Prog Rock at the Proms

Proms on TV, 2026
Prog Rock: A Fanfare for the Common Man
Royal Albert Hall
Friday 24th July, 2026

Electric guitars and a drum kit on stage. A man conductor with long hair. And the utilisation of a megaphone. This is NOT a Prom for the easily offended. But when one looks beyond these disgraceful acts of cultural vandalism, one finds beauty in the most unexpected crevices. I myself am not a Prog Rock fanatic (I mean, it's all right. Though it's more the domain of my Pa-pa).

There is no distance running for me this evening, as it is a night of solitary celebration - three years in my house today! Like our newly-inducted Prime Minister Andy Burnham, I am Bringing It North with a bottle of Newcie Brown Ale (an old favourite), and the Proms themselves Bring It North this evening, with Jane Weaver's heartfelt vocals on Northern Lights. She herself is from Widnes, I learn now. All dressed in green, which is a brave sartorial choice in this day and age.

There is also an edition of Justin Hayward's Nights in White Satin. This and Forever Autumn are favourites of mine, but do always bring out my melancholia. I attended Justin Hayward's splendid gig at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton, in the October of 2024. It was supposed to be the last gig my terminally-ill friend and I attended, though he had to drop out. My Dad took his place, and after the show the pair of us began a drive to Woking, where we were to attend a family funeral. Needless to say, these songs will now forever take me back to this particular time (but I do, strangely, still enjoy listening to them).

Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells is, as ever, a wonder to behold. How could it not be?

Another highlight was Crime of the Century - one of Supertramp's finest. Unsuprisingly, it works a treat with the orchestra. It makes me wish, with all my heart, I was there to witness it. Moreover, it makes me think: imagine having bagged an £8 ticket for this concert. Those lucky so-and-so's!

Whether it's in the good or bad sense of the term, this event was Out-Bloody-Rageous.