Chapman Theatre, Salford University, Manchester
November 2nd 1994
We have all bought the CD's, heard the radio sessions and stuff. Porcupine Tree are one of the few prog bands to have struggled out of the IQ, Pallas and Pendragon league and climbed to early Marillion and It Bites status. Although their singles have never really cut the charts they are the only prog band to consistently get rave reviews in such magazines as NME, Melody Maker, Wonderous Stories and even Kerang!

It wasn't long before any doubts were doubted and a after only few minutes into Up the Downstair the answer was yes, Yes and YES!! Tonight Porcupine Tree were nothing short of superb, dry ice by the bucket load, projections, the only thing missing were the floating inflatable animals. In the future people will be talking about seeing the band's first big national tour as one of the greatest moments of music. They did play the old classics, although Radioactive Toy, Burning Sky and Always Never provided the bulk of the set. No Voyage 34 instead we got the new EP Moonloop. The set closed with Not Beautiful Anymore. This is what the prog crowds have been waiting for years for.

Set the controls for the heart of the sun because that's where Porcupine Tree are taking us all.

William Goate