The sweet melodies here do not act as an accurate indicator of the turmoil this man was experiencing. Knowing what we know about Editors in February 2012, it's a statement of his integrity that this set even happened. First, some context.
Once again ,the obvious thing to say up front is that I have no insider knowledge and I've never had any contact with the band during my time as a fan.
At the beginning of 2012 we were all waiting for a new Editors album. When this show was announced it was exciting because even before he played, as you'll see in the interview below, we knew we were going to hear three new songs. Two Hearted Spider had been aired previously but we hadn't heard The Weight (which was still called The Weight of Your Love at that time) or What is This Thing Called Love. It seemed that this was another one of those gigs where the unreleased material was being road tested to gauge a reaction, to see how the audience responded to it before it settled into a permanent form on record. They'd done it before with songs like Bones and The Weight of the World, so past behaviour was being repeated. Consistency. Yet the truth was that consistency was no part of the events that all four Editors found themselves in during 2012.
When Tom hit the stage to play PIAS Nites, his band was falling apart.
This is a very interesting time in Editors' history, because it was the limbo state that existed between the public perception of everything being fine and the announcement two months later that Chris had been fired and everything changing. It's made even more remarkable by the fact that there were no overt indications of anything being wrong. As fans, we had no idea. The timeline of events is only known to those who lived it, so it's difficult to guess from the outside where things had progressed to on the 16th February 2012. It's a fairly safe bet that the interpersonal situation within the group had already reached a crisis point, but was Chris already gone? If so, then that means Tom, Ed and Russell were wrestling with all the resulting complications that followed. That in itself is stressful, but now add the burden of having to go and play your first ever solo show with an unmovable poker face to reveals nothing of the confusion you're hip-deep in. It's amazing how facts that are revealed after a situation has taken place can totally alter its significance. It also reaffirms the truth that you never really know anybody else as well as you think you might. Public persona is often a cheap, well constructed facsimile of identity.
Of course, it's tempting now with all this new information to look for any cracks in the facade, but I think that's a futile direction to take. Those little vocal falters during the show, the unease with which Tom endures the interview he does prior to playing must surely be signs that he wasn't himself? Signs that were clearly missed? In reality Tom has always been awkward in interviews, and it's only in the later years that he seems to have developed the right coping strategies to convincingly perform at the levels he does. I just think he's resilient and very good at compartmentalising his life, which enabled this show to happen in spite of the potentially destructive whirlwind he was caught up in offstage. The music is pure and real, but you should always hold on to your scepticism about the finery that surrounds it.
Speaking of the music.
When Tom plays Two Hearted Spider at PIAS Nites it resembles more of a missing link between the two very different known iterations of that song. The live version from 2011 that Chris was involved in was a dark dance number, very machine driven and consistent. The final studio take that ended up on TWOYL is very much a slow building anthem that begins softly and ends in catharsis. What makes the rendition played at PIAS Nites is that it's structurally different but it also has alternate lyrics that don't appear in either previous or the following versions.
"Won't you be there, I'm ready again"
Memories are a little blurred, but I do recall the same villagers that grabbed their pitchforks when ITLAOTE's electronics were revealed (to their disgust), now picked them up again to denounce Tom's falsetto on What is This Thing... Written with talent show The X-Factor in mind, you could argue that Tom was ahead of the curve with this style of song given the popularity of folks like Sam Smith right now. Just a thought.
Enough chatter, on with the show. Enjoy ;)
stream it here
Once again ,the obvious thing to say up front is that I have no insider knowledge and I've never had any contact with the band during my time as a fan.
At the beginning of 2012 we were all waiting for a new Editors album. When this show was announced it was exciting because even before he played, as you'll see in the interview below, we knew we were going to hear three new songs. Two Hearted Spider had been aired previously but we hadn't heard The Weight (which was still called The Weight of Your Love at that time) or What is This Thing Called Love. It seemed that this was another one of those gigs where the unreleased material was being road tested to gauge a reaction, to see how the audience responded to it before it settled into a permanent form on record. They'd done it before with songs like Bones and The Weight of the World, so past behaviour was being repeated. Consistency. Yet the truth was that consistency was no part of the events that all four Editors found themselves in during 2012.
When Tom hit the stage to play PIAS Nites, his band was falling apart.
This is a very interesting time in Editors' history, because it was the limbo state that existed between the public perception of everything being fine and the announcement two months later that Chris had been fired and everything changing. It's made even more remarkable by the fact that there were no overt indications of anything being wrong. As fans, we had no idea. The timeline of events is only known to those who lived it, so it's difficult to guess from the outside where things had progressed to on the 16th February 2012. It's a fairly safe bet that the interpersonal situation within the group had already reached a crisis point, but was Chris already gone? If so, then that means Tom, Ed and Russell were wrestling with all the resulting complications that followed. That in itself is stressful, but now add the burden of having to go and play your first ever solo show with an unmovable poker face to reveals nothing of the confusion you're hip-deep in. It's amazing how facts that are revealed after a situation has taken place can totally alter its significance. It also reaffirms the truth that you never really know anybody else as well as you think you might. Public persona is often a cheap, well constructed facsimile of identity.
Of course, it's tempting now with all this new information to look for any cracks in the facade, but I think that's a futile direction to take. Those little vocal falters during the show, the unease with which Tom endures the interview he does prior to playing must surely be signs that he wasn't himself? Signs that were clearly missed? In reality Tom has always been awkward in interviews, and it's only in the later years that he seems to have developed the right coping strategies to convincingly perform at the levels he does. I just think he's resilient and very good at compartmentalising his life, which enabled this show to happen in spite of the potentially destructive whirlwind he was caught up in offstage. The music is pure and real, but you should always hold on to your scepticism about the finery that surrounds it.
Speaking of the music.
When Tom plays Two Hearted Spider at PIAS Nites it resembles more of a missing link between the two very different known iterations of that song. The live version from 2011 that Chris was involved in was a dark dance number, very machine driven and consistent. The final studio take that ended up on TWOYL is very much a slow building anthem that begins softly and ends in catharsis. What makes the rendition played at PIAS Nites is that it's structurally different but it also has alternate lyrics that don't appear in either previous or the following versions.
"Won't you be there, I'm ready again"
Memories are a little blurred, but I do recall the same villagers that grabbed their pitchforks when ITLAOTE's electronics were revealed (to their disgust), now picked them up again to denounce Tom's falsetto on What is This Thing... Written with talent show The X-Factor in mind, you could argue that Tom was ahead of the curve with this style of song given the popularity of folks like Sam Smith right now. Just a thought.
Enough chatter, on with the show. Enjoy ;)
stream it here
FLACS
Once again, I have to thank the generous nature of a fellow Editors fan for a post I'm doing here. Yipman, a regular contributor on the guys' official forum, contacted me and very kindly offered up his audio recording of the PIAS Nites gig. Everything you hear is his work, and the files below are in their original FLAC format to keep listening to it as close to the experience of actually being there at the show. Thank you again, Yip. I really appreciate this.
1. NSBTW - download here
2. Blood - download here
3. Papillon - download here
4. 2 Hearted Spider - download here
5. WOTW - download here
6. The Weight of Your Love - download here
7. An End Has a Start - download here
8. Like Treasure - download here
9. What is This Thing Called Love - download here
10. Escape the Nest - download here
11. Distance - download here
Knowing what we know, the composure here is outstanding. Tom being interviewed by Studio Brussel just before the show, and pay particular attention to the details of E4 which they were working on at the time. Enjoy ;)
stream it here
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Fan Footage
The thing to say about these clips is that they're mostly for the hardcore fans among you all. They are videos shot by folks who were at the gig, and the quality of the footage can vary. If you weren't able to make the show, these videos give an idea of what it looked like to someone who did. As ever, I've found that pretty much all the folks I've contacted to ask for their footage have been very supportive and helpful, and I thank you all. As die-hard Editors fans, we all benefit from your generous nature.
**thank you - Stumm2004, Tille, Mary, Charlotte, Ilse and Kris, Eric, Suna, Yip and the good folks at Editors Daily**
1. No Sound But The Wind
(shot by princessHammock) - stream it here
2. Blood
3. Papillon
(shot by IlseKris) - stream it here
4. 2 Hearted Spider
(shot by bruisedfullmoon) - stream it here
5. The Weight of the World
6. The Weight of Your Love
(shot by bruisedfullmoon) - stream it here
7. An End Has a Start
(shot by stumm2004) - stream it here
8. Like Treasure
(shot by bruisedfullmoon) - stream it here
(shot by ericlecuriste) - stream it here
9. What is This Thing Called Love
(shot by bruisedfullmoon) - stream it here
10. Escape the Nest
(shot by suna1988) - stream it here
11. Distance
(shot by ericlecuriste) - stream it here
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
