28/04/2020
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Online Concert Review
Imperial Age
Facebook/You Tube from Moscow
Saturday 25 April 2020
By Iain McArthur
Russian rockers Imperial Age were due in Glasgow last week but that date was cancelled for obvious reasons, along with the rest of their tour. However, against all the odds, they played and broadcast a full show from Moscow last Saturday evening. Yes, a full show – not an acoustic solo job in front of a bookcase – this was the full band, fully plugged, with backdrops, lights, smoke and five cameras capturing the action.
Obviously lock-down rules vary across the planet but the band somehow managed to legitimately obtain the required approvals to assemble a skeleton crew in what looked like a TV studio in Central Moscow. The only thing that was missing was a live audience but the 3 hour broadcast seems to have been viewed, at least in part, by a total of 14,000 people, peaking at around 1,800 at any one time. That’s an impressive effort by any standard and the content reached every continent of the world, including ones the band have not performed in before, and apparently there was even a viewer from Antarctica.
It was a surreal and exciting moment when the broadcast event began at 6PM UK time. The musicians were already on stage, bashing out the intro to the 14 minute epic ‘Turn the Sun Off’ with full costume and synchronised headbanging. Alexander ‘Aor’ Osipov was the first of the singers to perform, greeting the virtual audience with ‘hello world’ before unleashing the familiar deep tone of his vocals. Before long, the ladies joined him to complete the renowned three-pronged vocal and visual assault that makes this band unique.
The band is usually described as Symphonic Rock but that’s not quite the full story. It’s unquestionably epic music on a grand scale but Aor’s vocal style adds a distinctly Russian martial feel and you could almost imagine their music as the soundtrack for a May Day Parade in Red Square. The female singers complement each other perfectly, both visually and sonically. The effortlessly elegant Anna ‘KiaRa’ Moiseeva is classically trained and has a musical theatre pedigree while Jane ‘Corn’ Odintsova combines fine vocals with a striking visual presence that epitomises the band’s image through her intimidating warrior stage costume and intriguing body art.
In order to make this a fully interactive experience, viewers were invited to send comments and questions throughout. The band paused after each number to answer questions relayed by PR guru Natalie Cherry, although Aor advised fans not to submit requests as they were playing a 21 song set which is virtually everything they’ve recorded to date. Jane and Aor are clearly the band leaders but everyone is involved, including Max Tallion displaying a typically animalistic drummer persona.
Midway through the set, the band introduced the first of two new numbers ‘To the Edge of the Known’. Aor provided a lengthy scientific explanation for the song relating to advances in Physics. The band do explore some highly intellectual themes in their music, often including alternative views on ancient civilisations and Atlantis is a recurring theme. Aor knows what he’s talking about; he’s got a Masters Degree in History. Interestingly for some Rockfiend readers, he was brought up in Scotland where his father is still a lecturer in Applied Mathematics at Strathclyde University.
It must have been a strange experience for the band playing without a live audience. At one point during the rocker ‘The Escape’ one of the guys instinctively encourages some over-the-head clapping. I almost joined in from my Man Cave and nearly spilt my cider.
The time flew in and the clock was starting to wind down as the band performed the classic ‘And I Shall Find my Home’. But there was still time for a second new song titled ‘Windborn’. Bravely, they positioned this one as the third last song, slotted in between two of their best and most iconic songs in ‘The Awakening’ and ‘Anthem of Valour’. It stood up well though and the quality of the new tunes augurs well for the next album, hopefully due before the end of the year.
Of course, they concluded with ‘The Legacy of Atlantis’ which many will know from the stunning video which was fan-funded – another example of how smart this band is. To date, they have declined record company support as they feel they can better represent themselves without the conditions which would be imposed under contract. I’m not surprised that, of all the bands in the world, they were the ones who made this gig happen despite obvious barriers. Putting on this show required audacity and investment but initial indications are that the gamble paid off, with online donations in lieu of ticket price recouping their outlay at least three-fold. There may be lessons here for other bands, particularly those who have new material that they can’t currently promote live. Should the lock-down be eased sufficiently for a band to play together but not tour, this might be the blueprint for those who are brave and ambitious enough.
Certainly Imperial Age deserve success as they put in the effort on many levels, including a very proactive approach to social media. The band have a slick page which they use to promote themselves and facilitate direct ticket sales and merchandising. They achieved online merch sales in excess of $1,000 during the gig, including an ongoing offer of signed copies of all 4 CDs for the price of 3. Another way they engage successfully with fans is through Jane’s ‘cornimperial’ Instagram page which capitalises on her glamorous appearance and attracts followers with tasteful photos featuring stage-costume, lingerie and swimwear.
It has been stressed that this was strictly a one-off event and the gig has already been taken down from You Tube, although you may still be able to view it through their page if you’re very quick. There are no plans to release a full-show DVD in the near future but the ‘Live in Wroclaw’ set is now available to stream or download from the usual outlets.
The band are currently optimistically rescheduling live dates for later in the year. The UK tour is confirmed for September 2020, including the Glasgow show on Sunday 27th at Ivory Blacks. In another smart move, the band have attracted two excellent support bands (Midnight Prophecy and Control the Storm) by offering them an enhanced experience which in turn provides excellent value for ticket buyers. Of course, we can’t predict what the world situation will be by then but hopefully as many fans as possible will get the opportunity to experience the band properly live before too long.
