Not a great deal happened across Editors' social media accounts during July. Elliott is back behind the decks and finally playing to live audiences again, which is fantastic, while Justin is off on holiday and has provided us with some amazing photography from his travels. As with other snaps he's taken with his family in, they aren't included here because they aren't specifically Editors related. Even if he's OK with posting it himself, it feels intrusive being replicated here. I still respect the band member's privacy. If you want to see them you can always check him out on Instagram.
There might have been very little Editors news to share in July, but some momentary good fortune provided a fleeting chance to jump off the cliff of possibilities with hope in your hands, air to breathe and a hang-glider made of shiny optimism.
True to form, it failed to fly.
After being announced on the 1st July 2021...Pukkelpop was cancelled again on the 23rd of July 2021, which is a very quick turnaround. 3 weeks of anticipation were suddenly crushed by the reality that any large social undertaking is still a massive gamble.With the targeted goal removed, Editors are suddenly back to the place they were a month before, with no confirmed engagements (that we're publicly aware of) and an abundance of time to kill. There's also the small matter of E7, which could very well be finished and ready for consumption in terms of its construction. This band are all dressed up and nowhere to go. As negative as this may seem, and it really does, there might actually be an unexpected benefit to the change in circumstance.
They haven't been on a stage since March of 2020, and so you have to
assume that with Pukkelpop on the very immediate horizon, they were putting in the work to make sure that
the rust was shaken off. This would no doubt have included prolonged rehearsals in a space somewhere, hence the sparse output on social media. On that point, isn't it a little weird that we've had hardly any teasers this time around? No sound clips or photos of strategically placed whiteboards containing possible song titles? We're totally in the dark, which I suppose is both the best and worst part of being an Editors fan.
Historically, Editors have usually previewed at least some of their new material live before they put it out in a permanent, recorded form. So it makes sense that they might have been preparing to slip one or two new tracks from their as yet untitled new record into the set list for Pukkelpop. This would serve two purposes; the first would be to let fans experience something they haven't already heard and the second would be to see how they work in a live setting and knock them into shape. All fuelled by the pent-up energy and ambition that springs from almost a year and a half spent in the dark basements of restriction. Now that this is no longer a future concern, how could the loss be viewed in a positive way?
It's giving them even more time to rehearse and prepare.
I hate to bring up the spectre of Joy Division, but this isn't the comparison you'd expect. One of the things they did really well was preparing for gigs. In their early days they had trouble getting live dates in their native Manchester, so they retreated to their rehearsal space and made damn sure that once they were given the chance, they would have the greatest impact on an audience through really knowing their own material and being able to deliver it with maximum effect. Maybe it was done out of spite and resentment towards the nay sayers, and an attitude of "We'll show you", but it worked. Editors are metaphorically in that spot where they can't get a show right now, but they have new songs to play. I think this will only act as motivation to tighten everything up for their return.
Then there's the argument to be made for momentum loss, given that they've been forced into public stillness for a year and a half. I do wonder, though, if perhaps the way they achieved their success has perhaps offered them a little bit of insulation from that problem? They accomplished their longevity in the music business the old-fashioned way; by issuing regular recorded releases and cultivating a fan base gradually through an unshakeable (and often unhealthy) work ethic. They have matured in stages, and on stages, in a similar way that bands like U2, Radiohead and R.E.M. did it. Mainstream acceptance was a prize awarded to those who persevered long enough to receive it, and brought with them their own support network. It's why, with the exception of R.E.M., those groups can go away and come back a couple of years later to a good level of success. The majority of the people that enjoy their music aren't fairweather fans, they're all in, and I would guess that absence has created anticipation rather than amnesia.
Editors Instagram - July 2021
For all of Editors' previous Instagram posts, go here.
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love :) x
