Spiritualized

I am distraught! After months of eager anticipation re tonight, have awoken with the worst cold in the world. Advance apologies to anyone in the front rows who falls foul of my explosive sneezing and the smell of Vicks Vapour Rub.
Incidently, any suggestions for nearby drinking venues beforehand? A couple of medicinals are definitely the order of the day in my sickly state...

Have just got home from the London gig, it was AMAZING! Was sat in row B directly opposite J, probably only a metre from the stage. Set list seemingly the same as that reported at the Brighton gig but we got an encore (Oh Happy Day). Personal faves (if pressed) would have to be Cool Waves, Amen, Walkin' with Jesus, So Hot and Ladies and Gentlemen. I desperately want to go to all the other dates now - it was definitely the highlight of my year thus far.
Didn't hear any talking in the audience at all - not a peep! No ex boy band groupies but Bobby G was propping up the bar like he owned the place - can confirm he is extremely haggard in the flesh - unlike J who was looking very wholesome and surprisingly rather dashing.
S

hmm- whaddaya mean, "surprisingly"?

Glad you made it despite the sneeze factor!

ro wrote:hmm- whaddaya mean, "surprisingly"?

Haha, not just me with the schoolgirl crush then Ro...

SETLIST SPOILERS!!!!

Ok here's my review of the London gig.

First of all, in contrast with some reports of the other gigs on here, the crowd was great, very reverential, and complete silence except the rapturous applause that greeted every song.

The gig itself.....wow.....it was absolutely incredible. The sound was amazing - I don't know how hard J thought about this line up, in particular ditching the whole band for now, but it all worked perfectly. The backing singers gave every song a warm glow, and the strings were beautiful and never overdone (as is often the case when an orchestra is introduced to a 'mainstream' band. And I was a bit far back so couldn't see J too close up, but he definitely sounded in rude health - his voice was absolutely booming in places.

Which brings me to the songs. The setlist was almost utter perfection. People who've been seeing spiritualized for years will be in for a real treat - a few songs you probably thought would never be played live at a Spz gig. The set started in the same way as the Daniel Johnston gig recently (Old Flame, Devil Town, Lord Let It Rain On Me). I'm starting to think that Old Flame is the most affecting song that J has written in years. He played True Love Will Find You In The End and Funeral Home too....probably my only slight complaint is that I'd have liked to hear some other covers maybe instead of a repeat of the DJ songs - surely they could have been kept just for the tribute gig. Having said that, True Love... was beautiful.

And I'll echo someone elses statement that the absolutely highlight was the beautiful Anything More/LAGWAFIS medley. Finished the main set with Lord Can You Hear Me?, which seemed extra poignant given what J's been through this last 2 years, the chrous sung with almost an air of defiance. The reception at the end was amazing, and the band came out for an impromptu encore of Oh Happy Day. I say impromptu because (a) J instructed the band on what to play, and (b) it sounded very unrehearsed! But a nice change from most gigs these days, where the encores are planned.

One other thing to note was that during what I think was a new song, J broke a guitar string. He stopped the song, looking slightly pissed off, and one of the girls in the choir boomed "COME ON JASE!!!", and the crowd got behind him....It was just a nice moment I felt, especially since this acoustic setting must be pretty nerve wracking compared to the full band setup.

An approximate setlist (definitely not in any order apart from first 3 and last two, and apologies if I forgot something!)

Old Flame (new)
Devil Town (DJ cover)
Lord Let It Rain On Me
True Love Will Find You In The End (DJ)
Cool Waves
Hey Man/Amen
The Straight And The Narrow
So Hot
Coming Down (new, first played at DJ gig)
2 or 3 more new songs I think
Walkin With Jesus
Anything More -> Ladies and Gentlemen
Stop Your Crying
Lay It Down Slow
Funeral Home (DJ)
Lord Can You Hear Me?
---------------------
Oh Happy Day

Absolutely fucking sublime - no other word for it.

The crowd were great - almost total silence during the songs (Hallelujah!!).

As an old S3 junkie Hey Man was my personal favourite - never thought I'd hear Jase doing that live!

I could have lived without a couple of the DJ songs, and Walking With Jesus to be honest, but Cool Waves, So Hot and L&GWAFIS were just spine-tinglingly good.

What a night. Only setback was a schoolboy error with my first ever attempts at bootlegging....set the input volume too high so on all but the very quietest stuff there's too much distortion to make it a viable listen - bugger it!

What a night. The Spaceman was definitely on form. Such a beautiful evening. I'm always ranting on to my mates how Spz used to b eso much better in the early days, gigs where better etc (I'm an oldy from the spacemen 3 days), but last night was easly in my top 3 Spiritualized shows of all time.
I agree with all the points above LAGWAFIS was just incredible, so moving in fact that the girl sitting just in front of me was crying all the way through it.
Easily the best gig this year hands down and when Jason snapped a string towards the end of the set on the new one with the "do do do" chorus everyone one was behind him, standing ovation at the end plus oncore, BRILLIANT!!
If anyone managed to get a good recording please post it ASAP!

One song not listed above, and not played at Brighton was Hold On.

There was no encore at the Brighton show despite 5/10 mins of shouting and applause and noise.

Gig was amazing! New songs sounded fantastic and I took a couple of first timers along and they loved it. I cant wait to here the new stuff with a full band I know its going to sound genius!

when Jason snapped a string towards the end of the set on the new one with the "do do do" chorus everyone one was behind him, standing ovation at the end plus oncore, BRILLIANT!!

What was that new one called? so good!

No idea but it was my favourite at the Sage gig a while back, so I for one was very happy to hear it again. Its basically Walking with Jesus with a new melody and new lyrics, but man what lyrics! Lovely.
That other new one with the "Hurricane in my veins..." line was great as well.
This has totally re-newed my faith in the Spaceman.

Need tickets for the other shows now!!

Need tickets for the other shows now!!

yeah! im with you on that....Could get expensive

Well I've never known J to do an encore. Not even for a baying Glasto crowd. I didn't expect one at the Salisbury gig, even so I was still disappointed when the house light s and PA came on.

Def the best gig this year.

LAGWAFIS was the best song, the way all those vocals melded together was def something special and something my ears will remember for a long time.

Agreed. Pretty sure they left then came back on at the Albert Hall but other than that cannot remember J coming back for an encore.

This tour is sounding better with every gig!

Roll on Edinburgh - only another month away now...

yes yes, amazing gig.... i saw a guy in the row in front of me (near the mixing desk) filming songs on his camera. could you make yourself known and/or put em on youtube, please? it is a shame the lights and pa came back on, but hey! they played "isi" by NEU!

great stuff to see bobby g and keven shields having a wee chat.

best night in a while xx

The only time I really remeber the band coming back on was at the Astoria the day LAGWAFIS cd came out it was the day they did the signing in Virgin across the road.
they played the set then if memory serves they came back on and did These Blues it was hte gig Kate played Bass for one of the tracks to let Sean play Hormonica.

Oh yeah. You've brought it back. That was one of the best shows i've ever seen. Starting off with Cop Shoot Cop when no one had heard it before and the lights staright in yoru face.

Anyone have a boot of that?

They Transmit wrote:...Kate played Bass for one of the tracks to let Sean play Hormonica.

Hormonica - what a great typo!

Yeah that was such a great night and the first time the Gospel singers made their appreance as I recall, cracking version of Oh Happy day, with the double time end section.

ononist wrote:Agreed. Pretty sure they left then came back on at the Albert Hall but other than that cannot remember J coming back for an encore.

They did that show in two sets, but there was no actual encore, as far as my (hazy) recollection goes. They finished with Oh Happy Day then all the balloons came down and that was it - what a moment that was!

LoL! sorry still done in from last night....

Yeah. Also Come Together had the faster end i think

Yeah that's right! What a fine night...

Apart from the supports. Jonathan FireEater and Crystal Meth. Both pants.

well, I for one am NEVER DRIVING TO THAT FUCKING LONDON AGAIN.

Apart from being held back at work for an hour, it took me FIVE HOURS to get from Brum to the QEH. Fucking M25 nightmare ... accidents, roadworks, rain, congestion, and me sitting in my stationary car going ballistic.
Managed to catch the LAST THREE SONGS after being kept waiting outside the hall with a bunch of people who had gone to the bar or bogs and weren't allowed back in while the band were performing.
My only consolation is that I'm going to Leicester and Nottingham.
I'm going to set off this afternoon so I should get there on time.

To paulmeasure, who I promised a couple of tickets to, I'm sorry you got fucked around by my personal disaster and I was so bloody relieved when you told me you'd managed to get a couple of returns at the box office.

But, yes, those last three songs sounded lovely, although obviously I'd missed the mood-setting previous 70 minutes.
I was surprised to see a few people dash off when the opening chords to Lord Can You Hear Me began.

Not that it is of any interest to anyone, but I'm going to reiterate anyway... I AM NEVER DRIVING TO THAT FUCKING LONDON AGAIN..

*goes for a lie down*

Man that is a heart breaker. Well, at least you get to see the other dates which I'm sure will be just as memorable.

Starfish wrote:Managed to catch the LAST THREE SONGS

Disasters such as this make me want to weep! You have my heartfelt sympathy Starfish - glad you have other dates booked though.

They Transmit wrote: If anyone managed to get a good recording please post it ASAP!

Oh happy day indeed... it was being recorded via a proper mix from the desk to tape. Watch this space...

That will make my year if you got a great recording of that Upsetter. Looking forward to it and thank you.

Manimal wrote:That will make my year if you got a great recording of that Upsetter. Looking forward to it and thank you.

What i'm saying is that the mixing desk was hooked up to a proper live recording rig; it seems likely (given their history of releasing live recordings) that the show/tour is being recorded for the purposes of an official release.

Bollocks

Oh well, I'll pay for it then. Hopefully there'll be an unofficial "teaser" release from another source before then.

I'd be more than happy to pay proper money for a proper live release!!

what other kind of money would you be paying?

Oh Starfish.
That sucks. I could never figure out when I ask someone in England how long it takes to get from City A to City B (driving, not by train) the answer is always vague.
Glad you have tix to other shows man.
Color me jealous.

jack white wrote:what other kind of money would you be paying?

Monopoly money? Works in my world...

ononist wrote:One song not listed above, and not played at Brighton was Hold On.

I Met J after the Brighton gig and said he should've played that.... and the no encore biz was really annoying-he said he had run out of songs!

err guys, could you help me please?

I've got a jpeg of the London setlist used by the guy at the mixing desk (nicked from a post on the Wedding Present forum, of all places!). I'd like to get it up here, but I've got no idea how...do I need to upload it to a site on the web? If so, where?

Any ideas greatfully received.

Superstar wrote:

jack white wrote:what other kind of money would you be paying?

Monopoly money? Works in my world...

chocolate money?

I've got a jpeg of the London setlist used by the guy at the mixing desk (nicked from a post on the Wedding Present forum, of all places!). I'd like to get it up here, but I've got no idea how...do I need to upload it to a site on the web? If so, where?

post up a link and I'll see what i can do
good find!!!

http://www.scopitones.co.uk/phpBB2/view ... c&start=20

...will take you to the forum article in question, although you have to sign up first...there's some darkish photos of Jason there too.

Alternatively, PM me with your email address and I'll email the file.

check your PM's mate

Man how cool is that!! The wonderous tinter web.

I was livin' in a cricket town. All my friends were umpires.

Lord Let It Rain on Me. In years gone by he may have received a cabbage from Borough Market for the cheek! But honestly, it made me laugh.(it were a wet night in old London Town)
If only Sonic had smuggled in a Theremin during True Love.
I think Jason knows all the words to So Hot by heart as that was very good.
The whole mood of the lyrics was superb. The songs soared and drifted gently down throughout the set. When he came to Baby I'm Just a Fool, it all happened in one song.
The audience were very nice.
That was a nice Gibson acoustic.
The audience were appreciative, yet patient.
What a great evening. Like auditioning a new bassist.

If Neil Young ever plays the UK again, that would make for some festival.
With The Rolling Stones and Primal Scream on the Friday Night, of course!
"We mean it, maan."

Oh, and by the way, many thanks to Mussels for his review of Amazing Grace about two years ago. I think the Tappian review was called 'Amazing Poop' and all the songs reviewed had had the word 'Poop' cleverly worked into their title. This had all but left me until Lay It down Slow started.

The backing singers and J doing Can't Help Falling in Love and Amen were hi-lights. I'm looking forward to the Christmas Special or South Bank Show.

Turned out I was an umpire too

bunnyben wrote:

Superstar wrote:

jack white wrote:what other kind of money would you be paying?

Monopoly money? Works in my world...

chocolate money?

Improper money...

Goodnightgoodnight wrote:

ononist wrote:One song not listed above, and not played at Brighton was Hold On.

I Met J after the Brighton gig and said he should've played that.... and the no encore biz was really annoying-he said he had run out of songs!

You cheeky get

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/ ... 22,00.html

Sunday Times review. 5 Stars and a potential future as a stadium rocker.

I'm in Dubai; gutted I'm missing the shows. My brother went to London and all my mates are going to Leicester tonight; most of them don't know who he is and are going on my advice...

I agree, a fantastic gig only hindered by the wait and the warmup, who was not my cup of tea at all. Gravenhurst fares better within the same region of folk. Some of the songs were alright but the lyrics just horrible in places, underlining and underlining the "juxtaposition" of the lyrics and the music for shock effect, it seemed.



The new song where Jase broke his string was among the best, but really quite hard to pick winners among winners. Its amazing that his voice sounds even better after his illness. It also seems it just keeps getting better as he gets older.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K41U7KI65Wk

i think its london

xx

No twinkly lights at London show. Brighton is my bet .

Superstar wrote:

ro wrote:hmm- whaddaya mean, "surprisingly"?

Haha, not just me with the schoolgirl crush then Ro...

nope, you're not alone!
and judging by that "photos" thread- i think we're joined by some of the guys.
the more the merrier, i say.

ro wrote:nope, you're not alone!

Haha Ro, what are we talking? Picture in your wallet?! Name on your pencil case?!

mmm- i'm not that far in, but i must say- like an orange, he's quite a-peeling!

okay, okay, maybe one name on one pencil case.
yup.

ro wrote:

Superstar wrote:

ro wrote:hmm- whaddaya mean, "surprisingly"?

Haha, not just me with the schoolgirl crush then Ro...

nope, you're not alone!
and judging by that "photos" thread- i think we're joined by some of the guys.
the more the merrier, i say.

It only took me a couple of days to work out what you 2 were on about. I thought ''whaddaya'' meant ''surprisingly'' and couldn't grasp the conversation. I'm with it now.

The Jig wrote:It only took me a couple of days to work out what you 2 were on about

We girls like to talk in code every now and then. Just to keep you on your toes

Superstar wrote: We girls like to talk in code every now and then. Just to keep you on your toes

Well you certainly succeeded in that. And oddly i've been listening to a song called ''The Women In You'' the last couple of mornings and i still thought ''whaddaya'' was American slang for ''surprisingly.''

hahaha!
it is now!

A short backstage report here: http://www.xanga.com/laninees

The Jig wrote: And oddly i've been listening to a song called ''The Women In You''

I'm struggling today. My song of the day is called ''The Woman In You.''

throb wrote:err guys, could you help me please?

I've got a jpeg of the London setlist used by the guy at the mixing desk (nicked from a post on the Wedding Present forum, of all places!). I'd like to get it up here, but I've got no idea how...do I need to upload it to a site on the web? If so, where?

Any ideas greatfully received.

The setlist was actually jason's. Someone else got it and I took a photo of it on the way out. The photos I took but of course they came out quite bad

Two very minor gripes: the strings were for my taste a bit low in the mix (mind you I was sitting in the front row) and to make Cool waves even more special I think J should leave the chorus to the gospel singers. Otherwise this, along with Brighton were 2 of the best gigs I have ever seen. Looking forward to Manchester and Edinburgh (and maybe Let it flow and Spread your wings? )

Drowned in Sound review here:
http://www.drownedinsound.com/event/view/19868

Jasonsmith wrote:I think J should leave the chorus to the gospel singers.

Yeah, that didn't sit quite right with me either but as you say, a very minor gripe.

jason_godman wrote:

Jasonsmith wrote:I think J should leave the chorus to the gospel singers.

Yeah, that didn't sit quite right with me either but as you say, a very minor gripe.

A super show, sure enough, but sonically top heavy – a double bass would have been nice.

I reckon this fella would have have fit the bill.http://www.onemanband.org/omb-photo/bas ... n_band.htm