Saturday 7 November 2015

On Stage: Editors at Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam



They could have easily filled up a bigger venue, but Editors chose to do three nights in a row at the Heineken Music Hall which can hold around 5,500 fans. Needless to say those nights sold out pretty quickly since with a new album the band is back in the spotlights again, as if they ever left. I think the previous album The Weight Of Your Love isn't a great album, definitely not their best and although In Dream is a lot better it still can't measure up to their first three longplayers. However watching them play live is always a treat so I made my way to the HMH at the other side of town.

Editors at Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam, November 4 2015



Of course I was really lucky to see the band play last month at the much smaller Paard van Troje venue in The Hague and there we got a little taste of what to expect. You know this band has no trouble playing a larger crowd that still is relatively small compared to the big festival crowds they are used to play by now. The HMH is actually a good place that can host bands that have outgrown the clubs, but at the same time is still small enough to give an intimate feeling.



It turns out the setlist tonight isn't much different from the one they played last month, except some songs have been shuffled around. That night already showed the group is well prepared for this tour and this is a very smooth running show, although Justin Lockey has been temporarily replaced with Nicholas Willes. Lockey is becoming a father and Willes already played with the band last year, still the band is in great shape. Their big hits are scattered around the set, with some slower songs in between them to create a dynamic show. Old songs 'All Sparks', 'Munich' and 'The Racing Rats' are always guaranteed crowd pleasers and since the last album 'Sugar' and 'Formaldehyde' are added to that. From the new album it seems 'Ocean of Night' and 'Marching Orders' go down well, although I think 'All The Kings' with its eighties synth hook, that also made it onto the setlist, is actually one of their better new songs. The acoustic solo performance of 'Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors' is a nice touch and a highlight of the show.



Fire and fireworks are the only real visual effects added to some of the songs. No big fancy screens and huge lighting shows did they bring with them. And who needs that when you have Tom Smith as your front man. Besides his amazing voice he's always so into the music, moving around stage in his awkward fashion. Sometimes he will walk to the front of the stage to bend over to the crowd, or he takes place behind his piano for the more intimate moments. Smith doesn't address the crowd a lot except for a quick thank you once and a while. It's clear there's not much room for spontaneity or improvisation. That's okay though because the band, who look like they are having a good time themselves, play a very tight well thought through show and give the people exactly what they came for. Instead of ending the show with the epic 'Papillon' the new song 'Marching Orders' is the set closer in the three song encore. I think 'Papillon' is a much better song, but it seems most fans have embraced the new song and this way it's a worthy end of the night.



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Setlist:
01. No Harm
02. Sugar
03. Life Is a Fear
04. Blood
05. An End Has a Start
06. Forgiveness
07. All Sparks
08. Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool
09. The Racing Rats
10. Formaldehyde
11. Salvation
12. Bones
13. A Ton of Love
14. Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
15. Bricks and Mortar
16. All the Kings
17. Nothing
18. Munich
Encore:
19. Ocean of Night
20. Papillon
21. Marching Orders


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