Ruth4Truth

Helllloooooo there!

It’s been ages! How many of my blog posts begin like this? Once again life has gotten in the way of me telling you about my life. Well an awesome gig has shaken me out of my reclusivity (Is that a word? It should be), and it was Editors again!

I had to go back and re-read what I wrote about Editors last time, cos I felt like I would be repeating myself. Here it is, in case you are interested…

Well a lot was similar to last time. The band had released a new album. I hadn’t listened to it. I had only listened to the previous ones a handful of times. I was ambivalent about buying a ticket and going to see them again. But this time I had the experience of seeing them once before, and that was a bloody good experience, so I thought “what the hell” and bought a ticket.  I later found out that a friend of mine from an early sign language class was also going, so it would be good to have a gig buddy and catch up.

I wanted to get there early to get near the front, also I found out that the Twilight Sad were supporting so I wanted the chance to see them properly after loosely following them for a number of years.  I met up with my friend and her friend, and we lingered just behind the crowd at the front as we chatted waiting for them to come on.  The Twilight Sad were really good.  They seemed to be approaching this as something akin to a headline set for them, so they went all out and the crowd responded accordingly, getting the party started early.  We discussed how we had never purposefully bought a Twilight Sad album or listened to them properly before, then wondered why the hell not, cos they were rocking the roof off the Academy.

After they had finished, and their lead singer looked like he was going to explode from the sheer exhilaration of the whole experience, I noticed the couple in front of us eagerly googling the band, clearly they had made an impression on them too.

During the break, after a suitable pause to let as many people go to the bar / loo as possible, we sidled our way as far forward as we could without being rude. Inevitably, several times during the night various tall people came and stood right in front of us (hate being short at gigs) but the crowd wasn’t so packed that we couldn’t shift a bit and still see.

We didn’t have too long to wait until Editors came on. Just the same as last time, right from the get-go I knew this would be a good gig. Their familiar sound filled the hall, Tom’s voice penetrates your very soul and everything makes sense. They play with an energy, an urgency that I just don’t get listening to their records.  I had managed to listen to the newer albums a couple of times before the night, so I kind of recognised the new songs, but only knew like 1 word in 20. Regardless I did my best to sing along, no doubt annoying the “real” fans who were belting out every word. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t as familiar with the songs, I got swept away in the music and captivated by Tom’s performance.

I will try not to gush here, but with Chris not being pat of the band any more (still hurts) I’m afraid I don’t know the new guys’ names, it’s all about Tom. To some extent he carries the whole band, in more ways that a lead singer should. I didn’t feel like the guitar/synth combo was anything special, their sound is still lacking something.  But I literally couldn’t take my eyes off of Tom, apart from to occasionally look at Ed on drums, cos he’s cool and drums are cool. Ok, really trying not to gush here, but Tom is just so goddam sexy and his voice I think literally melted something inside me.  He moved, gestured, writhed and as we say here “gave it laldy” for the full 1 HOUR AND 45 MINUTES of their set. 1 HOUR AND 45 MINUTES!! According to a setlist site we got 21 songs. Just like last time, the songs were only momentarily punctured with an occasional “thank you!”. He’s not a talker, our Tom.

One thing that was different from last time was that we did get a short, 1-song acoustic section. Tom performed a solo, acoustic version of Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors, which has always resonated with me, as I once lived on a street just outside a hospital – a fucking children’s hospital and maternity unit no less, and it was indeed a sad, sad sight to see people smoking outside. The song may well have a deeper meaning than that, but once you have seen a heavily pregnant woman in a hospital gown puffing away on a fag, that image stays with you. Anyway, I digress.  It was a gorgeous, mass-sing-a-long moment, only slightly ruined by the people who continued to talk during this most intimate, tender performance.  I was hoping for a couple of songs, but 1 is better than none. Thanks Tom. (inset lovey-eyed emoji here)

There was a point, during the very U2-esque “A Ton of Love” that I suddenly wondered why on earth this band were no longer the next U2? Sure, they had a couple of very popular albums, then some less so, but their live shows are amazing, Tom is a perfect front man, they clearly have a dedicated fan base. Maybe their time will yet come, or they will be slow burners, always somewhere on the scene and in 30 years I’ll still be there, singing along and telling my kids/grandkids that back in the day, this ageing rocker was actually a hot young thing….

By the encore, which included a stomp-fest, hands in the air Papillon, I was exhausted. Didn’t want it to stop, but thought I might need a sit-down if it carried on.  Must be getting old. Almost 2 hours of non-stop, jumping, sexy rock music. Why did I ever doubt you, Editors? One of the best live bands I’ve ever seen.

Since the gig I’ve gone back and listened to the “new” albums. I’ve decided that In This Light and On This Evening is pretty shite.  Barring Papillon and Eat Raw Meat, maybe You Don’t Know Love it’s boring. Really boring. But I’ve discovered I really like The Weight of Your Love. Well it gets a bit slow towards the end, but otherwise it’s a much stronger album that I first gave it credit. The actual new one is too new, but I’ll give it more of a chance now. Unfortunately I think Editors are one of those bands whose music really comes to life when played live, but I’m definitely not going to dismiss them as has-beens. And next time they come to town I’ll be there. And I look forward to taking my daughters and future grandchildren.