Review ELDER “Live at BBC Maida Vale Studios”

One week after delving released their sophomore album, it is Elder who launch a very special record. “Live at BBC Maida Vale Studios” is the title of a release that contains “only” three songs and yet reaches a running time of almost 40 minutes. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with Elder’s sound and approach to music. However, recording in a live setup offers new possibilities.

Let’s start with the artwork, as it fits the album perfectly. The organ-like looking monument is like the temple of progressive music and what it wraps is the musical equivalent.

It happened while Elder were touring in the second half of 2023, when the quartet was invited to record a live session at the legendary BBC Maida Vale Studios, home to many iconic productions in rock history. The recording in 2023 was for the Radio 1 Rock Show with Dan Carter, and as many people missed the radio broadcast, Elder will release the session on CD and vinyl. Listening to these three songs, it is clear that it was an excellent idea to make these songs available to a wider group of fans.

The recording is a snapshot of what the band performed during the European tour at the time. With “Lore” the band goes back to 2015, while “Thousand Hands” comes from the 2017 “Reflections of a Floating World” release. With “Merged in Dreams – Ne Plus Ultra”, both the tour and the live release offer a song from the latest studio album, and it goes without saying that each of these songs is an acoustic gem.

Filigree moments, progressive layers and roaring guitars, all present on an album that stands for musical expertise as well as improvisation and atmosphere.

“Live at BBC Maida Vale Studios” reflects the live spirit of a band like Elder and the joy the band had playing this set at a place that inhales rock history. “Live at BBC Maida Vale Studios” is a substantial release from a band that knows how to create fascinating music with an addictive factor.