On Wednesday night, indie legends Editors played a mammoth set at Rock City, spanning their entire back catalogue. Jon Hague has never seen Editors before, so this was a great opportunity to cross them off of his bucket list having been a fan for a number of years.
The night started with support act The KVB, an electronic duo that created an intriguing sound that captivated a large Rock City crowd. With the lack of a drummer, they made the clever and unique choice to put a screen behind them, which blocked out Editors’ kit and made the stage feel smaller. With only two band members, the whole Rock City stage could’ve felt a bit empty otherwise. But even smarter still was what they did with the screen. The projection of constantly moving visuals definitely added something to the performance, and is an idea that I think would improve the experience of seeing many other artists who tend to just put their name on the backdrop. The KVB’s sound was a good fit to support Editors, as Editors’ music has an electronic element which was certainly similar in parts to The KVB.
After a half-hour break, Editors took to the stage to a great reception from the crowd. The set started with two songs from their 2022 album EBM. Their sound has transitioned over time, from a dark indie-rock sound to a more electronic-dance sound, and in particular Strawberry Lemonade’s electronic elements sounded fantastic live. However, as is the case with many of the bands who rose to fame in the noughties, their early albums are more well-loved than their later music, and starting with two new songs didn’t particularly get the crowd going. One particularly vocal fan repeatedly shouted ‘Play the first two albums!’ after every song that wasn’t from those two albums!
"As a six-piece, inevitably some band members faded into the background, but two of the guitarists did a great job with audience interaction and the whole band evidently enjoyed playing live."
As the set developed, the fans had their wishes met with Bones being the first recognised hit that was played. Sugar got the crowd’s vocals warmed up, with lead singer Tom Smith singing the chorus guitar line alongside plenty of the crowd. Smith was watchable throughout, with some sharp dancing that matched the intensity of the songs. As a six-piece, inevitably some band members faded into the background, but two of the guitarists did a great job with audience interaction and the whole band evidently enjoyed playing live. It was a slick operation from an experienced and highly skilled group. For two songs, the rest of the band took a break to leave Smith on his own, to serenade the crowd with an acoustic guitar. Nothing was an emotional moment in the set – it would have been so much better with the violins used in the recording, but it’s understandable not to take violinists on tour for only one song.
With most bands ending their main set after around fifteen songs, once Editors played personal favourite Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors, I expected them to walk off stage after every next song, but they just kept going! Finally, after number twenty, the song Strange Intimacy, they took a short break before returning for an encore of their biggest hits.
The encore started with second album title track An End Has a Start, which was followed by biggest hit Munich – the song that introduced me to Editors. Hearing these songs delighted the audience, and final song Papillon really got the crowd bouncing. After twenty-three songs – the longest set I’ve ever seen at Rock City – I doubt any fans went home with any complaints. Editors delivered a fantastic and memorable set that ebbed and flowed, with hits sprinkled in whilst keeping the biggest and best for an incredible encore.
Jon Hague
Edited by: Jodie Averis
Cover imagge courtesy of WBUR.
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