Get up on it like this..
- Badger
- Nov 30, 2019
- 2 min read
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:
Go
Free Yourself
Chemical Beats
MAH
Bango / EML Ritual
Swoon
Temptation (New Order cover)
Star Guitar/ Gravity Drops
Got to Keep On
Hey Boy Hey Girl
Eve of Destruction
Saturate
Elektrobank
No Geography
Escape Velocity
Don't Think/Under The Influence/ Dig Your Own Hole/ Get Up On It Like This
Wide Open
Galvanize
C-H-E-M-I-C-A-L/ Song To The Siren/ Leave Home
Block Rockin' Beats
Got Glint?/ Catch Me I'm Falling
The Private Psychedelic Reel
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