From the very moment that the first bars of 'The 24th Moment' sounded across London's Astoria, there was no doubt that this was really happening. After a few years away,
Fields of the Nephilim were back and ready to deliver one of the most blistering yet moving sets of their 24-year career.

And what an event, one of the most anticipated gigs in a very long time had been announced exactly two months earlier, and from every part of the globe Nephilim fans old and new descended on London for something that many prayed they might one day be witness to. I say this, for Fields of the Nephilim concerts are not just random events, but highly anticipated ritual acts that call out to everyone, everywhere .

Following the strange ambience of 'The 24th Moment', came the intro for 'Shroud', providing the band with the first opportunity to exploit their eager finesse for this all important show. As the opening track from the acclaimed 'Mourning Sun' album, it set the pace for the rest of the evening, building from a magnanimous beginning to a blistering finish, making way immediately for 'Straight to the Light', the first time any of these tracks have been played live. Enter Carl McCoy, in all black, wearing his talismanic drifter-style hat ceremoniously dusted down for the occasion. He emerged from the dry ice to a rapturous applause, like an old friend returning from a desert wilderness.

This was something that Carl and the band had been waiting for, and here we all were, 3,000 strong, experiencing it live in a legendary venue, where the Nephilim last played exactly eleven years ago to the day.

Next up was 'Penetration', a stark reminder of just how hard the Nephilim can be when they choose. Coming from the dark headscape that was the 1996 album 'Zoon', it was a statement that this event was not going to be treated with an air of calm comfort.

And then an early surprise, a beautiful rendition of 'Dawnrazor', which actually sounds so fresh today - yet familiar enough for the first round of crowd surfing and pyramid building to go into effect, telling us that, yes, this really was a time to rejoice and enjoy.

Stepping forward one album to the eponymously titled 'The Nephilim', the audience were treated to a much appreciated 'Moonchild', the bandís biggest chart hit to date, which shocked the record buying public back in 1988 when some 30 seconds of its promo video was shown to an unsuspecting 'Top of the Pops' audience. Scenes of John Dee-style necromancy and hounds of hell snapping down from the top of the telly was something that made my jaw drop and insisted that I needed to know more about these people ‚ who they were and where they were coming from, for we had common ground. And this, I feel, is what most of the appreciative audience thought also, whatever point in their lives they got into Fields of the Nephilim. It is a sense of sympathy, not only with their unique brand of aural soundscapes, but also a feeling of connection, expressed by their sheer attitude to life, and death.

Expecting to return back to the track listing of 'Mourning Sun', the Astoria was in fact treated to the first real surprise of the evening in the form of 'The Watchman', not played live for 16 years. Like 'Moonchild', it is taken from 'The Nephilim' album, which coming in the wake of the aforementioned single carried the band thickly into the album charts for the first time. Suddenly, the audience knew that it was going to be a night to remember - if this is how itís going to go for the rest of the night.

After this, we got 'Zoon Part Three - Wakeworld', which flowed seamlessly into the set - this being a steady drive away from the deeper darker thrash metal on the 'Zoon' album.

And then it was into 'Requiem', one of the most beautiful tracks from 'Mourning Sun'. It builds nicely, carried aloft by a soul-raising rhythm guitar, and for me this track flies you to far away places, before suddenly it is over, like someone rudely awakening you from a good dream. Definitely, the first lighter flame moment of the night, although really this is now just a sea of LCD displays from phones and cameras preserving the special moment for posterity.

From the rousing tones of 'Requiem', it was straight into 'Xiberia', a powerful, almost industrial slice of madness from 'Mourning Sun', admirably showing just how easily the band can slip with gentle ease from the sublime to the extreme. Yet even with this track, the mind can be lost in weird places.

Then the first few bars of 'Last Exit for the Lost' raised the greatest cheer of the night, a Nephilim anthem par excellence. It is almost impossible to think of it not being played. And indeed, here it was, cementing still further the fact that this was a classic Fields of the Nephilim concert. Hearing it sends ecstatic shivers down the spine of more mature fans, while at the same time pleasing those seeing the band for the first time. In fact, it is as well to point out that a proportion of the current audience were probably still in their early teens when Fields of the Nephilim last played here.

Hands stabbing the air to the chant-like chorus of 'Last-exit-for-the-lost' was a sign of recognition among fans to show they had done this all before, and were now back to share in this ritual again. And then it was over, as the return to darkness meant the band had left the stage.

It was time enough away for Carl to transform from black to white, well, into a white shirt at least, and return for some outstanding encores. Immediately, the band slapped the faces of the audience with another timely reminder of just how damn hard they need to be in these troubled times. We got 'Xodus', a single from the 'Zoon' album. This was followed by another sweet excess, in the form of 'Love Under Will', which again had everyone feeling that they were getting their moneyís worth with this past epic.

We felt we had all been blessed with enough for one night, and yet there was no way that Carl and company were not going to give us 'Mourning Sun', which climaxes the most recent album. Its presence in the auditorium was like walking through an aural Garden of Eden, with its angelic choir and Exorcist-like loop, showing that they still represent the Watchers and Nephilim of old, who would have been proud of them tonight, had they been around today. Even after Carl vanished back into a fog of dry ice and darkness for the last time, the band remained to make sure nothing was lost from the powerful studio version of the track, even keeping the Ennio Morricone style tinkling at the very end, invoking memories of the Sergio Leone inspired roots of this enigmatic band, whose career is anything but standard.

The fact that Fields of the Nephilim can just waltz back on stage after a time away, and have the audience eating out of their hands from start to finish says something very important. Some thought, or wondered, whether they could still do it, but this was a spine-tingling reminder of what they can do. It was a performance that showed the world that the Nephilim have never been away - they have merely been pondering their next move.

It is safe to assume that we can expect more from Fields of the Nephilim sooner now than later, allowing the whole ritual to begin all over again, and taking the band places that only the imagination can comprehend. I look forward eagerly to that time.

Andrew Collins.