FRIDAY was the day the whole world seemed to go into meltdown over an eclipse and a stressed out so-called superstar singer quitting a so-called supergroup’s tour to deal with his demons.

How apt, then, that the hard hitting prog-rockers Arena should bring their own particular brand of demon to the intimate gathering at the Citadel – courtesy of the Classic Rock Society - to help celebrate the Spring Equinox and bring some much needed musical sanity back into the scheme of things.

Formed 20 years ago by Mick Pointer, drummer and founder member of 80s neo-Prog pioneers Marillion, and Pendragon keyboardist Clive Nolan, the quintet is touring to promote its latest album The Unquiet Sky.

And, unsurprisingly, the set list was a mix to bring in the new and celebrate the old, reflecting a crowd made up of rockers old and young.

Paul Manzi belies a throat infection to deliver a powerful vocal performance. He really has settled comfortably into the role of front man since taking over from Rob Sowden four years ago.

Guitarist John Mitchell, fresh from his Lonely Robot solo venture, defies a fractured finger to produce a note-perfect performance – whether he is shredding out a blistering solo or squeezing every last drop of emotion from the frets on tracks such as How Did It Come To This, from the new album, or crowd favourite The Hanging Tree.

New boy Kylan Amos fits in seamlessly on the bass, prowling the stage and doing his best to sing along as the set unfolds.

And all the time, Nolan oversees proceedings from behind his keyboards like a headmaster standing at his lectern in assembly, delivering knock-out punchlines in between songs and the occasional frown at the technical difficulties that crop up throughout but never threaten to derail what is a stormer of a performance.

The set opens with new track The Demon Strikes, a symphonic attack showcasing the talents of all musicians on show, then quickly settles into familiar territory with Rapture from the band’s last studio album, The Seventh Degree of Separation.

Throughout the evening, the band returns to its progressive roots with songs such as the 20-minute epic Moviedrome, with its mix of blistering metal, piercing guitar solos and ballad-esque interludes.

Arena bring the show to an end with Crying for Help – perhaps an apt note to finish on given Manzi’s obvious struggles with illness and Mitchell’s battles with a broken finger. Perhaps the only sour note for diehard fans is that the band decided to leave out the soaring, anthemic Ascension from the setlist – maybe next time?

Greg Nixon