Review by Paddy Gallagher for MPM
And so, we venture to Glasgow on the first Saturday of December 2025 to bear witness to Katatonia’s UK & Europe 2025 Tour in support of their excellent studio album “Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State”.
Having decided to travel by ferry from Belfast rather than fly, a choice that could have back fired due to inclement weather, Glasgow is dark, wet and full of sparkling Christmas cheer as we arrive mid-afternoon; hostelries packed with folks in party mode, folks taking a breather from the retail racecourse and some folks with a night of quintessential top drawer Metal on their agenda.
Thanks to the high-quality line up for tonight’s gig at The Garage on Sauchiehall Street, this was a no brainer to attend. Being scheduled for a Saturday night suits the Monday-Friday day job regime for most of us forced to travel overseas again as, yet another tour misses out on dates in Ireland; thank you Brexit, Insurance costs, transport costs etc.
Approaching the venue, it appears the doors are open early, perhaps a nod to the poor soaked punters and the foreboding clouds chucking down buckets of water. Whatever the reason, for openers Klogr there is quite the crowd present early which adds to vibe as the band takes to the stage.
8 studio releases into their career, the 4-piece are based in Carpi, Italy and churn out a tuneful, heavy riffage of the Alternative Metal variety.
It was interesting to see them as their music is well constructed and foot tap inducing. Having previously toured supporting Evergrey, they are again meeting many more ears and hopefully get the break they deserve; check them out.
The last time Evergrey toured these shores the schedule included a Dublin date but due to stormy weather and associated weather induced damage at ferry ports it was deemed too risky to cross the channel and play the Dublin date, they may have got to Ireland but may not have got back to the UK to continue the dates. So, there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of missing this tour.
As special guests of Katatonia we knew in advance that we wouldn’t get their fully headline set but no way was the slightly curtailed set length going to stop us.
Purveyors of the finest in Melodic, Progressive Metal they are currently 14 studio albums into their career captained by the figurehead Tom Englund, a man whose pedigree is well known and respected in Prog Metal circles having replaced the inimitable Ray Alder as the voice of Prog Metal legends Redemption.
Just a slight change in line-up for this tour with long time guitarist, Henrik Danhage going on hiatus, temporarily replaced with Devin Townsend touring guitarist Stephen Platt of Scar Symmetry. We get 7 songs, one of which is newly released “Oxygen!” which closes the set.
What you get with Evergrey, even in tonight’s small dosage, is top tier music played by musicians at the top of their game. The comment “High Octane” was used later to describe their set, and the general feels agree; a tight performance from a band exhibiting confidence and stage presence.
Headliners Katatonia provide a heavy, relaxing vibe, their brand of melancholy and doom combined with headline status giving the time to make a sweep through a setlist of 16 songs built entirely (as expected) on the 2nd half of their career from “The Great Cold Distance” onwards.
We are treated to a set of atmospheric proggy, heavy ambience in a style they’ve perfected. As with any band whose sound changed over the years there will be fans with differing preferences, but the way Katatonia’s sound has developed over the years has ticked all my boxes.
All in this was an excellent evening’s entertainment. For the price of the ticket, we got 3 first-rate bands. The 3-4 band bill seem to be the way the touring industry is moving in an attempt perhaps to make tours viable in financially trying times.
Some bills are a mix of genres with perhaps record company politics deciding line ups, often reflected in fans traipsing in and out between bands. Tonight, however was a night where many in the crowd stayed for all three bands emphasising the compatible sounds on stage.
Some have toured together before, some have guest appeared on the other’s releases with a nice touch noted at the merch stall where all three bands deemed equal billing space wise for displaying their wares, so important in the current touring climate.
And so, at the relatively early finish time of 10pm after a brief chat with the always approachable musicians of Klogr and Evergrey we wrap up to face the elements on a bleak December night, mouths salivating at the prospect of the now traditional post gig Haggis Supper, we trudge towards to exits to find an amazing sight….it had stopped raining!.
Photography by Gary Cooper for MPM
