Of all the Live At Montreaux discs that I have seen thus far, this was by far the most unlikely release yet. Despite the band's cult following here in the States, in most circles they are seen as "one hit wonders" by virtue of their brilliant single "It's My Life."
This is a welcome addition to this fast growing library of live performance DVDs from the vaunted jazz festival, but it is one that I can't see having much popular appeal beyond the few hundred fans that still revere the British band.

One possible selling point is the surprising amount of aggression the band exhibits throughout. Augmented by two percussionists, two keyboardists and a guitarist, the core trio of the group sounded like they were able to let loose on this tour. From the grinding version of their signature "Talk Talk" to Mark Hollis' added vocal oomph on "Life's What You Make It", the songs feel much meatier than they do on record.

The band does pull back quite a bit, throughout, tackling some of the longer, more gentle songs from their catalog with just the right amount of gravitas and restraint. But watching them bound around the tiny Swiss stage with abandon is a welcome sight for a band that sounds so reserved and staid on record.