Get up on it like this..

So, my opportunity finally came this week to see The Chemical Brothers live, on Thursday at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff with Rosie, and boy was I not disappointed.

Having followed the career of Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons since their first album in 1994, through the nine glorious studio albums and their various live performances (Glastonbury sets being the highlight), I was suitably awestruck and delighted to see the musical visual feast that is their live set.

The thing that struck me the most is that they've clearly put a LOT of thought into how 2 hours behind the decks can be compelling to the listener/viewer, and through some incredibly clever mixing, sequencing and very arresting videos and light show they have totally nailed it. The fact that stuff they'd recorded in the mid-90's didn't sound in the slightest bit out of place is testament to their presentation, creativity and skill as artists.

There was enough of No Geography for the boys to flex new muscle, and my highlights were Gotta Keep On and MAH, complete with amazing video backdrops.

To be honest, they could've played album tracks and avoided all of the hits, and it would have gone down just as well, such is their pedigree amongst Electronic artists past and present.

Their star is by no means on the wane, and I am excited to see what project they take on next, especially as Underworld have just released DRIFT Series 1, having recorded and mixed a track every week for a year, citing it as an arduous process but one they intend to repeat in 2020 despite its challenges. Please, please listen to it. It is stunning.

Electronic music is dead? Nah, fuck that. The legends live on and there's more coming boys and girls...

Badger x

Setlist:

1. Go

2. Free Yourself

3. Chemical Beats

4. MAH

5. Bango / EML Ritual

6. Swoon

7. Temptation (New Order cover)

8. Star Guitar/ Gravity Drops

9. Got to Keep On

10. Hey Boy Hey Girl

11. Eve of Destruction

12. Saturate

13. Elektrobank

14. No Geography

15. Escape Velocity

16. Don't Think/Under The Influence/ Dig Your Own Hole/ Get Up On It Like This

17. Wide Open

18. Galvanize

19. C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L/ Song To The Siren/ Leave Home

20. Block Rockin' Beats

21. Got Glint?/ Catch Me I'm Falling

22. The Private Psychedelic Reel