Description
Progressive rock’s first flourishing in the late 1960s and 1970s set the musical and lyrical template(s) that many bands have since followed. Universal ‘big ideas’ about religion, war, the environment, technology and utopia/dystopia co-existed alongside lyrical themes and concepts drawn from mythology, literature, poetry and science fiction/fantasy. I will argue in this presentation that one of the key developments of the neo-progressive era (roughly 1980s/1990s) is the emergence of some bands and lyricists whose lyrics ‘progressed’ by focusing on the personal and the political, rather than the universal, thus opening up new potential paths for the aesthetics of progressive rock as a whole. These lyrics had an emotional resonance related to the discussion of personal issues and stories and to the impacts of political situations upon individuals. Of course, ‘neo-progressive’ rock remains a broad category that can include neo-symphonic instrumental music as well as more pop oriented lyrics and song arrangements; nevertheless, there are a number of bands who developed the personal and the political aspects of their approach, and I will examine specific examples in order to illustrate and support my overall contention, with a particular focus on the work of the band Marillion.| Period | 27 May 2026 → 29 May 2026 |
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| Event title | The 7th Biennial International Conference of the Progect Network for Studies of Progressive Rock: Progressive Rock Today: Music, People, Politics |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Strasbourg, FranceShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |