As part of their 40th anniversary celebrations, Galahad have finally released this archive live recording from 2010 which turned out to be bassist Neil Pepper’s last ever live performance with the band. The band have dedicated this release to his memory. Galahad’s two most recent studio albums, The Last Great Adventurer and The Long Goodbye have remarkably been the pinnacles of their long career so far, and this live release serves to underline their undoubted status as one of THE top Prog bands on stage. This 60-minute festival set encapsulated what makes them such a classy live outfit as they pulled out their best material to make a great impression at such a prestigious festival.
The band have shared:
“On a very warm and sunny late summer afternoon, as part of the ‘Night of the Prog V festival’, we performed at the most beautiful we have ever played, the world famous Loreley amphitheatre in Germany situated sever hundred metres above the meandering and shimmering River Rhine. In many ways the Loreley show was a watershed moment in the history of Galahad as it was to be Neil Pepper’s final performance with the band, although we didn’t know it at the time. He was already struggling and feeling very ill but was determined to enjoy it and make it a show to remember…”
After a tense electronic atmospheric intro Sleepers crashes over the crowd like a tidal wave – it sounds bloody MASSIVE! Neil Pepper on bass is in perfect unison with Spencer Luckman as they drive the tank-like opening chords along with power and precision. Meanwhile keyboardist Dean Baker is painting aural landscapes upon which Roy Keyworth briefly daubs brief guitar motifs. This World War Two narrative of French Resistance is dramatically vocalised with his usual excellence by Stuart Nicholson, as he does throughout the show. The changing, thrilling music matches the theatre with scintillating synth runs by Baker and some exciting Keyworth guitar passages. If this thrilling track did not win over the festival crowd nothing would!
Neil Pepper’s fluid bass ushers in perennial live favourite Empires Never Last which builds and builds with intensity as the whole band pile in furiously, before it curiously drops into a more languid swagger. Galahad mischievously slip in a short jazzy interlude as Nicholson quips ‘Jazz man… for a nice sunny afternoon!’ Galahad have never confined themselves to one genre, and they never take themselves too seriously… but don’t worry, rockers, they very soon return to a bludgeoning tempo as they drive forward powerfully. Under all this Pepper’s rock-solid bass notes are like tank tracks taking the band anywhere they want to go, whilst Keyworth strafes the Rhine valley with a sparkling guitar solo… it’s all rather breathtaking!
Indeed, such is the quality of this performance and recording it is rather a mystery why it took so long for the band to release it. Their press release tells us that when they listened again recently they were ‘pleasantly surprised’ about the quality and clarity of the sound. Their usual sonic collaborator Karl Groom (of Threshold) has done a great job with the sound reproduction and mix – the whole thing just sounds so clear and powerful.
Galahad delve back early in their career for the distinct neo-prog sounds of Richelieu’s Prayer from 1991’s Nothing is Written, which underlines the influence of early Marillion on their sound in their early years – an influence they have long since shaken off. This dramatic multi-part mini-epic is pulled off with great aplomb. The excellent, unique and rather peculiar Bug Eye focuses on a baby in the womb through an imaginative musical lens, mixing atmospheric synths, driving rock passages and even blasts of techno dance beats, all blended together rather smoothly… nothing is beyond the scope of Galahad.
The Loreley crowd in 2010 were treated to a new song, Seize the Day, which was not recorded on an album until Battle Scars in 2012. This energetic and compelling song starts in a rather grand procession before transforming into infectious Faithless type synth dance rhythms and then the whole band surfs along on the crest of this optimistic wave (which seemed apt in the context of Neil Pepper’s very serious health concerns at the time, which sadly led to his passing in 2011.) It is easy to see why this song has become another live favourite over the years.
For their finale, Termination, Galahad were joined by Mark Spencer from Twelfth Night (and whom has subsequently become their flamboyant bassist in recent years.) Twelfth Night were also playing Loreley that year and Galahad and Twelfth Night had a close relationship with some Galahad members playing in Twelfth Night’s live band. Spencer gives the guitars extra bite in this pile driving piece from their Empire’s Never Last album, though it was a peculiar number with which to finish their show.
This was a live recording that was never really intended to be released as a live album, so it’s not totally polished or perfect. However, despite that context, this is an excellent document of a very high quality live band on a special occasion, featuring a sterling performance from Neil Pepper in particular. It is likely that Pepper’s very difficult circumstances at the time, and the quality and energy of his performance, together with the inspiring venue, which helped the whole band to raise their bar with an outstanding collective performance. The selection of classic Galahad tracks on this release makes this an ideal showcase for them as a band for anyone unfamiliar with them.
Alive at Lorely is an ideal way to hear Galahad doing what they do best, playing superbly live on stage, but most of all it is a great way to remember a great musician. Thanks Neil – Rest Well.
TRACK LISTING
01. Sleepers (13:20)
02. Empires Never Last (9:49)
03. Richelieu’s Prayer (9:12)
04. Bug Eye (12:28)
05. Seize the Day (7:08)
06. Termination (6:65)
Total Time – 58:50
MUSICIANS
Stuart Nicholson – Vocals, Tambourines
Dean Baker – Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Roy Keyworth – Guitar, Backing Vocals
Spencer Luckman – Drums
Neil Pepper – Bass
~ With:
Mark Spencer – Guitar, Backing Vocals
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Avalon Records
Country of Origin: UK
Dates of Releases: 3rd September 2025 (CD/Bandcamp) | 7th November 2025 (other online platforms)
DISCOGRAPHY
• Nothing is Written (1991)
• In a Moment of Complete Madness (1993)
• Sleepers (1995) (Remastered 2015)
• Classic Rock Live (1996) (Remastered 2008)
• Other Crimes & Misdemeanours II (1997) (Re-released 2009)
• Following Ghosts (1998) (Remastered 2007)
• Other Crimes & Misdemeanours III (2001) (Re-released 2009)
• Year Zero (2002) (Re-released in expanded version 2012)
• Resonance – Live in Poland (2006)
• Empires Never Last (2007) (Re-released Deluxe edition – 2015)
• Other Crimes and Misdemeanours (2008) (CD version of 1992 Cassette only release)
• Sleepless In Phoenixville – Live at Rosfest (2009)
• Whitchurch 92/93 – Live Archives Vol. 2 (2012)
• Battle Scars (2012)
• Beyond the Realms of Euphoria (2012)
• Seize the Day – EP (2014)
• Guardian Angel – EP (2014)
• Mein Herz Brennt – EP (2014)
• ’30’ – EP (2015)
• Solidarity – Live in Konin (2015)
• When Worlds Collide (2015) (Compilation)
• Quiet Storms (2016)
• Seas of Change (2018)
• Following Ghosts (2019 Remastered & Expanded Edition) (Original Release 1998)
• The Last Great Adventurer (2022)
• The Long Goodbye (2023)
• Alive at Loreley (2025)
Galahad Acoustic Quintet:
• Not All There (1995)
Galahad Electric Company:
• De-Constructing Ghosts (Re-mix album) (1999)
• When the Battle is Over (2020)
• Soul Therapy (2021)
