YORK was the third night of a 14-gig tour.
Camel are survivors of the prog era and none more so than Andy Latimer. In the late 2000s, Latimer battled a potentially fatal bone marrow disorder. Fortunately, he won his battle and is back making music and touring again with a line-up of the regular band members Colin Bass, Denis Clement and Ton Scherpenzeel.
Coming on stage to a standing ovation, Latimer looked overwhelmed and, after a short delay while he changed guitars, went straight into Never Let Go.
Camel's music is meolodic, almost symphonic prog and Latimer's guitar style is unique. He feels every note he plays; sometimes his facial expressions look like the painful grimaces of a tortured soul; and he has a habit of facing the drummer.
In an evening of sumptuousness, Air Born and Unevensong demand special mention, along with the ten-minute Ice, bringing the audience to their feet.
The encore was the obligatory opus Lady Fantasy and Latimer then had to fight back his emotions as he introduced Long Goodbyes, from Stationary Traveller, as a tribute to Christopher Rainbow and Guy LeBlanc, band members who died in 2015.
Overall, Camel's set list had been much heavier than previously, with many tracks from their early prog rock era.
Meeting the band afterwards was a chance to ask Andy Latimer if there was any new music on its way. “I’ve got lots of material," he said. But are you going to release it, Andy? “We’ll have to wait and see”
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