Mark Smit

On the 21st of October, Knight Area gave a show in the almost sold-out venue 't Blok at Nieuwerkerk aan den IJssel. Just for the occasion, I was dressed like a knight, so I could announce this performance in a chivalrous way. At the first notes of the band's performance it became already clear that this venue has superb acoustic conditions. Nevertheless, for this show, Knight Area took along its own sound and light engineer. As one could expect, the band played a very tight and rather passionate set with a lot of joy. Drummer Pieter van Hoorn, who played this time behind a glass wall, forms together with good old bass player Peter Vink, a steady rhythm section. The music is perfectly coloured by the keyboard sounds of band leader Gerben Klazinga and provided with the experienced vocals of Mark Smit. However, we may not forget young Mark Bogert! An excellent and virtuoso guitar player! He must have been a child prodigy on the guitar. This very talented guitarist played fabulous guitar chords and solos. I saw many people in the audience pointing at their chicken skin arms.

Mark Bogert

If he would have been a football player with the same talents then he had already been transferred to Barcelona or Real Madrid!

Most songs Knight Area performed came from their latest two albums Hyperdrive (2014, see review) and Heaven And Beyond (2017, see review). As usual, the encore Mortal Brow came from their debut album The Sun Also Rises (2004). In this final track Mark Bogert pulled out all the stops and showed again his craftsmanship on the guitar. Great! During and after the show attention was payed tot the new and seventh album of the band called D-Day. On the 6th of June 2019, it will be 75 years ago that the allied forces started to free Europe from the German occupier. On that date Knight Area wants to release the album and perform the music in a large venue. To make this happen, they started a crowdfunding campaign in order to raise the money for this event. Check their website www.knightarea.com and see how you can contribute to this desired performance! Don't hesitate, because as far as I am concerned Knight Area is the number one progressive rock band of the Netherlands!

Nico Schouw (edited and translated by Peter Willemsen)