Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery - 'Red Dragon' single review
The coming together of the two Steves — Hackett and Rothery — is something for any prog or instrumental guitar fan to be excited about.
Both have enjoyed great careers, and together they bookend prog music: Hackett was a pioneer of the genre. As a founding member of Genesis, it's fair to say his was the guitar that helped start a whole new sound. Rothery, a founding member of Marillion, is still playing with his band and recently played in Pompeii, following other progsters including Pink Floyd, Dream Theater and Opeth.
Together, the two Steves have been working on an instrumental album titled Roaring Waves, and "Red Dragon" is the first single from it.
Red Dragon starts a little differently to how I imagined: a hurdy-gurdy opens the track. It sounds just like a set of small pipes playing the opening bars, which serve as a teaser for the track — will it be a Celtic sound, or something else?
A short drum intro brings in Hackett's guitar. The playing is open and lays a foundation for Rothery to slide in with a few notes that start to shape what this tune is going to sound like. The Red Dragon was a trading ship for the East India Company, and with that as a theme, it's no surprise to hear the track develop with a bit of an eastern hint. Hackett hits a bit of a Kashmir-sounding tone as Rothery overlays with the top-end notes that have defined his playing for the last 40 years. There is a bit of slide and a bit of complementary back and forth. Despite the pedigree of the players, this is no self-indulgent prog piece. Instead, it's a rocky number that puts both guitars on display and feels very like two guys who like the same kind of music getting together for a jam, rather than an overthought piece for the commercial market — and I think that's a good thing.
This is no Dueling Banjos. The playing is open; the drums, bass and keys keep it simple but are really effective as the backline. That leaves plenty of space for the Steves to do their respective thing, before the track ends as it began, with the hurdy-gurdy taking us home.
I really enjoyed this track and I'm looking forward to giving the album a listen.
It would be great to see these two play together. Rothery has guested at a couple of Hackett's shows, but a full-on concert with these two protagonists would be brilliant to see — how likely that is I don't know, but it's certainly worth looking out for.
It is great to see old campaigners with new ideas, still keen to make music. Get this on your turntable.
Eastern promise delivered.