Crookes WMC, Sheffield
Friday, 24 April 2026
Another concert in a venue that is new to me. Crookes WMC is, as the WMC suggests, an old school hall designed for music, which, back in the day, would probably have been forced to pause mid gig so that the club members could have a game of bingo. Spacious, a stage visible from everywhere in the room and good acoustics. This is what a venue should be.
And the show? When it comes to random concerts, organised by one of the participatory bands, it can be a hit and miss affair, especially if you have never seen one of the acts before. You could discover some precious jewels or end up walking away humming the soundcheck.
However, on this occasion, I was not only lucky to have seen all three bands before, but it was an embarrassment of riches as each one of them were worth seeing again, then and in the future. In fact, they were all so good that they were akin to the occasions when someone is in love and they see the object of their affections one day and think that they can’t look any more beautiful, then they see them another day and they look even more amazing. That analogy can be used for the concert I attended, beauty being, this time, in the ear as well of the eye. I remembered them all as being fantastic live, in their own separate ways, but when I saw them on this occasion they were even better than I remembered.
It was an event organised by Haze, so I presume the selection of the guest bands was all their choice and I, for one, will not argue with their choices.
ZOPP
Zopp might have an unusual name, but it is certainly memorable and the set was fun and just as unforgetable. Full on Prog with a style that is hard to categorise or compare with any other, higher profile band. A perfect combination of forceful drums, guitar, keyboards and a bassist who was not as extrovert as his band mates, but still made his presence felt.
As is the case with these triple header concerts the first on stage has stricter and tighter time constraints so, despite not looking at my watch, it felt like the set was far too short and I could have easily have heard them play for much longer. However, other than the brevity, there was one flaw in the set, the vocals. Whether this was down to Ryan, the lead singer, wearing a white woollen balaclava which could have muffled the sound, of his proximity to his keyboards, but his vocals were far from distinct. I could tell he was singing, but not discern the lyrics.
This said, when the music is as good as they were delivering, such a thing can be forgiven. I just treated it as another musical instrument and it did nothing to diminish my enjoyment of their performance and wouldn’t hesitate to see them live again. Hopefully they will play Yorkshire, or the North East again and soon.
Intro
Before The Light
Lose the Flesh
You
Uppmärksamhet
Living Man
Ryan Stevenson – Keyboards, Vocals
Richard Lucas – Guitars
Ashley Raynor – Bass
Andrea Moneto – Drums
HAZE
Next up were the hosts, Sheffield’s own Haze. A band that is almost as old as I am so their performance was, as ever, well-polished, perfect and full of theatrical prog rock humour. If you attend many Prog concerts, up and down the country you might have seen band member Chris in the audience, dressed like a wizard from Lord of the Rings, he is hard to miss, and it would also give you some idea of their stage show.
They managed to fit eight songs into a seemingly relatively short time. A set full of knights, kings, dragons, simple costumes but they managed to entertain in a style that made me think of Rick Wakeman at his peak. All that was missing was the “He’s behind you” and “Oh no he isn’t” and it would have been a Prog pantomime. They may no longer be teenagers, but they were full of energy and were determined to not let up, giving the eager audience a fun and entertaining performance.
And, even after their set Chris was still walking around with his dragon tail costume merrily wagging behind him as he walked. A gaggle of true eccentrics and may they never decide that normal is the right path to take.
The Ember
See You on the Other Side
The Waters Rising
The Load
Parasite
Dragonfly
Redemption
Chris McMahon -Bass, Keyboard, Vocals
Paul McMahon – Guitar, Vocals
Danny McMahon – Drums
Catrin Ashton – Flute, Backing Vocals
SPRIGGAN MIST
Finally, to end the night was Spriggan Mist, a band that fills the stage not only with players but also giant personalities. I have seen them many times and they just seem to get better and better. With a fresh set to include songs from their new album The Glare it was a refreshing mix of old and new all delivered with the gusto that people have come to expect from Spriggan Mist. But there was a comment that was made by a friend who was with me that made me reassess their performance. He casually said that they were true Prog Metal, which made me think.
And after some consideration I have to agree with him. But I will not name him as I’d hate for him to know that I ever agreed with something he said. It is true that they are not on the same level of loud and crashing as Dream Theater, Mastodon or Tool but there was something about Baz’s bass and Neil’s guitar that cranked it up to, if not 11 then at east 10.5. Plus, having listened to their new album, I could see that it was as if they were two separate bands. One for the studio and one for the stage.
The same people led by the stunning voice of Fay but the CD had a sound akin to later day Steeleye Span. The lyrics delicately and playfully leading the listener along a path full of mythical, magical or Wiccan characters, whereas when performed on stage it is a different sound. The songs remain the same, but it seems that the two string pluckers are determined to make their presence felt and not let the two ladies hog all the limelight. Neither is wrong or right and both the albums and stage shows are great, but it does make me wonder if they’d be able to capture that dichotomy of sounds on any possible live album? Only time will tell and, until then, I will hopefully continue to see them live and hear their CDs for years to come.
Three bands in a great venue! What more could a lover of great Prog ask for? Beer? Yes, there was a bar serving nice pints too!
SETLIST
Gaze Of The Dragon
Gregorian Ode To Isambard
Isambard The Mechanical Dragon
Pieces Of Glass
Faerywood
When Stars Collide
Ianatores Terestres
~ Encore:
Kintbury Witch
MUSICIANS
Fay Brotherhood – Lead Vocals, Guitar, Skulls
Baz Cilia- Bass, Vocals
Maxine Cilia – Saxophone, Vocals, Keyboard, Recorder, Guitar
Neil Wighton – Guitar
Ali Soueidan – Drums
LINKS
Spriggan Mist – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | Instagram
