It was a night to remember for Kolkata’s music lovers on Friday as British rock icon Steven Wilson enthralled thousands who turned up at Aquatica to see him live for the very first time.
With a setlist that felt like a masterclass in musical storytelling, Wilson, sporting a black T-shirt paired with jeans, delivered an immersive performance that left the Kolkata audience spellbound.
Wilson treated fans to soulful renditions of Pariah, What Life Brings, The Raven That Refused to Sing, offering a progressive rock band show experience with quadraphonic sound effects and cinematic visual production.
He also performed numbers from his latest album The Overview.
Music composer Sudipto Buti Banerjee, who was in attendance, described the show as “eargasm” in one word.
“Kolkata for the very first time experienced a quadraphonic sound effect during a live concert,” Banerjee said.
“During The Raven That Refused to Sing, it felt like cinema unfolding on stage — a complete emotional experience. It was like witnessing a person’s existential crisis come alive in a show. By the end, I couldn’t tell whether the emotions were happy or sad,” Banerjee added.
According to a report by The RollingStone India, Steven Wilson’s The Overview Tour India 2025 is part of his wider European and U.K. tour, following the release of album The Overview. This marks his first solo tour in seven years, after Porcupine Tree’s reunion in 2021 and the release of their album Closure/Continuation.
Musicians Subhankar Panda, Subhadeep B Guha, Gaurab Chatterjee, popularly known as Gaboo, were among the several Bengali artistes who showed up at Aquatica to witness Wilson’s magic live.
“Steven Wilson is a thought,” said singer Subhankar Panda. “He’s not for everyone. You’d need more than one life to analyse him.”
Despite focusing on the band in recent years, Wilson has remained prolific as a solo artist, releasing The Future Bites in 2021 and The Harmony Codex in 2023.
He made his solo India debut in 2016, performing at NH7 Weekender in Pune and Shillong, as well as at Bengaluru’s Backdoors festival.
Musician Gaurab Chatterjee described Wilson’s show as “incredible,” saying he witnessed an extraordinary level of artistry at the concert.
Instagram/ @gaurabchatterjee1982
“Listening to Steven Wilson live was phenomenal. I’m not sure Kolkata has ever experienced a show like this. It’s the kind of performance that will elevate the city’s music scene. The show went far beyond my expectations, and the sound production was absolutely mesmerising,” shared HooliGanIsm band member Subhadeep Guha, a singer, songwriter, composer, musician and music director also associated with ArshiNagar Band.
Koushik Chakraborty, lead vocalist of Prithibi, called the show “a one-of-a-kind experience.” When asked whether the show was a rock concert or a sonic masterclass, he said it was “both.”
The Overview Tour India 2025 began on 2 November in Mumbai and will wrap up with a show in Bengaluru on 9 November.