 Editors – ACADEMY 1, MANCHESTER – I once turned up to an Editors gig a day late. As I walked away from the queue for Fall Out Boy, I vowed I’d probably try and see them again at some point, but it never came up. And then this new album In Dreams somewhat grabbed me. It is dark, moody and punchy with some intertwining electros and synths. I hoped these would come up a treat as a live set. I’ve turned up on the right day to hear this new reformed sound. Being a fan of their first album, I was keen to hear some classics as well. They kick off with ‘No Harm‘ from the new album. It is, as purported, melancholy and stirring with a deep overlay of vocals and I love it. It builds up as a filmic soundscape with synths. Lead singer Tom Smith has a wide vocal range. He delves down to the baritones akin to Matt Berninger from The National, but also reaching up to the falsetto notes pretty effortlessly Next up (quickly) is ‘Sugar’, a lesser known track to me, which is lead by guitars and is much rockier. Smith is quite the agile mover. He claims space on the stage with passion and zeal. We don’t need to wait long before we hear the title track from the first album ‘An End Has A Start’. They build up layers of instruments and the crowd go wild. This album works so well live. You can tell this is a long practiced track. It is flawless. We get another new track ‘Forgiveness’ in which Smith adds his piano to the ensemble. Having heard this on the album, l’m not a massive fan of the live version in which the melody is a bit listless. Another classic ‘Sparks’ grabs me immediately from the guitar intro. This is my favourite Editors track. Punchy drums and sharp guitars with Toms unwavering vocal . His waif form is energetic and charismatic throughout. He sings with his whole body. When the piano-lead ‘The Racing Rats’ comes on, we all cheer. The energy coming from the stage seems to be increasing with every song. They have found their pace now. ‘Salvation ‘opens with a series of aggressive, metallic bursts. Another rocky new album track. ‘Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors’ is sung as a very simple acoustic track. It is set up as a reflective moment but this is somewhat disturbed by the audience singalong. It is clearly a favourite though. Next is ‘Bricks and Mortar’ a song from a middle album. I like this neat little drum and keyboard track. You can move to it ,which until now, the audience have been fairly staid. ‘All the Kings’ is a highlight from the new album and is brought to the stage with great gusto. I love the punchy synths and it has an almost upbeat melody to it, except Tom is singing about “loneliness forever”. He can reach those top notes without a whiff of a Bee Gee. They top off the evening set with ‘Munich’ which is another big fast, guitar-lead sound and a singalong. The encore is a bit of a surprise. I’m usually ready to leave by now and have my coat on, eyeing the exit. Three songs of which the 80s synths of ‘Papillon’ sends the crowd into a frenzie. And then finally, new song ‘Marching Orders’ which is by far the best preformed track of the evening. I don’t want it to end. And they send the fans off wanting more. Worth the wait. Editors Official | Facebook| Twitter | Youtube |
