Let's begin with the bad news. The video version of this show has imperfections throughout. There's lots of freeze frames and stream stutter, but they were there in the original source material I'm afraid. The most obvious downer is that Bones is incomplete, fading in as it does. The good news is that I also have some mp3s ripped from 3FM and they are all fully intact and sounding wonderful. So you will get to hear the full set, even though the visual representation is a little bit lacking. There's also some absolutely golden bonus material in the form of Mr Urbanowicz and Mr Lay doing an interview and showing us around the backstage area of Pinkpop
And now for the good news. By 2008 the band were becoming experts at playing live, having already toured the hell out of The Back Room, perhaps to their detriment at the time, and then campaigning the An End Has A Start album. There's an obvious confidence and a belief in their abilities as musicians which certainly informs the songs and how they sound. For an example of just how relaxed they all were, look very closely at around 4 minutes of Smokers. You'll see Tom temporarily, and accidentally, silence his guitar when he jumps off the piano. He just looks at Chris, mouths something slightly rude and shrugs his shoulders. The song carries on, no big deal.
And now for the good news. By 2008 the band were becoming experts at playing live, having already toured the hell out of The Back Room, perhaps to their detriment at the time, and then campaigning the An End Has A Start album. There's an obvious confidence and a belief in their abilities as musicians which certainly informs the songs and how they sound. For an example of just how relaxed they all were, look very closely at around 4 minutes of Smokers. You'll see Tom temporarily, and accidentally, silence his guitar when he jumps off the piano. He just looks at Chris, mouths something slightly rude and shrugs his shoulders. The song carries on, no big deal.
The setlist is designed for festivals, meaning that it's mostly "The Hits", but it's how they're played which makes Pinkpop 2008 so special. The way that this show was mixed means that you can hear some aspects of certain songs that you may not have been aware of prior to hearing them this way. I won't be deliberate and point every single one of them out, but if you're someone who listens to Editors a lot then you'll be able to spot the subtle differences. What I will say is that Blood passes by at 100 mph, Escape the Nest has a really dirty guitar sound to it, and this set has a really excellent performance of An End Has A Start.
MP3s
Bones - download here
The Racing Rats - download here
An End Has a Start - download here
All Sparks - download here
Escape the Nest - download here
The Weight of the World - download here
Bullets - download here
Blood - download here
You Are Fading - download here
Munich - download here
When Anger Shows - download here
Fingers in the Factories - download here
Smokers - download here
All in a Zip - download here
Bonus Materials - Interviews
How would you like a tour of the backstage area of Pinkpop, courtesy of one of pop music's great comedy double-acts Mr Urbanowicz and Mr Lay? You're welcome ;)
stream it here
The second interview is a little ropey in terms of its quality, but it's worth your time purely for the humour involved. JATV at Pinkpop makes the correct decision to interview Chris and Ed, and the results are sparkly. How tall is Ed? Can he remember the name Blood Red Shoes (and will Chris react if he gets it wrong?), and watch out for the confession of just who Editors sound like, laced in unmistakable sarcasm. If that wasn't enough for you, this video also includes a brief rendition of the bassline to an undisputed indie classic by Mr Urbanowicz.
How would you like a tour of the backstage area of Pinkpop, courtesy of one of pop music's great comedy double-acts Mr Urbanowicz and Mr Lay? You're welcome ;)
stream it here
This is Mr Smith and King Leetch having a chat with 3FM in the holding area of Pinkpop 2008. We learn about Russell's rigorous training regime for his impending marathon run, and their plans after they played that night. Enjoy ;)
stream it here
stream it here
brought to you with lots of lemming-love :) x
