Photos By Martin Reijman
The Tangent are Insideout/SONY recording artists based in Europe, with most current members living in the UK. They have released 11 studio albums, 3 live albums, 2 DVDs since their formation in 2002/3. They have a history of members that has stabilised somewhat since 2014 and the band has now been for some time:
Andy Tillison - Keyboards/Vocals/Musical Director/Composer & Lyricist (Joined 2002)
Jonas Reingold - Bass Guitar (Joined 2002)
Theo Travis - Saxophones & Flute (Joined 2004)
Luke Machin - Guitars (Joined 2009)
Steve Roberts - Drums (Joined 2017)
The Tangent are a new era Progressive Rock outfit whose influences range from the obvious Yes/Van Der Graaf sources, through into Jazz Fusion, Canterbury, Funk, Soul and frequently electronic dance grooves. Like many other Prog bands their songs can be long, involved, instrumentally complex etc, but they are highly melodic, can rock with the best of them and are never afraid to try new additions to the boiling fusion pot.
https://thetangent.org/about/the-band#sigProIde0a54cefe6
They have lyrics firmly centred on life in the world in the current epoch, no sword/sorcery or high fantasy in the music, though such materials often appear on their artwork. The lyrical content takes in huge amounts of subject matter, with over 40 completely different topics dealt with in their career, ranging from aging hell's angels through to Brexit via American movie lore and refugee crises. Unlike many bands they have not abandoned the use of humour, characterisations and the songs are almost cinematic in their storytelling and narrative.
While members of the Tangent past and present currently also work in King Crimson, The Steve Hackett Band, Francis Dunnery's It Bites, Soft Machine (and more) playing classic music with classic bands, The Tangent is a place where they all come together to make music of their own.
https://thetangent.org/about/the-band#sigProIded6935bbe8
The band is led by idiosyncratic Andy Tillison who cut his musical teeth in Northern English post punk bands in the late 70s, becoming a noted sound engineer on the growing Death/Hardcore metal/Punk scene of the 1980s. He lists Crass and Chumbawamba among his influences - but adds Joni Mitchell, Squarepusher and Stravinsky to the rather long list of his favourite artists. "Prog Music was my first love, but it will not be my last" he said mischievously paraphrasing John Miles in a recent interview.
In 2018 The Tangent released a 17 minute multisectioned prog epic made entirely of electro dance music that worked every bit as well as traditional instrumentation. Their 2016 political anthem "A Few Steps down the wrong road" featured speed punk butted up to musical quotes from Gustav Holst.
They've flrted with Hip Hop, Dubstep, Djent, Bebop smf 70s disco. They've released 4 movemeΩnt electric sinfonias and 3 minute pop songs, played headline in some of the worlds leading Prog festivals and frightened locals in small pubs. They've never pushed themselves down a pre-ordained career path, eschewing success for total artistic control and freedom. But thy have pushed the music beyond its normal envelope.
They are The Tangent. There isn't another band quite like it. Retro Prog? Certainly. But there's more.