While most fans of the British act Lifesigns are waiting for the long-awaited release of their Blu-ray, which will be released later this year, band leader John Young decided to embark on a short European tour. Perhaps to ensure that the band doesn't fade into obscurity. Something like: we are still alive and kicking. This tour took them to Germany and Switzerland, the Netherlands - with concerts in Uden, Enschede and Zoetermeer -followed by two concerts in England, and ending with a concert on the Cruise To The Edge boat in March. Background Magazine chose to visit the concert at De Pul in Uden, mainly because the venue is close to where we live and because the atmosphere and accommodation are great with friendly people who are willing to help where necessary.  

John Young (►more photos)

The band is portrayed in the media as a collective of highly talented musicians who normally earn their living in other acts. They are also (ex-)members of world-famous names in the history of rock and progressive rock. Lifesignes performed in a fairly full venue for about 150 people. During an impressive performance, spread over two sets of about an hour, the band pleasantly entertained the audience.

Luckily for me, the set list was mainly based on their latest studio album Altitude (2021, see review). This is a fantastic and highly recommended album. Hopefully, they will soon release a successor with the same musical quality. Unfortunately, that's not yet the case, as keyboardist and lead singer John Young explained during the concert. Therefore, compositions written by him for other acts and from his solo career were also drawn upon.

This resulted in a great and, above all, varied show in which the band seemed to have warmed up after the two previous concerts in Germany and Switzerland, so John Young (Scorpions, Bonnie Tyler), guitarist and additional keyboardist Dave Bainbridge (Iona, Strawbs), bassist Jon Poole (Cardiacs, Dr. Hook), and new drummer Frank van Essen (Iona, Martin Garrix) had no trouble with entertaining the audience. Right from the start, it was evident that they were happy to perform again for the fans they can rely on. Young thanked the audience for coming out, especially since this independent band cannot be heard on the radio and is not featured in mainstream magazines. Their presence in concert halls and the sales of the albums clearly give the musicians the energy they need.

Dave Bainbridge (►more photos)

My favourites of the band's performance are undoubtedly the songs from Altitude, since they feature beautiful guitar and synthesizer solos alongside many emotional tracks. This album also features songs that showcase a fantastic combination of prog, jazz, rock, and fusion. A beautiful combination that was also expressed on stage. For that specific reason, my musical highlights were Altitude, Gregarious, Ivory Tower, Shoreline, Last One Home and Fortitude. Only Arkhangelsk and Altitude Reprise are missing from this excellent album. Instead, we got great live renditions from N and Impossible taken from their second album Cardington (2017, see review). Maybe I would have preferred Chasing Rainbows or the title track of this album. Of course, this is just my personal preference, just like I would have preferred Lighthouse or Carousel instead of
At The End Of The World from their eponymous album (2013, see review). In that case the audience probably wouldn't have heard the fantastic track Childhood's End, which originally appeared on the album John Young Band: Live At The Classic Rock Society 2003. Or the emotional song After All, that John Young wrote for his deceased friend John Wetton. This song appeared on the album Arkangel (1998) by John Wetton.

The fact that Frank van Essen didn't play the violin on Altitude may need some clarification. He didn't play the violin part because it is a cello part. However, they were hoping to use the violin in other songs, but other things got in the way. It's perhaps also worth noting why there wasn't an encore after the sublime performance of the final song Last One Home. After introducing the band and bidding the musicians farewell, there was prolonged applause from the audience, which wasn't rewarded with an extra song. Bassist Jon Poole's premature packing of his gear was perhaps a sign because he wasn't feeling well. People who expected that the excellent audio sound at the venue was done by Steve Rispin were wrong, since the excellent mix was this time done by Simon Williams. So, thumbs up for Simon for creating this perfect clear and bright sound.

Lifesigns on stage (►more photos)

Since we're on the subject about compliments, I might as well extend one to the musicians on stage. They did an excellent job making the sometimes-complex sounding music sound as if it were quite simple. But most of the people who attended this concert will agree that the star of the band - without taking anything away from the others - was former Iona guitarist and keyboardist Dave Bainbridge. His contribution to the band has certainly given it an extra boost. Not only by further blending the band's progressive music with influences from jazz, rock, and fusion. His additional keyboard playing to that of John Young is certainly worth supporting, but especially his beautiful melodic guitar solos that occasionally give one goosebumps. That's why there was after almost every superb solo a well-deserved applause. Even band leader Young glanced several times approvingly to his left enjoying his superb playing. He probably knows how lucky he is to have Bainbridge in the band. It's no surprise that Dave played with Strawbs and is part of bands like Downes Braide Association and Circuline.

It's time to wrap up after giving enough compliments. I think I've made it clear that the audience, including myself, had a great evening although there was some initial disappointment about the lack of an encore. This would probably have been Kings, taken from the earlier mentioned album John Young Band: Live At The Classic Rock Society 2003 album. The fact that all the musicians, except Jon Poole as far as I can remember, showed up at the merchandise stand afterwards for the autographs, a chat, and a photo with the musicians made up for a lot. This way, a wonderful concert came to a fitting end.

Text and pictures by Henri Strik, edited by Peter Willemsen.