delicate Flame of Desire. Wilshere immediately provides such lush soundscapes and as an overture to the band walking on, a cry of joy from Sertari, it is perfect. It segues into Road to Cairo, the opening track from 2015’s Secrets of Angels, and the first thing to state about Sertari is that she doesn’t merely stay true to the rich heritage of this fine band, but, critically, imprints her own strong stamp on it. Are you ready, she asks. Well, yes, we are. My good friend, The Prog Rogue, in his review of the album on Prog Archives, described the piece as “cinematographic”, and this is a good descriptor, the vocals and surround sound music filling the room and senses. The riffs produced on it are thundering, the keys evoking the city perfectly, and Machin provides us with his first classy solo. Tremendous stuff.
All Around the World is our first epic, and the first appearance from the superb Requiem for a Dream. It is as dramatic as the studio version, atmospheric, the voice soaring to gorgeous impact, the inflections so masterful, the “voices will be heard” making the hairs on the back of the neck stand up, and you hear firsthand just how well Jones & Summerfield act as the core rhythm section, with some exceptional jazzy licks from Machin (the guitar solo following Greta Thunberg’s narrative is exceptional), Wilsher laying everything good on top. Sheer class, full of mystery, intrigue, and sound.
Strange Behaviour is another Delicate Flame of Desire track. It is atmospheric, mellow, and Sertari matches the original melodic vocal from Rachel Jones with aplomb. The guitar burst from Machin is haunting.
Sacrifice is the next “Requiem” track, which, in my review of the studio album, opined that it is crying out for wider attention via our beloved mainstream media, because it has such a commercial sensibility at its heart. As we all know, it won’t happen, given the morass said stations are stuck in, but it is their and the great unwashed publics loss. For those of us who appreciate great pop rock, with such complex progressive undertones, this is about as perfect as it gets, Sertari’s voice hitting heights which really should be impossible to reach, Machin with a pitch perfect set of notes, the bass thundering below, skins belted, and all the time, a soundscape above on the synths.
What follows, though, trumps even that. There are a select few pieces of music which have the capability to move me to tears, or at least a wave of emotion, each time I listen, and Don’t Forget My Name is one of them. It never fails to hit the spot and is a track I am seriously considering having played at my own personal requiem, a repose for my soul, an entreatment never to forget me, for I was here. It is embedded below as an audio for you. If this doesn’t move you, then you are no longer a feeling human being. Really quite beautiful.
The first CD ends with Forgiven, the second epic of the evening, and the musical requiem wrought large, Sertari with “Sanctus dominus et spiritus requiem” (Holy Lord and Spirit rest) cementing her place as one of the preeminent female vocalists of the modern era. Believe me, seeing this played live in a Welsh Chapel is extremely moving spiritually, even though the founders and worshippers of Acapela are long gone. Symphonic music at its very strongest, a band at the top of their game, the piano and vocal duet worth the entrance fee alone, this leading into the most powerful segment of music you can imagine, with Machin unleashed a thing to simply boggle at.
CD2 starts with The Gathering Light, the title track from 2010’s album, and it is epic time again. The start begins with those unmistakeable pipes of Troy Donockley, the whole thing dripping with Celtic passion, Wilsher creating the most gorgeous sounds, the band then crashing into the second set, Summerfield & Jones setting a thumping pace, Machin providing a blistering extended solo.
Heaven Can Wait was the opening track from the band’s sophomore album, The Storm. The waves hit the shore, the keys set the scene, and Sertari sets her unique, pitch perfect melodic stamp upon this moving song, with Machin bringing it to a haunting close.
What follows is the epic to end all epics, over 24 minutes of music, the description of a lonely planet hurting, a collective species paying the price for the damage inflicted, life and our very existence so precious, yet so fragile. An audio video has been uploaded to YouTube, and this is embedded below. Grab a drinkie, sit down, turn up the volume, and allow a seriously classic modern track to wash over you. Watching the DVD reminded me of Townsend’s Getting in Tune, because watching them perform this track is to see a strong sense of human togetherness, a group of talented people absolutely in tune, working for each other and their audience, the entrance to the final fifth a joyous paeon to our innate creativity.
The penultimate track is another epic – we are pretty much spoilt on this album with live extended pieces of music. Forsaken is the second track from The Gathering Light, the original studio version dedicated to Lisa Fury’s parents, and here Sertari owns that, the feeling and understanding crackling in her voice, Machin producing a guitar solo to render you emotionally exhausted, Wilsher rising to the top of the venue, the rhythm section producing melodious foundations, the applause after the extended instrumental section leading into the denouement clearly heartfelt.
Forbidden Dreams from Secrets of Angels is the track to send everyone home with a spring in their step and a smile to light the darkest sky. Full of eastern mystery, but with such a pulsating hard core of rock, it is just about perfect to close a tremendous show, the volume pitched up as high as the venue will allow.
Requiem for a Night is a cracking recording of a band who are deservedly setting the prog rock world alight again. I only have one thing to add – new music in this next year, please!
