"Have you still got...beans in you? Have you still got some life left?" - Tom prior to Bullets
It's no exaggeration to say that this is a must-have if you're a fan of the band, primarily because they were on fire at T in The Park. In the post-gig interview both Tom and Chris intimate as much, naming it as the number 1 gig they'd ever played at that point. It is an accurate portrait of confidence and ability being supported by an attentive group of listeners. 2007 was the year that things really developed for Editors, with their second album An End Has a Start debuting at number 1 in the UK charts. It was a sign that all the excessive touring and promotional work they put in for the Back Room, as well as their fledgling songwriting abilities, were manifesting success. These were the years that have acted as a foundation for the achievements that followed. In a strange way, some of the quirks that have become fixtures of their later material began here too. Mass hand-clapping, for example. If you think about the palm to palm routines that we've had to learn for Ocean of Night or even more recently Magazine (it's 2,3,2,3,2,3,2,3), you can see it happening 11 years ago during Munich. Radio Ga-Ga by Queen has so much to answer for.
The live version of Smokers here is just sensational. If you watch carefully you'll be able to spot a couple of really nice moments. As he's singing "I can't believe you.." during the piano breakdown toward the end of the song, the fact that the audience are already totally onside and clapping along registers clearly on his face. Then, after some crowd baiting he launches himself into the air and then hit the landing right on the exact instance that the rest of the band come back in.
This was another Editors gig where the audience have to take equal credit for the intensity of the show. They take a position of enthusiasm and participation from the very first number on the setlist and they remain totally in place until the finale. If you listen to Bullets, for example, Chris' guitar is lost in the cheering in the gap between the "Would you fall down?" and final chorus sections. At the start of Munich, Tom actually walks away from the mic and lets the audience sing the verses back to him. Even when they all come in too early on the chorus, they continue on as if they got it right. It's brilliant. When you get a congregation of people like this who carry such a fervor for the event, it actually shapes the outcome of the show. Enjoy the music ;)
Video - stream it here
MP3s
1. An End Has a Start - download here
2. Blood - download here
3. Bullets - download here
4. The Racing Rats - download here
5. The Weight of the World - download here
6. You Are Fading - download here
7. Munich - download here
8. Smokers - download here
9. Fingers in the Factories - download here
All in a zip - download here or download here
Here's an interview with Tom and Chris in the backstage area of the festival, as they stopped by for a chat with Zane Lowe and Lauren Laverne. Enjoy ;)
stream it here
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
