"OK Barrowlands, on a Saturday fucking night..."
Covert ops between the Archive and Mr GaryUK continue. Here's another recording from the collection of your primary supplier of illicit audio documents, many thanks again to you for your work sir. It's appreciated ;)
This gig saw a welcome return to the stage by Mr Smith after a night away. The band were booked to play Aberdeen on the 12th but were forced out by ill health. For some reason, Team Editors recently took the frankly baffling decision to let Mr Smith out of his protective oxygen tent and after a few nights of breathing in UK germs on this part of the E6 campaign, guess what happened? Damn you, viral infection! There was some trepidation as to whether this gig would even happen, as we've seen in the past that when Editors cancel a show, it's usually for a serious reason. Luckily for us, the engagement was met and it resulted in what may be the finest night out in the early part of this UK tour.
You can hear a little bit of the congestion in Tom's voice, and there are times when it sounds like he's having to increase his effort to reach normally effortless heights, but it doesn't detract from the performance at all. I'm repeating earlier statements but I really am glad they're playing it smarter these days in terms of touring. In the past when illness arrived they would have pushed forward, grinding things into the ground until the wheels came off. Not now. Concerts can be rescheduled, however inconvenient that may be for both band and audience. I know that there were people who travelled in from overseas to catch them, and that must have been heartbreaking. To get that close and have it snatched away. But the alternative of just saying "Forward!" and having the latter half of the year wrecked because Tom didn't listen to the very clear message he was being sent by his body, would have been disastrous. As it turned out, all that was needed was a reordering of the setlist to take out some of the more "athletic" vocal moments and a crowd that makes all Editors fans look great.
Warfare is all about strategy, but sometimes a little bit of luck can help. If you were going to get temporarily derailed and then comeback shortly afterwards, you'd want to do it in front of a partisan crowd who all showed up. The old adage of audiences getting wilder the further north you go is proven with gusto here. To judge just how far into the show the ticket holding fans in front of you are, listen for them singing along to the lead guitar/keyboard lines of your favourite Editors songs. Not just the lyrics, oh no, the keyboard lines (check out All Sparks, Papillon and An End Has a Start).
It might not have cured him of his ailments but I bet that the adrenaline, energy and love that he got from that crowd made the shivers a little easier to bear. Look after you, Mr Smith.
As a 5 piece they are so damn powerful right now. Barring any bacterial intervention, this tour is going to be amazing. In closing, I would say that Tom sums up Editors so far with a single line just before Munich:-
"It's too dark man, I can't see my guitar."
Amen. Enjoy the music ;)
The Setlist"It's too dark man, I can't see my guitar."
Amen. Enjoy the music ;)
1. The Boxer - download here
2. Sugar - download here
3. Hallelujah (So Low) - download here
4. All Sparks - download here
5. An End Has a Start - download here
6. Someone Says - download here
7. Darkness at the Doors - download here
8. Open Your Arms - download here
9. Violence - download here
10. Bullets - download here
11. A Ton of Love - download here
12. Nothingness - download here
13. Ocean of Night - download here
14. Blood - download here
15. Papillon - download here
16. Magazine - download here
17. Encore - download here
18. Cold - download here
19. Racing Rats - download here
20. Smokers - download here
21. Munich - download here
All MP3s in a Zip - download here
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
