New Order / Air / Super Furry Animals / Echo & The Bunnymen / The Cooper Temple Clause - London Finsbury Park - 9/7/02
4/5
By: Toby L
New Order Set-List: 'Crystal' , 'Transmission' , 'Regret' , 'Ceremony' , '60 Miles An Hour' , 'Atmosphere' , 'Brutal' , 'Close Range' , 'She's Lost Control' , 'Bizarre Love Triangle' , 'True Faith' , 'Temptation' , 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', ENCORE, 'Digital', 'Blue Monday' , 'World In Motion', 'Your Silent Face'.
Rain. Mud. Great.
Yet, still, climactic conditions can't dampen festival-spirits, can they? Actually, yes and no. Although the general morale throughout today - New Order's headline appearance at London's massive Finsbury Park, complete with a small supporting-cast to boot - was unquestionably high, by the time today's heroes finally troop onstage at around the early time of 8:20pm, they're greeted with as much sighs of tiredness from some of the damp crowd as they are with squeals of excitement.
But, fast-forward somewhat several hours before this and you'll have witnessed the other sterling acts on the bill, particularly kicked off by the arrival of the Liam Gallagher-cum-glam haircuts themselves, the ever self-celebratory Cooper Temple Clause. From the outset, they're hoping to trash the party - and their equipment from looks of things, smashing tambourines with all the venom of an irate Jeremy Beadle. Luckily, it's not always this; elsewhere, you may find yourself lost in the synth-daze of opener 'Did You Miss Me' or startling trance of 'The Lake', upbeat numbers such as the closing 'Let's Kill Music' and 'Panzer Attack' demonstrating all the energy and excitement which almost allows them to be so justifiably cocky.
You know when you're in for something special, too when Echo & The Bunnymen are on form - for they certainly are today, belting through their 80s repertoire with a swiftness and urgency which prevents the material from sounding significantly dated.
Frontman Ian McCulloch is gravely-throated as well, and it adds a jagged edge to much of their more pleasant moments - such as a scintillating 'Nothing Lasts Forever', performed with Chris Martin of Coldplay - his Scouse accent also serving up a treat as he observes the rain-filled sea of spectators watching him from in front, amusingly deeming today 'Like a f**king golf-tournament.'
But, oh dear - that sound really is getting a bit iffy now. An advancing set from Super Furry Animals should bode the finest of today's technical reverberations, yet instead the Welsh wonders suffer from deafening thuds that leap out of the speakers at random intervals, damaging some of the beautiful moments of their set, such as a bewilderingly sweet 'Presidential Suite', the raucous thrashings of 'Do Or Die', 'The Man Don't Give A F**k' and '(Drawing) Rings Around The World' fortunately not jinxed via such irritating occurrences. Aside from these moments, however, SFA cruise through their hour's allowance playing more new songs than they should be able to get away with, whilst providing an ever-emotive set-closer in 'Mwng's 'Gwreiddiau Dwfn Mawrth' and 'Oer Ar Y Blaned Neifion', which fuse rigidly together in time for frontman Gruff-Rhys, clad in chunky black shades, to swing a multi-coloured piece of rope in the air. This band is incredible.
More downbeat and, well, the 'best band from France,' according to compere and DJ Arthur Brown, are Air, whose chilling lounge-esque electronica isn't moody enough to keep the downfall of water from overhead, managing to provide the first real daybreak of sunshine. Fitting, really, for when they progress into the set's dying moments, including a toned-down 'Kelly Watch The Stars' and sassy 'Sexy Boy', no other musical-accompaniment during the period could have felt more warm.
However, compare what's been viewed thus far to what comes next and the others - although marvellous - are sadly trumped spectacularly. New Order can't fail with a set-list such as the one they've selected. Opening with the mighty recent single 'Crystal', complete with sumptuous female backing-vocals from Dawn, although Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook continue to move around with all the sexiness and agility of a stoned panther, the show is a rollercoaster of the group's career. And they do Joy Division songs. Amazing.
It doesn't come without a few hitches, however; Sumner's continual vocal-squeals gesturing us to get into it are mildly annoying after roughly seventy airings, and the audience appears to suffer the 'mid-set knackered' feeling, ensuring that the seldom-performed 'Brutal', originally from motion-picture 'The Beach, is largely ignored, whilst couples contemplate their aching legs from standing all day. Reassuringly, though, with a cracking rendition of 'She's Lost Control' - unheard live for years - a grandiose sing-a-long rendition of 'True Faith', a further 'Temptation' and chilling 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', the main part of the show is closed with all the style, power and tightness of the legends that they are.
A brief walk-off and a return finds a spooky 'Blue Monday' - chosen by crowd-response instead of 'Rock The Shack' - which is opened following a mock-muso tantrum from Sumner who sends his bandmates off-stage briefly proclaiming, 'It's my song,' the group eventually walking back on following their leader's utterance of, 'Well, you can help out if you want.' And, then, since it's the World Cup, we get their 1990 hit, 'World In Motion' - apparently unrehearsed - sung triumphantly by all in attendance - specifically during the brilliant 'ENG-ER-LAND' shouting-intervals. Sadly, this is it, and a final downbeat 'Your Silent Face' smears shut an hour and a half of one of this year's essential UK performances.
As we look to the skies on exiting the arena, the once grey and bulging clouds have risen and shifted away; shame, really - because they missed a stunning performance.
Photo-Credit - Andrew Future
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