Steven Wilson at The Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

It’s been six years since Steven Wilson’s last solo tour. Not that he’s been idle, having reunited and toured with Porcupine Tree in 2022. Now, with the release of his conceptual “space opera” The Overview – a two-track, 40-minute epic, Wilson is back on the road, performing the album in full alongside a stunning, animated visual backdrop.

After finishing The Overview, Wilson joked with huge relief, “We’re going to take a quick break… it’s very hard to play!” before returning for a second set.

Set two mixed highlights from The Harmony Codex, The Future Bites, and earlier solo work, including one Porcupine Tree track (Dislocated Day), and my personal favourite Luminol (from The Raven That Refused to Sing), and a surprise tour debut of Abandoner from Insurgentes. The latter was a moody, beautifully dark performance. Subtle yet thematically in sync with the “space” tone of The Overview.

The band’s current line-up consists of guitarist Randy McStine and familiar faces such as drummer Craig Blundell, bassist Nick Beggs and keyboardist Adam Holzman. All delivering stoic performances throughout to the restrained energy of the seated theatre crowd, who all looked to be studying everything happening on stage. 

Encore tracks were Pariah and the epic Ancestral, closing out a nearly three-hour show that felt both vast and intimate in delivery. The visuals were utterly immersive – like watching a hypnotic film in perfect sync with the music. At one point, Wilson himself turned his back to the crowd to watch the Big Bang unfold on screen. 

Overall an incredible show which felt more like a delicate experience than “just” watching a band.

Steven WIlson Setlist

Venue: Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

Set:

  1. Objects Outlive Us
  2. The Overview

Set:

  1. The Harmony Codex
  2. King Ghost
  3. Luminol
  4. What Life Brings
  5. Dislocated Day
  6. Pariah
  7. Impossible Tightrope
  8. Abandoner
  9. Harmony Korine
  10. Vermillioncore

Encore:

  1. Ancestral
  2. The Raven That Refused to Sing

Artist: Steven Wilson

Photographer: Ruairidh Galbraith

Reviewer: Ruairidh Galbraith

Venue: The Royal Concert Hall

City: Glasgow

Country: UK