Filmed on an acoustic tour of the UK that took in four of the country’s most majestic cathedrals, Anathema chose to commemorate the final date: their triumphant homecoming performance at Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral.
Shot by acclaimed director Lasse Hoile and available on DVD and Blu-ray with a lush 5.1 audio mix, there are not enough discs in existence to capture the atmosphere in that awe-inspiring space, a stage dwarfed by gothic arches ascending into darkness and an ornate, gilded altar.
Music already capable of bringing a tear to the eye echoed deep within the massive space, elevating hearts and minds beyond the everyday. Offering spine-tingling, stripped-down renditions of heartstoppers Untouchable (Part 1) and Dreaming Light, the band also imbued proceedings with a family sentiment, the front rows littered with friends and relatives.
Ever serious about their craft, the brothers Cavanagh, backed by a rotating roster of musicians, covered all eras of the goth-turned-prog-rockers’ 25 years. While difficult to capture what it truly felt like in that transcendent space, this package serves as a fitting memento of a defining moment for these masters of evocative emotion.
