Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating… somewhere off radar, actually. Where exactly is Jason Pierce these days? Or where is it that he wants to be? Spiritualized never stopped achieving, but they did cease to be remarkable, which was kind of the whole point. It was the reason for the hypnotic obsession they and his previous band, intoxicated psychedelic trailblazers Spacemen 3, ignited in people and which still burns as optimistically bright as our nearest star in people tonight, in this unusually formal but appropriate theatre setting. The last Spiritualized offering, 2004’s ‘Amazing Grace’, was not a bad album, it was loaded with garage rock and solemn gospel heartbreak to fit the bill, but fitting the bill was hardly what he built his notoriety on. Though fond of its accessibility at the time, it is not a record that Crud has returned to. ‘Ladies and Gentlemen…’ remains the benchmark. It sounded like it existed in some weightless purgatory between consciousness, darkness and redemption. Like it was crafted by something other than human hands. It was unmatched then and it remains unmatched now, by either himself or others. It was the next record, the comparatively sober but upscale orchestral clarity of ‘Let It Come Down’, that brought him crashing down to earth and lost him his Arista deal. It remains by far his most underrated recording. It is, bravely perhaps, within these realms that we find ourselves again tonight, and under the auspices of make or break, searching for firm coordinates. The live shows at the time continued in the Spiritualized tradition of anonymous strobe-lit meltdown, powerful musicianship, crafted with subtlety but never leaving that impression. But here, tonight, as a sort of tentative aside to the band’s full comeback next year, Jason Pierce (aka J Spaceman) has taken to the road with his voice and acoustic guitar alone, and a 4-piece string section, 3 gospel singers and a Fender Rhodes electric piano to fill in the gaps. It is out of his comfort zone –considering the scrutiny that such bare minimalism encourages, and the lack of protection it supplies – but it turns out to be a long overdue exploration of the definition he sought during that period. Extending the treatment to his wider back catalogue, also tackling the revered but often underwhelmingly tatty songwriting of Daniel Johnson, and debuting new work, it is sometimes as intoxicating, as droning and as consuming, as many of his previous highs. Only drawn with much bolder, cleaner lines. Some things never change and he sits, as ever, sidewards with his back titled towards the audience, barely acknowledging the enormity of his surroundings, or the nature of his devoted company. Of course this lends a certain vulnerability to proceedings, but that’s not an impression you take away for once. His voice, for one, has shed its skin. It stands clear as a jutting, satellite iceberg – alone perhaps, detached, but glinting majestically from whatever rays are available. He leads, where before he was almost certainly consumed by all that surrounded him, a lone whisper beneath a sky of fireworks. It seems incredible that the more elegant, learned, classic arrangements of ‘Ladies & Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’ (with full ‘banned’ Elvis interlude reinstated) and ‘Cool Waves’ for instance that appear tonight both retain the deep, droning, intoxicating ambience they were born with and re-establish themselves with an new posture in a new context. It is tribute to the intrinsic, and oft-ignored, strength of the songwriting and also to the intense work and inspiration that went into preparing them for this tour. This discipline does also seem to have rubbed off on new material premiered, glistening with defined, confident presence. One in particular, an embryonic gospel strum with the boldly enunciated lyric “…baby you set my soul on fire, I got two little arms to hold on tight, and I want to take it higher”, stands out above all others. Jason Pierce, then, though communication lines are intermittent at best, appears on best evidence to have refuelled, taken off once more and is gaining some altitude. This one transmission at least came through faultlessly and left little doubt. Relevant sites:
http://www.spiritualized.com
James Berry for Crud Magazine 2006© |
