Having just moved from Manchester to London in 1995, excited but terrified at the same time, embarking on an new adventure working in for an independent record label, little did I know then that one band, more than any other would come to define my time in the capital.
‘Pure Phase’ released in March 1995, in its glow in the dark cd case, sat proudly on my cd shelves in my new London home, its luminosity shining out throughout the night. No need for a new bedside lamp, I had Pure Phase! It was a remarkable album, ahead of its time in so many ways, by a band who stood apart from the current crop of mid 90’s indie bands. Incorporating free jazz, blues, gospel, and pure adrenalised rock n roll, ‘Pure Phase’ was a genre melding cocktail of aural goodness.
Although it was well received at the time, with praise from the music press and fans alike, in subsequent years it often became eclipsed by its bigger brother 1997’s ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’’ yet ‘Pure Phase’ remains a remarkable piece of work and is often cited as Spiritualized’s vocalist/guitarist Jason Pierce’s favourite album. Celebrating its 30th birthday, tonight we’re here to witness the album, played live in its entirety for the first time.
On record there was always an expansive quality to Spiritualized’s sound, layers of instrumentation and melodic lines built on sonic foundations, so it’s no surprise that the band tonight consists of three guitarists including Jason, who stands stage left, facing the band, as well as drummer, bassist, keyboard player, string section, horn section and backing singers. As they launch into the opening bars of ‘Medication’ with its gentle opening Hammond organ riffs giving way to the explosive chorus, the stage is bathed in laser style lights, creating an exhilarating opener. One of the horn section switches to flute for the delicate tones of ‘The Slide Song’ before the noise fuelled instrumental ‘Electric Phase’ kicks in, merging seamlessly into the string led refrains of the gorgeous ‘All Of My Tears’. ’These Blues’ is a full on harmonica boosted epic, with those three guitars interweaving amidst an array of effects pedals and pounding drums. The backing singers keep the repetitive vocal refrains of ‘Let It Flow’ pulsating along nicely, underneath Jason’s main vocal lines whilst elsewhere in the set, ‘Lay Back In The Sun’ is a full on wave of interweaving guitar lines and brass. “I’ve waited all my life to hear this one” the bloke behind me whispers to his mate, as the opening refrain of “Spread Your Wings” creeps delicately across the seated Apollo crowd. A firm fan favourite, yet rarely played live until this tour, it’s a thing of absolute beauty with sweeping strings, pulsating guitars and Jason’s hushed vocal tones nestling over the top. After the entire album has been played in full, the band return to the stage for an epic twenty minute encore of ‘Cop Shoot Cop’ from 1997’s ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’, and it’s a fitting finale to a mesmerising set.
Revisiting the album again brings back memories of those hard working, fast paced record label days at Dedicated Records, with ‘Pure Phase’ being the very first album campaign I was fortunate to be involved in. Having left the music industry and London many years ago, tonight‘s gig is so much more than a mere rose tinted flashback to the past. Seeing the whole album played live, thirty years later, is a timely reminder that life moves fast, yet some things are reassuringly constant – the ability of Spiritualized’s music to be beautifully epic yet delicately timeless, their ability to still push musical boundaries, and the ability of their packaging to still be comfortingly glowing on my CD shelf.
From the early days of creating handmade zines, in a DIY paper and glue style, interviewing bands around town, then pestering Piccadilly Records to sell them, to writing for various independent mags such as Chimp and Ablaze, writing about the music I love is still a great passion. After testing the music industry waters in London with stints at various labels, being back in my hometown again, writing about this city’s vibrant music scene is as exciting as ever. All time favourite bands include Sonic Youth, Nick Cave, Patti Smith although anything from electro to folk via blues and pysch rock will also do nicely too. A great album, is simply a great album, regardless of whatever musical cage you put it in.
