Given the choice, go to my works do, or see Orbital live............... hmmmmm
Obviously I chose the one that I wanted to go to and secondly the one I would enjoy, not that I don't get on with my workmates, but in this situation there are some, when mixed with alcohol, do not agree with me, and a barge pole just doesn't cut it.
Anyway, back to the gig in question, originally me Peter and his brother Kris were intending to go, so 3 tickets I bought. Things change and it would now be Ania instead of Kris, so no major hassles. Peter was persuaded to drive and off we went, don't know what was happening this evening, but people were actually driving into Blackburn, fortunately we were heading the opposite direction and got to our destination promptly.
A support act was on stage when we arrived and for half his set he twiddled and beat his way to a rather empty venue, that soon changed, and an appreciated audience made him feel quite welcome. His tenure on the stage soon came to an end and the stage became an Orbital playground.
What followed was loud, hard and interesting. Orbital have a reputation of improvising on stage with their songs, and tonight was no exception. Old familiar classics were reworked into banging beat frenzied adaptations, new tunes interspersed the set, but classics remain exactly that. Are We Here? started fresh and unrecognisable but soon merged into familiarity with a little Karen Carpenter thrown in for good measure, and Doctor Who soon had the room wooing and ooing. Belinda Carlisle had a mixed reception along with a bit of Bon Jovi, but Orbital have their tongue firmly in a collective cheek.
So, opinions on the night, fantastic. My ears are still ringing, and my retinas are still recovering from a spectacular light show, well 2 guys on stage twiddling with keyboard and mixers, not much to look at. But do they create some great tunes, the audience feed the band with enthusiasm, and their skill at improvisation pays dividends. If a few banging beats rock your boat, check them out, you won't be disappointed.
video is from HMV Picturehouse Edinburgh 02.12.12 but you get the idea
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