Editors at Fabric in September 2009 is a complicated and elusive creature with multiple identities, all of whom you will come to adore once you get to know them a little. Firstly, there are two versions on video and a complete audience recording courtesy of the Archive's partner in clandestine audio adventures, Mr GaryUK. Thanks again for your work, Gary.
There was a 4Music special in the UK that was broadcast on Channel 4, 10th October 2009. It was a highlights broadcast of the band's show at Fabric on the 16th September. Only 4 songs are included and they are ITLAOTE, Papillon, ERM=BD and You Don't Know Love. This was great because it served as a sampler for fans, as the new album came out just a couple of days after the gig on the 12th of October. The downside was that it was scheduled for just after midnight, meaning another late night for your host (there's been a few). You would think that the story ends there, but...
In a move that has become familiar to anyone who's been following Editors' escapades for a while now, Europe decided to be a little bit more supportive and welcoming to the group once more. Muziek op Acht devoted an entire 45 minutes to their own version of the film, treating fans to 5 extra pro-shot tracks including Like Treasure and The Big Exit. The extra footage ended up being available on the Babelgum website afterwards, but that page has since been consigned to history. However, that doesn't mean they're gone forever, and you can check out the full Dutch television broadcast here at the Archive. There's also a complete audience recording by Gary which will cover all the missing tracks that never made it to air. So there you go, all neat and tidy and all details are covered. Surely that's all there is to this post, correct?
I'm afraid not.
What you will notice is that there's a marked difference between the two videos, and not just in their running times. The 4Music special had some added narration from Tom which isn't on the longer Dutch version. Why it wasn't included on both I don't know, but I've uploaded it all so you're not missing out.
There was a 4Music special in the UK that was broadcast on Channel 4, 10th October 2009. It was a highlights broadcast of the band's show at Fabric on the 16th September. Only 4 songs are included and they are ITLAOTE, Papillon, ERM=BD and You Don't Know Love. This was great because it served as a sampler for fans, as the new album came out just a couple of days after the gig on the 12th of October. The downside was that it was scheduled for just after midnight, meaning another late night for your host (there's been a few). You would think that the story ends there, but...
In a move that has become familiar to anyone who's been following Editors' escapades for a while now, Europe decided to be a little bit more supportive and welcoming to the group once more. Muziek op Acht devoted an entire 45 minutes to their own version of the film, treating fans to 5 extra pro-shot tracks including Like Treasure and The Big Exit. The extra footage ended up being available on the Babelgum website afterwards, but that page has since been consigned to history. However, that doesn't mean they're gone forever, and you can check out the full Dutch television broadcast here at the Archive. There's also a complete audience recording by Gary which will cover all the missing tracks that never made it to air. So there you go, all neat and tidy and all details are covered. Surely that's all there is to this post, correct?
I'm afraid not.
What you will notice is that there's a marked difference between the two videos, and not just in their running times. The 4Music special had some added narration from Tom which isn't on the longer Dutch version. Why it wasn't included on both I don't know, but I've uploaded it all so you're not missing out.
I think the capacity of Fabric is around 1600 people, and 9 years later it's bizarre seeing them on such a small stage. All that equipment and not a lot of room to bounce around, but all four of them are completely locked into what each other is doing. There's a weird telepathy at work here, and not even having to go through the mechanics of swapping instruments for different songs or signing backing vocals can alter it.
The feature itself is a mixture of footage of the band onstage intercut with shots of them projected onto various city locations at night. It's a slight left turn from being a straightforward multiple angle film of them just playing, opting for something a little more atmospheric. It's especially effective during The Big Exit and adds to the overbearing, quietly threatening nature of that tune.
Being a showcase gig for E3, virtually the whole of ITLAOTE is played here with the only exception being The Boxer. The wrestling figures that Mr Urbanowicz used to balance on the top of his amps during Editors' live shows appear again. This was a habit he picked up from one Peter Buck of R.E.M., who performed the same trick only with miniature dinosaurs.
I love Like Treasure here. If you watch Tom he's actually fixed to the keyboard for the majority of the song. Rather than just standing there and playing, though, he's actually in constant motion at the same time. Rocking back and forth, it's as if the only thing keeping him in place is that hand attached to the synth. Note the way he almost starts conducting the music about half way through, just before the "I used to want to be you" section. Of all the old songs that don't get played any more, I remember this one with the most fondness.
Enjoy the music ;)
In This Light and on This Evening
ERM=BD
You Don't Know Love
Like Treasure
Munich
The Big Exit
Walk the Fleet Road
Papillon
Bricks and Mortar
stream it here
Channel 4 Highlights (with narration from Tom)
In This Light and on This Evening - stream here
ERM=BD - stream here
You Don't Know Love - stream here
Papillon - stream here
stream it here
MP3s
ITLAOTE - downoad here
Bullets - downoad here
An End Has a Start - downoad here
Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool - downoad here
Blood - downoad here
Lights - downoad here
You Don't Know Love - downoad here
The Racing Rats - downoad here
Like Treasure - downoad here
Bones - downoad here
Munich - downoad here
The Big Exit - downoad here
You Are Fading - downoad here
Fingers in the Factories - downoad here
Encore Break - download here
Walk the Fleet Road - downoad here
Papillon - downoad here
Smokers - downoad here
Bricks and Mortar - downoad here
And lastly, this was the trailer that was broadcast prior to the 4Music special being aired. It has a large chunk of the title track from ITLAOTE so I'm not even going to attempt to upload this to YouTube. I'm already in the copyright doghouse on a regular basis, no sense in deliberately rattling the lion's cage.
download here or download here
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
