• ARTIST: Anathema
• DATE: July 23 2007
• VENUE: Hyppo Kampos Resort (Castel Volturno – Caserta, Italy)
• OPENING ACTS: Novembre, Vader, Destruction

This concert captured a crucial moment in Anathema’s career. After morphing from their gothic/doom metal beginnings to a mellower sound blending a wide range of influences (Pink Floyd, Radiohead, prog rock, psychedelia, electronica), they had been without a record deal for some time and were about to relaunch with a string of successful albums, opening a completely new chapter in their career.

Looking back at the live report I wrote at the time, I described them as being in “a state of absolute grace”, playing with the enthusiasm of kids and the experience of veterans. That’s still a pretty good description of how I remember them. Singer Vincent Cavanagh, in particular, was outstanding in terms of emotional delivery, but the show was very intense and poignant as a whole. The starry sky of that night perfectly fit the mood (it was an open-air concert).

The setlist was incredible. They started with the first four tracks from their pivotal album ‘Alternative 4’ played in a row and went from there, picking from virtually every era of the band. ‘Deep’, ‘Angelica’, ‘Panic’, ‘Closer’ and a particularly moving ‘Inner Silence’ were all in there, alongside a couple of oldies from their heavier past, ‘A Dying Wish’ and ‘Sleepless’. Another highlight was ‘A Natural Disaster’: I was particularly impressed by female singer Lee Douglas, especially on that one, as she sounded absolutely stunning.

They wrapped things up with a heartfelt cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Comfortably Numb’, which couldn’t have worked much better on a night like that.

The venue was quite unique, basically a beach resort with several food areas and even a swimming pool, if you brought a swimsuit and were in the mood for a quick dip to fight the sweltering Italian summer. Earlier in the evening, while waiting for Anathema’s set, guitarist Danny Cavanagh joined AC/DC tribute band The Jack on a smaller stage next to the swimming pool and played ‘Highway To Hell’ and ‘Hells Bells’ with them.

All in all, it remains one of the best shows I’ve ever attended. I would have loved to see Anathema again, especially to hear some of the music they released over the following years. ‘Untouchable Part 1’ is one of my all-time favourite songs, and I’m really fond of their 2017 album ‘The Optimist’. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, that never happened. The band eventually broke up, with its members now involved in different projects.

Fun fact: I think ‘Comfortably Numb’ is the song I’ve heard played live the most, strangely enough each time by a different artist: Anathema, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, and Pearl Jam.

🟥 Amp Hiss And Memories is a series of posts revisiting concerts I’ve attended both in the past and more recently. A full index can be found here.