Tickets purchased.
Full album -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/confuse...061299/detail/
Reviews from that amazing night -
http://www.inthemix.com.au/events/re..._Sydney_230210
When talking surviving remnants of the
UK acid house scene, you can’t go past the name
Orbital. Along with being responsible for some of the most seminal tracks in dance music, the Hartnoll brothers also boast a
spectacular live show – a reputation they share with fellow ‘big-beat’ contemporaries The Prodigy and Underworld. Though whilst the latter two bands have both recently bestowed on Australian audiences some neon glow nostalgia, it’s been a significant 18 years since Orbital last visited our shores.
A bald headed and bare footed Phil Hartnoll made note of this lengthy absence when he and his brother Paul took to the stage of Sydney’s The Forum late this Tuesday night. Manning their impressive arsenal of sonic weaponry amid an eager roar from the crowd, he said simply, “Hello. Sorry it’s been so long since our last visit.”
Exhibiting an energetic live performance that undeniably warranted the tag given by Q Magazine of
“One of the 50 bands to see before you die”, Orbital were affecting performers for an awed crowd. From ethereal
rave anthems like Chime, Belfast and Lush 3.1, to
acid house cuts like Impact and more
electronica-derived breakbeat such as Know Where To Run and Satan (arguably the highlight of the show), the pair crafted their set with
expert technique and polished programming. When a mash-up of Halcyon, Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven Is a Place On Earth and Bon Jovi’s You Give Love A Bad Name was dropped, it was difficult to decipher whether it was tongue-in-cheek or whether they truly meant it. Regardless, the pair followed it up with set closer One Perfect Sunrise before returning for an encore with The Box and a bass-heavy remix of the infamous Doctor Who theme.
Small enough to be intimate yet large enough to
generate an incredible energy, The Forum was a fitting venue with proper sound quality to match. And the crowd? Well they were all there; from the over enthusiastic fan donning their Orbital head-torch and glow stick candy to the quiet trainspotter bopping his head in the corner. From the middle-aged ex-raver to the city professional to the fresh-faced clubbing newbie,
there was one common denominator: a huge smile. They knew that they were witnessing something truly special.