The 25th June 2023 saw Editors return to Worthy Farm for another set at Glastonbury Festival. There's an arc that runs directly from Tom being a young man, to the year 2023 when the band took to the stage in their 3rd line-up. The beginnings of everything you see and hear in this show go back to him attending the festival as a fan, through forming a band and wanting to write a song for that environment. Glastonbury is clearly important to him, and the fondness he and the rest of the band appear to feel for the venue hasn't diminished over time. If you're really attentive and focus in on any of the musicians present, you'll pick up at least one example of their visible enjoyment of the event as it progresses. Watch Ed leaning over his drums during An End Has a Start to scream at the crowd, for example. They do not possess reliable poker-faces when they play.
There is something to be said for the success of a concert being directly influenced by its level of attachment to the players, and also the crowd. Glastonbury was not just another stop on the tour schedule, it felt like it meant more than that to everyone.
This is Editors playing on the newly-named Woodsies stage, and I think the forced (strange) intimacy of a tent environment only assisted in the intensity of the interaction between band and crowd. Remember, there were plans a few years ago at a festival engagement to rework Editors' back catalogue so as to be more suitable to a dance event. Had the pandemic not happened, we may well have seen something similar to this back then. A large group of people dancing and having a great time, to music that is clearly intended to be a source of unbearable sorrow.
There is something to be said for the success of a concert being directly influenced by its level of attachment to the players, and also the crowd. Glastonbury was not just another stop on the tour schedule, it felt like it meant more than that to everyone.
This is Editors playing on the newly-named Woodsies stage, and I think the forced (strange) intimacy of a tent environment only assisted in the intensity of the interaction between band and crowd. Remember, there were plans a few years ago at a festival engagement to rework Editors' back catalogue so as to be more suitable to a dance event. Had the pandemic not happened, we may well have seen something similar to this back then. A large group of people dancing and having a great time, to music that is clearly intended to be a source of unbearable sorrow.
If you're paying close, close attention you'll see and hear some priceless little occurrences. Watch both Tom and Russell's faces during Ocean of Night, where Mr Smith triggers the screechy vocal sample from ERM=BD. They both knew what happened, and perhaps they knew they were lost, but they carried on anyway (ho ho). Or what about Tom acknowledging the sound of a crowd that isn't directly in front of him during Strawberry Lemonade. One of the potential pitfalls of playing a festival where multiple acts are taking part, is that the activities from one will bleed into another, and that's exactly what happened here. It's good to have video of this kind of thing, because in an audio-only recording your mind would have invented all kinds of reasons for the spontaneous cheering. Maybe Tom did a scissor kick and split his trousers? Maybe Elton John appeared as an unannounced keyboardist? The possibilities...
The set-list is shorter than last week's at Pinkpop, with Magazine and Heart Attack getting the chop. Racing Rats sounds bigger than it ever has. Actually, on that note, I went back and revisited some older Glastonbury appearances in preparation for this post. I can honestly say that this is most expansive their music has sounded at the festival. It's obvious that it should, given there are now six people on the stage, but it just sounds like it's breathing more freely, if that makes sense?
The set-list is shorter than last week's at Pinkpop, with Magazine and Heart Attack getting the chop. Racing Rats sounds bigger than it ever has. Actually, on that note, I went back and revisited some older Glastonbury appearances in preparation for this post. I can honestly say that this is most expansive their music has sounded at the festival. It's obvious that it should, given there are now six people on the stage, but it just sounds like it's breathing more freely, if that makes sense?
The only complaint I have, which is actually more of a lament, is that a duet with Rachel Goswell on Ocean of Night never materialised**. Tom has sung live with a female vocal partner before, that video is of course avalable here at the Archive, but I was so sure that this would be the one. It's forcing me to consider that it might just be one of those wishes that is never made real, because there have been at least two dates in their respective histories, including this one, where Slowdive and Editors have shared an event. If you were a person that likes to bet, you would expect that the circumstances of the time would make this a pretty safe wager. Both bands are at Glastonbury, one is on directly after the other, Ocean of Night is already in the set so no need to re-organise anything, La Goswell brought her voice, Tom does not have laryngitis...and yet is still didn't happen. I fear that the sight and sound of those two playing live together will have to be consigned to the same box as the abandoned Flood sessions and Dream Dark as Your Heaven.
**I obviously say this with a great deal of love and affection for both Slowdive and Editors, and of course I have no idea as to the reasons it never quite came to pass. It just felt like we were so close this time.
It's a wee bit too hot to post the video for this on YouTube right now, if you know what I mean. I don't even think it would make it through the publishing phase before being nuked. Once it drops out of view on the IPlayer I'll try my luck but in the meantime, go here
Below is a link to the IPlayer page here and some MP3s of the event in the meantime. Enjoy the music ;)
BBC IPlayer Link
MP3s
Strange Intimacy - download here
An End Has a Start - download here
Bones - download here
Strawberry Lemonade - download here
Racing Rats - download here
Karma Climb - download here
Munich - download here
Hallelujah (So Low) - download here
Ocean of Night - download here
Picturesque - download here
Killer - download here
Papillon - download here
MP3s
Strange Intimacy - download here
An End Has a Start - download here
Bones - download here
Strawberry Lemonade - download here
Racing Rats - download here
Karma Climb - download here
Munich - download here
Hallelujah (So Low) - download here
Ocean of Night - download here
Picturesque - download here
Killer - download here
Papillon - download here
All in a Zip - download here
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love ;) x
