After the exertions of the previous night seeing Y&T at the same venue it was time to return for a totally different kettle of fish - GPS. Made up of ex Asia men John Payne, Guthrie Gowan & Jay Schellen alongside Spock's Beard keyboardist Ryo Okumoto Nuneaton was only GPS' fifth gig - and their first as a headline act - following on from the release of their debut album Window To The Soul.

Before we get on to GPS however there was the small matter of opening band Bait to contend with. Hailing from Coventry Bait are purveyors of a classic type of progressive rock with hints of Yes, Genesis and Jethro Tull embedded in their work. Frontman Declan Sharma is most definitely the focal point of the outfit with his Pete Gabriel-esque stage presence and intense eye contact with the audience. Song wise Bait's compositions are complex, revolving epics with strange, at times though provoking lyrical content. The melodies definitely twist into some strange dimensions, although at times Sharma did appear to struggle as these climbed into the higher reaches of his register. For a non-prog fan such as this reviewer this proved slightly difficult at times to fully grasp and come to terms with but Bait were certainly by no means totally left field and at the basis of all the songs was a certain catchiness that allowed the listener to at least be drawn into the music. A band worth checking out again.

To change things around even more, before GPS took to stage, we were graced with the presence of  keyboardist Ryo Okumoto alongside Kiko Izumi (I think) for a haunting musical interlude. Playing a Japanese electric violin - not certain of the correct instrument name - the pair held the audience spellbound for fifteen minutes with music that was at times elegant, whilst maintaining an almost ethereal character to it. Certainly not my normal musical diet, but fascinating all the same...

And so on to GPS. As I stated earlier I am not a huge prog fan and I wasn't intending to review this gig, I was going along purely as a photographer. However circumstances dictated that my colleague could not make it along on the night and hence I had to pull double duty. Having seen, and not been impressed with Asia on a couple of occasions in recent years I was half expecting to be thoroughly underwhelmed by what GPS served up - I couldn't have been more wrong though. From opening track 'The Objector' GPS proved to be a totally different kettle of fish to the venerable Asia. For a start all four band members seemed to be playing with a joy that was missing in Asia and this friendship onstage was palpable for all to see. Of course the major part of the set was taken up with songs from the aforementioed 'Window To The Soul' opus and so following on from 'The Objector' came 'All My Life', Since You've Been Gone' and 'Heaven Can Wait'. The musical ability of the foursome was quite outstanding with guitarist Gown in particualr proving to a master of his six string switching from out and out shredding one minute to more introspective moments as and when required. GPS also have a knack for composition. Sure all of the songs are complex, progressive pieces taking in the requisite time and key changes the genre demands, but never going over the top and into true muso territory.

With only four previous gigs as a support band to Y&T behind them GPS obviously needed to stretch their set somewhat to step up to headlining status. This was done by the expedient method of including a mid-set acoustic interlude with Payne and Gowan, comfortably balanced on a pair of stools,  taking centre stage with two acoustic guitars. Simple yet effective the pair delved into a little bit of Asia history for 'Military Man', 'What About Love' from the Silent Nation album and Aura's 'The Longest Night' interspersed with an inspired version of GPS' own 'Written On The Wind'.  Very very impressive indeed.

Having been impressed with the sound and mix quality at the Queens Hall for Y&T the previous night it was also impressive to note that the more intricate and demanding  sound of GPS was dealt with equally as well by the venue. The nuances of GPS music dealt with extremely well by the PA and bringing a warmth and pureness both to the electric and acoustic portions of the show. Nowhere was this more obvious than during Ryo Okumoto's keyboard solo - a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Apparently this had only been worked up alongside drummer Jay Schellen over the previous couple of days. The keyboardist extraordinaire not only had the audience enraptured, but Payne and Gowan appeared to equally impressed by their bandmates prowess and inventiveness as he hammered his keyboards to within and inch of their lives.

With the additions to the set completed the entire band reunited to round out the evening with 'Window To Your Soul', the song, New Jerusalem before bringing things to a close courtesy of Jay Schellen's drum solo and the excellent 'Taken Dreams'. In his review of GPS debut album HardRockHouse.com reviews editor summed up the record by stating that 'Window To Your Soul' "firmly kicks the ball into the Asia camp and states “right then do better than this". Based on this performance then GPS have done exactly the same in the live environment and proved they are every bit the equal, if not superior, than Payne & Co's erstwhile outfit.

Return To Gig Reviews Main Menu