After weeks of waiting in line...for nothingness (ho ho) March 2021 will be remembered in Editors' fandom as the month where Tom put together a surprise incremental solo gig of sorts, featuring fresh takes on some old favourites. The setlist ran like this:-
What made this collection so fantastic was the song selection, coupled with the sparse method of delivery. For me, (and they will probably hate this because it really has become a cliché) Editors will always be best defined as a live band above all else, given that this has always been the primary method of securing the loyalty of those who were drawn in after hearing the records. However, for all the vast number of gigs they've done they still possess within their repertoire a small group of songs that occupy the rare distinction of having only ever existed in studio form. Understandably, that list gets a little longer as each album is released making you feel like those older compositions are even more unlikely to come around again. The queue increases, and they take up residence as far away from the front of it as possible.
Before the 20th of March of 2021 we had never heard The Picture live. Ever. Originally a b-side on the Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors single, you would have been judged correct in believing it had been consigned to the folder marked "History". As it transpired, there was a missing preface;
"Dormant"
The six Editors songs in this ongoing(?) setlist either hadn't been played publicly before or were being presented in a new arrangement. Ask around and I'm sure you'll discover that this is something that we fan folks has been craving all during the pandemic; a little treat to keep the powder dry and the flame alight and at a low intensity. Sure, we had the video that was shared by Ed just under a year ago of the band playing Alexandra Palace in 2008, but this felt so much more contemporary and vivid. An interaction, even. As I wrote elsewhere, this wasn't anything you knew you needed until you had it, and then it became an addiction.
As I'm typing this, there have been no new additions to the collection. If Tom has officially ended the experiment, cut off the supply and this ends up having only been for a month, I'll take it. In honesty, I was rather selfishly wishing for the return of Come Share the View (which would have followed the theme of these performances perfectly), but hopefully we can apply maxim of never say never. Not only was there the novelty in the sounds we ended up with, but also in the way it offered a weekly morsel of sweetness to accompany the shit sandwich we've all eaten for most of the last year. It was nice to have something to look forward to again. Thanks Tom.
In other Editors related news, the Creation Day Festival that was planned for May fell victim to the toxic times we occupy. An official statement was released to the press on the 8th March:-
I'm sure it was a mixture of going ahead being an enormous gamble (can anyone say with 100% conviction that we won't be in lockdown again in May?), but more than that it was probably just a practicality thing. I would guess that the bands on the bill haven't been together in a room since the beginning of last year, and so any real authentic rehearsal time has been an unaffordable luxury. Zoom meetings are no substitute from the feeling that comes from conjuring up a vibe/emotion or whatever you call it in a room using only your instruments and a voice or two.
Even though the slow viral-induced nosedive we've been in is finally starting to level out, there still just wouldn't be enough time to get stage-ready and good to go. The dispute of a half arsed underprepared concert filled with mistakes versus a well practiced roster of energy fuelled musicians, whose only concern is to flatten a crowd with great music, is an easy case to adjudicate. So it's been postponed for another year, and it will hopefully retain some of the lineup that should have taken part in 2021.
Outside of Editors, Elliott has been making and releasing his own music as Elliott Lion, and you can check out his new EP The Creeps by using this link.
Enjoy the snaps from March 2021 ;)
Editors Instagram - March 2021
For all of Editors' previous Instagram posts, go here.
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
