IQ 30th Anniversary Gig - Leamington Spa 25/6/11

Last Updated on Monday, 03 October 2011 21:25 Written by Ken Foster

Hail the Balloon Maker

On a weekend where protest balloons failed to inflate to deflate overinflated ego's at Glastonbury, there was no such problem at Leamington Spa where IQ enjoyed a joyous celebration of a 30 year career (which has weathered the changing musical climate) in triumphant style.

A packed Assembly Room crowd seemed relieved to be drawn away from the largely predictable Glastonbury fayre and were treated to a 2 and a half hour set which included selections from the excellent Frequency and the back catalogue.

The radio friendly tag, sometimes attributed to IQ was largely absent as they showcased the longer numbers with Nicholls departing for lengthy spells during instrumental sections. The crystal clear sound complemented Mike Holmes superb guitar and many of the songs received lengthy ovations.

Not sure about the tongue in cheek IQuo section towards the climax and the free re-mix cd was slightly disappointing. Since when did remix come to mean watered down electro ambience with a post production thud, thud, thud drum beat.

However, these were minor criticisms on a night when everybody left happy.