By Aidan Oakley
I have a confession to make. I’ve never been one for live versions of songs that I like. Concerts and gigs, no problem, but when I’m just sitting at home picking up on all the little differences and errors it can entirely kill the enjoyment I would otherwise get from a brilliant song.
The live version of ‘Start a Fire’ by Stephen however, has a free pass to do whatever. The studio version itself is a brilliant song, with very smooth transitions between the instruments used, starting with a beautiful electric guitar, layered over some spoken word provided by IN-Q. Smoothly joined later by an acoustic guitar and a sample pad, the song goes from a very mellow sound to a more upbeat, lively one.
With all of these different instruments being employed throughout the song, one would think that each section would be very different- and they are- but the overall sound carries on throughout. It’s almost like an entire album condensed into four minutes and forty-five seconds.
The live rendition adds an extra element to the song as a whole ( as well as an extra two minutes or so- something I’m certainly not complaining about) in the shape of some extended vocals, another addition by IN-Q and my personal favourite, a very fitting drum track ending in a brilliant crescendo. The entire song feels like it should be played over a film about an epic journey of self-discovery, with moments of confusion, passion, determination and eventually, resolution.
I once heard that the mark of a true artist is to be able to invoke in the audience a certain set of emotions. In my view, Stephen certainly makes the cut.
