Even though this was only 5 months ago, it seems like a lot longer. Blanck Mass had yet to fully make an appearance as a member of the band playing music live, and the new songs were still being gradually worked into the set, Nic was still on guitar, EBM was 3 months away from release and No Sound but the Wind was the closing number. Vibe? Strange Intimacy? Never heard of 'em, mate. Time surely does move fast.
This posting is laced with sadness, and not the good kind that we normally derive from Editors playing live. Gary recorded this show specifically as a tribute to Danny Manta, who was a regular on the old forum and continued to be a part of the fan community until he passed away earlier this year. I never met him personally, but I was aware of the solid reputation he possessed through word of mouth.
One person who did know him was Gary, and this is what he had to say about this show in Birmingham:-
The gig
was on the Sunday and his funeral took place a few days later on the
Friday. I watched it online and it was a beautiful send off featuring
lots of his favourite songs, needless to say I lost it when Bullets was
played as he often told me it was his favourite Editors track, so it was
no surprise when it started up. Over the years we spent a lot of time
with him as he was a queue regular and it was always a joy to see him
and spend time with him and just chat and laugh about music and life. We
also stayed in touch during tour/album downtime so he loss is a sore
one. He often recalled the story about how he bumped in to Tom in
Manchester and they talked for a few minutes and found out they both
have a love for Bruce Springsteen. I am sure you will remember him from
the original official forum as he was a frequent poster there. I do miss
him dearly.
Danny's was clearly not a life lived anonymously. Although his time was too short, he still managed to affect those he met in a positive way. These people that were once strangers, they miss him. Folks who shared his love of this band. There are greater compliments to be found, for sure, but I hope that this is an adequate one in this instance.
Truthfully, Gary wasn't entirely happy with the way this recording turned out, nearly abandoning the idea of releasing it, and he's right that there is distortion throughout courtesy of Ed's thunderous drumming. That, however, is not the point as far as I'm concerned. This is a parting tribute to a fan from another fan, and the gesture itself balances out any auditory shortcomings. Plus, I don't believe there's ever a perfect way to say goodbye. You just say it.
Hug the ones you love a little tighter, and do everything you can to enjoy this ride we're on. It won't last forever, but you can do beautiful things with it for as long as it does.
Farewell, Danny. Safe travels.
MP3s
Heart Attack - download here
The Racing Rats - download here
Bullets - download here
Karma Climb - download here
Bricks and Mortar - download here
Magazine - download here
Bones - download here
Blood - download here
Violence - download here
No Harm - download here
An End Has a Start - download here
Papillon - download here
Frankenstein - download here
Kiss - download here
Sugar - download here
Munich - download here
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors - download here
No Sound but the Wind - download here
Heart Attack - download here
The Racing Rats - download here
Bullets - download here
Karma Climb - download here
Bricks and Mortar - download here
Magazine - download here
Bones - download here
Blood - download here
Violence - download here
No Harm - download here
An End Has a Start - download here
Papillon - download here
Frankenstein - download here
Kiss - download here
Sugar - download here
Munich - download here
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors - download here
No Sound but the Wind - download here
All in a Zip - download here
brought to you with lots and lots of lemming-love ;) x
