Have you ever been to show that drastically changed the way you listen to a band? Well, last Friday I went and saw Editors (no ‘the’) and it’s almost like they’re a completely new band to me. Seriously.
Starting the tour supporting their third studio album In This Light and On This Evening, Editors brought along openers Black Nite Crash and Princeton for their Seattle and Vancouver shows. The former was a local Seattle band, one of which I’d put in the “fuzz rock” genre. Some call it “shoegaze,” which to me has a negative connotation of apathetic non-stage presence, so I prefer “fuzz rock.” They weren’t bad, but as a stark contrast to anything Editors did, it was an odd fit. If I had to compare their sound, it was like early Pixies but with a dose of cool Seattle confidence.
Between acts, the front area of the Showbox floor got strangely scarce, or at least until you looked down. Obnoxious teenagers decided to plant their behinds on the floor, tricking those further back that they might get a spot closer. To make the situation even more inconvenient, I almost tripped numerous times on these squatters.
No matter, because as soon as the next band, Los Angeles’ Princeton got on stage, people stood up to enjoy their low-key SoCal indie rock. I was standing right next to their personal band photographer before Princeton’s set started, and she tried to illustrate their sound to me, “kind of like Beach House?” Again, they were an interesting fit on Editors’ bill, but I quite liked them. At one point lead vocalist Jesse Kivel said after they kept switching around instruments, “I never realized how many bass players we have.” Three out of four the band members played bass during Princeton’s half-hour set. They played a concise set list from their debut studio album Cocoon of Love, out last September, all of which was scribbled on a sheet of paper under their feet. There were a few that I remembered having clever titles like “Calypso Love” and “I Left My Love In Nagasaki.” I liked those ones.
I feel like it would both suck and rock to be an opening band for a band as big as Editors. You get the pleasure of touring with and getting exposed to fans of that huge band, but during shows you don’t get as much love because people are there most of the time for the headliners. Jesse Kivel said it best – “thanks guys for coming out early.” When I see a “doors open at” time, that’s when I get there. If I pay for tickets, I want to see as much music as possible. I didn’t come early. I came on time. Everyone else came late.
At that, I was very glad because the Showbox didn’t get really crowded until right before Tom Smith, Chris Urbanowicz, Ed Lay and Russell Leech came out on stage and broke into the strong synthesizer and the lyrics, “I swear to god, I heard the earth inhale, moments before it spat its rain down on me” from the title track of their newest album. That’s when people went nuts.
Back to what I was saying earlier about hearing a band completely differently – when you first hear Editors, you’d never expect the lead singer to be winding around the stage, teetering on his stylish shoes and randomly jumping on the piano. But now that I’ve seen Editors live, I think of Tom’s antics when I hear “Papillon,” “Lights” or “Smokers Outside the Hospital Door” – all of which they played, by the way. Tom Smith’s almost creepy charisma is perfect for the generally dark nature of their music; he was phenomenal at building momentum through a song without being cheesy, switching between three microphones, a keyboard and a piano. There was just a way that he grabbed at the microphone in almost a longing way, while stomping at the pedals below him.
Chris, sporting his familiar black and white Rickenbacker guitar, got to show his synthesizer skills last night, too. However, because his synth set was right up against Tom’s piano, Chris was completely isolated on the left side of the stage. But even with the separation on stage, everyone sounded so together and harmonious.
Honestly, when I first heard the last album I was kind of underwhelmed after how amazing An End Has A Start was, but after seeing it live, the songs off of In This Light and On This Evening make for a more dynamic live experience with all the elements included. Editors have surely utilized electronic sounds on this record, and it makes so much more sense to me now. I even forgive them for recording a song for the New Moon Soundtrack.
Throughout the 90-minute set, Editors played all but one track off of In This Light and On This Evening (that title is a lengthy one to type out, I must say), half of An End Has A Start, and even a few from 2005’s The Back Room, including “Camera” and “Bullets.”
After they finished up “Brick and Mortar” and left the stage. These girls standing behind me were saying, “There’s gotta be an encore. They haven’t played ‘Munich’ yet.”
“There’s a three-song encore coming up, I caught a glimpse of the set list on the stage,” I turned around and told them.
“Fingers crossed for ‘Munich!’” They squealed.
The girls soon got their wish when Tom, Chris, Russell and Ed got back up on stage and broke into the opening riffs of “Munich.”
I don’t know if they were especially great and energetic because this was the first show of the tour, but this will surely not be the last time I see Editors. Heck, I would have driven down to Portland to see them if they’d stopped there. It was that awesome.
Set List:
1. In This Light And On This Evening
2. Lights
3. An End Has A Start
4. You Don’t Know Love
5. Bones
6. The Boxer
7. The Big Exit
8. Blood
9. Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
10. The Racing Rats
11. Like Treasure
12. Camera
13. Bullets
14. Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors
15. Bricks And Mortar
Encore:
16. Munich
17. Papillon
18. Fingers In The Factories
