Rising stars Tribe3 released their self-titled debut album in October 2023, and since then the Bridgend-based three-piece have been raising their profile, storming the concert and festival circuits with their superb musicianship and immersive and impactful style of prog. Guitarist Chris Jones (guitars) and Steve Hughes (bass, bass pedals and keyboards) had previously collaborated as the instrumental fusion band EleKtriK, and with the addition of Jonathan Kinsey on drums – and subsequently vocals and keys – they rebranded as the more prog-centric Tribe3.
Their debut album revealed the band to be mature and experienced musicians. Despite nods to established Prog bands such as Yes, Genesis, Rush and Marillion, along with elements from their fusion experience, Tribe3 was already evolving its own distinctive voice. How does the new album, ‘Life Amongst Strangers‘, measure up to its predecessor?
Although each song stands alone, there is a loosely overarching theme of communication, and what can happen when it breaks down. Throughout the album we hear an increased confidence and cohesion in the songs and performances, and a quality of musicianship that triumphantly surpasses the promise of their debut.
The impressive four-part opening track, Voyager, is epic in both style and scope, paying homage to the Voyager interplanetary space programme. Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977 to observe Jupiter, Saturn and the outer planets and have now passed out of the solar system into the vastness of interstellar space. Voyager 1 is currently the furthest manmade object from Earth.
Atmospheric electronica and an impetuous flurry of synths evoke the mystery and excitement of space travel. Solo piano introduces a 5-note pattern of rising fourths that underpins this first section, and Jonathan’s vocals radiate a sense of awe and wonder. An instrumental interlude, The Depth and the Wonder, opens with ambient synths portraying the unnerving calm of vast, empty distances, followed by a heroic fanfare from drums, cymbals and brass suggesting the grandeur of space and the pioneering spirit of space exploration, real and fictional. In Surfing the Maelstrom, distorted choral vocals and agitated drums lead to the brave but desperate cry of Alea Jacta Est as the probe crosses the border of the solar system to explore uncharted territories. In a moving conclusion that recalls H era Marillion, Jon’s exquisite high register vocals float above bleak piano and a shimmering cloud of synths as Voyager proceeds on its lonely odyssey.
Falls Like Rain is a chillingly powerful indictment of the relentless advance of the powerful, mercilessly crushing all who stand in their way. The track is dominated by the grandiose five-chord motif that opens proceedings and a choral refrain ‘Healthy, wealthy, makes a man wise’ that sounds like a malignant parody of an advertising jingle or the hysterical slogan from a political rally. The instrumental soundscape contrasts bright, metallic guitar and synths with the deep rumbling of bass pedals, while Jonathan’s mighty drums relentlessly pound out a brutal military march. By contrast the chorus, Should we let it go, poignantly embodies the anguished despair and powerlessness of the individual fighting to stand up to the forces of oppression. The track delivers its message with unnerving eloquence but its earworm melodies make for an addictively exciting and enjoyable listen.
In perfect contrast, The Last Encore is a rose-tinted retelling of the final scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Wistful flute and a carillon of synths establish a nostalgic atmosphere in a lilting waltz rhythm, suggesting that we are witnessing the tragedy at one remove, sat comfortably among the audience as the tragedy unfolds onstage. The track overflows with gloriously memorable melodies, and Jonathan’s vocals are sweet, lyrical and caressingly warm. The orchestration is ravishing, alternating rich symphonic swathes of sound with rippling arpeggios on keyboards and a tender flute solo. Moments of tension are provided by dissonant stabs from guitar and keyboards and Steve’s restlessly prowling bass line, but the rapturous chorus breaks through like sunshine after a storm. The soaring finale resounds with bittersweet “happy ever after” vibes as Jonathan sings ecstatically:
Wondrous times we can relive through moments
Holding hands we move onward.
Proceedings close with a yearningly emotional guitar solo from Chris which tugs at the heartstrings and finally fades into a wistful farewell from solo piano. After this, surely there cannot be a dry eye in the house!
Requiem for a Friend is a brief but moving keyboard solo written in memory of music journalist Jez Rowden. Jez was one of the first to promote and encourage Tribe3 when they first started out and remained a staunch supporter until tragically he passed away suddenly in March 2024. The music has an ethereal, timeless quality and a sense of vast, reverberant spaces. It segues into Life Amongst Strangers,coming to rest on a joyously serene chord before the full band bursts in with the song proper. The sound is bright, extrovert and upbeat, with a nod towards Moving Pictures-era Rush while also recalling Andy Foster’s Kite Parade. Spirited performances from each band member create a vibrantly animated texture, suggesting the myriad lives that stream past our eyes every day. The verses, with their jazzy rhythms, jaunty backing chorus and delightfully funky bass line, testify to Chris and Steve’s fusion background. The wistful harmonies of the chorus create a more pensive mood, reflecting the sense of alienation in the lyrics:
Living life amongst strangers
Too many places that I can’t reach
All unknown to me, how do they live their lives?
The darker lyrics of the second versemake the upbeat perkiness of the music feel hollow and sinister. At 7:30 the smooth synth-dominated texture is rudely interrupted by Chris’s strident and bluesy guitar but the introspective mood returns with Jon’s spine-tingling vocals supported only by a hazy wash of keyboards. The final chorus restores the upbeat mood, now overlaid with a poignant sense of longing. In the magical coda, ethereal falsetto vocals float over instrumentals that twinkle and shimmer like the countless stars that we see every night but can never reach.
The lyrics to The Front Line invoke the hopelessness of war, and the tragic waste of life it brings. While the images of trench warfare suggest World War I, the horror is universal. The track is unified by recurring patterns in the instrumentals, such as the haunting guitar motif which bookends the track, ringing out like distantly tolling bells, and a cool instrumental groove with a trippy keyboard loop, jazzy guitar and prominent bass line. To my ear this light, jazzy music feels quite disconnected to the dark lyrics, perhaps depicting the ‘numb and quiet’ minds of the soldiers awaiting the call to go over the top. After the doomed soldier asks ‘Will I escape?’ the dreamlike atmosphere becomes darker and more urgent. Chris’s guitar soars and spirals in anguished agitation, then over a stark background of gunfire from the drums Jon makes dramatic use of spoken vocals. The thrilling instrumental section that follows stunningly showcases the musicians’ tight rapport as they navigate rhythmic and textural complexities with assurance and panache. The dramatic conclusion is truly masterful. Jon’s impassioned vocals perfectly express the bitter desperation of the lyrics, the ‘blood red garden’ suggesting not only the blood of the dying soldier but also the iconic image of the poppy fields on the Somme:
I see my dreams before my helpless sight
Flashing by so quickly, film underscored
Where I lie will others see?
Someone yelling out and floundering – overwrought
Those misguided never grieve
For in my blood red garden, silent I will leave
With its moving journey from mysteriously atmosphericopening to triumphantly soaring conclusion, Evening Tidecloses the album on a grandiose blaze of proggy glory. It is a poignant love song from the Earth to the Moon, with the bittersweet twist that the Moon is gradually drifting away from the Earth. The track has an epically cinematic sweep, with Steve and Jon’s keyboards transporting us effortlessly from one lush, symphonic soundscape to the next. Jon’s warm, thoughtfully nuanced vocals and Chris’s eloquently emotive guitar perfectly convey the sense of devotion and yearning expressed in the lyrics, while drums and bass intensify the atmosphere and bind the whole sonic canvas together. I’m reminded of Dawn Treader, the heart-warming final track from the band’s debut album, but the overwhelming musical and emotional impact of this song shows just how much further still Tribe3 have travelled.
Tribe3 are a force to be reckoned with, a fresh and exciting voice in the world of prog. Rich in expressive melodies, intricate rhythmic subtleties and sweeping, evocative soundscapes, ‘Life Amongst Strangers’ promises to be one of this year’s most significant and enjoyable releases. Listen to it. Immerse yourself in it. Introduce it to your friends. Music like this makes the world a better place.
Released March 14th, 2025
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