Leap Day - 2016 - Live at the Northern Prog Festival

(46:11; Oskar Productions)

Track list:
1. The Messenger 7:31
2. Changing Directions 7:27
3. Amathia (Homo Ignoramus) 4:05
4. Walls 8:50
5. What Would You Do 6:58
6. Sandgrains 6:23
7. Haemus 4:57

Line-up:
Derk Evert Waalkens - keyboards, vocals
Peter Stel - bass
Koen Roozen - drums
Eddie Mulder - guitars, vocals
Jos Harteveld - vocals, guitars
Gert van Engelenburg - keyboards, vocals


Prolusion.
Dutch band Leap Day started out back in 2008, and following an initial EP they released their debut album the following year. Since then the band have released new material at a fairly steady pace. As of 2024 they have 6 studio albums to their name, of which the most recent appeared back in 2021. Dating back to 2016, "Live at the Northern Prog Festival" is the sole live production by Leap Day so far, and this live album was released through Polish label Oskar Productions back in 2016.

Analysis.
I've always found it a bit difficult to write about live albums. Where the main problem really is what to focus on. Some people have a desire for a band to be able to replicate on stage what they have done in the studio, other people want the band to switch things around a bit so that the live experience provides something different from the studio albums they already know. And for my sake I'm not really listening for anything specific, but rather just want the band to provide me with something that grabs my attention in some manner or other. But I do have a little bit of a preference for the material to be if not altered then at least adjusted or tweaked a little bit for live purposes.

On this concise set by Leap Day, clocking in at 45 minutes and a bit, the impression I'm left with is that this is a fair representation of the material those who have followed the band will be familiar with. This is gentle and atmospheric laden progressive rock that follows many cues from the so-called neo-progressive tradition. Flowing and floating keyboard textures and guitar leads dominate the landscapes, with the songs usually being of a slow to midpaced tempo and with few instances of dramatic displays or aggressive tendencies. Dreamladen landscapes that obviously will have a little bit of a bite at times, some contrast will always be useful, but where the flowing atmospheric laden tendencies is a dominant and defining factor. And those who love and appreciate landscapes of this nature will get what they are looking for in this case.

For my sake I just didn't hear that little bit of extra something that makes any greater impression. In part because listening to hundreds of albums a year for almost 20 years does leave me a bit jaded I guess. And possibly due to some of the magic created in the studio just can't easily be recreated in a live setting. Which doesn't make this a poor live album, but rather one that may have a bit more of a niche potential reach. For me at least this is what I'd describe as an adequate live production: It documents the mood, atmosphere and sound of Leap Day in a good manner, but without managing to find that extra little bit of magic the band have been so good at finding when they have been in the recording studio.

Conclusion.
If you are fond of atmospheric laden progressive rock of the neo-progressive variety and have a particular soft spot for a dreamladen and finely flowing type of this subset of the progressive rock tradition then Leap Day is a band that will have many interesting albums to discover. For this band I'd explore their studio albums first though, unless you have a particular fancy for live production on a general basis. I find this to be a good live album, but perhaps one that will be more interesting for existing fans rather than being a good place to start if you desire to find out what Leap Day is all about.

Olav "Progmessor" Björnsen, September 2024

Links:
http://www.leapday.nl/
https://oskar-cd.com.pl/