The Delgados / Electric Music - London Islington Union Chapel - 13/5/00
5/5
By: Toby L
Sure, it happens every time when a reviewer comes to this venue, but you can't help just trying to explain to those that haven't gone what it's like to be in the Islington Union Chapel.
The best place to start is to describe what you sit on - pews. Proper church-pews, only with the sacred texts missing. In addition to around twenty seating-rows around the sides and centre of the downstairs area, high up, almost in the heavens above, is an impressive balcony, allowing all to see whether the people onstage are trying to conceal any bald-spots. The stage is a just small area. A draping cloth, showing the black angel from the sleeve of The Delgados' current album, 'The Great Eastern', covers the vast fabric, which is tied to the ceiling above, the supporting cable disappearing into a mass of pitch blackness. All whilst Ian Brown, The Charlatans and Doves play on the momentarily quietened sound system.
The show's clearly a sell-out, as people slowly fill the obscure hall, looking around in astonishment at its grandness, frightened of speaking of ill-minded acts or colourful language just in case the lord is present tonight. The same thoughts and worries are clearly running through Electric Music's frontman when, two songs in, he comments, 'I really don't want to swear in this place. I mean all our grannies will probably be coming in here tomorrow at 11 am for their church-service.' Electric Music, the support band that are about to release their first album, 'North London Spiritualist Church' (suitable venue to play then), are Scottish too. Their mix of emotion-fuelled wails and slow tempo beats is a suitable pre-cursor to the night's real crowd-pullers, though it seems, judging from reactions, that seven songs was a little ambitious this evening. Yes, a sound clean and inviting, though, with synths and xylophones given a healthy showing and vocals proving loud, but gentle; consequentially, for a new act, they're doing well, just give them time for their chance to shine and their music to be further defined.
By now, the church was ringing with the loud amplification, whilst the minimal lighting had shown itself to be subtle, though relevant for the setting. However, the fact this show started surprisingly late (Electric Music came on at 9:40 pm, with The Delgados arriving at 10:45) meant the crowd were anxious. By the instant our main act were there in front of us (or below us, in the case of those located in the God's) they were greeted with us much gratefulness as excitement at their presence. Trying hard to remain as if they weren't moved by the overwhelming applause received on their entrance, the band launched into the gorgeously string-laden 'Knowing When to Run' and as the lighting twirled around the barely lit cylindrical building, the first mouth-dropping moment of the night had been rigidly secured. Despite the downbeat opening, the faster crowd-favourite and single 'Everything Goes...' followed, displaying that the black angel backdrop, on hitting light in a specific angle, was see-through, revealing the sight of the pulpit behind (alas, no pissed, stripper vicar at its helm).
Shameless self-publicists that they are, ten of the thirteen-track show are from 'The Great Eastern', the (damn rightly so) critically adored epic album that's simply flushed in harmonic and melodic vocals and necessarily overblown string arrangements. Replicated live, songs are just as vivid in imagination and texture thanks to the eleven-piece band with new single 'American Trilogy' sounding markedly dazzling, from Alun's shaky vocals to the golden lighting that lifted during the anthemic chorus. 'Accused of Stealing' is similar in effect, only with Emma's heart-melting voice instead and echoes that are strangely distantly close.
There's nothing said onstage and everything seems to be said amongst the audience, from the comments on how many more pints they thought bassist/sleigh bell operator, Stewart, could down in the space of just a minute or how effective the flute-player and string-quartet on show tonight sounded. ... Actually, maybe the most noteworthy event of the audience in general were the people that just couldn't hold back anymore and, well, quite frankly, lost it. The first signs of this nature of the crowd were during the Alun-sung, slow-at-first-then-really-rather-rocky-track, 'No Danger' (or, as commented by Emma Pollock, 'Neigh Danger' as we like to say up north'). One guy on our left, wearing a tidy quilt and sporting bright, blond hair and stylish glasses, visualised an invisible drum-kit, proceeding to smash the living daylights out of it, whilst, in reality, he was hitting the hard wood finish of the bench in front of him. However, he wasn't the main character that got the attention. An older member of the congregation, still on our pew - there must have been a secret life-force that energised our row throughout their performance - did the similar motions of flinging himself about the place uncontrollably. But it was during the notoriously manic '13 Gliding Principles' that he stood up and gave himself the shaking of a lifetime. Onlookers watched in intrigue and shock at the energy he was absorbing from the sound and could only imagine what it would be like to totally flip... in public. It sounds cruel to single out these two examples, but they weren't the only ones. Everyone in attendance had their own way of showing their love to the richly varied act. Whether it was dancing in the aisles, or rushing to the front during the spine-tingling, unplanned encore of 'The Past That Suits You Best' or even the standing-on-pew ovation at the end of the night, we were all eager to show that we want them. The thing is though, with songs like the ones they have on their current album, it won't be long until everyone else will want them too.
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