We have an affinity for indie-rock quartet The Editors, from Birmingham, England and not just because we dig their name. Sort of an Interpol from across the pond with noticeable influences by Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen, The Editors are starting to break into the American scene after the release of their acclaimed second album, An End Has a Start, and appearances at trendsetting festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. The band—featuring Chris Urbanowicz on guitar and synth, Russell Leetch on bass and Ed Lay on drums—produce a lush sonic cushion for singer Tom Smith’s sad, soulful voice to fall back upon. If Joy Division’s Ian Curtis is still out there in the ether, Smith is his medium between worlds.
Although the band channels icons of the past and the present, The Editors have a signature sound that is instantly recognizable, as when the band took the stage Monday night at Los Angeles’s Wiltern and launched into “Bones.” You might expect a singer with a somewhat wounded-sounding voice to be tepid on stage and overwhelmed by his band’s music, but you’d be way off. Smith’s vocals not only filled the near-capacity venue, but his energetic delivery kept the mostly twentysomething crowd on their feet dancing for the duration. Even when Smith sat down at the piano and slowed the momentum for a number like “Weight of the World,” the crowd swayed to his passionate lyrics. “Every little piece of your life will mean something to someone,” sang Smith. He could have been singing about the adoration he felt from the fans under his spell that evening.
Check out the embedded clip of the title song of their new album to see if The Editors are your kind of aural candy. Following is the set list for the Los Angeles show on September 24:
1. “Bones” 2. “Bullets” 3. “An End Has a Start” 4. “Blood” 5. “The Weight of the World” 6. “Escape the Nest” 7. “Banging Heads” 8. “All Sparks” 9. “When Anger Shows” 10. “Lights” 11. “The Racing Rats” 12. “Fall” 13. “Munich” 14. “Open Your Arms” ENCORE: 15. “You Are Fading” 16. “Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors” 17. “Fingers in the Factories”
Scott Alexander
A.J. Baime
Gary Cole
Matt DeMazza
Robert DeSalvo
Leopold Froehlich
Heather Haebe
Conor Hogan
Amy Grace Loyd
Gilbert Macias
Jamie Malanowski
Tim Mohr
Christopher Napolitano
David Pfister
Stephen Randall
Rocky Rakovic
Josh Robertson
Chip Rowe
Matt Steigbigel
Jennifer Thiele
John D. Thomas
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Comments on this entry:
Agreed they rock! And they made a great appearance on "In The Attic" with Rachel Fuller and Pete Townshend as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8OrsTmLGAc
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