Current 93's studio albums admittedly can take a bit of effort to love. Tibet's voice does take a bit of getting used to, and his dreamlike, Hermetic lyrics can sometimes feel impenetrable. For this London concert from October 2003, though, the highlights of the very best Current 93 records (arguably their 1992-1998 run) were well chosen and beautifully rendered. It was released the following year as Halo, with the album cover a tribute to the Moody Blues' Every Good Boy Deserves Favour as painted by Tibet.
For most of the concert, the pared-back instrumentation, based around piano, guitar, cello and woodwinds, and the clarity of Tibet's voice offer a more welcoming path into songs that sometimes get obscured in the originals by the production. The more natural acoustic sound works well, and nudges them closer to the Incredible String Band than on any prior efforts. The scaling back of the title track from Sleep Has His House from a 20-minute harmonium drone to three minutes of piano and voice makes Tibet's tribute to his late father heartbreakingly effective - just one example of how well C93 work in a simplified live setting. Then, for the closing songs, they dig the farthest back into their catalogue and add in more electronic effects for a truly memorable and harrowing ending. If you own one Current 93 album, make it this one.
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