At long last, BELFAST.

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JIMBO
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by JIMBO »

They better bloody have the full kit and stage set up for the rest of the 'Christmas' tour! I'm not having them charge normal tour prices for a glorified DJ set!!!!
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by legspin »

As the thread title suggests, this gig has been too long coming. Having not played there since the tail-end of the Troubles and with an iconic tune named after the place the Lads were long overdue a stop in this corner of the world. So 'twas with much enthusiasm that I informed the mates that might care that a short road-trip might be in order.

As it turned out, for various reasons they all fell by the wayside as the date got closer and I ended up only having my sister along for the trip (I very nearly didn't make it myself, having picked up what I thought was a dose of the flu but turned out to be a bacterial infection on the tuesday before). We got there though, so well and good.
This was my first ever gig as a punter in Norn Iron so I was feeling a bit buzzed getting out of the car and walking the 100 or so yards to the Ulster Hall. This was one of those venues we had only heard about, growing up in the south, as a location for speeches and demonstrations by the Orange Order and the Apprentice Boys, so I was expecting a bit of jingoistic nationalism to be still implanted in the walls and doorways but I was pleasantly surprised at how clean of any sign of that it was. Indeed, apart from some tasteful murals on the facing the stage from front-of-house. the walls were blank. Nice, high, victorian truss roof and wooden floors alway give rise to a boomy echo-ey room, so lots of bass required to fill the space. Better and better.

I really thought that I would be closer than most to the average age of the punters but it was a really young audience that was there. It was also quite rough and intense. I'm not the easiest bloke to shove around but as the gig progressed I found myself being pushed further and further back as folk pushed in from the sides at the front. Also, the shoving through of people in the middle wthout any politeness at all was noticeable. Different strokes though and none of the locals seemed in anyway phased by it.
There were a few support acts but we only got there for the start of the last, Phil Keiran. He is quite popular with the locals and I can see why as he has quite a groove going by the time he winds up. The twenty minutes or so during change-over give me a chance to have a look at what the Lads have with them and it is the stripped back stage set with none of the synths and samplers on racks around them. I can fully understand why some folk would feel gypped by this. It does look too much like a DJ set.
To grouse about the lack of toys onstage is not why we are here though. The auditorium was always quite full but with the time approaching to kick off it swells until the hall is beginning to heave. Ah, and then there is Worf and his theory and the crowd really starts to hum. The Lads appear down a small flight of stairs on stage left and I have a Gulliverian image in my head of P+P having grown several inches as I can see them quite clearly over the top of the gear on stage, Of course though it is the gear that has shrunk and the perpective thing final clicks in.
OBM kicks it all off, as has been de rigueur recently. It seems quite quiet though and the vocals seem a little muted to me anyway. This is the first time though, that enough of the crowd seems to know what is going on to just immediately go along with it. The place is up and dancing from the start and a cheer goes up as the beat kicks in. This will be good I think to myself and settle down for the long-haul. Halcyon is next up and the even after the just first few chords a roar of recognition resounds around the room. Yes, yes and more yes. This crowd are loving this, let's keep this going I think. So what happens? New France, and the air just goes out of the place. I have never felt the atmosphere disappate quite so quickly at an Orbital gig before. WTF is going on? The newness of the track in the set is some of the reason but tbh I don't think it has much merit being there in the first place. It sounds cumbersome and awkward, to me anyway. To be fair I think the Lads realise that it isn't working so they shift away from it and into Straight Sun. Immediately the crowd is back. This time you sense there will be no more slip-ups and as the drop hits the place is once again swinging. Beezledub continues in the wake and only builds on it (small gripe; the invocation to His Satanic Majesty is only barely audible. No matter, headbanging seems the order of the day so we did).
I knew from experience what was coming next and was a little trepidatious about Never losing the momentum re-gathered but it proved a welcome gentle breather from what had gone before. And boy did we ever need it. It was funny watching those in the know recognise what was coming and the laughter and joy at that recognition. Then it struck. Oh Euchari sounded out and the place just dissolved. The surge of emotion in the place is palpable as Belfast in all its glory washes over the crowd to leave a glow of ecstasy all around. You could sense that if the gig had finished right there most folk would have gone home happy. No need for that though.
Impact is next and as we have come to expect, it is the fanatsic melange of nearly all the different versions. It seems to be getting shorter though or, as is more like likely, I've just become familiar with it. Not that it breeds contempt here, far from it. It has a solid place right in the heart of the set and there it should remain.
Wonky has also cemented a place for itself in the setlist. From squeaking if it turned around too quickly to being a stomping crowd-pleaser, the transformation has been great. Are We Here continues to go from strength to strength but again I am wondering about the lack of love for Sniv there seems to be. Sad but True was dropped very quickly from the earlier tour. I can understand the time constrains at festivals (unless you're the Cure of course, but we won't go there) but to not have it or something else from that era seems like a missed opportunity. Mind you, there is nothing at all from InSides which just seems criminal tbh.
And so to the last tune of the main set, Dr? Hmm, I can understand both points of view, that this is a great version of a great tune or that it is just cheezy populist tat. Why can't it be both? I personally wouldn't have it on the list but that's not because it's not good but just that I think there is better out there. it works well enough in the set so it won't leave you cold and what's wrong with just having a bit of fun. The new section in the middle belies the punk antecedants of the Lads and is well worth the pogoing. It sounds a little like the war-drums the Master has in his head at all times, so is doubly appropriate to add in here.
The encore starts with Stringy Acid. This is by far the best version of it I've heard yet and is stretched, prodded and twisted like only the Lads know how. The place is hopping and then Chime strikes. I am genuinely surprised at how knowlegable this crowd is. Considering that I really did feel like an elder Lemon at this one, the familiarity of the audience with the tunes that would have been from before most of their time is impressive. And then they are gone. Or so I thought. The House lights stubbornly refuse to come on and I'm thinking "what's going on"? Then they are back. Oh goody, more. Where is it Going springs into life and we are once more taken on a journey. But this time we are brought back to where we are and as WiiG winds down a glorious reprise of Belfast drowns the audience in golden swathes of beauty. i know we are in it's namesake but this additional bit just makes the night complete. The wind-down is perfect and as the final chord sounded the roof is lifted and and goose-bumps are raised everywhere as the love to and from the stage threatens to overcome some folk. I have yet to experience a better end to a gig from the Lads and this one will live on for a while yet.

The after show was good with the DJ's that preceded P+P in the main gig doing the same. Phil's set began with Belfast and continued with some classics and other bits and pieces. Unfortunatly the drive home beckoned and we left around 2.15 with Phil just settling in for the night.

So in synopsis

Highs - Belfast, Stringy Acid, Chime, Straight Sun, being abroad and yet not really. Great venue. Oh, and Belfast again
Lows - New France (either make it work or drop it quickly), lack of gizmos on stage, a few sound issues.

Last Orbital gig of the year for me I'd say. Quite a year it has been though. New album (great), RAH gig (incredible), Picnic (wahoo), Belfast (so good they played it twice).

Let the good times continue I say.
Last edited by legspin on Wed Dec 05, 2012 12:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Grammar, punctuation and spelling
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thehitcher
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by thehitcher »

Was this a full set of more of a festival like appearence? hope they bring sad but true back and all the equipment(including the jupiter as i think the filters they used make the sound better...more analogue). Agree too, no insides is a criminal offence!! The Box, P.E.T.R.O.L, TGWTSIHH. On of those would suffice
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by legspin »

thehitcher wrote:Was this a full set of more of a festival like appearence? hope they bring sad but true back and all the equipment(including the jupiter as i think the filters they used make the sound better...more analogue). Agree too, no insides is a criminal offence!! The Box, P.E.T.R.O.L, TGWTSIHH. On of those would suffice
It was about the same as the set from earlier this year, so a full set in reality. Slight changes (New France instead of Sad but True, no Crime, extra Belfast).

It just doesn't look right without the wall of gadgets. I want my techno nerds to look like techno nerds. Soundwise? Meh, it is getting increasingly hard to tell the difference. Of course, that just may well be my ears.
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by pme »

JIMBO wrote:They better bloody have the full kit and stage set up for the rest of the 'Christmas' tour! I'm not having them charge normal tour prices for a glorified DJ set!!!!
And that's the problem with not having the full setup. People feel (rightly or wrongly) that they're are being short changed. For instance, who can we ask what equipment they'll be using during the December tour? Its too late now as everyone probably has their tickets but what next - asking this question at point of sale for gig tickets? 'Err, excuse me but can you tell me if the boys are using the full live setup or just laptops and ipads?' You can imagine the response!

Still, I'd rather the chance to see them live than not at all I suppose.
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by Cranks21 »

They still have a few synths with them up on stage. The other synths have been replaced by VST's and probably some noises have been sampled. I agree, from a visual aspect, it's very impressive to see the full live rig, but as far as performance goes, it's still live, and still slammin'.

I saw them just a few weeks ago at the Moogfest and talked to them a bit about the scaled down set up. It does not sound like just a bunch of loops being fired, they still sound awesome and are still tweaking out a ton of noises. I don't think you will here a difference, in fact, it might actually sound a bit better because they are not relying on some of the analog machines that would often drop out of key or were a bit more unpredictable.

Take a listen to the KCRW or KEXP radio show where they performed some songs with the new live set up. Hope you all enjoy the show.
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by JIMBO »

Cranks21 wrote:They still have a few synths with them up on stage. The other synths have been replaced by VST's and probably some noises have been sampled. I agree, from a visual aspect, it's very impressive to see the full live rig, but as far as performance goes, it's still live, and still slammin'.

I saw them just a few weeks ago at the Moogfest and talked to them a bit about the scaled down set up. It does not sound like just a bunch of loops being fired, they still sound awesome and are still tweaking out a ton of noises. I don't think you will here a difference, in fact, it might actually sound a bit better because they are not relying on some of the analog machines that would often drop out of key or were a bit more unpredictable.

Take a listen to the KCRW or KEXP radio show where they performed some songs with the new live set up. Hope you all enjoy the show.
I think, rightly or wrongly, the US was rather shortchanged on the recent tour. I'm glad people enjoyed it, but the rather ad hoc stage set is miserable compared to previous American appearances. Needs must.

I don't see the need to continue this for UK tour though. All the gear and the screens made it across the country for the April dates and given that the ticket price remains the same, so should the show. The visual experience is very important, it's part of what makes Orbital's live gigs so special. I don't doubt that the boys could set up a trestle table in a sports hall and tear the roof off, but that isn't the point - if you are going to put on a show, put on a SHOW.

It would depress me to find P&P leaving half the audio rig at home and playing off a painters desk. Less stuff that can go wrong? Less fun more like! I mean the unpredictability is all part of playing live. Otherwise it's next stop : two laptops and a cycle lamp.
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Re: At long last, BELFAST.

Post by Hillsman »

Hi All,

First post for me. I was at the Belfast Gig - my first time seeing Orbital Live. As anyone from Ireland will concur, quality music events in this neck of the woods are few and far between.

Great review of the set LegSpin. I've been to the Ulster Hall several times, though that was a long time ago during the Hellraiser / Vengeance era. For me, it was amazing to be back there - opening the rear doors, walking into the main hall, seeing the lights and feeling the bassline was simply brilliant. Nostalgia levels were through the roof :D

Like yourself, I had a bit of a flu-bug during the run-up to the event, and I could just about get hold of a couple of mates to go with! They aren't really into dance music, so once Orbital arrived on stage, I disappeared into the thrum, never to be seen again until the lights came on!! I wasn't too disappointed with the graphics and FX, but that was mainly because I had nothing to compare them against. The sound system was lacking though. Bass levels were poor while a lot of samples and melodies lacked volume and clarity.

No what you mean about people pushing through the crowd - you have to stand your ground in this part of the world or you'll end up at the back behind a crowd of 7ft giants. At thought the crowd was a mix of young and old - there were tracks I didn't know and I suspect others were the same. But for what ever reason, classics from the Yellow & Brown albums are known to everyone here. Tracks from those albums were a regular feature at post-parties back in the day, while the Shine crowd tend to be fairly well educated.

I wasn't aware of any After-party on the night - which only serves to highlight that the event and Belfast Music Week were very poorly promoted. We ended up in a local Trad Music bar!! (No bad thing of course)

Pros for me: It was Orbital. Stringy Acid. Friendly crowd & decent atmosphere
Cons: Sound system. Early finish time (11:30!!!) left us feeling a bit cheated.
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