Eighties rockers Marillion would seem to be an unlikely fit for London’s 900 capacity Cadogan Hall in Chelsea, but that is exactly where they ended up on the final day of their ‘Less is More’ acoustic tour in December 2010.
This double disc CD covers their previous album ‘Less is more’ before the ageing band spend the second half putting an acoustic twist on some of their classic songs.

Cadogan Hall certainly lends itself to such acoustic sets, with crisp and clear sounds emanating from pianos and guitars. Steve Hogarth does a very good job on vocals, with an emotional and haunting tone to his voice giving the songs an extra punch, particularly ‘Wrapped in time’.

However, the biggest problem with acoustic sets is that after a while every song ends up sounding like all the others. Marillion’s set is no different. After a while you get the impression the audience is in some sort of induced coma, with the end of a song greeted with warm applause rather than sheer delirium.

The crowd do lift from their stupor ever so slightly on the second disc, as they clap along to earlier hits such as ‘gazpacho’ and ‘out of time’. Even then though, the concert fails to pick up any sort of pace and energy, whilst Hogarth’s interaction with the crowd is barely audible at times.

You have to give Marillion credit. To still be gigging over 30 years after their formation is a great achievement, and they clearly possess the vocal and musical talent to continue do so. But this live album is unlikely to win them any new fans, mainly because they will be asleep by the third song. In this case, less is definitely not more.

Verdict: Pleasant enough, but lacking the necessary energy and vibe to make this a must-have live album.