Review: The Pineapple Thief - Nothing But The Truth (Live - UK, 2021)

With “Nothing But The Truth”, The Pineapple Thief release their third live album within only four years. But instead of repeating themselves, the British are breaking completely new ground with their current work.

What makes a great band? A charismatic singer is certainly an advantage, as is a brilliant guitarist. But what’s more important, even if unfortunately less attention is paid to it, is the troop in the background. You can turn it around as you want: Led Zeppelin would hardly have gotten beyond the status of a solid 1970s combo if bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham as a “rhythm section” had not – literally – laid the foundation for world success.

Drummer Gavin Harrison changes everything

Now it is surely presumptuous to compare the most influential Rock band of all time with The Pineapple Thief. But nevertheless it cannot be denied that the popularity of the formation founded in 1999 by Bruce Soord in the British Yeovil has made a big leap up in recent years – and this is primarily due to a line-up change on the drummer position.

Since 2016, Gavin Harrison, one of the best in his field, has been on board. For the 58-year-old, who also enjoys an excellent reputation as a studio musician, the commitment is a logical decision after having previously been on similar paths musically with the former Progressive Rock spearhead Porcupine Tree.

Concert can inspire – even without an audience

Thanks to his virtuoso playing, the other group with the initials PT is now also gaining an enormous profile. Harrison was a guest musician on the first collaboration, “Your Wilderness”, which I still consider to be the best work by Pineapple Thief. On the last two albums, however, the drummer was already a full member and also got involved in the songwriting process.

The group of five benefits even more than in the studio from their great support on the drum kit on stage. You can convince yourself of that with “Nothing But The Truth” released on October 22nd – the third live album in just four years. Unlike the previous recordings, this time it is a concert that was recorded completely without an audience in the lockdown at the end of 2020.

The Pineapple Thief are on a European tour

The focus of the setlist is of course the songs from the last studio album “Versions Of The Truth”, which the title of the live successor alludes to. It came out in September 2020 and then went down a bit in the general corona chaos, which also had the music scene under control for a long time. The Pineapple Thief had to cancel their planned tour, with which the new work was to be promoted, at short notice. More than a year later, however, the band is now on a major European tour (with Alex Henry Foster as support), including a stop at the Carlswerk Victoria in Cologne on October 29th.

So the release date of “Nothing But The Truth” could not have been chosen more appropriately. Some of the pieces represented here will also be heard during the concerts. But even the album puts you right in the middle of the live atmosphere: It was mixed in surround sound and, in addition to the BluRay version, can also be enjoyed in multi-channel sound on the Apple Music streaming service.

Cross-section of the band’s 22-year career

The songs form a good cross-section of the band’s 22-year career. The opening track “Versions Of The Truth” immediately shows that The Pineapple Thief have matured noticeably since their beginnings and are now not afraid of experiments. The marimba sound is unmistakably reminiscent of the Peter Gabriel discs III and IV in the early 1980s. Also with the also current “Demons” the formation breaks new ground and sounds almost happy in the chorus – no comparison to the early days when PT were even compared to Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins because of Bruce Soord’s slightly tearful voice and the Alternative vibes.

Particularly noteworthy are those (older) songs on the recording, in whose studio versions Gavin Harrison was not yet on the drums. Their live versions benefit so enormously from his sophisticated playing that you sometimes think you’re hearing completely new Pineapple Thief pieces. Best examples: “Warm Seas” and “Someone Pull Me Out” from “All The Wars” (2012) or “Wretched Soul” from “10 Stories Down” (2004).

The Pineapple Thief - Our Mire

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“The Final Thing On My Mind” as a brilliant conclusion

In contrast, “The Swell” is really a new song – or at least one that you don’t find on any regular PT album. It is only included in the BluRay version of “Versions Of The Truth” and is now celebrating its brilliant live debut on the album. The 16th and last song is fittingly “The Final Thing On My Mind”. The “Your Wilderness” gem is also the absolute highlight of the Lockdown concert, where the band sums up all of their qualities in just under ten minutes: Dense atmosphere, challenging lyrics and a finale with a great guitar solo by Wayne Higgins and Gavin Harrison as the driving force behind the drum rhythm.

Conclusion: I give a top rating for the entire musical performance and the brilliant mix of events. Nevertheless, “Nothing But The Truth” does not get the full number of points because of the face that without loud singing along and rhythmic clapping, the disc can only pass as half a live album.

So there is still some room for improvement. But maybe The Pineapple Thief will also be recording their performances on their current tour, so we can look forward to another live release. And then even with the audience in the background…

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ (10 out of 12 points)

Album: Pineapple Thief – Nothing But The Truth (Live, 2021)
Runtime: 91 Min.
Label: Kscope
Format: Digital, CD, BluRay

Tracklist: