Spiritualized
@ Electric Ballroom, Camden
Tue 16th & Wed 17th September 2003
After
the success / excess of the huge Hammersmith Apollo gigs, which saw the
pomp and grandeur of the Let It Come Down album taken to some kind
of logical extreme, the return of Spiritualized is, if you believe the
PR spin, 'back to basics' for Jason Pierce and Co.
The new album for Sanctuary Records (a sanctuary for previously commercially
successful bands), Amazing Grace, was apparently recorded in just
a few weeks, and is supposed to be rawer and more emotional than its predecessor.
Vinyl nerds (like us) and downloaders have already had a chance to judge,
with the album being released on 3 12" singles over 3 consecutive
weeks. There are some pretty beautiful songs in there, and they are certainly
less overblown and leaner than before. But garage rock it's not.
With the downsizing of any ambitions of taking on the mainstream comes
the downsizing of the gigs, and it should be a real thrill to see the
band firing on all cylinders in the sweaty confines of the Electric Ballroom,
rather than noodling around with flash light shows in huge great venues.
Spiritualized as they were meant to be, we hope.
Support comes from soulful American rockers The Soledad Brothers.
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Spaceman
Jason Pierce
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