Haken are a British progressive rock band that were embryonically formed back in 2004, by three friends having ‘bedroom jams’, which eventually developed into a fully functioning band unit. Some 20 years later, Haken are touring their 7th studio album, which eventually develops into the concept of performing their latest album in its entirety, as well as a selection of songs covering the rest of their recording career. It’s not a brand new idea to undertake such a venture, yet it is extremely brave to schedule a whole run of shows that feature some incredibly complex music, and have a running time of approaching close to 3 hours. This particular format toured North America from the 10th February through to the 9th March in 2024, and then later that year in Europe, from the 4th until the 27th September. This included two UK dates. The first in Manchester, that I personally attended and watched the entire show mesmerised. The second of these was at London’s O2 Forum, and it’s that particular show which was recorded and now presented here as an audio snapshot of the band’s musical journey up until this point in time.
Before I review this album, I need to give you some background context on my own relationship with Haken. And the stark truth is that I had never listened to a single track by this band until less than a year ago. I’ve no idea why that was the case… probably just that they had never popped up on my radar. Yet remarkably, it was the brief video promo for their two UK dates that was promoted on Facebook, that immediately caught my attention. The music used on that promo was so intriguing and beautiful that I had to investigate it further, eventually working my way through the band’s entire catalogue of music, and listening to nothing else but that for the next couple of months. Bizarrely, here was a band that at one point I was oblivious to, yet within a couple of months I was completely hooked on their music, and with absolute perfect timing they were playing gigs that showcased tracks from throughout their career, as well as the Fauna album which I absolutely adored. It was a no brainer that I had to see Haken live, and I was very fortunate to witness their incredible show at the Manchester O2 Ritz on 20th September 2024.
This Liveforms concert was recorded the following evening on September the 21st at the O2 Forum in London, and is exactly the same show that I witnessed, but this time being fully videoed as well as the audio being recorded. Liveforms is being released on Blu-ray as a full visual/audio experience, but unfortunately I only got an advance copy of the audio alone, so it’s purely the soundtrack that I’m reviewing here for this article. The Liveforms audio is made up of 3 CD discs. Disc 1 is from the first set, and features the Fauna album in full, being performed in the same order it appears on the studio album. Disc 2 has all the songs played in the main 2nd half of the show, which is a selection of tunes from the Haken back-catalogue that precede Fauna. And Disc 3 features only two tracks, which is the 1st set closer, and also the encore number too, with those two totalling around 37 minutes in length. Obviously with close to 2 and three quarter hours worth of music, the epic Crystalised has been moved around in the running order, due to the time limitations using the CD format. Whereas the Blu-ray will feature the concert in full, and in the same running order as the performance did on the actual evening.
The very first track is the intro music for the band, titled The Last Lullaby. It has a programmed percussion back-beat, and features the verse chords from Eyes Of Ebony. It’s only a little over 2 minutes in length, yet allows enough time for the band members to make their way on to the stage, while the atmosphere in the crowd starts to build with excitement for what is to follow. Soon the intro music gives way to the opening metallic guitar chimes of Taurus, and then we’re fully on board with a journey though Haken’s last album release which is Fauna. The studio version is an exceptional album, which includes a vast array of styles and moods, showing off the huge amount of musical influences that have left their impact on the 6 individual band members. It really is a tour de force, and recreated here with fantastic skill & accuracy.
To be honest, the live performance of the full Fauna album is pretty much an exact copy of what was previously recorded, with no major musical changes, extended sections, or even deviations in tempo. It is very much like for like. But what you do get is that live energy from a band performing in front of an audience and doing it in one take. And Haken do that job phenomenally well. Sonically it is different, as the band have been recorded on stage and playing together as a unit, which in itself offers up an entirely different set of challenges. The vocals from Ross Jennings are marvellous. He’s a very special singer with his own unique vocal sound, and has such an impressive singing range. His voice suits this music so intrinsically, I simply could not imagine anybody else ever in his role. Yet in saying that, this applies to all the musicians on stage with him. They are among the best in their field at what they do, all have their own styles, yet somehow it all combines together so brilliantly to create this amazing music that can change in style, mood & tempo, in an instant. Leaving first-time listeners absolutely baffled as to where the music could be heading next, at any given point. Yet for those that avidly listen to their music, it fills you with awe and appreciation of just how insanely talented Haken are.
As varied as the music is on Fauna, it’s Disc 2 of Liveforms that offers a chronological variety, that explores the previous 15 years recording history of the band. The opening 2nd set song is the stunning Puzzle Box, which for me personally is one of my very favourites from their entire back catalogue. What a superb choice of opening number, and the band sound magnificent on this track. The final section of this tune never ceases to bring the hairs standing up on my arms, when all the harmony vocals are happening and there’s a swirling sequencer pattern glistening over the top, it’s just pure magic for me.
From then on it is banger after banger with the sumptuously beautiful sounding Earthrise, then followed by fan-favourite, the gorgeously quirky Cockroach King. These three opening songs represent a perfect combination of what makes Haken so great. You have the heavy prog-rock side to them, the beautiful melodies and pop sensibilities, and then the wild-card cooky aspect which can throw anything in to the musical soup.
From then on it’s a smorgasbord of sonic versatility, featuring a fine selection of tunes, which highlight the band’s progress over the years. I must make special mention of the instrumental number Nil By Mouth. I always liked this track, but after seeing them perform this at the Manchester show, it’s since vastly shot up in appreciation by me. The sound of the band in that room on that particular track was outstanding. The power and precision of the music being backed by a truly spectacular light-show that was in perfect sync with it all, was a proper feast for both eyes and ears. As I said earlier, I’m just reviewing the audio content of this release, but I know that Nil By Mouth will no doubt look and sound just as stunning as it did when I witnessed it being performed. There are already a couple of videos taken from this Liveforms concert that are available to view on YouTube, so you can get a basic idea of what is on offer with this new release. And for their 2nd live video/album, this is definitely a superior quality product, that clearly had a larger working budget than their previous L-1VE album from 2018. Not that I dislike L-1VE in any way, but the concert footage from the 2017 show in Amsterdam, definitely had its limitations. Whereas from what I’ve seen with the video clips from Liveforms, the visuals now look as high quality as the fabulous audio soundtrack.
There are some great song choices included, and it must be very hard when you have 6 previous albums and an EP’s worth of material to choose from. Yet the ones picked here are a good mixture of styles. The only one that doesn’t impress me is the keyboard and drum jam titled Stainwreck, which follows on from the track The Strain. It’s a improv session for the two players, while the rest of the band take a short break. I understand why they did it, but at 4 mins long I tend to skip past it when listening to the audio version of this album. Whereas in the overall presentation of a full visual concert on Blu-ray it’ll probably work much better. It’s the only low point on the entire album for me, but when you take in to context that there’s another 160 minutes worth of wondrous music in this live collection, then it really is a very minor niggle.
For the last song on the 2nd disc it’s a track from their very first official release Aquarius, represented here with Drowning In The Flood. Once again, this is a track that I’ve always liked, yet when seeing it being performed live it took on a far grander and more emotive form. From the grunge-like heavy rock verses, right through to the big finale with those majestic chords in full prog-rock fashion. Disc 3 features the ‘epics’, with the last 2 tracks both running at over 18 minutes each. First up is the closing number from the first set, Crystalised, which is actually the oldest song in the show as it pre-dates their Aquarius era, and was originally titled Snow. This is a proper fan-boy choice, as it always ranks highly among fan polls of favourite Haken songs. The version performed here is the one from the band’s 2014 Restoration EP, and has some marvellous moments of both beautiful melodies and quirkyness. The very final song, and the encore for this evening, is the masterpiece Visions. This remains one of my favourite songs from the band’s large repertoire, and still gives me goose-bumps when I hear those fabulously uplifting choruses. I also love Ray Hearne’s drumming, and in particular some of the gorgeous fills that he delivers during this number. They are just so on the money, he’s an absolute joy to listen to. An incredibly talented drummer, incorporating poly-rhythms with such confidence, and also has a lot of musicality to his playing. I’d easily rate him among the very finest of drummers in the genre of prog-rock.
And that’s the end of this mega concert, all 164 minutes worth of it. This represents an ideal closing chapter of the band’s career up until this point, and reflects back on their music through-out all their works. Haken should be very proud of what they have achieved so far, and also immensely proud of capturing such a brilliant show on both sound & film. I’ve really enjoyed getting an advance listen to all the music on this album, yet I cannot deny that I’m even more excited to finally get to see the full concert when my Blu-ray disc gets delivered on the weekend of the official release. Haken are a great visual band with a superbly well thought-out lighting show, and also have such a watchable frontman with the highly likeable personality that is Ross Jennings. He makes me smile, and I sense his joy when I see him perform. As much as I love the music on Liveforms, it is the full spectacle that I want to immerse myself in, and to recreate that awe of seeing them in concert.
Liveforms is a very fine album indeed. I’ve listened to it right through several times, and love the vibe that has been captured here. The only thing I could niggle about slightly is that I sometimes felt that the keyboards were just that little bit under-powered in the mix. Perhaps a little too low in volume, or maybe slightly darkened in tone to allow more sonic freedom for other instruments. It definitely sounds more guitar-driven overall compared to the band’s studio counter-parts of the same tracks. Whether that was intentional, or just the way the live recordings came out, I’ve no real idea. And to be honest, some people might hear this live mix and absolutely prefer it to be this way, with the guitars being that touch more prominent, and in doing so also giving these live renditions a little more of a rock driven edge. That is just me being hyper-critical, because other than that, this is a stonkingly good listen, and for existing Haken fans they are going to love it so much.
Hopefully this may be a really cool opportunity for new fans to discover why so many people hold Haken very close to their hearts, and have put them in the premier league of British progressive rock bands from the last couple of decades. This is perfect representation of what the band are all about, showcasing the many facets and nuances to their music, as well as highlighting them as an impressive live act. Undoubtedly I am biased, as I adore the music that Haken have made, and even though it’s only in recent times that I have discovered them, they are already up there with my favourite bands of all time. That’s how much of an impact they have made on me. I doubt any of what I’ve said in this review will make the slightest difference to those that are already dedicated Haken fans. But if this article only caught the interest of a handful of people to check out what the band are capable of, then I’d be very satisfied with that.
[Live photos by Jake Ten]
TRACK LISTING
CD1
01. The Last Lullaby (2:12)
02. Taurus (4:43)
03. Nightingale (7:27)
04. The Alphabet Of Me (5:42)
05. Sempiternal Beings (8:27)
06. Beneath The White Rainbow (6:51)
07. Islands In The Clouds (5:52)
08. Lovebite (4:00)
09. Elephants Never Forget (11:07)
10. Eyes Of Ebony (8:37)
Time – 64:58
CD2
01. Puzzle Box (8:32)
02. Earthrise (4:50)
03. Cockroach King (8:27)
04. Nil By Mouth (6:49)
05. 1985 (9:21)
06. The Strain (5:29)
07. Strainwreck (4:03)
08. Canary Yellow (4:24)
09. Drowning In The Flood (10:00)
CD3
01. Crystallised (18:26)
02. Visions (18:28)
Time – 61:55
Blu-ray
01. The Last Lullaby (2:12)
02. Taurus (4:43)
03. Nightingale (7:27)
04. The Alphabet Of Me (5:42)
05. Sempiternal Beings (8:27)
06. Beneath The White Rainbow (6:51)
07. Islands In The Clouds (5:52)
08. Lovebite (4:00)
09. Elephants Never Forget (11:07)
10. Eyes Of Ebony (8:37)
11. Crystallised (18:26)
12. Puzzle Box (8:32)
13. Earthrise (4:50)
14. Cockroach King (8:27)
15. Nil By Mouth (6:49)
16. 1985 (9:21)
17. The Strain (5:29)
18. Strainwreck (4:03)
19. Canary Yellow (4:24)
20. Drowning In The Flood (10:00)
21. Visions (18:28)
22. Reflections: An Interview With Haken (28:05)
Time – 193:24
MUSICIANS
Ross Jennings – Lead Vocals
Richard Henshall – Guitar, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Charlie Griffiths – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Conner Green – Bass, Backing Vocals
Ray Hearne – Drums, Backing Vocals
Peter Jones – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: InsideOut Music
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 9th May 2025
Recorded: 21st September 2024 at O2 Forum, London
LINKS
Haken – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp (IOM) | X | Instagram
