About this Artist

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Editorial Reviews

There is a studio Hammill and a live Hammill. The first one often seems misguided in his arrangements, which often defuse the emotional charge of his songs. On-stage, it is a whole different picture, one some listeners often find too intense. But these raw performances are what the man is truly about: pure emotion that nails you to your seat. But longtime fans already know that and newcomers have other albums to explore first. What old fans may not know, though, is that Hammill still writes gripping songs. Veracious may be the first album chronicling his longstanding live duo with violinist Stuart Gordon, but it actually works as an update on Room Temperature Live (in trio with Gordon and bassist Nic Potter) and Typical (a solo live album). Out of the 12 songs presented here, only two previously appeared on live albums, and only two predate the '90s. On the strength of these performances, each song here deserves a place in Hammill's classic repertoire, despite what you may think of his solo albums of the last decade. The set covers most of his albums from The Noise up to Incoherence. "Nothing Comes" and "Like Veronica" are already live staples, since they inspire such possessed performances from the man. Anyone who has ever dismissed The Noise as a weak opus must hear this unrecognizable version of "Primo on the Parapet." "Driven" and "Gone Ahead" fit in marvelously well with their older siblings -- extracting the latter from Incoherence's 40-minute suite is a stroke of genius. And, just to balance things out, nostalgia-driven listeners are treated to moving renditions of "Easy to Slip Away" and "Shingle Song." Veracious was pieced together from three different shows recorded between 1999 and 2004. Fans would have probably preferred a complete concert from the 50 Ballads tour, but this collection still makes a very fine listen, and it proves that Peter Hammill is not losing any of his intensity or songwriting skills with age. François Couture, All Music Guide

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