Orbital at the Royal Albert Hall, a quick review

Last night I went to the Royal Albert Hall as a very lucky guest of DWPub’s Daryl Willcox and his partner Rachel Fielding.

We were there to see recently reformed Orbital, a.k.a. the group that got me into dance music. Be still my beating heart.

I can remember the exact moment I fell in love with dance actually. It was 1995, I was watching the start of a film called ‘Hackers’, and this happened…

The rest of the movie was entertaining enough to earn a spot in my all-time top ten favourite films ever, in the world, ever (it’s still there) – but it took me a while to work out that the track was Halcyon by Orbital.

There was no Shazam, in fact, I didn’t even own a phone – nor iTunes or Amazon to look up the soundtrack.

Eventually I found it though, and listened to religiously. Over the years Orbital has remixed the track to include samples from You Give Love a Bad Name by Bon Jovi, Heaven Is a Place on Earth by Belinda Carlisle, and most recently I Believe in a Thing Called Love by The Darkness. We were treated to the first two last night.

Purple

Warm-up The Japanese Popstars were also thoroughly enjoyable, and sounded a lot like… Orbital. Figures.

The venue was wonderful, and Orbital delivered a near-perfect set filled with classics (finishing with Chime, of course) mixed with new material from their NEW ALBUM Wonky. Released just a few weeks ago.

Last summer I saw Underworld play Sonar in Barcelona. The crowd was filled with hardcore fans, and that feeling of reclaimed belonging powered their pogoing frenzy. There was no ‘new’, but Underworld held court, their fans fuelled by nostalgia.

Orbital holds a similar place in the heart of an old school raver, but the duo has managed to do the unthinkable – retain credibility, release new material and remain one of the best dance acts in the world. I’m chuffed to bits that I got to see them in such a setting.  Thanks Daryl :)

Radio Soulwax, the iPhone app

Have you seen Soulwax’s iPhone app yet?

Pegged as ‘a radio station, but not as you know it’, it allows you to listen to a growing collection of 24 hour-long mixes with visuals.

The description informs us that these mixes are that in name only, and should be viewed more like musical films based on the record sleeves.

It’s free to download and free to stream, then you just pay to download.

The duo will be making more of the tracks available to view over the coming months, and see this as their alternative to making a new 2manydjs album.

They wanted to try something different, and personally, I love it.

Sunday at V

Sometimes all you need is one moment to make something worthwhile.

Last Sunday I travelled out to Chelmsford for my first taste of Virgin Media’s V Festival. It’s not normally on my radar, but with a Louder Lounge invite in hand and just a half hour train ride ahead, I couldn’t say no.

The pop-heavy programme isn’t typically my sort of thing, but The Manic Street Preachers were my shining highlight of the day. After years of discussing the merit of its record-breaking title, listening to If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next in the blazing sunshine is something I’ll remember for years to come.

Sound It Out @ Curzon Soho

Last Wednesday I headed over to Curzon Soho for one of its ‘DocDays’ events.

The documentary we saw was Sound It Out, directed by Jeanie Finlay, which centres around the last remaining record shop of the same name in her hometown of Teeside. It was screened at SXSW last year to rave reviews and has now become something of a cult hit.

The film itself is a fascinating examination of the varying characters you get in just such an independent store. It’s heartwarming and funny, but also looks at the poverty of the area, which is central to many of the discussions throughout.

Jeanie mentioned in the Q&A afterwards that she had tried to steer clear of presenting people as stereotypes. But that’s just what the film does – and it’s incredibly enjoyable. It provokes a sense of nostalgia that you often lose when filmmakers try to be a little too clever, and that simplicity is what makes it so engaging.

But I digress. The soundtrack, which includes only music recorded less than five miles from Teeside, is packed full of great tunes. The accompanying website to the documentary is also fantastic, so I urge you to listen to the tracks and read the band profiles by clicking here.

The film was crowdfunded by 257 people via the site Indiegogo (including one American solider that wanted to leave the army but needed a producer credit to move into film) and is currently looking for its next stage of funding to show the documentary in ten cinemas across the UK. I can’t find any info on how to donate just yet, but join the Facebook group and keep your eyes peeled.