Further to the Iona gig we went to on the 1st March, in the February edition of ‘Classic Rock Presents Prog’ (Progressive Rock) magazine, I saw an interview with Dave Bainbridge, Guitarist and Keyboardist in Iona. In this, Dave gave an interesting answer to a particular question:

Do you think the Christian beliefs underpinning the band’s music have hindered your career or erected barriers to those who don’t share your viewpoint?

We’re sometimes described as a Christian band, although we try not to describe ourselves that way, because as far as we’re concerned we’re just a band who happen to be Christians. There’s a difference between religion and what Jesus came for. Religion tends to require things of people and impose rules and regulations, and Jesus was against all that. The people he was most angry with were all the religious authorities doing that kind of thing. If anything, our lyrics are about being hindered by religiosity and the need to escape from it. Over the years we’ve had loads of people from all beliefs and no beliefs come to see us. It’s a really diverse audience. It’s not like we go to a gig to preach. We go to a gig to have a great time. If people connect with that, great, but it’s not a problem if they don’t.

Here’s a taste of the band, playing the tracks they finished with on 1st March: